Restrepo

National Geographic

Madman

R4 DVD

In Synergy Volume 3 No 6 we looked at a documentary on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan called Baker Boys. Their experience of the war made a deep impression on them but they were working in a fairly pacified province of the country. In this documentary we see what life is like at the dangerous end. The Korengal valley in eastern Afghanistan was effectively held by the Taliban. Any Allied patrol that entered the valley WOULD be attacked.

The people of the valley, like most Afghanis, cared little for the war. The border with Pakistan meant nothing to them and they regularly crossed it to meet and trade with friends and relatives on the other side. Many villagers were related to Taliban fighters across the border. Most villagers were hostile to the outsiders except where they could gain some advantage or financial benefit. In one example a cow wandered into the razor wire of an outpost and had to be killed. The meat was cut up and distributed to the villagers but they wanted more. They wanted monetary compensation. The officer in charge was told by his HQ that they would not sanction this but he could offer the weight of the cow in sugar and other food. The village council rejected this and insisted on the money.

This incident highlights a problem. With travel restricted the young men of the village cannot go to the bigger cities to earn money for their families. All that is left for them is the Taliban. The pay is poor but their families need the money.

To break the stalemate of the valley as a no-go area, it was decided to set up a forward operations post deep in the valley. A spot overlooking the main village was selected and a base was erected overnight. The post was named Restrepo in honour of a soldier killed early in the combat. It was manned by troops of 2nd Platoon, Battle Company.

The Taliban reaction was predictable. The post was in “their” territory was attacked savagely with as many as six or seven attacks each day. The soldiers sent out patrols knowing that each would be attacked. The Taliban still regularly slipped in and out of the village at night, supported by the local people.

We see the tense combat patrols, the sadness caused by the death of a comrade, we experience the recalcitrance and greed of the villagers, and we see the occasional moments of light relief that punctuate the otherwise dangerous life of a frontline soldier. In this respect the film is almost a complete contrast to Baker Boys. Strangely, we also see the adrenaline rush caused by enemy attack. It is as if this is how they get their kicks.

One again we see that the soldiers do not understand why they are there, let alone whether they should even be in the country. They are just soldiers doing the job they were ordered to do. The only one with any political awareness seems to be Capt Dan Kearney and he is constantly frustrated by the local people. The film does not go into the politics of the Afghanistan war. It is purely a film about the soldiers. It doesn’t look for sympathy for the soldiers either, just presents events as they were. In these respects it is a very powerful documentary.

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This review will appear in Volume 4 No. 2 of the digital and print edition of Synergy.

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