Sons of Hope
Rhode Island Army National Guard, 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 3-172 Mountain Infantry, Iraq 2005–2006
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Operation Moat Jump September 14th, 2005 0530 hours Baghdad, Iraq
I gathered the assault team together and told SGT Murray to move along the street and use the shadows to his advantage. Trying not to micromanage too much I sat in the middle of the formation and watched the NCOs and their soldiers move towards the OBJ using hand and arm signals and proper formations. In addition to the pride I felt, the pure sense of amazement at where we were and what we were doing really caught up to me. The men of 1st and 3rd squad moving through the shadows with night vision and weapons still brings the hair on the back of my neck to attention.
I reached for my ICOM radio and switched channels to contact SFC Oldroyd and he told me that the team was in position at their objective and ready to move. With a flash of infrared to SGT Murray I saw his greenish figure through the night vision move back and thrust his leg towards the front door of the house. Then I heard the crash.
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About the Book
Author Jeffrey Ahern had longed to serve in the Army since he was thirteen years old. He attained that goal, and in Sons of Hope he narrates the story of his service as an infantry platoon leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom III and IV.
Sons of Hope is based on the daily diary entries kept while he was assigned to Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 172 Infantry (Mountain) from January 2005 to May 2006. Ahern’s story begins with the mobilization training the platoon and company endured at Fort Stewart, Georgia, and then Fort Irwin, California, leaving the United States in May 2005. He provides details on the platoon’s counterinsurgency operations, daily patrols, nightly raids, the constant fear of IEDs and suicide bombers, and the never ending search for an unseen enemy.
A vivid and detailed account, Sons of Hope provides insight into what life was like for a frontline soldier in Iraq conducting offensive operations. It communicates the importance of the sacrifices soldiers and their families have made in the last decade of war.
About the Author
Jeffrey Ahern graduated from LaSalle Academy in Providence, RI in 1999. He joined the Rhode Island National Guard and attended Basic Training and Infantry school at Fort Benning, GA. Upon completion of his training he returned home to Rhode Island and earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from Rhode Island College in 2003. He received his commission as a US Army Infantry officer from the Providence College Army ROTC. Jeffrey and his wife Jennifer live in Smithfield, Rhode Island.