A powerful story of a young American Jew moving to Israel, enlisting in the IDF, and finding himself in the throes of October 7th
Ira Kohler longed to serve his people as a Lone Soldier in the IDF. At the age of twenty-one, he left his family in New York, moved to Israel, and enlisted in the 890th Battalion of the Paratrooper Brigade. But nothing could have prepared Ira for what was going to happen on October 7th to himself, his friends, and his community in Israel and back home in America...
• the capture of his close friend, Omer Neutra • face-to-face combat against Hamas terrorists • the scenes of the vicious massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri • surviving a rocket hit on his helicopter while in mid-air
Ira was involved in battle for five months from the beginning of the Gaza War. In March 2024, he officially completed his military service and returned to his family in the United States. Ira was happy to be home but struggled to reintegrate into civilian life after his service. The impact of the war and the plight of his friend Omer continued to weigh on him.
Once a Paratrooper is a revelatory, on-the-ground account of what it is like for a young American to be thrust into one of the world's most complex and dangerous regions. It's a story of bravery, sacrifice, loss, and of a Lone Soldier surviving to tell his story, and that of comrades, such as his friend Omer Neutra, who were killed in the protection of their homeland.
