1
00:00:23,826 --> 00:00:26,262
Where I grew up, like, in Oregon,

2
00:00:26,295 --> 00:00:30,466
I was always up in mount hood,
snowboarding and skiing.

3
00:00:30,499 --> 00:00:33,235
And when I was in Afghanistan,

4
00:00:33,268 --> 00:00:34,637
whenever I looked out at the mountains,

5
00:00:34,670 --> 00:00:36,672
I didn't think, like, "Afghanistan.

6
00:00:36,705 --> 00:00:38,741
Oh, there's Taliban roaming up there,

7
00:00:38,774 --> 00:00:40,342
like, going into their little caves,

8
00:00:40,375 --> 00:00:41,811
and they're about to shoot at me."

9
00:00:41,844 --> 00:00:44,647
Whenever I looked up there,
for the most part,

10
00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,484
tried to think of back home,
something peaceful, you know,

11
00:00:48,517 --> 00:00:51,153
something... something nice.

12
00:01:05,634 --> 00:01:08,104
<i>For the last four and a half years,</i>

13
00:01:08,137 --> 00:01:11,674
<i>the Korengal has been known as
Afghanistan's valley of death.</i>

14
00:01:11,707 --> 00:01:15,778
We're taking heavy fire from...

15
00:01:15,811 --> 00:01:19,448
<i>The valley was just too remote,
too difficult to resupply,</i>

16
00:01:19,481 --> 00:01:21,250
<i>and too dangerous</i>

17
00:01:21,283 --> 00:01:24,153
<i>like the isolated outpost called Restrepo.</i>

18
00:01:24,186 --> 00:01:27,323
Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!

19
00:01:29,291 --> 00:01:31,727
<i>And from the bottom of a Mountain,</i>

20
00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:33,696
<i>we watched Restrepo burn.</i>

21
00:01:40,435 --> 00:01:43,772
Is there anything that
you miss about Restrepo,

22
00:01:43,805 --> 00:01:45,474
about the Korengal valley?

23
00:01:45,507 --> 00:01:47,610
Oh, yeah, I...

24
00:01:47,643 --> 00:01:50,679
I'd rather be there than here.

25
00:01:50,712 --> 00:01:54,717
I'd... I'd go back right now, if I could.

26
00:01:54,750 --> 00:01:58,187
I'd want to...
I'd go back the Korengal right now.

27
00:02:20,542 --> 00:02:23,412
Get in the fucking window.

28
00:02:30,953 --> 00:02:32,655
Korengal valley...

29
00:02:34,623 --> 00:02:37,660
I always wondered why I
was in the korengal.

30
00:02:37,693 --> 00:02:39,295
But...

31
00:02:42,431 --> 00:02:45,935
When you get told that the
bigger mission is that,

32
00:02:45,968 --> 00:02:48,671
hey, you're not in the korengal
to go and hunt the bad guys.

33
00:02:48,704 --> 00:02:50,539
You're in the korengal so
the bad guys come to you,

34
00:02:50,572 --> 00:02:51,774
and you kill them.

35
00:02:56,011 --> 00:02:58,581
It was just a valley.

36
00:02:58,614 --> 00:03:01,684
It's a valley that is...
if you look from high above,

37
00:03:01,717 --> 00:03:03,319
it looks like a quiet valley.

38
00:03:05,254 --> 00:03:07,823
You look to your north,
your South, east and west,

39
00:03:07,856 --> 00:03:10,492
it's just mountains, it's rocks, you know,

40
00:03:10,525 --> 00:03:11,961
and it was wooded.

41
00:03:11,994 --> 00:03:13,629
Everybody thinks, "you're over there?

42
00:03:13,662 --> 00:03:15,464
Then you're in the desert." No.

43
00:03:15,497 --> 00:03:18,234
If you went a little north of us,
it looked just like...

44
00:03:18,267 --> 00:03:20,703
Like Colorado Springs, like, Denver.

45
00:03:20,736 --> 00:03:22,838
It was gorgeous.

46
00:03:22,871 --> 00:03:24,573
But the minute I got there,

47
00:03:24,606 --> 00:03:27,543
the minute I got off the
helicopter I got shot at.

48
00:03:30,017 --> 00:03:32,281
I saw it from a distance, it was beautiful.

49
00:03:32,314 --> 00:03:34,984
Bullets came in, "fuck this place.

50
00:03:35,017 --> 00:03:37,453
I want to go... I want to go home."

51
00:03:39,988 --> 00:03:43,292
That day, when we took over,

52
00:03:43,325 --> 00:03:47,429
our command sergeant major Vimoto,
he was at the kop.

53
00:03:47,462 --> 00:03:49,531
And he asked, "hey, where's my son at?"

54
00:03:49,564 --> 00:03:51,934
He said, "you don't have to...
just show me where he's at,"

55
00:03:51,967 --> 00:03:54,370
and you know,
and I go up on this ledge and stuff,

56
00:03:54,403 --> 00:03:55,704
and I point down.

57
00:03:55,737 --> 00:03:59,008
"You tell him I said hello.
I came out here.

58
00:03:59,041 --> 00:04:01,977
I know he's out there on
patrols and doing his thing,

59
00:04:02,010 --> 00:04:05,063
and stuff like that,
but you tell him your dad said hello."

60
00:04:05,580 --> 00:04:08,384
As soon as it came across the net

61
00:04:08,417 --> 00:04:10,753
and said we had a K.I.A. I
looked at first sergeant,

62
00:04:10,786 --> 00:04:12,354
I was like, "it's Vimoto."

63
00:04:12,387 --> 00:04:13,922
I just lost the sergeant major's son,

64
00:04:13,955 --> 00:04:16,792
the brigade sergeant
major's son in my company,

65
00:04:16,825 --> 00:04:18,394
the very first day that I go out there

66
00:04:18,427 --> 00:04:20,829
and the very first thing
I told them to go do,

67
00:04:20,862 --> 00:04:22,865
where I'm the only one in charge,

68
00:04:22,898 --> 00:04:25,668
and I get his son killed, I was, like...
at a loss.

69
00:04:25,701 --> 00:04:27,570
I mean, what do I do from here?

70
00:04:30,953 --> 00:04:33,375
You lose somebody that
quickly in a deployment,

71
00:04:33,408 --> 00:04:35,844
it kind of hits home, like, whoa.

72
00:04:35,877 --> 00:04:38,681
When's my turn then?

73
00:04:38,714 --> 00:04:40,849
If he got killed this quick,

74
00:04:40,882 --> 00:04:43,352
how many people are we going
to lose by the end of this?

75
00:04:43,385 --> 00:04:47,323
As bad as it may be,
we have to continue, you know?

76
00:04:47,356 --> 00:04:50,559
We can't sit there, you know, and just cry.

77
00:04:50,592 --> 00:04:52,561
And the thing... we'll do that, you know.

78
00:04:52,594 --> 00:04:54,063
If you're gonna cry, you do it.
You know what I'm saying?

79
00:04:54,096 --> 00:04:55,731
If you're going to go in a corner

80
00:04:55,764 --> 00:04:57,433
and do what you have to do,
you go do it, you know?

81
00:04:57,466 --> 00:05:01,070
But when I need you back
to be part of the team...

82
00:05:01,103 --> 00:05:04,506
Because the bad guys are still there.

83
00:05:04,539 --> 00:05:06,875
Tomorrow we going to go
on a different patrol,

84
00:05:06,908 --> 00:05:10,066
and someone else is going to
try to take another shot at you.

85
00:05:21,723 --> 00:05:23,559
The korengal was a major highway

86
00:05:23,592 --> 00:05:25,861
for all sorts of Taliban
and enemy activity.

87
00:05:25,894 --> 00:05:27,129
It's been that way for years.

88
00:05:27,162 --> 00:05:28,964
It was in a deep part of the mountains

89
00:05:28,997 --> 00:05:32,401
where they were using that
area to traffic weapons

90
00:05:32,434 --> 00:05:34,803
a lot, you know, weapons and supplies.

91
00:05:34,836 --> 00:05:37,940
And it was just finding
those trails and those guys,

92
00:05:37,973 --> 00:05:42,010
you know, I think was, you know,
what we were supposed to do.

93
00:05:42,043 --> 00:05:43,946
But honestly, like, I don't know,

94
00:05:43,979 --> 00:05:45,781
we just knew that they were there

95
00:05:45,814 --> 00:05:47,649
and that's where we're
going, and, you know,

96
00:05:47,682 --> 00:05:50,586
it was a shithole and, you know,
we were there to deal with it.

97
00:05:50,619 --> 00:05:52,154
Think about putting into context...

98
00:05:52,187 --> 00:05:54,523
Somebody moves in and decides
to take your house over.

99
00:05:54,556 --> 00:05:55,891
You're going to fight for it,

100
00:05:55,924 --> 00:05:57,893
and that's exactly what they did.

101
00:06:07,002 --> 00:06:11,039
Hey, what you got? Do you got it pided?

102
00:06:11,072 --> 00:06:12,546
No, just from the southwest.

103
00:06:21,783 --> 00:06:24,520
"Tic," it, stands for "troops in contact."

104
00:06:24,553 --> 00:06:28,891
And what it is is basically
anytime that we are engaged

105
00:06:28,924 --> 00:06:31,660
being the U.S. forces
are engaged by anybody

106
00:06:31,693 --> 00:06:34,596
or we engage somebody else.

107
00:06:34,629 --> 00:06:37,499
We were getting, you
know, anywhere from one

108
00:06:37,532 --> 00:06:39,902
to ten to fourteen sometimes a day.

109
00:06:39,935 --> 00:06:41,670
Moreno, get the fuck outta there!

110
00:06:41,703 --> 00:06:44,039
An ungodly amount of tics, I think 220...

111
00:06:44,072 --> 00:06:46,475
225 tics that Restrepo was involved in

112
00:06:46,508 --> 00:06:48,177
in some way, shape, or form.

113
00:06:48,210 --> 00:06:50,012
We just fucking got fucking rocked.

114
00:06:50,045 --> 00:06:52,614
I mean, that's basically 365 days

115
00:06:52,647 --> 00:06:54,149
that they could have shot at them.

116
00:06:54,182 --> 00:06:55,984
They shot at them nine months straight.

117
00:06:56,017 --> 00:06:58,153
We're getting fire from,
from one of these draws.

118
00:06:58,186 --> 00:07:00,660
They think they're getting
fire from down there.

119
00:07:10,565 --> 00:07:12,668
We're in the middle of this valley

120
00:07:12,701 --> 00:07:15,070
in sandbag huts that we built,

121
00:07:15,103 --> 00:07:17,973
no running water. No life.

122
00:07:18,006 --> 00:07:20,676
Chinooks would come in,
helicopters would come in,

123
00:07:20,709 --> 00:07:23,846
deliver our supplies of food, water.

124
00:07:23,879 --> 00:07:27,149
You know,
think about being alone for days on end,

125
00:07:27,182 --> 00:07:29,651
you know, in an isolated area.

126
00:07:29,684 --> 00:07:31,948
Even though you're with people out there...

127
00:07:34,890 --> 00:07:36,592
We had nothing.

128
00:07:37,959 --> 00:07:42,531
That was as ghetto as it comes.

129
00:07:51,017 --> 00:07:53,175
The hardest thing was you just never knew

130
00:07:53,208 --> 00:07:57,513
if you were going to start getting shot at.

131
00:07:57,546 --> 00:08:02,084
It's like, I'd be laying there on my cot,

132
00:08:02,117 --> 00:08:06,088
and all of a sudden you'd
just hear the cracks flying by

133
00:08:06,121 --> 00:08:09,758
and RPGs going by, blowing up,
right on the HESCOs,

134
00:08:09,791 --> 00:08:12,528
on the other side of where you're sleeping,
you know?

135
00:08:13,895 --> 00:08:15,664
You have to accept that fact,

136
00:08:15,697 --> 00:08:17,666
that you could die at any second.

137
00:08:34,249 --> 00:08:36,585
This is the place to be.

138
00:08:46,395 --> 00:08:48,697
There's a little secret
about second platoon...

139
00:08:48,730 --> 00:08:51,099
Everyone can play the guitar almost.

140
00:08:51,132 --> 00:08:52,868
You know what I'm learning, dude?

141
00:08:52,901 --> 00:08:54,537
Pass that up, man.

142
00:09:33,208 --> 00:09:38,313
Came in here with no... no cover, nothing.

143
00:09:38,346 --> 00:09:41,883
And then we built this
place up into a resort,

144
00:09:41,916 --> 00:09:43,385
and, you know.

145
00:09:43,418 --> 00:09:45,253
Oh, yeah. This is a real resort.

146
00:09:47,055 --> 00:09:49,625
Yeah, resort. This is resort Restrepo.

147
00:09:49,658 --> 00:09:52,761
I mean, in summertime,
we put a pool up here.

148
00:09:52,794 --> 00:09:55,697
But in the winter,
we'll make it a ski lodge.

149
00:09:55,730 --> 00:09:57,633
Base people right out of here.

150
00:09:57,666 --> 00:10:02,104
Sergeant Simon was joking he
was going to get some skis

151
00:10:02,137 --> 00:10:06,041
and, ski down, you know, get the whole...

152
00:10:06,074 --> 00:10:08,243
The army feeling into it, you know?

153
00:10:08,276 --> 00:10:11,346
We'll have some bullet holes
in some walls and stuff.

154
00:10:11,379 --> 00:10:15,017
Maybe, you know,
a few rounds come in once in a while.

155
00:10:15,050 --> 00:10:17,252
I'm telling you, you look out the door,

156
00:10:17,285 --> 00:10:21,423
this place could be sports
heaven if they just...

157
00:10:21,456 --> 00:10:23,992
If they just stop shooting at us, you know.

158
00:10:40,542 --> 00:10:43,445
This is nine-November, Roger, copy.
Fire... He's in the draw.

159
00:10:43,478 --> 00:10:46,015
Shot two two zero six bullets.

160
00:10:49,484 --> 00:10:52,120
The first thing you hear
when you get ambushed

161
00:10:52,153 --> 00:10:56,224
or you get in a firefight,
or whatever it is,

162
00:10:56,257 --> 00:10:58,794
the first thing you hear
is just a loud crack.

163
00:10:58,827 --> 00:11:01,396
The bullets passing by
your head, the snaps.

164
00:11:01,429 --> 00:11:03,732
You hear that snap and your first...

165
00:11:03,765 --> 00:11:06,034
Exactly how were trained, the snap is...

166
00:11:06,067 --> 00:11:08,270
The first instinct is to,
you know, get behind something.

167
00:11:08,303 --> 00:11:10,988
That's exactly what you do,
you know, you get cover.

168
00:11:13,286 --> 00:11:15,444
Then you find out, by sound and distance,

169
00:11:15,477 --> 00:11:17,012
you know, where is this coming from?

170
00:11:17,045 --> 00:11:19,481
Someone give me a direction! That way.

171
00:11:19,514 --> 00:11:21,249
Seventeen-o-five, seventeen-o-five.

172
00:11:21,282 --> 00:11:23,085
One of the things we're
all would learn about

173
00:11:23,118 --> 00:11:25,821
is that you may not see it,
but you can hear it.

174
00:11:25,854 --> 00:11:28,990
And that's our tactical awareness.

175
00:11:29,023 --> 00:11:30,992
We're able to pick up the different sounds.

176
00:11:31,025 --> 00:11:33,328
We got a general vicinity of where he's at.

177
00:11:33,361 --> 00:11:34,896
You had to name

178
00:11:34,929 --> 00:11:36,832
your terrain features you have around you.

179
00:11:36,865 --> 00:11:38,800
You just can't say,
"that green hill over there."

180
00:11:38,833 --> 00:11:42,738
Is it coming from honcho hill?
Is it coming from 1705?

181
00:11:42,771 --> 00:11:44,773
Is it coming off the spartan spur?

182
00:11:44,806 --> 00:11:48,877
On nipple rock! Hey, I got eyes on him!
I got eyes on honcho hill.

183
00:11:48,910 --> 00:11:51,595
Everybody'd just started
shooting at that direction.

184
00:11:55,257 --> 00:11:57,152
As a team leader, my second instinct

185
00:11:57,185 --> 00:11:59,221
is to find out where everyone else is.

186
00:11:59,254 --> 00:12:01,123
I return fire

187
00:12:01,156 --> 00:12:02,491
and then immediately
start checking my guys.

188
00:12:02,524 --> 00:12:04,793
Hey, is everyone alright? Yeah, yeah.

189
00:12:04,826 --> 00:12:07,362
Do they have enough water?
Are they running low on bullets?

190
00:12:07,395 --> 00:12:09,164
Are they shooting in the right direction?

191
00:12:09,197 --> 00:12:13,268
Everybody good?
I probably scan my guys 100 times

192
00:12:13,301 --> 00:12:16,138
during a 3-minute firefight,
that's what I do.

193
00:12:16,171 --> 00:12:18,406
We're taking contact from the
east side of the valley...

194
00:12:18,439 --> 00:12:21,276
I was the RTO,
so as soon as I heard a crack,

195
00:12:21,309 --> 00:12:23,879
I'd just hop on the radio and be calling,
like,

196
00:12:23,912 --> 00:12:27,282
"troops in contact,
we're taking fire from the east.

197
00:12:27,315 --> 00:12:29,785
There's probably about
five of them out there."

198
00:12:29,818 --> 00:12:31,820
Then you got the squad
leaders bouncing around

199
00:12:31,853 --> 00:12:34,422
from each position where
their soldiers are firing from

200
00:12:34,455 --> 00:12:36,358
trying to give me a situation report,

201
00:12:36,391 --> 00:12:38,059
give me a status.

202
00:12:38,092 --> 00:12:40,428
Is the guy still there?
Has he picked up and moved?

203
00:12:40,461 --> 00:12:43,365
I'm trying to paint a picture
through the company commander,

204
00:12:43,398 --> 00:12:45,300
'cause he's talking to
highers trying to gather

205
00:12:45,333 --> 00:12:48,771
all these other assets.

206
00:12:54,976 --> 00:12:58,079
Yeah, yeah, you get scared.
I'm not going to lie.

207
00:12:58,112 --> 00:13:00,081
There was times, like, I was pinned down,

208
00:13:00,114 --> 00:13:02,317
and I was like...
you know, rounds, cracking overhead.

209
00:13:02,350 --> 00:13:04,953
You know, I'd hunker down,

210
00:13:04,986 --> 00:13:08,857
you know, catch my breath,
you know, pick up and move.

211
00:13:08,890 --> 00:13:10,859
'Cause you can't... you can't really...

212
00:13:10,892 --> 00:13:13,361
You can't take that long of
a pause in the firefight.

213
00:13:13,394 --> 00:13:16,398
Sometimes you get pinned down real bad,

214
00:13:16,431 --> 00:13:19,267
and they just come way
too close for comfort,

215
00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:21,069
and you have no cover.

216
00:13:21,102 --> 00:13:22,571
That's when you get a little bit scared.

217
00:13:22,604 --> 00:13:24,339
Yeah, it's frightening.

218
00:13:24,372 --> 00:13:26,007
I think if anybody told
you they weren't scared,

219
00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:27,509
they're kind of bullshitting you,

220
00:13:27,542 --> 00:13:29,377
but its scared...
you know that that fear is there,

221
00:13:29,410 --> 00:13:31,046
but you just put it away.

222
00:13:31,079 --> 00:13:33,215
First time I got shot
at, I was pretty calm.

223
00:13:33,248 --> 00:13:35,917
It was kind of surprising for me
'cause I actually thought

224
00:13:35,950 --> 00:13:37,986
I was going to panic, or just freeze up.

225
00:13:38,019 --> 00:13:39,621
But I actually didn't.

226
00:13:39,654 --> 00:13:41,623
Unfortunately, there are some people that,

227
00:13:41,656 --> 00:13:43,391
they let it get the best of them,

228
00:13:43,424 --> 00:13:46,127
and I think that's kind of
the big distinguishing thing

229
00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:50,098
with fear is how you
tolerate or deal with it.

230
00:13:50,131 --> 00:13:53,235
Um, majority of people are
able to kind of push it aside

231
00:13:53,268 --> 00:13:55,003
and they understand what needs to be done.

232
00:13:55,036 --> 00:13:57,305
They can, you know, deal with it later.

233
00:13:57,338 --> 00:14:00,375
Unfortunately,
there are some that it takes effect of them

234
00:14:00,408 --> 00:14:05,113
immediately,
and they basically become useless for you.

235
00:14:10,251 --> 00:14:13,221
Funny part was my mom always
wanted me to join the army.

236
00:14:13,254 --> 00:14:15,535
Since I was a little kid,
she wanted me to join, you know?

237
00:14:15,556 --> 00:14:17,192
She always thought I'd be good at it.

238
00:14:17,225 --> 00:14:18,660
She was like, "you're a natural leader.

239
00:14:18,693 --> 00:14:20,428
You'll be great at it."

240
00:14:20,461 --> 00:14:23,064
Nah, I ain't joining the army,
no way, no way.

241
00:14:23,097 --> 00:14:25,567
Sure as shit, here I am.

242
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,537
Here I am, unfortunately.

243
00:14:29,570 --> 00:14:32,674
Unfortunately and fortunately,
all at the same time.

244
00:14:34,943 --> 00:14:39,147
I don't know, as black men, I mean,

245
00:14:39,180 --> 00:14:40,949
I am the only one in the platoon.

246
00:14:40,982 --> 00:14:44,586
I'm one of... one, two, three, four,

247
00:14:44,619 --> 00:14:46,488
if you count the cook,

248
00:14:46,521 --> 00:14:48,623
five, if you count the two cooks...

249
00:14:48,656 --> 00:14:51,259
Black people in the company.

250
00:14:51,292 --> 00:14:53,161
Oh no, Choikey.

251
00:14:53,194 --> 00:14:55,563
There's me Choikey, Miller,
who are infantry guys,

252
00:14:55,596 --> 00:14:58,934
and first sergeant, that's it.

253
00:14:58,967 --> 00:15:01,369
Like, black people don't
jump out of planes.

254
00:15:01,402 --> 00:15:03,338
Black people don't want to come out here

255
00:15:03,371 --> 00:15:04,673
and get shot at.

256
00:15:04,706 --> 00:15:07,676
Most infantry dudes are going to be

257
00:15:07,709 --> 00:15:10,946
your average "hooah" ranger white dude.

258
00:15:10,979 --> 00:15:13,515
I mean, they're not...
you're not going to see

259
00:15:13,548 --> 00:15:15,984
too many black dudes, and, I mean...

260
00:15:16,017 --> 00:15:18,620
And you see it,
I get plenty of shit around here,

261
00:15:18,653 --> 00:15:23,725
being the only black dude, but it's...

262
00:15:23,758 --> 00:15:26,628
98%of the time, it's all in good fun,

263
00:15:26,661 --> 00:15:28,496
and you're going to run
across some guys out here,

264
00:15:28,529 --> 00:15:30,298
they may not admit it to my face,

265
00:15:30,331 --> 00:15:33,068
they might not say it if they
think anybody's listening,

266
00:15:33,101 --> 00:15:34,536
but they'll tell you they don't like me.

267
00:15:34,569 --> 00:15:39,274
I guaran-goddamn-tee it,
but, at the same time,

268
00:15:39,307 --> 00:15:41,242
I bet there's not a one of them would say

269
00:15:41,275 --> 00:15:43,578
I wouldn't take them in a firefight.

270
00:16:04,032 --> 00:16:05,667
Get out there, I'm just like,

271
00:16:05,700 --> 00:16:08,770
"man, I did not picture it like this."

272
00:16:08,803 --> 00:16:12,707
I have never fought in that that
rough terrain before in my life,

273
00:16:12,740 --> 00:16:15,577
walking up a Mountain with a combat load,

274
00:16:15,610 --> 00:16:18,513
with the loose shale?
I think we broke something

275
00:16:18,546 --> 00:16:20,582
like 15 ankles while we were over there.

276
00:16:20,615 --> 00:16:23,518
It's insane, you know,
you think you're getting

277
00:16:23,551 --> 00:16:26,755
to the top of a Ridge or
to the top of a Mountain,

278
00:16:26,788 --> 00:16:28,757
and you get to that point
that you've been looking at

279
00:16:28,790 --> 00:16:31,459
for the past 500 meters, and you get there,

280
00:16:31,492 --> 00:16:33,395
and you think you're at
the top and you look up,

281
00:16:33,428 --> 00:16:35,597
and it just doesn't seem to end.

282
00:16:39,167 --> 00:16:41,202
Those mountains sucked, you know?

283
00:16:41,235 --> 00:16:43,505
And you're just like, wow, like sucking.

284
00:16:43,538 --> 00:16:45,707
We were in good shape,
like, we could run all day.

285
00:16:45,740 --> 00:16:47,709
We could, you know, pushups, sit-ups,

286
00:16:47,742 --> 00:16:51,780
all that stuff,
but walking in that environment,

287
00:16:51,813 --> 00:16:56,684
straight up mountains,
there was no preparing for that.

288
00:16:56,717 --> 00:16:58,353
Korengal valley is right in the middle

289
00:16:58,386 --> 00:17:00,221
of these two major supply routes.

290
00:17:00,254 --> 00:17:05,827
Very easy for the Taliban
to traffic weapons.

291
00:17:05,860 --> 00:17:08,329
And that terrain...

292
00:17:08,362 --> 00:17:11,366
It almost affords these guys
a ghost-like ability to move.

293
00:17:13,234 --> 00:17:15,637
They know it.
We're playing in their backyard.

294
00:17:15,670 --> 00:17:17,505
We wear our helmets. We wear IBAs.

295
00:17:17,538 --> 00:17:19,574
You know, we wear all our kit

296
00:17:19,607 --> 00:17:22,744
normally averaging
probably 60 to 75 pounds.

297
00:17:25,346 --> 00:17:27,482
They, on the other hand, are out there

298
00:17:27,515 --> 00:17:29,684
in basically a sheet.

299
00:17:29,717 --> 00:17:32,520
That's what they're moving
around the mountains in.

300
00:17:32,553 --> 00:17:36,224
But then they'll have a Russian-made

301
00:17:36,257 --> 00:17:38,326
heavy machine gun, called a Dishka.

302
00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:40,328
It's very similar to our 50-Cal.

303
00:17:40,361 --> 00:17:42,664
This weapon system, with its tripod,

304
00:17:42,697 --> 00:17:45,166
is roughly a 120 pounds.

305
00:17:45,199 --> 00:17:48,570
They'll pick this up and
move it around quite easily.

306
00:17:48,603 --> 00:17:50,405
Thorough the mountains, through draws,

307
00:17:50,438 --> 00:17:54,542
over these monster rocks,
and its like, we move, you know,

308
00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:56,411
one of our 50-cals and the tripod,

309
00:17:56,444 --> 00:17:58,646
you know, we move it 50 feet,

310
00:17:58,679 --> 00:18:01,616
and we're like, "oh, man, that's a smoker."

311
00:18:01,649 --> 00:18:06,654
Those Chechnyan rebel guys,
those hired guys,

312
00:18:06,687 --> 00:18:10,525
they're ruthless, awesome.
Awesome fighters, trained.

313
00:18:10,558 --> 00:18:11,860
They came equipped, like,

314
00:18:11,893 --> 00:18:13,895
they went through a basic training,

315
00:18:13,928 --> 00:18:17,365
and knew how to fight.

316
00:18:17,398 --> 00:18:20,802
You have to respect the enemy.
If you don't, you're sucking.

317
00:18:20,835 --> 00:18:22,470
For the enemy assessment,

318
00:18:22,503 --> 00:18:24,372
there are several reports
of higher-level leaders

319
00:18:24,405 --> 00:18:26,207
leaving the valley for a few days.

320
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,144
We are unsure where they are
going or why they are leaving...

321
00:18:29,177 --> 00:18:31,880
We always listened to
what was called the bub,

322
00:18:31,913 --> 00:18:34,215
and it'd come over the company radio.

323
00:18:34,248 --> 00:18:36,751
Well,
they would tell you what ICOM traffic was,

324
00:18:36,784 --> 00:18:38,887
and ICOM traffic is haj
talking to each other

325
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,222
back forth on these little handheld radios.

326
00:18:41,255 --> 00:18:43,224
Your spot reports.

327
00:18:43,257 --> 00:18:46,828
"Hey, the enemy's brought in
so many mines into the valley.

328
00:18:46,861 --> 00:18:50,231
They brought in 30 hand grenades."

329
00:18:50,264 --> 00:18:51,833
When you start hearing
that type of ammunition

330
00:18:51,866 --> 00:18:54,402
coming into the valley and
the guys hear about it,

331
00:18:54,435 --> 00:18:56,271
they start thinking about the ranch house,

332
00:18:56,304 --> 00:18:57,839
because they know what...
they know the dramatics

333
00:18:57,872 --> 00:18:59,541
of what happened up there.

334
00:19:02,376 --> 00:19:04,579
Chosen company was up at ranch house.

335
00:19:04,612 --> 00:19:06,648
That was the name of their...
their fire base.

336
00:19:06,681 --> 00:19:09,784
And they got overran.

337
00:19:12,553 --> 00:19:14,689
A few Taliban were going up

338
00:19:14,722 --> 00:19:16,624
to one of the guard
positions in the ranch house

339
00:19:16,657 --> 00:19:18,493
saying they were workers.

340
00:19:18,526 --> 00:19:22,430
And when the one of the
soldiers went up there,

341
00:19:22,463 --> 00:19:24,365
the enemy actually was...
as soon as they got within range

342
00:19:24,398 --> 00:19:25,934
just opened up on them

343
00:19:27,868 --> 00:19:29,804
they were inside the wire

344
00:19:29,837 --> 00:19:31,873
taking over guard positions.

345
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,517
Their P.L., captain Ferrara,
had to call in gun runs

346
00:19:42,550 --> 00:19:44,586
on that
- on that compound and, you know,

347
00:19:44,619 --> 00:19:46,922
separate the enemy from the friendlies.

348
00:19:52,994 --> 00:19:54,829
I definitely had concerns

349
00:19:54,862 --> 00:19:57,765
that there would be an attempt on Restrepo.

350
00:19:57,798 --> 00:20:02,504
The ranch house incident,
of course, reinforced that.

351
00:20:13,381 --> 00:20:15,483
When I'd actually think of

352
00:20:15,516 --> 00:20:18,586
we were about to get overrun,
would be at nighttime.

353
00:20:18,619 --> 00:20:22,257
You have lots of time on your hands.

354
00:20:22,290 --> 00:20:25,893
You you start, kind of,
you know mind-playing things.

355
00:20:25,926 --> 00:20:27,729
I know it went through my mind,
not all the time,

356
00:20:27,762 --> 00:20:29,831
but some nights more than others.

357
00:20:29,864 --> 00:20:31,432
There was one night that I remember

358
00:20:31,465 --> 00:20:33,701
that I was pretty fucking petrified.

359
00:20:33,734 --> 00:20:36,771
I was afraid to go out, you know to piss.

360
00:20:36,804 --> 00:20:40,308
There's a little bit of a
walk to the piss tubes...

361
00:20:40,341 --> 00:20:44,345
And we had heard that they're
going to do an attack on us

362
00:20:44,378 --> 00:20:46,378
and it's going to come from the north.

363
00:20:50,084 --> 00:20:51,753
Everybody pulls guard.

364
00:20:51,786 --> 00:20:53,755
Everybody thinks about things like that.

365
00:20:53,788 --> 00:20:55,508
Well, what if they came
from this direction?

366
00:20:55,523 --> 00:20:58,326
How would they come over,
how would we react?

367
00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:00,028
You start, you know,
running those scenarios.

368
00:21:00,061 --> 00:21:01,829
If you were telling somebody else,

369
00:21:01,862 --> 00:21:03,731
they could probably point
out flaws in your scenarios,

370
00:21:03,764 --> 00:21:05,933
tell you why that would
never or could never happen.

371
00:21:05,966 --> 00:21:10,905
But... you know,
you still make them up in your head.

372
00:21:34,595 --> 00:21:37,065
This place always this quiet?

373
00:21:37,098 --> 00:21:40,001
What's that?
Is this place always this quiet?

374
00:21:40,034 --> 00:21:41,769
Yeah.

375
00:21:41,802 --> 00:21:44,839
Every now and then,
a couple people come through.

376
00:21:44,872 --> 00:21:47,875
So this is the lumber yard,
what's called the lumber yard?

377
00:21:47,908 --> 00:21:49,877
The lumber yard bizarre.

378
00:21:49,910 --> 00:21:52,847
I always call it the lumber yard, cause...

379
00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:54,082
Lumber.

380
00:21:54,115 --> 00:21:55,717
Where are you from, Donoho?

381
00:21:55,750 --> 00:21:57,685
California. Where in California?

382
00:21:57,718 --> 00:22:00,088
Redding. Way north. Oh, wow.

383
00:22:00,121 --> 00:22:01,889
It's like Oregon, practically.

384
00:22:01,922 --> 00:22:05,026
You take it back. Take it back.

385
00:22:05,059 --> 00:22:07,562
How come the people in Oregon don't like

386
00:22:07,595 --> 00:22:10,064
the people in California?

387
00:22:10,097 --> 00:22:11,887
'Cause we're better than they are.

388
00:22:13,671 --> 00:22:16,671
The only good thing that came
out of Oregon is the Gerber.

389
00:22:16,704 --> 00:22:19,874
The Gerber is from Oregon.
And Pemble-Belkin?

390
00:22:19,907 --> 00:22:24,078
I don't know about Pemble-Belkin.

391
00:22:24,111 --> 00:22:26,848
Actually, we're supposed to party

392
00:22:26,881 --> 00:22:28,816
when we get out of the army.

393
00:22:28,849 --> 00:22:31,652
Show each other the good
side of each state.

394
00:22:31,685 --> 00:22:33,488
You guys are gonna compare states?

395
00:22:33,521 --> 00:22:35,590
You gonna visit him, he's gonna visit you?
Yes.

396
00:22:35,623 --> 00:22:38,426
Sometime... in the next ten years.

397
00:22:38,459 --> 00:22:42,597
Probably when we get out of the army.

398
00:22:42,630 --> 00:22:44,432
How come you joined?

399
00:22:50,704 --> 00:22:52,473
I don't know.

400
00:22:52,506 --> 00:22:55,977
No, at first, I wanted to become a sniper.

401
00:22:56,010 --> 00:22:59,781
That was my main thing.

402
00:22:59,814 --> 00:23:02,517
Then I wanted to jump out of airplanes.

403
00:23:05,519 --> 00:23:08,423
Travel.

404
00:23:08,456 --> 00:23:11,659
I wanted to travel. That's about it.

405
00:23:11,692 --> 00:23:15,496
What do you think of your decision,
you glad you're in?

406
00:23:15,529 --> 00:23:17,465
Yes and no.

407
00:23:17,498 --> 00:23:19,901
Did you count on something
like the korengal?

408
00:23:19,934 --> 00:23:23,204
Nope. Definitely not.

409
00:23:23,237 --> 00:23:27,041
I mean,
would I rethink my decision at the time?

410
00:23:27,074 --> 00:23:28,709
No.

411
00:23:28,742 --> 00:23:30,945
Nah, I made a lot of really good friends.

412
00:23:30,978 --> 00:23:32,880
Lots of good friends.

413
00:23:32,913 --> 00:23:36,884
Definitely good experiences
to tell the grandchildren.

414
00:23:36,917 --> 00:23:38,486
Yeah.

415
00:23:38,519 --> 00:23:40,455
I was in the korengal valley.

416
00:23:40,488 --> 00:23:42,190
"Oh we heard about that in school."

417
00:23:42,223 --> 00:23:44,725
That's what I want to hear.
I want to hear that.

418
00:23:44,758 --> 00:23:48,863
"I heard about that." Yes, you did.

419
00:23:50,664 --> 00:23:52,867
Today's mission, going down to Loy Kalay

420
00:23:52,900 --> 00:23:55,503
in the vicinity of the mosque.

421
00:23:55,536 --> 00:23:58,873
I think that the greatest ally,

422
00:23:58,906 --> 00:24:00,975
the greatest thing that
we had for us going on

423
00:24:01,008 --> 00:24:05,146
was the fact that we forced
the boys to go out continuously

424
00:24:05,179 --> 00:24:07,982
to keep the enemy off his feet.

425
00:24:08,015 --> 00:24:10,151
He could never get into a rhythm.

426
00:24:10,184 --> 00:24:12,553
He could never really
predict that this is the time

427
00:24:12,586 --> 00:24:13,955
that they're going to be there,

428
00:24:13,988 --> 00:24:16,090
this is the time that they're not.

429
00:24:16,123 --> 00:24:17,959
You'd hear the enemy just going crazy

430
00:24:17,992 --> 00:24:20,194
trying to figure out where we were.

431
00:24:20,227 --> 00:24:22,597
They usually ended up
finding out where we were.

432
00:24:22,630 --> 00:24:26,767
But that type of ability to
move started setting the tone

433
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,520
in the right direction,
cause they felt like

434
00:24:28,536 --> 00:24:30,838
we were hunting them.

435
00:24:30,871 --> 00:24:34,075
I'm sure captain Kearney's probably not

436
00:24:34,108 --> 00:24:37,278
going to appreciate this one,
but there were a lot of times

437
00:24:37,311 --> 00:24:40,615
when we went out into an environment

438
00:24:40,648 --> 00:24:47,722
where we knew was more...
exposing than necessary.

439
00:24:47,755 --> 00:24:51,993
Pretty much, hey,
let's put the food on the table.

440
00:24:52,026 --> 00:24:55,596
See if anybody wants to come eat.

441
00:24:55,629 --> 00:24:57,932
You're definitely out there

442
00:24:57,965 --> 00:25:00,635
with our cheese in the wind.

443
00:25:00,668 --> 00:25:03,070
We're definitely bait.

444
00:25:03,103 --> 00:25:05,039
The most kinetic place for us now, sir,

445
00:25:05,072 --> 00:25:08,075
is directly in front of us, hilltop 1705...

446
00:25:08,108 --> 00:25:10,745
The boys thought I went
out too much sometimes.

447
00:25:10,778 --> 00:25:13,014
They had that heart,
deep-down feeling like, hey,

448
00:25:13,047 --> 00:25:14,982
you know, he's just making us go out there

449
00:25:15,015 --> 00:25:18,986
just because he wants badges
and glory and stuff like that.

450
00:25:19,019 --> 00:25:20,888
I don't care about any of that.

451
00:25:20,921 --> 00:25:24,626
I thought the best way to keep
them alive was the offense.

452
00:25:35,636 --> 00:25:37,638
Right before the patrol,

453
00:25:37,671 --> 00:25:39,271
everybody would just started gearing up.

454
00:25:39,273 --> 00:25:42,910
A lot of times we'd have
music playing off an iPod

455
00:25:42,943 --> 00:25:45,046
or something like that to get
everybody kind of pumped up

456
00:25:45,079 --> 00:25:47,982
or chilled out or whatever you need

457
00:25:48,015 --> 00:25:50,651
'cause usually, we'd be
getting a firefight.

458
00:25:50,684 --> 00:25:52,820
So gotta have a little
adrenaline already going,

459
00:25:52,853 --> 00:25:55,990
but you still have to be calm.

460
00:25:56,023 --> 00:25:57,792
I don't let the nerves get to me.

461
00:25:57,825 --> 00:25:59,093
Like, I don't want to get nervous.

462
00:25:59,126 --> 00:26:01,284
I try not to get nervous before I go out.

463
00:26:04,765 --> 00:26:07,101
Prior to us going out on patrol,

464
00:26:07,134 --> 00:26:09,870
the biggest thing is,
you know, briefing your guys,

465
00:26:09,903 --> 00:26:13,774
focusing guys in on, hey,
we're probably going to get hit.

466
00:26:13,807 --> 00:26:15,176
We're going to move into this village.

467
00:26:15,209 --> 00:26:16,877
Like, oh, man, this village,

468
00:26:16,910 --> 00:26:18,963
every time we go there, we get engaged.

469
00:26:37,031 --> 00:26:39,734
When we left the wire,

470
00:26:39,767 --> 00:26:42,903
most of the guys were scared.

471
00:26:42,936 --> 00:26:45,272
And what was going through their mind

472
00:26:45,305 --> 00:26:47,108
was that hopefully I
don't get to die tonight.

473
00:26:47,141 --> 00:26:52,914
You know,
hopefully I live to see another day.

474
00:26:55,249 --> 00:26:57,785
Either we'd go down the east side

475
00:26:57,818 --> 00:27:00,888
of Restrepo, down behind this cliff side

476
00:27:00,921 --> 00:27:03,991
or we'd go up on the West
Side where you had to run

477
00:27:04,024 --> 00:27:05,926
off the side of the road right there,

478
00:27:05,959 --> 00:27:07,862
because sometimes they'd ambush us

479
00:27:07,895 --> 00:27:10,331
before we could even start the patrol.

480
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:15,302
We'd usually get pretty spread out

481
00:27:15,335 --> 00:27:17,972
so they can't just pinpoint
a small cluster of guys

482
00:27:18,005 --> 00:27:19,874
and just take them all out in one burst

483
00:27:19,907 --> 00:27:21,709
if he can or something.

484
00:27:21,742 --> 00:27:25,112
We'd search the road,

485
00:27:25,145 --> 00:27:27,014
make sure nothings' out of place,

486
00:27:27,047 --> 00:27:30,951
scan the mountains, scan the trees,

487
00:27:30,984 --> 00:27:33,054
and as we're moving we're
actually thinking of, hey,

488
00:27:33,087 --> 00:27:35,823
what can we run to next
in case we do get shot at?

489
00:27:35,856 --> 00:27:37,792
Look for your next...
next spot you're going to go.

490
00:27:37,825 --> 00:27:40,361
If they start shooting right now,
where you going?

491
00:27:40,394 --> 00:27:42,394
Shit, I could tell you,
if somebody starts shooting

492
00:27:42,396 --> 00:27:44,165
right now, where I'm going.

493
00:27:44,198 --> 00:27:46,934
I'm going up over that desk.
No... no questions.

494
00:27:46,967 --> 00:27:50,304
You're suspicious of everything.

495
00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:52,740
You see a tiny hole in the
ground and you step on the hole,

496
00:27:52,773 --> 00:27:54,493
you look around the hole,
you pick up rocks,

497
00:27:54,508 --> 00:27:56,744
you wonder why there's a rockslide

498
00:27:56,777 --> 00:27:58,379
at the end of the Ridge.

499
00:27:58,412 --> 00:28:00,314
Do people walk up that a lot?

500
00:28:00,347 --> 00:28:01,882
Is that why all the rocks are down there?

501
00:28:01,915 --> 00:28:04,418
Is it just erosion? You don't know.

502
00:28:04,451 --> 00:28:06,987
You'd be looking up into the mountains.

503
00:28:07,020 --> 00:28:08,956
That eerie feeling...

504
00:28:08,989 --> 00:28:10,992
Knowing that they're looking at you.

505
00:28:14,895 --> 00:28:16,464
Your heart's beating.

506
00:28:16,497 --> 00:28:20,334
It raises and goes down like a field mouse.

507
00:28:20,367 --> 00:28:22,770
Your mind will wander a little bit,

508
00:28:22,803 --> 00:28:25,339
you'll wonder what part of the
village we'll be setting up in,

509
00:28:25,372 --> 00:28:27,212
and you realize you have
to keep thinking about

510
00:28:27,241 --> 00:28:29,343
where you are right now,
keep yourself in the now.

511
00:28:29,376 --> 00:28:32,146
Right now you're about half and half

512
00:28:32,179 --> 00:28:35,015
between how much the walk sucks

513
00:28:35,048 --> 00:28:39,086
or how much it's just gonna
suck to be in that village.

514
00:28:39,119 --> 00:28:42,456
And depending on the day,
you either got shot at

515
00:28:42,489 --> 00:28:45,292
right as you're walking in
or right as your walking out.

516
00:28:45,325 --> 00:28:47,161
That's when we took contact.

517
00:28:53,834 --> 00:28:55,169
You get in the village,

518
00:28:55,202 --> 00:28:56,971
and you already don't see anybody.

519
00:28:57,004 --> 00:29:00,207
Random fucking goats walking around.

520
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:01,876
You know they've taken off.

521
00:29:01,909 --> 00:29:04,011
They ran up to their little,
tiny hiding spot,

522
00:29:04,044 --> 00:29:05,479
which we can't see.

523
00:29:05,512 --> 00:29:09,550
You round up anybody you can talk to.

524
00:29:09,583 --> 00:29:11,252
Anybody.

525
00:29:15,255 --> 00:29:17,425
Here you go, kid.

526
00:29:19,845 --> 00:29:22,530
You know anything about the
shooting a few days ago,

527
00:29:22,563 --> 00:29:24,064
that I asked him about?

528
00:29:35,576 --> 00:29:38,245
We haven't found anybody else to talk to.

529
00:29:38,278 --> 00:29:42,483
We're gonna start pushing
back to op Restrepo, over.

530
00:29:42,516 --> 00:29:45,052
Okay, Roger.

531
00:29:45,085 --> 00:29:47,354
If we get hit,
where's it going to come from?

532
00:29:47,387 --> 00:29:50,224
Initially, we'll probably take
a few from this hill right here

533
00:29:50,257 --> 00:29:53,561
majority of it's going to
come from back on the...

534
00:29:53,594 --> 00:29:55,529
The southwest

535
00:29:55,562 --> 00:29:57,532
but let's hope that doesn't happen.

536
00:30:00,267 --> 00:30:03,003
On the way back, you're...

537
00:30:03,036 --> 00:30:05,039
It's a split between,
how shitty the walk is

538
00:30:05,072 --> 00:30:07,408
and how much you're
sucking, how much faster

539
00:30:07,441 --> 00:30:10,411
you need to go so you don't
get your ass shot off.

540
00:30:10,444 --> 00:30:13,314
A little faster, harder, more cover.

541
00:30:13,347 --> 00:30:15,182
Pick the shittier route...
it's going to suck more

542
00:30:15,215 --> 00:30:17,051
because I'm going to stay alive.

543
00:30:17,084 --> 00:30:20,154
That last stretch to get up to Restrepo,

544
00:30:20,187 --> 00:30:23,390
from our best cover and concealed route,
was a draw.

545
00:30:23,423 --> 00:30:25,526
And the problem with the
draw was it didn't take us

546
00:30:25,559 --> 00:30:27,461
all the way to Restrepo.

547
00:30:27,494 --> 00:30:29,430
It only took us to the very tip of it,

548
00:30:29,463 --> 00:30:31,599
and you had to run the road to get there.

549
00:30:31,632 --> 00:30:34,335
And usually you'd bound,
and some guys would cover

550
00:30:34,368 --> 00:30:36,537
at the back,
some guys would over-watch the front,

551
00:30:36,570 --> 00:30:38,606
and you'd run.

552
00:30:38,639 --> 00:30:42,276
Once, Kim and Lambert,
they're running on the road,

553
00:30:42,309 --> 00:30:47,014
and RPGs, AK, PKM fire just came,

554
00:30:47,047 --> 00:30:49,216
came in full force, and Kim tripped,

555
00:30:49,249 --> 00:30:52,186
and he rolled, and the
bullets were hitting,

556
00:30:52,219 --> 00:30:55,122
I don't know,
a foot or two in front of Kim's face.

557
00:30:55,155 --> 00:30:56,991
Lambert was still out
there and he went out there

558
00:30:57,024 --> 00:30:59,226
and was dragging... and he helped Kim up,

559
00:30:59,259 --> 00:31:01,128
dragging him back in.

560
00:31:15,042 --> 00:31:17,378
OK, I'll put it this way, like,

561
00:31:17,411 --> 00:31:19,480
pretty much every day,
we got in a firefight.

562
00:31:19,513 --> 00:31:23,317
Every single day,
somebody was trying to kill us.

563
00:31:23,350 --> 00:31:26,053
Our friends were getting shot next to us.

564
00:31:26,086 --> 00:31:28,555
People were...
lost their arms, lost their legs.

565
00:31:28,588 --> 00:31:31,392
We had our friends get killed.

566
00:31:31,425 --> 00:31:33,193
And then, you're thinking in your head,

567
00:31:33,226 --> 00:31:37,131
I still have another ten...
ten fucking months to go.

568
00:31:37,164 --> 00:31:39,099
And, you're like...

569
00:31:39,132 --> 00:31:42,102
You're like, pretty much, I never thought

570
00:31:42,135 --> 00:31:44,906
I was going to make it
out of the valley alive.

571
00:32:00,587 --> 00:32:04,291
Out here in the korengal,
we've lost dear, close friends,

572
00:32:04,324 --> 00:32:07,394
and we've had wounded friends,
and it takes a toll on everybody

573
00:32:07,427 --> 00:32:08,696
'cause when you go out on a patrol

574
00:32:08,729 --> 00:32:10,297
you don't know who's next,

575
00:32:10,330 --> 00:32:13,301
so it messes with your head in every way.

576
00:32:16,375 --> 00:32:18,639
As an NCO, it's hard to keep your morale up

577
00:32:18,672 --> 00:32:22,109
and not let the... your soldiers know

578
00:32:22,142 --> 00:32:24,979
because I mean,
if they see that you're down,

579
00:32:25,012 --> 00:32:27,081
they're gonna start taking a toll.

580
00:32:27,114 --> 00:32:28,716
It's going to impact them as well.

581
00:32:28,749 --> 00:32:31,151
So you got to keep yourself up

582
00:32:31,184 --> 00:32:33,354
and constantly make sure
your soldiers are...

583
00:32:33,387 --> 00:32:35,289
You know, like right now, it's cold out.

584
00:32:35,322 --> 00:32:37,758
Got to make sure they packed
right before we came out.

585
00:32:37,791 --> 00:32:39,760
We check on them throughout the night.

586
00:32:39,793 --> 00:32:41,729
"Hey, you warm? You good?
You got enough food?

587
00:32:41,762 --> 00:32:44,765
You got enough water? Everything alright?"

588
00:32:44,798 --> 00:32:46,633
You know,
just make sure they're constantly ready

589
00:32:46,666 --> 00:32:49,003
because if one soldier's
not looking around enough,

590
00:32:49,036 --> 00:32:51,356
not doing what he's supposed
to do he's putting other lives

591
00:32:51,371 --> 00:32:53,687
in jeopardy just by him
not paying attention.

592
00:33:02,149 --> 00:33:04,752
If you fail your job,

593
00:33:04,785 --> 00:33:07,388
you're failing everyone in that patrol.

594
00:33:07,421 --> 00:33:11,058
Making a mistake and
getting someone else killed,

595
00:33:11,091 --> 00:33:15,095
that's the biggest fear,
that was my biggest fear.

596
00:33:15,128 --> 00:33:19,266
I'm not doing this for
recognition from my country.

597
00:33:19,299 --> 00:33:22,469
I'm not doing this so that somebody goes,
"wow.

598
00:33:22,502 --> 00:33:27,141
Those guys are really patriotic.
Those guys are really brave."

599
00:33:27,174 --> 00:33:31,345
Truthfully,
I could give a shit what anybody thinks,

600
00:33:31,378 --> 00:33:34,214
except for those guys
to my left and my right

601
00:33:34,247 --> 00:33:36,183
cause' that's what it's about.

602
00:33:36,216 --> 00:33:38,619
Those guys are what it's about.

603
00:33:38,652 --> 00:33:40,487
I ain't going to lie, that's...

604
00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,424
And, that's why in a deployment,

605
00:33:43,457 --> 00:33:45,793
you see people run out under fire

606
00:33:45,826 --> 00:33:48,529
to go pull their buddy back.

607
00:33:48,562 --> 00:33:52,299
The brave thing, it's guys coming together,

608
00:33:52,332 --> 00:33:55,602
doing their job because they
know that the guy next to them

609
00:33:55,635 --> 00:33:58,806
needs them to do their job,
so that they can all go home.

610
00:34:02,876 --> 00:34:05,379
Bravery?

611
00:34:05,412 --> 00:34:08,482
Bravery to me, as an example,
would be something

612
00:34:08,515 --> 00:34:13,554
along the lines of someone
who goes out of their way,

613
00:34:13,587 --> 00:34:16,390
despite the...

614
00:34:16,423 --> 00:34:20,394
The very likely potential of dying,

615
00:34:20,427 --> 00:34:22,830
and risking his life to...

616
00:34:22,863 --> 00:34:25,599
To, you know, protect another one.

617
00:34:25,632 --> 00:34:28,268
This Ridge,
all the way through that hilltop up there.

618
00:34:28,301 --> 00:34:31,172
Two/fours up there.
Two/fours up there? Okay.

619
00:34:33,603 --> 00:34:35,709
We didn't talk about that word very much

620
00:34:35,742 --> 00:34:39,480
'cause we didn't feel what
we were doing was bravery.

621
00:34:39,513 --> 00:34:43,183
We were there, we signed up to do...
to do this,

622
00:34:43,216 --> 00:34:46,153
and all of our friends and
buddies and soldiers and,

623
00:34:46,186 --> 00:34:49,189
you know, peers and superiors
were next to us doing it,

624
00:34:49,222 --> 00:34:53,393
so you couldn't really,
you know, pick out bravery.

625
00:34:57,664 --> 00:35:00,601
It's somebody putting themself... you know,

626
00:35:00,634 --> 00:35:03,871
putting their life on the line,
putting themselves at risk

627
00:35:03,904 --> 00:35:06,206
for somebody else,

628
00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:08,876
and it's an everyday thing down there.

629
00:35:08,909 --> 00:35:11,245
Every single person that
got shot over there,

630
00:35:11,278 --> 00:35:14,214
they didn't worry about themselves one bit.

631
00:35:14,247 --> 00:35:18,452
All they asked about was,
"how are my guys doing?"

632
00:35:18,485 --> 00:35:22,222
Sergeant rice, when he got hit,
he's like, "where's my team at?

633
00:35:22,255 --> 00:35:24,791
Is solo okay? Is Jackson okay?

634
00:35:24,824 --> 00:35:26,560
Is Vandenberg alright," you know?

635
00:35:26,593 --> 00:35:28,362
When sergeant Padilla lost his arm,

636
00:35:28,395 --> 00:35:30,931
his arm was missing.

637
00:35:30,964 --> 00:35:35,335
He had shrapnel in his face,
and he was just asking

638
00:35:35,368 --> 00:35:39,440
if everybody was okay, and that...
that's bravery.

639
00:35:50,984 --> 00:35:53,520
It's called a m145.

640
00:35:53,553 --> 00:35:56,723
When you zero it, you
fucking zero at eight.

641
00:35:56,756 --> 00:36:00,394
Fucking, open the feed tray cover.

642
00:36:00,427 --> 00:36:02,229
Alright, you're gonna fucking sweep.

643
00:36:02,262 --> 00:36:04,464
Make sure these... all things fucking work.

644
00:36:04,497 --> 00:36:07,701
Everything pushes down, fucking moves.

645
00:36:07,734 --> 00:36:10,637
To fucking load it, take it off safe,

646
00:36:10,670 --> 00:36:14,508
put it back forward, put the rounds in,

647
00:36:14,541 --> 00:36:16,310
make sure they're fucking seated.

648
00:36:16,343 --> 00:36:18,412
And put your hand like this,
like you're fucking...

649
00:36:18,445 --> 00:36:22,282
Like a salute kind of thing,
hold them there, slam it shut.

650
00:36:22,315 --> 00:36:24,351
Everybody's got their favorite weapon.

651
00:36:24,384 --> 00:36:27,788
I'd have to say... in order of weapons,

652
00:36:27,821 --> 00:36:31,358
I'd have to say 50...

653
00:36:31,391 --> 00:36:35,796
240... the mark...

654
00:36:35,829 --> 00:36:39,700
And then 203 and then probably the saw.

655
00:36:46,906 --> 00:36:49,509
You learn to love your weapon.

656
00:36:49,542 --> 00:36:52,479
Like,
I know a lot of guys like the 240 gunners,

657
00:36:52,512 --> 00:36:54,448
even though that's a
shitty-ass weapon to carry

658
00:36:54,481 --> 00:36:55,816
'cause it's so heavy...

659
00:36:55,849 --> 00:36:59,653
To load the 240, all you do...

660
00:36:59,686 --> 00:37:03,857
Tilt it to the side.
Makes it a little bit easier.

661
00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:07,761
Put the rounds in.

662
00:37:07,794 --> 00:37:11,832
AT4's, small DS, those are fun too, laws.

663
00:37:11,865 --> 00:37:14,501
Shooting a law... I love shooting laws!

664
00:37:14,534 --> 00:37:16,270
A law is a light anti-tank weapon.

665
00:37:16,303 --> 00:37:18,338
It's a bazooka?

666
00:37:18,371 --> 00:37:21,041
One, pull the pin. Pin.

667
00:37:21,074 --> 00:37:25,279
Step two, remove rear cover and strap

668
00:37:25,312 --> 00:37:28,682
three,
it says "pull open until it locks here."

669
00:37:28,715 --> 00:37:32,886
Four, release safety.
Five, you're going to aim it.

670
00:37:32,919 --> 00:37:34,655
And then six, you're going to squeeze that

671
00:37:34,688 --> 00:37:36,490
right there to fire it.

672
00:37:36,523 --> 00:37:39,793
When I started out during the deployment,

673
00:37:39,826 --> 00:37:43,497
I carried a 203...
that's a grenade launcher...

674
00:37:43,530 --> 00:37:46,400
And I loved being a 203 gunner

675
00:37:46,433 --> 00:37:48,669
just 'cause I like things that go boom.

676
00:37:48,702 --> 00:37:50,542
The louder the booms...
because, traditionally,

677
00:37:50,570 --> 00:37:52,606
the enemy that we're
fighting is more afraid

678
00:37:52,639 --> 00:37:54,675
of the booms than they are the death.

679
00:37:54,708 --> 00:37:58,545
The 50-Cal is the biggest machine gun

680
00:37:58,578 --> 00:38:00,380
we had up there.

681
00:38:00,413 --> 00:38:03,550
Some guys are mark guys,
some guys are 50 guys.

682
00:38:03,583 --> 00:38:05,319
I'm a 50 guy.

683
00:38:05,352 --> 00:38:08,855
The 50 is the sexiest
weapon the army's got.

684
00:38:08,888 --> 00:38:12,693
It's loud,
it shoots a whole hell of a long way.

685
00:38:12,726 --> 00:38:14,761
They say, that round only has to be

686
00:38:14,794 --> 00:38:17,931
within 18 inches of you, to sear flesh.

687
00:38:17,964 --> 00:38:20,100
That's bad-ass.

688
00:38:20,133 --> 00:38:22,469
When you shoot that thing,

689
00:38:22,502 --> 00:38:23,904
it'll rock your world,

690
00:38:23,937 --> 00:38:26,640
it just... it's a giant machine gun.

691
00:38:26,673 --> 00:38:28,989
What's not to like about
a giant machine gun?

692
00:38:32,479 --> 00:38:34,614
You sit out there at Restrepo,

693
00:38:34,647 --> 00:38:36,483
and you just dwell about being out there.

694
00:38:36,516 --> 00:38:39,453
Damn, I'm at fucking Restrepo.
I'm in Afghanistan, Meh.

695
00:38:39,486 --> 00:38:41,021
You might as well get over with...

696
00:38:41,054 --> 00:38:42,689
It's not going to do you any good.

697
00:38:42,722 --> 00:38:44,858
Hey, guys!

698
00:38:44,891 --> 00:38:48,428
I mean,
our quality of life was what we made it.

699
00:38:48,461 --> 00:38:52,032
Whatever we could hump up there

700
00:38:52,065 --> 00:38:55,369
or whatever we could do for
ourselves is what happened,

701
00:38:55,402 --> 00:38:59,973
you know, and that's what gave
us our ability to survive.

702
00:39:04,778 --> 00:39:06,680
Is that heavy?

703
00:39:06,713 --> 00:39:08,715
No, sir.

704
00:39:08,748 --> 00:39:10,951
You got Marlboro reds Cunningham?

705
00:39:10,984 --> 00:39:12,786
Yes, I do!

706
00:39:12,819 --> 00:39:15,389
Six cartons of fucking different flavors.

707
00:39:15,422 --> 00:39:18,925
Jesus. You know what that means? Smoke up!

708
00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:21,862
I got a chair, too.

709
00:39:21,895 --> 00:39:23,597
What's the chair for?

710
00:39:23,630 --> 00:39:25,132
The chair's for the platoon, man.

711
00:39:25,165 --> 00:39:26,666
I stole that fair and square

712
00:39:26,699 --> 00:39:28,568
from a sergeant first class in Kuwait.

713
00:39:28,601 --> 00:39:31,438
Mother fucker's crying now.
He ain't got no chair.

714
00:39:31,471 --> 00:39:33,707
Sergeant first class elder.

715
00:39:33,740 --> 00:39:36,943
We got your chair, man.
We got your chair, brother.

716
00:39:36,976 --> 00:39:38,478
Sorry.

717
00:39:38,511 --> 00:39:42,949
They eventually slung us up a generator,

718
00:39:42,982 --> 00:39:45,886
a gas generator with a big...
big blivott of fuel

719
00:39:45,919 --> 00:39:49,923
so we could run electronics.

720
00:39:49,956 --> 00:39:53,059
There it is! The fan, the fan!

721
00:39:53,092 --> 00:39:54,928
Nice! Nice!

722
00:39:54,961 --> 00:39:59,132
It was op Restrepo. It was our place.

723
00:39:59,165 --> 00:40:00,801
It's all we had.

724
00:40:08,007 --> 00:40:09,776
<i>Go!</i>

725
00:40:27,861 --> 00:40:29,563
No!

726
00:40:29,596 --> 00:40:31,932
I told you. I said "generator."

727
00:40:34,100 --> 00:40:35,836
Is it weird being on leave?

728
00:40:35,869 --> 00:40:37,904
You guys, you guys are out
there and you're, you know,

729
00:40:37,937 --> 00:40:39,706
in a swimming pool or whatever.

730
00:40:39,739 --> 00:40:42,676
I mean, you deserve the leave,
but does it feel weird?

731
00:40:46,145 --> 00:40:48,915
I don't know, it sucks being away.

732
00:40:48,948 --> 00:40:50,684
'Cause you're thinking like, what happens

733
00:40:50,717 --> 00:40:52,886
if something happens to somebody you know?

734
00:40:52,919 --> 00:40:56,156
But it's nice being home.

735
00:40:56,189 --> 00:40:57,824
Yeah.

736
00:40:57,857 --> 00:41:00,760
It's hard coming back 'cause like...

737
00:41:00,793 --> 00:41:03,263
The hardest part's probably
saying goodbye to your family.

738
00:41:03,296 --> 00:41:06,132
Like walking through the
gates to go into the airport,

739
00:41:06,165 --> 00:41:08,735
or to go through security,
all your family's

740
00:41:08,768 --> 00:41:10,604
just standing there kind of crying,

741
00:41:10,637 --> 00:41:12,806
and then you got to...
you got to make that step.

742
00:41:12,839 --> 00:41:15,542
Once you get through there,
then it's easy to come back.

743
00:41:15,575 --> 00:41:17,277
How was your leave?

744
00:41:17,310 --> 00:41:19,246
It was excellent.

745
00:41:19,279 --> 00:41:21,248
I got to see my family.

746
00:41:21,281 --> 00:41:24,818
I spent more time than I
usually do with my family.

747
00:41:27,887 --> 00:41:30,223
You know, I thought me and my fiancée

748
00:41:30,256 --> 00:41:32,192
were going to have a lot of problems,
and we didn't.

749
00:41:32,225 --> 00:41:34,794
We were arguing a lot
before I went on leave.

750
00:41:34,827 --> 00:41:36,930
Like, I was pretty much...
I was pretty much...

751
00:41:36,963 --> 00:41:41,535
We were both pretty much on the
verge of leaving each other.

752
00:41:41,568 --> 00:41:43,803
It was just a combination
of being stressed out here

753
00:41:43,836 --> 00:41:46,139
and not wanting to get shot
and never seeing your family

754
00:41:46,172 --> 00:41:48,174
and everything and then, you get home,

755
00:41:48,207 --> 00:41:50,544
and it's just like...
you know, you're like, "yes!"

756
00:41:50,577 --> 00:41:52,112
You can go get drunk and fucking have fun

757
00:41:52,145 --> 00:41:53,713
and party out and stuff.

758
00:41:53,746 --> 00:41:55,982
When you go home,

759
00:41:56,015 --> 00:41:58,218
is there someone you talk to about it all?
No, I didn't talk to anyone.

760
00:41:58,251 --> 00:42:01,588
I can't talk to my mother
'cause she worries enough as it is.

761
00:42:01,621 --> 00:42:03,290
And, well, family is just always family.

762
00:42:03,323 --> 00:42:05,091
And I couldn't talk to them.

763
00:42:05,124 --> 00:42:07,044
My stepfather's actually
been in the army before.

764
00:42:07,060 --> 00:42:10,297
He somewhat understands what
I've been going through,

765
00:42:10,330 --> 00:42:11,998
but I didn't want him worrying either,

766
00:42:12,031 --> 00:42:13,800
seeing that I couldn't sleep and...

767
00:42:13,833 --> 00:42:15,635
Just more of a chore for them back at home.

768
00:42:15,668 --> 00:42:17,904
What about, like, friends?

769
00:42:17,937 --> 00:42:21,341
You know, male friends,
like, close friends?

770
00:42:21,374 --> 00:42:23,109
No, I mean... no.

771
00:42:23,142 --> 00:42:25,111
Actually,
I just stayed to myself for the most part.

772
00:42:25,144 --> 00:42:28,148
I went out, had fun,
but didn't really tell anybody

773
00:42:28,181 --> 00:42:30,183
about my problems back here.

774
00:42:57,243 --> 00:43:00,313
See, Hoyt, it's important to remember...

775
00:43:00,346 --> 00:43:02,248
Make sure they get behind cover.

776
00:43:02,281 --> 00:43:04,250
Got eyes on them. You do?

777
00:43:04,283 --> 00:43:06,152
Right above lumber yard.

778
00:43:06,185 --> 00:43:08,855
Say about 100 meters to the
right as you're walking up it.

779
00:43:08,888 --> 00:43:11,191
There is a dude in fucking...

780
00:43:11,224 --> 00:43:14,227
I don't know, maybe BDUs, black. Okay.

781
00:43:14,260 --> 00:43:17,797
He's underneath the tree in the shade?
I think that might be a cow.

782
00:43:17,830 --> 00:43:21,034
But right behind that,
about fucking five feet,

783
00:43:21,067 --> 00:43:23,303
something just popped up over,
looked over here,

784
00:43:23,336 --> 00:43:26,206
and then fucking popped back down.

785
00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:29,809
I guess it's more of... prefer to fight

786
00:43:29,842 --> 00:43:31,177
on my terms type deal.

787
00:43:31,210 --> 00:43:33,079
Like, fighting here and stuff like that,

788
00:43:33,112 --> 00:43:35,148
that'd be perfectly fine with me, but like,

789
00:43:35,181 --> 00:43:36,850
those times where you have to get

790
00:43:36,883 --> 00:43:38,818
in the fucking low ground
and shit like that,

791
00:43:38,851 --> 00:43:40,954
it's like I don't really
look forward to those

792
00:43:40,987 --> 00:43:42,756
as much as I used to.

793
00:43:42,789 --> 00:43:44,391
So this feels pretty good here,
like, we're good?

794
00:43:44,424 --> 00:43:46,426
Yeah, I mean, it's not bad.

795
00:43:46,459 --> 00:43:50,330
I got a tree that is okay.

796
00:43:50,363 --> 00:43:55,135
You got some rocks up there
and shit like that so...

797
00:43:55,168 --> 00:43:58,304
Is there anything about
this you're going to miss?

798
00:43:58,337 --> 00:43:59,906
Shooting people.

799
00:43:59,939 --> 00:44:03,410
It's always fun shooting.

800
00:44:03,443 --> 00:44:07,414
Is there anything you miss about Restrepo?

801
00:44:07,447 --> 00:44:09,449
The firefights, I ain't going to lie.

802
00:44:09,482 --> 00:44:12,018
The firefights... but
we miss the firefights

803
00:44:12,051 --> 00:44:15,221
in Restrepo or in the korengal, period.

804
00:44:15,254 --> 00:44:18,124
I think a lot of us kind
of miss that adrenaline.

805
00:44:18,157 --> 00:44:20,393
And I don't personally talk to astronauts

806
00:44:20,426 --> 00:44:23,463
or you know any kind of extremists,

807
00:44:23,496 --> 00:44:25,465
but until you hear the snap of a bullet

808
00:44:25,498 --> 00:44:28,335
go by your head or hit your head...

809
00:44:32,105 --> 00:44:34,240
There's nothing else like it.

810
00:44:34,273 --> 00:44:36,376
All right, we're getting engaged again,

811
00:44:36,409 --> 00:44:38,878
because our guys are moving.

812
00:44:38,911 --> 00:44:41,781
Fucking blowing my God damn eardrums out!

813
00:44:41,814 --> 00:44:44,217
Toves is fucking having a blast.

814
00:44:48,020 --> 00:44:49,322
Oh, shit!

815
00:44:53,292 --> 00:44:57,363
I'm on fucking fire! Your turn!

816
00:45:00,133 --> 00:45:03,770
Hey, solo! Two on three! Lumber yard!

817
00:45:03,803 --> 00:45:06,139
See any metals, fucking smoke them!

818
00:45:06,172 --> 00:45:07,907
Roger that!

819
00:45:07,940 --> 00:45:10,744
Aye-aye, motherfuckers!

820
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:15,381
Fuck you!!

821
00:45:15,414 --> 00:45:17,183
Toves!

822
00:45:17,216 --> 00:45:18,384
Come on!

823
00:45:18,417 --> 00:45:20,086
Get some!

824
00:45:23,857 --> 00:45:26,392
You want to fucking...
you want to shoot again, man?

825
00:45:26,425 --> 00:45:28,928
Yeah, but my barrel's kind of hot!

826
00:45:28,961 --> 00:45:32,435
So's mine, dude. So I'm going to
let it cool down for a little bit.

827
00:45:36,969 --> 00:45:38,872
Look at that fucking shit!

828
00:45:38,905 --> 00:45:41,975
That is intense! What the fuck is that?

829
00:45:42,008 --> 00:45:44,010
That was awesome!!

830
00:45:44,043 --> 00:45:48,248
It was a bomb, baby! Whooo!

831
00:45:48,281 --> 00:45:51,484
Look,
fucking dude's over there fucking on fire!

832
00:45:53,186 --> 00:45:54,921
That's the shit, dog!

833
00:45:58,024 --> 00:46:00,160
Aww. That's it?!

834
00:46:00,193 --> 00:46:02,796
Dude, my eyes are so powdery.

835
00:46:02,829 --> 00:46:04,230
That was pretty intense!

836
00:46:04,263 --> 00:46:06,266
I really don't think we
took too many rounds.

837
00:46:06,299 --> 00:46:09,369
It was just fucking awesome
just shooting again.

838
00:46:11,270 --> 00:46:14,007
I think if you ask anybody
about the adrenaline,

839
00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:15,842
that adrenaline rush from those firefights?

840
00:46:15,875 --> 00:46:17,844
It was a feeling that we
got to know quite well,

841
00:46:17,877 --> 00:46:19,946
you know, and got to like.

842
00:46:19,979 --> 00:46:22,348
Some fights go bad, you know,
if you lose friends,

843
00:46:22,381 --> 00:46:24,551
people get hit,
it doesn't feel great at all.

844
00:46:24,584 --> 00:46:26,586
But you know,
when you've had a nice firefight,

845
00:46:26,619 --> 00:46:30,990
stuff was close,
and you know everybody comes back unhit?

846
00:46:31,023 --> 00:46:33,026
You're just like...
you just cheated death, =.

847
00:46:33,059 --> 00:46:35,270
You know, you feel... you just feel great.

848
00:46:41,601 --> 00:46:43,503
And then it's pretty rough

849
00:46:43,536 --> 00:46:47,073
when you go 100 Miles
an hour to a dead halt.

850
00:47:08,261 --> 00:47:10,525
We did everything to deal with the boredom.

851
00:47:12,431 --> 00:47:14,968
We have talked about
everything with each other

852
00:47:15,001 --> 00:47:17,003
that you can talk about
with another person.

853
00:47:17,036 --> 00:47:18,438
Everything.

854
00:47:18,471 --> 00:47:21,107
We'd have a five- or six-hour conversation

855
00:47:21,140 --> 00:47:24,277
about who would win in a fight,
George Clooney or Fabio.

856
00:47:24,310 --> 00:47:26,179
Why did we talk about that for six hours?

857
00:47:26,212 --> 00:47:27,614
I have no clue.

858
00:47:27,647 --> 00:47:29,482
I still say George Clooney would win,

859
00:47:29,515 --> 00:47:33,553
but you're like, damn,
life is getting weird up here.

860
00:47:45,498 --> 00:47:49,035
Just imagine living two feet from somebody

861
00:47:49,068 --> 00:47:53,039
for months at a time and
not being able to get away.

862
00:47:53,072 --> 00:47:55,675
Eventually,
they're gonna get pretty annoying.

863
00:47:55,708 --> 00:47:59,079
They start to smell worse.
They start to sound stupider.

864
00:49:05,745 --> 00:49:10,049
After sitting around,
kind of being boxed up,

865
00:49:10,082 --> 00:49:13,553
you know, it gets... it gets to a person.

866
00:49:13,586 --> 00:49:16,089
And you... you see the guys on edge,

867
00:49:16,122 --> 00:49:18,386
like, "when's the next
round?" Just looking.

868
00:49:21,460 --> 00:49:24,130
The tensions would come from,

869
00:49:24,163 --> 00:49:27,433
"okay, I know they're going
to start shooting at us soon.

870
00:49:27,466 --> 00:49:29,635
Like, we haven't been
shot at for two weeks.

871
00:49:29,668 --> 00:49:32,338
So they're probably storing
up all their ammunition,

872
00:49:32,371 --> 00:49:34,273
all their weapons right now,

873
00:49:34,306 --> 00:49:36,242
and they're going to hit
us hard right now."

874
00:49:36,275 --> 00:49:40,680
For some of us...
I kind of always liked hearing

875
00:49:40,713 --> 00:49:44,317
they're gonna attack
'cause I got to do my job

876
00:49:44,350 --> 00:49:47,420
yeah, I mean, sometimes you just...
you want to fight

877
00:49:47,453 --> 00:49:49,622
so bad just to pass the time.

878
00:49:51,522 --> 00:49:53,259
And the only thing you have to do

879
00:49:53,292 --> 00:49:57,196
is read a book or get into a firefight...

880
00:49:57,229 --> 00:50:00,400
When you don't have that excitement anymore

881
00:50:00,433 --> 00:50:03,103
you got to find stuff to fill its void.

882
00:50:20,152 --> 00:50:22,222
I've been hit!

883
00:51:04,864 --> 00:51:06,799
No, why don't fucking you stay there

884
00:51:06,832 --> 00:51:08,464
where I fucking put you? Roger.

885
00:52:04,290 --> 00:52:07,393
How do we connect to the Korengalis?

886
00:52:07,426 --> 00:52:09,328
That's definitely a hard thing.

887
00:52:09,361 --> 00:52:11,597
I know that we're serving a purpose

888
00:52:11,630 --> 00:52:13,166
besides just killing bad guys.

889
00:52:13,199 --> 00:52:14,667
We are helping that country.

890
00:52:14,700 --> 00:52:16,669
We are helping the local populous.

891
00:52:16,702 --> 00:52:19,492
Providing them with a lot
of things they've never had.

892
00:52:27,379 --> 00:52:30,485
Like sometimes when he lays down,
is it a burning sensation?

893
00:52:43,829 --> 00:52:45,598
Varner.

894
00:52:45,631 --> 00:52:47,533
We come in, they're going to take what

895
00:52:47,566 --> 00:52:50,603
they can get from us, and then,
as soon as the Taliban comes in,

896
00:52:50,636 --> 00:52:52,638
they're going to give them what they want.

897
00:52:52,671 --> 00:52:55,541
But they're a little more
scared of those guys than us.

898
00:52:55,574 --> 00:52:58,477
So I think they play both sides,
and they'll be friendly

899
00:52:58,510 --> 00:53:00,713
to your face, but, you know,
in the end they're...

900
00:53:00,746 --> 00:53:03,749
They're just kind of in the middle,
trying to survive.

901
00:53:03,782 --> 00:53:08,454
I'd like to welcome all
the elders of korengal.

902
00:53:08,487 --> 00:53:10,957
We're going to welcome governor Wahidi,

903
00:53:10,990 --> 00:53:12,825
the governor of Kunar province,

904
00:53:12,858 --> 00:53:15,361
and colonel Ostlund,
the task force rock commander

905
00:53:15,394 --> 00:53:17,863
presiding over the Kunar
province with governor Wahidi.

906
00:53:17,896 --> 00:53:20,766
They're going to talk to you
guys today about security,

907
00:53:20,799 --> 00:53:24,770
about some of the roads
ahead that are going to lead

908
00:53:24,803 --> 00:53:27,940
to a prosperous and safe korengal valley.

909
00:53:30,609 --> 00:53:34,247
Do I respect them?
I don't respect the Korengalis.

910
00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:36,482
Like, when you gather them all up, no.

911
00:53:36,515 --> 00:53:38,985
They're a bunch of liars,
and they didn't want us,

912
00:53:39,018 --> 00:53:40,853
they didn't want our help.

913
00:53:40,886 --> 00:53:44,423
Are there certain individuals in
the korengal that I do respect?

914
00:53:44,456 --> 00:53:48,794
Yes, I believe that they want
it better for their people

915
00:53:48,827 --> 00:53:50,496
and they want it better for their families.

916
00:53:50,529 --> 00:53:54,000
But they were caught between
a rock and a hard place.

917
00:53:54,033 --> 00:53:56,769
Basically, governor, there is a sense

918
00:53:56,802 --> 00:53:58,638
of intimidation in the valley.

919
00:53:58,671 --> 00:54:03,009
We continually get the elders from Chichal,
Kandalay,

920
00:54:03,042 --> 00:54:06,279
and Kamisar saying, "hey,
we're willing to work,

921
00:54:06,312 --> 00:54:07,813
but we need Haji Zalwar Kahn to tell us

922
00:54:07,846 --> 00:54:09,482
that we're allowed to work."

923
00:54:09,515 --> 00:54:12,485
Haji Zalwar Kahn, I don't trust him.

924
00:54:12,518 --> 00:54:14,320
Do I respect him? Yes.

925
00:54:14,353 --> 00:54:16,455
Because I don't know that
I could carry the weight

926
00:54:16,488 --> 00:54:19,425
of all the korengal valley

927
00:54:19,458 --> 00:54:21,327
and be able to play the United States

928
00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:23,963
and the insurgents that can
come in the middle of the night

929
00:54:23,996 --> 00:54:26,599
and knock on his door not carry a weapon,

930
00:54:26,632 --> 00:54:29,502
and I won't know who it is,
and they can do whatever.

931
00:54:36,575 --> 00:54:38,312
And Zalwar Kahn is saying, like..

932
00:55:12,644 --> 00:55:15,848
But we understand that if I go in here

933
00:55:15,881 --> 00:55:18,084
and bark at these people,
I kick in their doors,

934
00:55:18,117 --> 00:55:19,885
and that I do piss them off,

935
00:55:19,918 --> 00:55:22,888
the next time that's gonna
be that many more guns

936
00:55:22,921 --> 00:55:24,824
shooting at me.

937
00:55:24,857 --> 00:55:27,827
And, the instincts of survival are, hey,

938
00:55:27,860 --> 00:55:29,729
if more people hate you, greater chance

939
00:55:29,762 --> 00:55:32,394
that you're gonna not come
out of this thing alive.

940
00:55:49,882 --> 00:55:52,051
I've seen the first guy we brought in,

941
00:55:52,084 --> 00:55:54,653
the oldest of the kids,
and he's always coming through here.

942
00:55:54,686 --> 00:55:57,390
And... I've... he's just shady.

943
00:55:57,423 --> 00:55:59,458
The kid's just shady as shit, and he...

944
00:55:59,491 --> 00:56:01,460
Every time we pass him on the road,

945
00:56:01,493 --> 00:56:03,062
he doesn't want to make eye contact.

946
00:56:03,095 --> 00:56:05,498
He always looks nervous. I don't like him.

947
00:56:08,634 --> 00:56:11,904
I know this dude.

948
00:56:11,937 --> 00:56:15,508
So, what am I supposed to think when...

949
00:56:15,541 --> 00:56:17,476
When the guys are shooting
from where you were

950
00:56:17,509 --> 00:56:19,812
and then from not to far
away from where you were?

951
00:56:19,845 --> 00:56:22,477
About the amount of time
it takes to walk up there.

952
00:56:24,183 --> 00:56:29,655
This is a GSR kit.
It checks for gunpowder residue.

953
00:56:29,688 --> 00:56:33,092
Like,
basically if they've handled any ammunition

954
00:56:33,125 --> 00:56:35,828
any explosive stuff like that.

955
00:56:38,766 --> 00:56:40,766
Basically what we're looking for is...

956
00:56:40,799 --> 00:56:43,702
There'll be little,
tiny blue specks that stand out.

957
00:56:43,735 --> 00:56:47,072
And,
that's the signs that we're looking for.

958
00:56:47,105 --> 00:56:48,974
Right now we're not getting anything.

959
00:56:49,007 --> 00:56:51,878
Hey, sir,
I don't have any hits on any of these.

960
00:56:54,646 --> 00:56:58,517
I mean, they came up clean.
So he could be innocent.

961
00:56:58,550 --> 00:57:01,487
Or just washed your hands.
I don't trust him for...

962
00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:03,222
You know, as far as I can throw him

963
00:57:03,255 --> 00:57:06,759
but you cant do anything if
you don't have any evidence.

964
00:57:06,792 --> 00:57:09,862
It's just like the states, you know?

965
00:57:09,895 --> 00:57:12,832
This whole "going there and
act like their friend" thing

966
00:57:12,865 --> 00:57:16,001
doesn't work, especially when you got,

967
00:57:16,034 --> 00:57:19,138
you know,
the Afghani that we caught trying to put

968
00:57:19,171 --> 00:57:21,740
the roadside bomb in, the IED,

969
00:57:21,773 --> 00:57:25,144
just spitting on us, calling us,
you know, infidel and stuff.

970
00:57:25,177 --> 00:57:27,847
You know,
hearts and minds goes out the window then.

971
00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:30,850
Hearts and minds goes out
the window when you see

972
00:57:30,883 --> 00:57:33,185
the guy shooting at you,
and then he puts his wife

973
00:57:33,218 --> 00:57:35,087
and kids in front of him, knowing full well

974
00:57:35,120 --> 00:57:36,689
that we wont shoot back.

975
00:57:36,722 --> 00:57:38,724
Got some women and
children up on the roof...

976
00:57:38,757 --> 00:57:42,228
Or the guy that shakes our hand,
takes the ten bags of rice

977
00:57:42,261 --> 00:57:44,029
we give him for his family
and the school supplies

978
00:57:44,062 --> 00:57:46,232
and the coats and immediately walks up

979
00:57:46,265 --> 00:57:47,967
the Mountain and shoots an rpg at us,

980
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:50,035
walks back down then
smiles the next morning

981
00:57:50,068 --> 00:57:51,637
when he's walking his goats.

982
00:57:51,670 --> 00:57:55,040
Fuck his heart and fuck his mind.

983
00:57:55,073 --> 00:57:57,910
We, um, had thoughts about the elders

984
00:57:57,943 --> 00:58:01,514
just lying straight to us
and there was times where

985
00:58:01,547 --> 00:58:03,916
we just wanted to, you know,
beat the shit out of them

986
00:58:03,949 --> 00:58:08,053
and make them tell us the truth.

987
00:58:08,086 --> 00:58:11,657
I mean... now, that's...
I know I'm not the only one

988
00:58:11,690 --> 00:58:13,192
'cause I know someone...
we talked about it.

989
00:58:13,225 --> 00:58:16,695
And the guys...
there was a point with me and the guys

990
00:58:16,728 --> 00:58:18,288
were just talking about, hey, you know,

991
00:58:18,297 --> 00:58:20,165
we should just grab him, kick his ass,

992
00:58:20,198 --> 00:58:22,868
and make him tell us the truth.

993
00:58:22,901 --> 00:58:25,905
Hey, eyes into that valley on those guys

994
00:58:25,938 --> 00:58:27,840
that were down there!

995
00:58:27,873 --> 00:58:30,109
That's where I want you to scan.

996
00:58:30,142 --> 00:58:33,112
We got a spotting scope! Use that on 1705!

997
00:58:33,145 --> 00:58:35,114
There would be the
firefights where we'd see...

998
00:58:35,147 --> 00:58:36,916
Actually see, somebody get killed.

999
00:58:36,949 --> 00:58:41,253
Now look at him. Yeah.

1000
00:58:41,286 --> 00:58:43,289
Split him into fucking pieces, man.

1001
00:58:43,322 --> 00:58:44,823
Seen the dude running

1002
00:58:44,856 --> 00:58:46,625
and then you seen him
blowing into pieces...

1003
00:58:46,658 --> 00:58:48,727
We all started cheering.

1004
00:58:48,760 --> 00:58:51,564
It's pretty much like a "fuck you" to them.

1005
00:58:51,597 --> 00:58:53,999
'Cause every single day
they're trying to kill you

1006
00:58:54,032 --> 00:58:55,968
when you're trying to bring
something good into their val...

1007
00:58:56,001 --> 00:59:00,005
Into this shitty-ass valley they have.

1008
00:59:00,038 --> 00:59:03,642
That has not even running water in it,
really.

1009
00:59:03,675 --> 00:59:07,212
And then, after every single
day of them trying to kill you

1010
00:59:07,245 --> 00:59:10,115
and then finally you know that
you fucked one of them up,

1011
00:59:10,148 --> 00:59:12,084
you're like... it almost makes...

1012
00:59:12,117 --> 00:59:13,919
It makes you cheer a little bit.

1013
00:59:13,952 --> 00:59:15,321
In your mind you're thinking,
this guy could have,

1014
00:59:15,354 --> 00:59:16,889
you know, murdered my friend.

1015
00:59:16,922 --> 00:59:19,058
He could be the one that put the bullet

1016
00:59:19,091 --> 00:59:20,859
through so and so's head.

1017
00:59:20,892 --> 00:59:24,129
<i>He could be the guy that
shot me in the head.</i>

1018
00:59:24,162 --> 00:59:26,699
The cheering comes,
I think, from knowing that

1019
00:59:26,732 --> 00:59:28,968
that's a person you'll
never have to fight again.

1020
00:59:29,001 --> 00:59:32,137
That's a person that's not gonna
attempt to kill you ever again.

1021
00:59:32,170 --> 00:59:34,740
And as sick as people
may think it is at home

1022
00:59:34,773 --> 00:59:39,945
or people that don't understand it...

1023
00:59:39,978 --> 00:59:43,215
Fighting another human being is...

1024
00:59:43,248 --> 00:59:47,686
Is not as hard as you'd think
when they're trying to kill you.

1025
00:59:47,719 --> 00:59:49,889
You can't kill me, motherfuckers!

1026
01:00:02,668 --> 01:00:04,336
This one's for you, America.

1027
01:00:04,369 --> 01:00:07,006
For a while there,

1028
01:00:07,039 --> 01:00:08,941
I started...

1029
01:00:08,974 --> 01:00:12,011
I started thinking that God hates me.

1030
01:00:12,044 --> 01:00:14,747
And, like I said,
I'm not religious or anything,

1031
01:00:14,780 --> 01:00:18,183
but I felt like there was this hate for me.

1032
01:00:18,216 --> 01:00:22,855
'Cause I did... sins, you know? I sinned.

1033
01:00:22,888 --> 01:00:28,694
And,
although I would have done it the same way,

1034
01:00:28,727 --> 01:00:32,865
everything the same exact way...

1035
01:00:32,898 --> 01:00:34,933
I still would feel this way, you know?

1036
01:00:34,966 --> 01:00:36,735
I'd still...

1037
01:00:36,768 --> 01:00:40,439
And that's the terrible thing of war,
you know?

1038
01:00:40,472 --> 01:00:42,374
You do terrible things.

1039
01:00:42,407 --> 01:00:45,144
And then you have to live
with them afterwards.

1040
01:00:45,177 --> 01:00:49,014
But you'd do them the same
way if you had to go back.

1041
01:00:49,047 --> 01:00:51,850
So what do you do? You know.

1042
01:00:51,883 --> 01:00:53,986
It's like a fucking...

1043
01:00:54,019 --> 01:00:56,989
It's an evil, evil,
evil thing inside your body.

1044
01:00:57,022 --> 01:00:59,358
It's like fucking good
versus evil inside there,

1045
01:00:59,391 --> 01:01:03,295
and... everyone tells you,

1046
01:01:03,328 --> 01:01:05,864
you know, you did a honorable thing.

1047
01:01:05,897 --> 01:01:07,933
You did all right. You're all right.

1048
01:01:07,966 --> 01:01:11,070
You did... you did what you had to do.

1049
01:01:11,103 --> 01:01:13,138
And I just hate that comment.

1050
01:01:13,171 --> 01:01:15,908
"Did what you had to do."

1051
01:01:15,941 --> 01:01:18,877
'Cause I didn't have to do any of it.

1052
01:01:18,910 --> 01:01:20,813
And that's what the fucking thing is.

1053
01:01:20,846 --> 01:01:24,149
That's the hardest thing to deal with.

1054
01:01:24,182 --> 01:01:27,252
You know, I didn't have to do shit.

1055
01:01:27,285 --> 01:01:29,021
I didn't have to go in the army.

1056
01:01:29,054 --> 01:01:31,056
I didn't have to become airborne infantry.

1057
01:01:31,089 --> 01:01:34,093
I didn't have to do any of that.

1058
01:01:34,126 --> 01:01:36,929
But I did, you know?

1059
01:01:36,962 --> 01:01:41,033
And, that comment,
"you did what you had to do,"

1060
01:01:41,066 --> 01:01:44,036
just drives me insane.

1061
01:01:44,069 --> 01:01:47,506
Because is that what God's going to say?

1062
01:01:47,539 --> 01:01:50,175
"You did what you had to do, good job"?

1063
01:01:50,208 --> 01:01:52,411
Punch you on the shoulder and fucking say,

1064
01:01:52,444 --> 01:01:56,081
"welcome to heaven," you know?

1065
01:01:56,114 --> 01:01:58,250
I don't think so.

1066
01:02:11,129 --> 01:02:14,933
They're 762 ak47 rounds with wings.

1067
01:02:14,966 --> 01:02:17,503
Due to the fact that I, got...

1068
01:02:17,536 --> 01:02:19,271
You know, took one the head.

1069
01:02:19,304 --> 01:02:21,206
Kind of grazed off my helmet.

1070
01:02:21,239 --> 01:02:23,108
So they had...

1071
01:02:23,141 --> 01:02:25,544
Some angels were watching
that bullet when they

1072
01:02:25,577 --> 01:02:28,013
popped me in the head, so I've got my wings

1073
01:02:28,046 --> 01:02:30,015
I got this one right here.

1074
01:02:30,048 --> 01:02:32,084
That's the good tattoos right there.

1075
01:02:32,117 --> 01:02:34,153
These are the things you get drunk

1076
01:02:34,186 --> 01:02:36,188
and wake up like, oh, jeez..

1077
01:02:50,168 --> 01:02:52,271
When did you get that?

1078
01:02:52,304 --> 01:02:53,405
My 18th birthday.

1079
01:02:53,438 --> 01:02:55,274
And how long ago was that?

1080
01:02:55,307 --> 01:02:57,109
Two years ago.

1081
01:02:57,142 --> 01:02:58,577
How come you got it?

1082
01:03:00,278 --> 01:03:02,915
Partly because I wanted to
kind of make my dad mad.

1083
01:03:02,948 --> 01:03:05,083
'Cause he didn't really want me to get it.

1084
01:03:05,116 --> 01:03:09,021
And another because my great
Uncle was in the 101st,

1085
01:03:09,054 --> 01:03:10,823
and that was kind of for him.

1086
01:03:10,856 --> 01:03:12,224
Do you have any other tattoos?
Or just that one?

1087
01:03:12,257 --> 01:03:14,426
Just that one right now.
You going to get any more?

1088
01:03:14,459 --> 01:03:17,462
Yeah, I'm going to get the
memorial of everyone who's...

1089
01:03:17,495 --> 01:03:19,064
That we lost here.

1090
01:03:19,097 --> 01:03:21,500
Sergeant rice has some names on his arm

1091
01:03:21,533 --> 01:03:23,368
from his last deployment.

1092
01:03:23,401 --> 01:03:26,405
He's going to get another one too, with, -

1093
01:03:26,438 --> 01:03:28,841
as far as I know,
he's going to get the quote

1094
01:03:28,874 --> 01:03:30,876
from the beginning of "8th of November."

1095
01:03:30,909 --> 01:03:35,013
Which is what? It's
- no...

1096
01:03:35,046 --> 01:03:40,118
"There's no love greater..."
Er... what is that?

1097
01:03:40,151 --> 01:03:43,355
I can't remember it.
You have it on your iPod?

1098
01:03:43,388 --> 01:03:44,857
Yes, I do.

1099
01:03:44,890 --> 01:03:47,559
<i>Hello, I'm Kris Kristofferson.</i>

1100
01:03:47,592 --> 01:03:52,998
<i>On November 8, 1965,
the 173rd airborne brigade</i>

1101
01:03:53,031 --> 01:03:56,201
<i>on operation hump, warzone D in Vietnam</i>

1102
01:03:56,234 --> 01:04:00,472
<i>were ambushed by over 1,200 VC.</i>

1103
01:04:00,505 --> 01:04:05,010
<i>48 American soldiers lost
their lives that day.</i>

1104
01:04:05,043 --> 01:04:06,645
<i>Our friend Niles Harris,</i>

1105
01:04:06,678 --> 01:04:09,514
<i>retired 25 years, United States army,</i>

1106
01:04:09,547 --> 01:04:11,984
<i>was one of the wounded who lived.</i>

1107
01:04:12,017 --> 01:04:14,519
<i>This song is his story.</i>

1108
01:04:14,552 --> 01:04:18,123
<i>Caught in the action of kill or
be killed... It's coming up.</i>

1109
01:04:18,156 --> 01:04:20,192
<i>Greater love hath no man</i>

1110
01:04:20,225 --> 01:04:22,427
<i>than to lay down his life for a friend.</i>

1111
01:04:22,460 --> 01:04:24,096
That's it.

1112
01:04:29,501 --> 01:04:32,404
<i>♪ Said goodbye to his mama ♪</i>

1113
01:04:32,437 --> 01:04:35,040
<i>♪ as he left South Dakota ♪</i>

1114
01:04:35,073 --> 01:04:38,410
<i>♪ to fight for the red, white and blue ♪</i>

1115
01:04:38,443 --> 01:04:42,915
<i>♪ he was 19 and green with a new m-16...
♪</i>

1116
01:04:42,948 --> 01:04:44,516
This is from last deployment.

1117
01:04:44,549 --> 01:04:49,054
This was the five guys
that were killed in action.

1118
01:04:49,087 --> 01:04:51,256
These metal bands right here symbolize

1119
01:04:51,289 --> 01:04:54,526
and memorialize the people
that our company lost.

1120
01:04:54,559 --> 01:04:58,597
All the way from OEF 6,
actually, until OEF 8.

1121
01:04:58,630 --> 01:05:02,601
And they will always be
with me the rest of my life.

1122
01:05:02,634 --> 01:05:05,637
And I carry these as a remembrance of them.

1123
01:05:05,670 --> 01:05:09,308
I'm... they, this right here

1124
01:05:09,341 --> 01:05:11,944
is just a small representation,
but this right here

1125
01:05:11,977 --> 01:05:14,179
means a lot to every
soldier within the company,

1126
01:05:14,212 --> 01:05:16,481
because every day that they
wake up or every day...

1127
01:05:16,514 --> 01:05:18,216
Just like... I got this,

1128
01:05:18,249 --> 01:05:20,686
and they're always going
to be attached to me.

1129
01:05:20,719 --> 01:05:23,689
And especially for me
being their first sergeant.

1130
01:05:23,722 --> 01:05:27,092
It... it's something I
will always remember.

1131
01:05:31,396 --> 01:05:34,733
Tell me what outpost Restrepo is named for.

1132
01:05:34,766 --> 01:05:39,604
Op Restrepo is named after
our original medic we had,

1133
01:05:39,637 --> 01:05:41,673
Pfc Juan Restrepo.

1134
01:05:41,706 --> 01:05:43,608
He was a good friend of the platoon.

1135
01:05:43,641 --> 01:05:46,011
Real, real wild guy. Everyone liked him.

1136
01:05:46,044 --> 01:05:48,580
And when we were handing over Phoenix

1137
01:05:48,613 --> 01:05:51,249
to third platoon, the last patrol,

1138
01:05:51,282 --> 01:05:53,618
he was sh... he was shot and killed.

1139
01:05:53,651 --> 01:05:55,487
How did he die? What happened?

1140
01:05:55,520 --> 01:05:57,456
I wasn't out there.

1141
01:05:57,489 --> 01:06:00,092
I was at op3 when Restrepo got hit.

1142
01:06:00,125 --> 01:06:03,528
And we were getting food.

1143
01:06:03,561 --> 01:06:06,064
And sergeant Rentis came in there,

1144
01:06:06,097 --> 01:06:08,033
and all like... a couple of the guys

1145
01:06:08,066 --> 01:06:11,169
that were out on patrol with
him were in the chow hall.

1146
01:06:11,202 --> 01:06:14,039
Well, the old one, and, he's like...

1147
01:06:14,072 --> 01:06:16,241
He's like, "yeah, he didn't make it."

1148
01:06:16,274 --> 01:06:18,643
And I'm like, "who was it?"

1149
01:06:18,676 --> 01:06:21,279
And he's like...
he's like, "it was Restrepo."

1150
01:06:21,312 --> 01:06:22,748
And right then I just...

1151
01:06:22,781 --> 01:06:25,083
I just broke down and
started crying right there.

1152
01:06:25,116 --> 01:06:29,154
It was like... probably just crushed me.

1153
01:06:29,187 --> 01:06:31,523
It was just pretty bad.

1154
01:06:31,556 --> 01:06:33,158
And then...

1155
01:06:48,673 --> 01:06:50,509
Is it a good thing that this place

1156
01:06:50,542 --> 01:06:52,244
has been named after him up here?

1157
01:06:52,277 --> 01:06:54,413
Yeah. Yeah.

1158
01:07:01,453 --> 01:07:02,587
Here, sir!

1159
01:07:02,620 --> 01:07:04,756
Staff sergeant Ortiz!

1160
01:07:04,789 --> 01:07:06,358
Here, sir!

1161
01:07:06,391 --> 01:07:10,529
Pfc Restrepo!

1162
01:07:10,562 --> 01:07:15,233
Pfc Juan Restrepo!

1163
01:07:15,266 --> 01:07:19,505
Pfc Juan S. Restrepo!

1164
01:07:21,473 --> 01:07:24,342
Ready! Aim!

1165
01:07:24,375 --> 01:07:26,478
Fire!

1166
01:07:26,511 --> 01:07:28,847
Ready! Aim!

1167
01:07:28,880 --> 01:07:30,816
Fire!

1168
01:07:30,849 --> 01:07:33,585
Ready! Aim!

1169
01:07:33,618 --> 01:07:35,287
Fire!

1170
01:07:51,803 --> 01:07:56,475
We did the ceremony, we all walked away,

1171
01:07:56,508 --> 01:07:58,410
and there's this little room.

1172
01:07:58,443 --> 01:08:00,212
Like,
you notice it when you're coming off the LZ

1173
01:08:00,245 --> 01:08:02,481
in blessing, kind of going in to blessing,

1174
01:08:02,514 --> 01:08:04,616
there's a little guard post,
a little itty-bity room.

1175
01:08:04,649 --> 01:08:06,718
Our whole platoon was
just squeezed into there

1176
01:08:06,751 --> 01:08:09,354
'cause we didn't want
to see any of us crying.

1177
01:08:09,387 --> 01:08:11,790
But we we're all sitting there,

1178
01:08:11,823 --> 01:08:14,259
just no one talking to each other,
just upset.

1179
01:08:14,292 --> 01:08:16,252
And then, when you like, you...
before you deploy,

1180
01:08:16,261 --> 01:08:18,196
you have this blue book you fill out.

1181
01:08:18,229 --> 01:08:19,898
It's just a bunch of information
about how you want to be buried,

1182
01:08:19,931 --> 01:08:21,399
who you want notified first,

1183
01:08:21,432 --> 01:08:23,201
who you want to notify your family,

1184
01:08:23,234 --> 01:08:24,870
and then how do you want your memorial.

1185
01:08:24,903 --> 01:08:26,605
So he picked out his song...

1186
01:08:26,638 --> 01:08:28,640
You get to pick out what
songs you want played.

1187
01:08:28,673 --> 01:08:30,275
So we're all really upset
and all of a sudden,

1188
01:08:30,308 --> 01:08:33,512
the song "I will survive"
comes on in Spanish,

1189
01:08:33,545 --> 01:08:35,680
and he'd requested that if he died,

1190
01:08:35,713 --> 01:08:37,849
and we all just start laughing.

1191
01:09:22,660 --> 01:09:26,464
I jumped on that one.

1192
01:09:26,497 --> 01:09:28,500
Hey, Vaughn, those are our mortars.

1193
01:09:28,533 --> 01:09:29,734
So you don't have to worry.

1194
01:09:29,767 --> 01:09:32,737
Kind of scared me a little bit.

1195
01:09:32,770 --> 01:09:35,507
Yeah, I was kind of scared, too.

1196
01:09:35,540 --> 01:09:38,543
I kind of pooped a little.

1197
01:09:38,576 --> 01:09:41,546
I didn't really poop, but...

1198
01:09:41,579 --> 01:09:44,349
It did scare me a little bit.

1199
01:09:44,382 --> 01:09:46,652
Just tell my family I love them.

1200
01:09:49,254 --> 01:09:55,227
All right, nice knowing you.

1201
01:09:55,260 --> 01:10:00,565
<i>I know you, you'll tell my mom,
but that's about it?</i>

1202
01:10:00,598 --> 01:10:04,369
Yeah I'll tell her after.

1203
01:10:15,013 --> 01:10:18,383
I think right now, you know,
after 15 months of this place,

1204
01:10:18,416 --> 01:10:20,518
not saying that I couldn't
do another deployment.

1205
01:10:20,551 --> 01:10:23,455
Just don't want to do another deployment,
you know?

1206
01:10:23,488 --> 01:10:27,525
And I just want to,
sort of hang out with my family.

1207
01:10:27,558 --> 01:10:29,628
You know I have a 2-year old niece

1208
01:10:29,661 --> 01:10:32,664
I haven't even...
seen only a handful of times.

1209
01:10:32,697 --> 01:10:34,866
I miss my family.

1210
01:10:34,899 --> 01:10:36,901
Miss my dad. Miss my mom.

1211
01:10:36,934 --> 01:10:40,372
You know, my ol...
younger sister almost died.

1212
01:10:40,405 --> 01:10:44,643
You know, a lot of... a lot of things going

1213
01:10:44,676 --> 01:10:47,646
in your brain, you know,
when that shit goes on

1214
01:10:47,679 --> 01:10:49,881
and you can't be by their side so...

1215
01:10:54,786 --> 01:10:58,957
'Cause, I've built my lifestyle
for the last 12 months here

1216
01:10:58,990 --> 01:11:00,859
getting shot at, you know?

1217
01:11:00,892 --> 01:11:03,628
So I'm just going to take me time to...

1218
01:11:03,661 --> 01:11:05,964
Work that out, you know?

1219
01:11:05,997 --> 01:11:07,917
And then it's going to
take a while for me to get

1220
01:11:07,932 --> 01:11:11,569
"Un-hooha," if you know what I'm saying.

1221
01:11:11,602 --> 01:11:14,939
And then finding a job and being happy

1222
01:11:14,972 --> 01:11:18,076
and all that crap

1223
01:11:18,109 --> 01:11:20,646
see a lot of... a lot of worries.

1224
01:11:25,983 --> 01:11:27,886
They all move

1225
01:11:27,919 --> 01:11:30,822
to like different spots
for a test-fire action?

1226
01:11:30,855 --> 01:11:33,525
Would have been cool if they all
test fired at the same areas.

1227
01:11:33,558 --> 01:11:34,826
What's gonna happen down there?

1228
01:11:34,859 --> 01:11:36,695
What's going to happen?

1229
01:11:36,728 --> 01:11:40,031
Shooting of some sort? I think? Possibly?

1230
01:11:40,064 --> 01:11:42,401
Again? Yeah, again.

1231
01:11:48,906 --> 01:11:51,777
Nice. Nice cape.

1232
01:11:58,416 --> 01:12:00,518
Oh, it's hailing, dude!

1233
01:12:00,551 --> 01:12:02,454
Aw, nice!

1234
01:12:09,127 --> 01:12:11,797
What a fuckin' retard!

1235
01:12:15,800 --> 01:12:18,470
My damn pecker got nailed!

1236
01:12:29,781 --> 01:12:32,784
I hate this stupid weather. Is that hail?

1237
01:12:32,817 --> 01:12:36,388
Yeah. Fucking awesome.

1238
01:12:39,123 --> 01:12:42,460
The brothers we lost
actually hit me pretty hard.

1239
01:12:42,493 --> 01:12:43,762
My shit's getting wet.

1240
01:12:43,795 --> 01:12:46,531
I think about the guys that went down.

1241
01:12:46,564 --> 01:12:50,068
And there was a time where actually

1242
01:12:50,101 --> 01:12:52,971
I didn't care about anything.

1243
01:12:53,004 --> 01:12:56,408
I didn't care about getting
shot or if I died over there.

1244
01:12:56,441 --> 01:13:02,814
That's how bad it got,
to a point it took...

1245
01:13:02,847 --> 01:13:05,150
Quite a few people to actually
try to pick me back up.

1246
01:13:05,183 --> 01:13:09,721
And that was months after that.

1247
01:13:09,754 --> 01:13:12,957
There was times where I
would actually shoot back

1248
01:13:12,990 --> 01:13:14,626
and not duck.

1249
01:13:14,659 --> 01:13:16,094
I wouldn't even be doing what I should know

1250
01:13:16,127 --> 01:13:18,763
I should of been doing the right thing.

1251
01:13:18,796 --> 01:13:23,768
I would... I would run into open
not caring or would just walk,

1252
01:13:23,801 --> 01:13:25,670
and I would be getting
chewed out by a team leader

1253
01:13:25,703 --> 01:13:28,173
or a squad leader you know,
"hurry up, get behind cover,"

1254
01:13:28,206 --> 01:13:30,542
and I still wouldn't... didn't care.

1255
01:13:32,877 --> 01:13:35,046
I didn't care if I died or not.

1256
01:13:37,951 --> 01:13:39,951
I started doing what I was supposed to

1257
01:13:39,984 --> 01:13:41,853
after I got a talk from
one of the guys telling me,

1258
01:13:41,886 --> 01:13:45,223
"if you go down, you have to
think about the bigger picture."

1259
01:13:45,256 --> 01:13:46,925
There's a possibility that
when they come and get me

1260
01:13:46,958 --> 01:13:50,061
in the open, someone else could get shot.

1261
01:13:50,094 --> 01:13:53,531
And it just got me thinking.

1262
01:13:53,564 --> 01:13:55,633
And I started paying attention a bit more

1263
01:13:55,666 --> 01:13:58,837
and actually started doing the right thing.

1264
01:13:58,870 --> 01:14:01,206
I wouldn't say I was caring much,
but I was just doing it,

1265
01:14:01,239 --> 01:14:03,542
doing it for them, not for me.

1266
01:14:08,513 --> 01:14:10,215
This is to certify

1267
01:14:10,248 --> 01:14:12,217
that the President of the
United States of America

1268
01:14:12,250 --> 01:14:15,119
has awarded the bronze star
medal to private first class

1269
01:14:15,152 --> 01:14:17,722
Miguel Cortez for exceptional

1270
01:14:17,755 --> 01:14:20,725
and valorous actions during
operation enduring freedom

1271
01:14:20,758 --> 01:14:24,128
while assigned as a rifleman in
the 2nd platoon, battle company,

1272
01:14:24,161 --> 01:14:26,564
2nd battalion, five-oh-third infantry.

1273
01:14:26,597 --> 01:14:29,734
Private first class
Cortez's unwavering courage,

1274
01:14:29,767 --> 01:14:32,136
aggressiveness,
and leadership while under fire

1275
01:14:32,169 --> 01:14:35,039
were decisive to his company
defeating an enemy attack.

1276
01:14:35,072 --> 01:14:38,076
Private first class Cortez's
performance reflects

1277
01:14:38,109 --> 01:14:41,012
great credit upon himself,
task force bayonet,

1278
01:14:41,045 --> 01:14:43,214
combined joint task force 1-oh-1,

1279
01:14:43,247 --> 01:14:45,717
and the United States central command.

1280
01:14:49,120 --> 01:14:50,722
Hey, man, how'd that feel?

1281
01:14:50,755 --> 01:14:52,790
Awesome! Felt good?

1282
01:14:52,823 --> 01:14:54,592
Felt good.
Yeah, you guys looked proud up there.

1283
01:14:54,625 --> 01:14:56,060
Well, of course. We accomplished something.

1284
01:14:56,093 --> 01:14:59,264
We got recognized for it.

1285
01:14:59,297 --> 01:15:02,033
I'm happy.
And you didn't start crying or anything?

1286
01:15:02,066 --> 01:15:04,035
No, no, I'm not sentimental like that.

1287
01:15:04,068 --> 01:15:05,570
I don't break down or anything.

1288
01:15:05,603 --> 01:15:07,805
I'm a soldier through and through.

1289
01:15:07,838 --> 01:15:09,944
All right, congratulations. Thanks, man.

1290
01:15:17,181 --> 01:15:19,217
We got the new unit's company XO

1291
01:15:19,250 --> 01:15:21,853
and their company commander coming in,

1292
01:15:21,886 --> 01:15:25,044
learning that their life's gonna
suck for the next 15 months.

1293
01:15:30,628 --> 01:15:33,765
You see the one with the real white, like,

1294
01:15:33,798 --> 01:15:35,833
clean roof over it?
It's kind of like a "U" almost?

1295
01:15:35,866 --> 01:15:40,138
Yeah, that's the house I was
telling you about with sadiq.

1296
01:15:40,171 --> 01:15:42,006
Across the river you see that
other house over there? Right.

1297
01:15:42,039 --> 01:15:44,576
That's what they call the ghost house.

1298
01:15:44,609 --> 01:15:46,110
Today, doing a movement to contact down

1299
01:15:46,143 --> 01:15:48,246
to the village of Karingal,
which is this second

1300
01:15:48,279 --> 01:15:49,981
to last one you guys can see down here.

1301
01:15:50,014 --> 01:15:53,084
Talk to villagers, IO themes,
gain atmospherics,

1302
01:15:53,117 --> 01:15:55,720
and then introduce you guys to the AO.

1303
01:15:55,753 --> 01:15:57,889
My guys here explain to them what we do,
why we're doing it,

1304
01:15:57,922 --> 01:16:01,926
and if you guys are confused,
ask them questions.

1305
01:16:01,959 --> 01:16:06,331
Battle base viper-six-one-Romeo
prepare to copy op-co, over.

1306
01:16:06,364 --> 01:16:08,700
Now what do I tell them?

1307
01:16:08,733 --> 01:16:12,270
When they say "Roger,
send it" you send them up the grid.

1308
01:16:12,303 --> 01:16:14,238
This right here is lieutenant G.

1309
01:16:14,271 --> 01:16:16,240
He's going to be taking my place.

1310
01:16:16,273 --> 01:16:18,676
He's going to be the commander
here for the next year or so.

1311
01:16:18,709 --> 01:16:22,347
He knows about your concerns.
He knows about your issues.

1312
01:16:22,380 --> 01:16:25,717
They'll shoot at you from in Marasta naw.

1313
01:16:25,750 --> 01:16:27,285
They'll shoot at you from Donga,

1314
01:16:27,318 --> 01:16:28,953
and they'll shoot at you from Darbat.

1315
01:16:28,986 --> 01:16:31,255
I don't know of a village,
except for Ali Abad

1316
01:16:31,288 --> 01:16:34,025
and Babeyal, that hasn't shot at me.

1317
01:16:34,058 --> 01:16:38,062
Tell them I'm going home after this.

1318
01:16:38,095 --> 01:16:39,864
So stay safe.

1319
01:16:46,737 --> 01:16:50,074
No fucking way! I'm smashing this guitar.

1320
01:16:50,107 --> 01:16:52,977
I'm sorry, dude,
I told you I was smashing this guitar.

1321
01:16:53,010 --> 01:16:55,680
You're smashing it? Oh, yeah!

1322
01:16:55,713 --> 01:16:58,683
Hey, we're smashing the guitar.
Out front here. Where?

1323
01:16:58,716 --> 01:17:02,887
Why? Because I said I was going
to and I don't fucking lie.

1324
01:17:02,920 --> 01:17:04,389
Go be a rock star.

1325
01:17:06,924 --> 01:17:09,394
Alright.

1326
01:17:09,427 --> 01:17:11,863
Here we go. This is awesome.

1327
01:17:14,432 --> 01:17:17,201
Wow! That thing really came apart.

1328
01:17:30,815 --> 01:17:33,084
PTSD!

1329
01:17:50,935 --> 01:17:53,304
I got lucky man, what can I say?

1330
01:17:53,337 --> 01:17:54,739
Hell no!

1331
01:17:59,176 --> 01:18:01,746
Get the fuck outta here early.

1332
01:18:01,779 --> 01:18:05,883
Hopefully get home before
the end of the month.

1333
01:18:05,916 --> 01:18:09,454
Isn't that right, Walker? Yes, sir.

1334
01:18:09,487 --> 01:18:11,389
The greatest thing that we did is I think

1335
01:18:11,422 --> 01:18:16,261
we put together a group of
soldiers and brothers that....

1336
01:18:18,830 --> 01:18:21,165
Can look at themselves in
the mirror at night and know

1337
01:18:21,198 --> 01:18:25,870
that they didn't shamelessly
kill anybody or cause any harm.

1338
01:18:25,903 --> 01:18:28,740
And then, number two,
that they did everything

1339
01:18:28,773 --> 01:18:31,509
that they could down there
to bring those people...

1340
01:18:31,542 --> 01:18:33,878
I don't want to say joy or happiness,

1341
01:18:33,911 --> 01:18:38,182
but to bring those people
into the 20th or 21st century.

1342
01:18:38,215 --> 01:18:40,785
And I think that they
can sleep well at night

1343
01:18:40,818 --> 01:18:43,921
knowing that they did
something out there that,

1344
01:18:43,954 --> 01:18:46,424
you know, wasn't illegal, number one,

1345
01:18:46,457 --> 01:18:49,027
and they don't have demons
inside because of it.

1346
01:18:57,902 --> 01:19:01,072
Go back there and enjoy yourself,
you've earned it.

1347
01:19:01,105 --> 01:19:06,110
And we haven't left anywhere
until the aircraft shows up.

1348
01:19:06,143 --> 01:19:09,113
I know you just sitting here
waiting for the aircraft.

1349
01:19:09,146 --> 01:19:11,315
And if the aircraft doesn't show up,

1350
01:19:11,348 --> 01:19:13,451
I'll just give you some more ammo

1351
01:19:13,484 --> 01:19:16,254
and we just go on another patrol.

1352
01:19:16,287 --> 01:19:18,489
All right? Hooah?

1353
01:19:18,522 --> 01:19:22,126
Hooah. All right, take care of yourselves.

1354
01:19:22,159 --> 01:19:25,496
All our guys are starting to leave already,

1355
01:19:25,529 --> 01:19:27,899
going different places,
getting out of the army.

1356
01:19:27,932 --> 01:19:31,102
It's heartbreaking.
You'll never have that back.

1357
01:19:31,135 --> 01:19:33,070
And you see the new guys
come in and you just...

1358
01:19:33,103 --> 01:19:34,939
You can't look at them the same.

1359
01:19:34,972 --> 01:19:36,974
Even if they've done more combat than you,

1360
01:19:37,007 --> 01:19:38,543
if they've come from somewhere
else they're still not...

1361
01:19:38,576 --> 01:19:40,278
They're still not your brother.

1362
01:19:40,311 --> 01:19:41,813
They're not that guy.

1363
01:19:41,846 --> 01:19:44,482
They've been there when any of us

1364
01:19:44,515 --> 01:19:46,417
have almost lost our lives.

1365
01:19:46,450 --> 01:19:48,319
I would do anything for them.

1366
01:19:48,352 --> 01:19:51,155
I would walk across the country
to help them change a tire,

1367
01:19:51,188 --> 01:19:52,990
in a heartbeat.

1368
01:19:53,023 --> 01:19:56,994
I get in scuffles with my family,
my girlfriend,

1369
01:19:57,027 --> 01:19:58,563
and, you know, when you spend too much time

1370
01:19:58,596 --> 01:20:00,498
with, you know, your friends,
or so on and so forth

1371
01:20:00,531 --> 01:20:02,333
it's like, well, you'll never understand.

1372
01:20:02,366 --> 01:20:04,602
It's not your position to understand.

1373
01:20:04,635 --> 01:20:07,972
Um, I might have, you know...

1374
01:20:08,005 --> 01:20:11,509
You may have your family's blood
running through your veins.

1375
01:20:11,542 --> 01:20:13,911
You know, you didn't shed it with them.

1376
01:20:13,944 --> 01:20:16,547
I will never be as close

1377
01:20:16,580 --> 01:20:18,149
with anybody else in the world,

1378
01:20:18,182 --> 01:20:21,018
unless I get married someday, or whatever.

1379
01:20:21,051 --> 01:20:24,021
But I'll never have that, you know,

1380
01:20:24,054 --> 01:20:27,058
the bond of friendship,
I guess, with anybody else.

1381
01:20:29,059 --> 01:20:32,363
We're closer than family would be.

1382
01:20:32,396 --> 01:20:35,166
I mean, I like me,
I told them time and time again

1383
01:20:35,199 --> 01:20:37,602
if a grenade went off and I
know there was no other choice,

1384
01:20:37,635 --> 01:20:39,937
I would actually throw myself on a grenade.

1385
01:20:39,970 --> 01:20:43,208
And the guys know that I
would without hesitation.

1386
01:20:46,577 --> 01:20:48,546
You make a conscious decision to say

1387
01:20:48,579 --> 01:20:52,116
I'm willing to die for this guy.

1388
01:20:52,149 --> 01:20:54,452
And that's a hell of a statement for a guy

1389
01:20:54,485 --> 01:20:56,921
you've known two years.

1390
01:20:56,954 --> 01:20:59,624
I love my wife.
I love spending time with her.

1391
01:20:59,657 --> 01:21:01,592
I like to see my mom.

1392
01:21:01,625 --> 01:21:04,662
But if I could get on a
bird right now and go back,

1393
01:21:04,695 --> 01:21:06,364
yeah, I would.

1394
01:21:06,397 --> 01:21:08,933
All right, let's get up there.