Post by jgaffney on Jan 12, 2011 13:54:12 GMT -5
While not technically a book - it's a National Geographic DVD - this is an excellent adjunct to Sebastian Junger's book, War. You may remember Junger as the author of The Perfect Storm, made into an exciting movie with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. This movie was shot by Junger and his cameraman as they were emebedded with a company of Army infantry for 15 months.
Restrepo is the story of a company who is positioned in the Korengal Valley in northeastern Afghanistan in 2007. The Korengal is a north-south valley, very steep and narrow, that is the natural conduit for Taliban and foreign fighters travelling between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The south end of the valley was generally regarded as Taliban territory.
The title, pronounced Res-STREP-o, is the last name of a corpsman who was killed early in the deployment. The company was operating out of the Korengal Outpost - the KOP - when the brigade commander decided that they needed a forward presence in the valley. The company was ordered to build a new outpost further south in the valley, a feat they accomplished by moving in to a mountaintop perch at night with picks and shovels, and digging in during the day. They would come under fire 4-5 times a day, when the soldiers would drop their shovels and pick up their rifles until the attack died down, then go back to digging. They were successful in establishing the outpost, and it was a finger in the eye of the local Taliban fighters. The outpost was named Restrepo.
The company made several efforts to reach out to the local Afghanis, to get their cooperation in ousting the Taliban. The locals were afraid, though, because the Taliban would come in at night and kill anyone who had cooperated with the Americans. There's that religion of peace for you!
The company was successful in its mission to establish and hold the Restrepo firebase. The Korengal was the scene of the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan at that time, and the company commander claimed that 70% of the ordinance expended in Afghanistan at that time was used in the Korengal.
The movie is a very good depiction of 18-20-year-old soldiers and how they deal with the stress of near-constant firefights, patrols and attacks, and the doldrums of living in a firebase for 15 months. I can't imagine the impact of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell on a company of men like this.
After defending the valley for 4 years, the Army pulled out in 2010. The Korengal is once again Taliban territory.
The DVD is available through the County library.
Restrepo is the story of a company who is positioned in the Korengal Valley in northeastern Afghanistan in 2007. The Korengal is a north-south valley, very steep and narrow, that is the natural conduit for Taliban and foreign fighters travelling between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The south end of the valley was generally regarded as Taliban territory.
The title, pronounced Res-STREP-o, is the last name of a corpsman who was killed early in the deployment. The company was operating out of the Korengal Outpost - the KOP - when the brigade commander decided that they needed a forward presence in the valley. The company was ordered to build a new outpost further south in the valley, a feat they accomplished by moving in to a mountaintop perch at night with picks and shovels, and digging in during the day. They would come under fire 4-5 times a day, when the soldiers would drop their shovels and pick up their rifles until the attack died down, then go back to digging. They were successful in establishing the outpost, and it was a finger in the eye of the local Taliban fighters. The outpost was named Restrepo.
The company made several efforts to reach out to the local Afghanis, to get their cooperation in ousting the Taliban. The locals were afraid, though, because the Taliban would come in at night and kill anyone who had cooperated with the Americans. There's that religion of peace for you!
The company was successful in its mission to establish and hold the Restrepo firebase. The Korengal was the scene of the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan at that time, and the company commander claimed that 70% of the ordinance expended in Afghanistan at that time was used in the Korengal.
The movie is a very good depiction of 18-20-year-old soldiers and how they deal with the stress of near-constant firefights, patrols and attacks, and the doldrums of living in a firebase for 15 months. I can't imagine the impact of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell on a company of men like this.
After defending the valley for 4 years, the Army pulled out in 2010. The Korengal is once again Taliban territory.
The DVD is available through the County library.