Sgt. Edward Sweeney, this year’s principal speaker at Mattapoisett’s Memorial Day ceremony, knows something of sacrifice and service.

As an “old man” at the age of 38, Sweeney enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard, following in the footsteps of his grandfathers, who both served in World War II, and his father, a Wareham police officer. It also came at a turning point in Sweeney’s life.

“I needed to make a change, so I joined the Army,” said Sweeney, a West Wareham native who now lives in Mattapoisett with his wife and two kids.

After training in mixed martial arts, Sweeney said, “I was in the best shape of my life. It gave me the strength to complete basic training.”

He graduated from boot camp top five in his platoon. A plumbing and heating contractor by trade, Sweeney soon found himself designing systems for the military in Tajikistan.

Then, a year after joining his unit, Sweeney got the notice that he was being deployed to Afghanistan.

“My first thought was ‘cool.’ I was excited, then it sets in,” said Sweeney.

He couldn’t really prepare for what life would be like in the dessert where even children could be members of the Taliban looking for an opportunity to kill U.S. soldiers.

“Forty-one years old in a combat zone, it was trippy,” he said.

At first, every IED explosion put Sweeney on edge. Over time, he and his unit almost got used to hearing the blasts around their post, but Sweeney still remembers one near miss.

Minutes after leaving the main gate of one fort, a bomb exploded in the exact spot and killed two soldiers.

“I must have passed the car bomb on the road,” Sweeney marveled. “He could have killed us.”

Staying alert was one of Sweeney's main responsibilities.

“I was the fifty-caliber machine gunner on the lead vehicle on over fifty combat missions,” he said.

From the top of the tank, Sweeney got a bird's-eye view of how difficult life was for the impoverished Afghani people.

“We think we have a bad day when our iPhone doesn’t work or we have to take our car into the shop. These people don’t even have houses,” he said.

As they traveled the dusty roadways, Sweeney watched for IEDs in the road as well as children paid by the Taliban to attack soldiers.

Seeing the affect of the war on kids was heartbreaking for the father of two.

“We even saw a girl for sale and you can’t stop. It makes you just want to stop, grab the kid and send her home,” said Sweeney.

After nine months with “boots on the ground,” most of that time unable to communicate with his family, Sweeney’s unit returned to the States with no casualties.

Sweeney hopes he played a part in keeping the soldiers, who were his son’s age, safe.

“A lot of the young kids are getting killed overseas,” he said. “Maybe they needed a solider at their same rank with twice the life experience to say ‘Hey, pay attention. Did you load your weapon? Did you grab your gear?’ Things I would say at as a dad or as a business owner.”

It's been almost two years since Sweeney came back, and he admitted that transitioning to home life isn't as easy as he thought it would be. Still, joining the Guard has been a defining chapter in his life.

“I wanted to show my son and my nephews, if I could do it, they can do it. If an old man can go to basic training and survive then you guys can, too.”

His son Mike followed in his footsteps, joining the Air Force after he graduated from high school. Two of his nephews also joined the Army after Sweeney signed up.

Sweeney rebooted his business when he returned from Afghanistan and continues to serve with the #26 Yankee Division at Camp Edwards. He says serving in the Army has been exactly what he needed.

“It doesn’t matter what happens in your life to knock you down. It’s about how you get up.”