Lurie was a member of the Israeli underground armed organization (""Irgun"") and was wounded in a battle against the British. He later served in the IDF reserves as a Major and senior company commander. He became a member of a small covert sky-diving unit of officers-only trained to operate behind enemy lines. He shared parachute training with the U.S. 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 16th independent Parachute Regiment of the British Forces in Aldershot, UK, and with the French Foreign Legion's Paratroop Forces in Pau, France.