Hogs in the Shadows: Combat Stories from Marine Snipers in Iraq [Hardcover]

Milo S. Afong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2007

"In the heat of battle, they have one mission-and they accomplish it one bullet at a time."

In Operation Iraqi Freedom, there is a special breed of marine for whom the prey is the enemy-and every day is hunting season. This marine is a HOG-a Hunter of Gunman.

These are the gripping, gut-wrenching true stories of those marines in Iraq whose sole purpose on the battlefield is to take out the enemy-one combatant at a time. Every time a HOG puts his eye to the glass, it means death for whoever is unlucky enough to end up in his crosshairs. No warning shots. No disabling wounds. No regrets. That's what a HOG does.

Here, former Scout/Sniper Team Leader Milo S. Afong reveals what it takes to be a Hunter of Gunmen. He describes the intensive training that turns expert infantrymen into one-shot life-takers, building Marine Scout/Sniper teams and how they operate in the field-and under fire-and how HOGs get the job done under any conditions.

From sniping from a rooftop in Baghdad, to unknowingly being surrounded in a palm grove in the city of Hit, these stories will transport you right into the heat of the desert war, where one squeeze of the trigger can make all the difference."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Milo S. Afong enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1999. While serving with the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines Scout/Sniper platoon, he graduated first in his class from the 1st Marine Division's Scout/Sniper School. After his discharge in 2003, he volunteered for a tour of duty in Iraq as a Scout/Sniper Team Leader with the First Battalion, Twenty-third Marines. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; First edition (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425217515
• ISBN-13: 978-0425217511
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Milo S. Afong enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1999, and graduated first in his class from the 1st Marine Divisions Scout/Sniper platoon. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device.

The author's first book, titled "HOGs in the Shadows" details the accounts of Marine Scout/Snipers in Iraq. His follow up book is titled "Hunters: US Snipers in the War on Terror" and gives readers a look at US Army Special Forces, US Navy Seal, US Army, and US Marine snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "A COLLECTION OF SNIPER "INCIDENT-REPORTS"., December 8, 2007

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hogs in the Shadows: Combat Stories from Marine Snipers in Iraq (Hardcover)

A "HOG" is a "Hunter Of Gunmen" and is the only one of 3 designations to be considered a Marine scout/sniper. The other two classifications are: "SLUG", an acronym for "Slow, Lazy, Untrained Gunman", and "PIG", Professionally Instructed Gunman."

The potential reader should be made aware that this is not a "book" in the conventional sense that one thinks of a book. A book normally has a character or characters that you are introduced to in the beginning and then get to know intimately throughout what becomes hopefully a coherent interweaved story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. If the story is written well, the reader "buys in" to the characters and the plot, whether it's because of identifying with a character, or character's, or with the intrigue or educational flow of the unraveling story. Hating or loving character's, or having your emotions effected in any way by people you've "gotten to know" in the course of the story is what makes a good book.

"Hogs In The Shadows" consists of a nice concise 11 page introduction as to what type of training and dedication it takes to become a "HOG". The remainder of the book is broken down into what I really wouldn't call chapters, but would more accurately describe as 12 separate Iraq sniper "incident-reports". There are some interesting combat situations in each one, but they're bogged down with way too much jargon and enough acronyms to sink a ship. Because the "incident-reports" (chapters) are unrelated and have different sniper teams, you're starting off each incident like a short story. The writing style has no artistic flow, and as previously mentioned they read like a police report.

As a Viet Nam era veteran I totally relate to the universal hunger for the "kill" that all the snipers share. Someone who has not served in the military may be taken aback by the constant raging desire to not only kill, but to go on a hunt, but the reader must understand this is what war is! It's very interesting to me as a veteran, how much the use of sniper teams has changed from war to war. This "book" has a few good moments, but it is definitely not on the level of books such as: "Shooter", Phantom Warrior", "Lone Survivor", "House To House", and others of this genre.

I think the most telling summary as to the benefit of these highly trained sniper teams was made by Sergeant Reyes as he reflected on his precision killings: "He couldn't help but dwell on the fact that it was true that they killed a lot of the enemy, but in reality, he knew that they had saved more lives than they took."

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Accurately Written coming from a HOG and OIF veteran., April 30, 2008

By 

A. Bolden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hogs in the Shadows: Combat Stories from Marine Snipers in Iraq (Hardcover)

I served in 3rd Battalion 7th Marines Scout Sniper Plt. during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2-3 and knew many of the Scout Snipers included in the stories of this book. I could not put the book down, it was very accurately written, and portrays exactly what it takes to become and operate as a Scout Sniper in combat. It makes me even more proud to be a HOG and part of the very small community. I'd definately recommend this book to my fellow snipers and anyone else interested in the community.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snapshots of Marine Snipers in Action in Iraq!, January 24, 2008

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hogs in the Shadows: Combat Stories from Marine Snipers in Iraq (Hardcover)

Books on snipers and sniping have been popular of late. This book by a former USMC sniper/scout introduces readers to the exploits of various gyrene 'hunters of gunmen' in Iraq.

After a brief introductory chapter covering the training that transforms a Marine into a HOG, Afong presents a dozen accounts of USMC snipers practicing their deadly craft in Iraq between 2003 and 2005. As such, the book is a series of individual snapshots broadly tied together by the overall subject.

What the book lacks in terms of a cohesive narrative it makes up with dramatic impact. The tales of endlessly scanning for and acquiring a target, getting in the zone and squeezing off a round and the shot's outcome are morbidly fascinating. I found the book especially valuable for the glimpses of the man behind the dispassionate, focused warrior stereotype. Several of the HOGS confess they were eagerly looking forward to their first kill, got caught up in running up a score once they notched up kill #1, deliberately left a wounded opponent alive so that his friends would try and rescue him therein supplying the HOG with additional targets, etc.

HOGS IN THE SHADOWS certainly provides an unvarnished look at modern combat. There's no glory here; just trained professionals carrying out their duty.

Recommended.