This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

As the millennial muse sang, “I vowed not to fight anymore if we survived the Great War.” Now, one of Taylor Swift’s bodyguards has departed to battle Hamas, in what we can only hope will be an end to a violent cycle.

The Israeli-born guard, who was working on Swift’s Eras Tour, told Israel Hayom, “I have a pretty great life in the U.S., a dream job, great friends and a comfortable home,” but added that he felt called to return to his IDF unit and defend his country.

“I couldn’t stand by while families were being slaughtered and burned in their homes,” the guard, who asked not to be identified, said. “Don’t stand by and do nothing. Don’t be on the wrong side of history.”

In a statement to Israel Hayom reporter Eran Swissa, the guard said of Hamas that it would “be an insult to animals around the world to call these terrorists ‘animals.’”

The news of the guard’s pivot from protecting one of the world’s most beloved artists to defending the Jewish State, was shared in a video by Aish.com.

Even before his wartime homecoming became public, the bodyguard had something of a presence on TikTok — users remarked upon his “elite” concentration while escorting Swift off the stage, scanning the audience for threats.

Last week some criticized the Speak Now songwriter for staying silent about the war in Israel but promoting the film of her tour, amid many tabloid headlines about her latest beau, Travis Kelce.

The Swiftie community’s general reaction to the news of her bodyguard’s service wasn’t immediately apparent early Monday, but the fandom had previously encountered drama surrounding the IDF.

Taylor Swift's security guard, a former IDF soldier, came to Israel to volunteer in the army. pic.twitter.com/G9NS09sh64

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 15, 2023

In 2019, the operator of popular Twitter account LegitTayUpdates went to prison when she, in her now iconic words, “refused to join the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) lmao.”

If there was any doubt that Swift was a global icon, a 13-year-old resident of Kfar Aza, near Gaza, told CBS News’ Nora O’Donnell that focusing on an upcoming Taylor Swift concert kept her hopeful while hiding from Hamas for 16 hours.

The teen will, most likely, have to see Swift outside of Israel, though — she isn’t scheduled to play the country, and never has, much to the dismay of fans.

This article was originally published in the Forward.