jason-95641 I have always had the highest respect for people serving in our military, but this film really does bring home and highlight what happens on the battlefield. Regardless of your political views or your opinion of whether the US should be engaged in a specific war, this documentary puts you in the battle and shows you the true brotherhood and love that soldiers share among each other. It also really shows how close soldiers get with one another and how they use jokes and other tactics to handle the extreme stress they face on the battlefield. When a soldier gets hit, you can tell that every one of them will do whatever it takes not to leave their brothers behind in battle.The ending of this movie really stung. Having lost some of their buddies during a battle, you are drawn into the intense emotion that is felt by each soldier. There is so much love and respect among them all and it really drives home just how selfless many of these soldiers are and what they have to deal with during an intense engagement. These women and men put everything on the line so we can enjoy a better way of life and a better society -- they are all true heroes and this documentary is a powerful reminder of that fact.

BasicLogic ~By Andrew Buncombe – 10 January 2011~US forces have fired so many bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan - an estimated 250,000 for every insurgent killed - that American ammunition-makers cannot keep up with demand. As a result the US is having to import supplies from Israel.A government report says that US forces are now using 1.8 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition a year. The total has more than doubled in five years, largely as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as changes in military doctrine.Based on this report, and further proved by this pathetic documentary, we have to think reversely from the insurgents' side: you have to guess how many bullets one insurgent used to kill one US combat soldier. Then you might know how poorly the US soldiers were trained. What we saw in this film can be summarized as follow:1) Dodging bullets desperately and fired back blindly to the general direction where the bullets came from. 2) When pinned down by a single Taliban shooter, and wasted so many bullets in vain, they called the air strikes to save their butts. This film also told us that before this old journalist retired, he wanted his son to get the high pay job in time before he was forced to get out of the combat zones. This was just a film showing how he got his son oriented before using his influence to recommend him to take over his job. There's nothing that I could use to glorify our troops but shaking my head constantly and felt either embarrassed or pathetic. These poorly trained soldiers were wounded or died for nothing, and no wonder why these pathetic wars could never end and never won. We only need a few more well-trained snipers in these theaters instead of these pathetic "Inglorious Bastards" eating away our tax. I rest my case.

ftbear These men and women did it, and they're still doing it today. That is, put their lives on the line so that others may live in freedom; even those that disagree with them.It has been said that the more things change, the more they remain the same. During the American revolution there were those that were opposed to fighting for freedom and independence from England. Before and during the Civil War that same "no war is good - don't fight" attitude was espoused by many people who would have refused freedom to men and women living in chains in the south. Have we learned from our mistakes of the past? No; it's not any different now. That same attitude is given voice by some people today. Seemingly, they never stop to think that the freedom to openly share their opinion (without fear of being dragged from their home and shot in the street by death squads) was bought and paid for by the same men and women that they are disrespecting today.I can't imagine what it must be like for the family members of the men and women who died in Afghanistan to come here and read some of the totally insensitive comments that others have posted. God has already had mercy on those that gave their lives; they're safely home with Him. He will need to give even more mercy to those that have no respect for the priceless gift they have received. Greater love has no man, or woman, than to lay down their life for their friends. Yes, the word is friends. The bottom line is that there is no we and they; there is only us. It's time we started getting it right.I wish every theater, school, church and meeting place in America would show this film. It deserves to been seen. This is war up close, in your face and personal. These are real men and women, real lives and the real reasons why they are there - honestly and sensitively portrayed. I consider it to be nothing short of a masterpiece.Be aware that my next comment may be a spoiler, but I would like to share something about a part in the film when the soldiers are talking to a group of children. The children are telling them where the enemy has been, and perhaps where they stashed some weapons. While watching this I was aware that the wisdom of children often exceeds that of we so-called adults. These children KNEW who the enemy was, and it was not the Americans. The children were not afraid of the Americans, they were afraid of the Taliban - and they were doing what they could to help the soldiers. For me, that was a moment of absolute clarity. Is our being there serving a purpose? Just ask those children.

CU_DSOTM This movie has been showing around the country in limited release for several months. Either it didn't show around here or I missed it, so I have been waiting for the BD, which arrived today. I have been following the movie on FB, etc, since I know the journalist/ producer Mike Boettcher, however slightly. That is, we attended the same high school (Ponca City, Oklahoma) at the same time, he two years my senior . Mike is an Emmy Award - winning journalist who works for ABC News.This film has some of the feel of Restrepo which was also filmed in Afghanistan. The first half of the film is about Mike and his son Carlos embedding together for a year- a father and son bonding to help repair their distant relationship which was due to Mike having been on assignment around the world and not able to spend enough time with his children. Carlos must learn quickly both how to survive and how to be a photojournalist. The second half occurs after Carlos returns home and Mike moves on to a mission into the Kunar Province to rout out a Taliban commander. Things don't go so well.This movie is a realistic accounting - it's actual footage- of war/ fighting in the Afghan countryside and also is a tribute to the soldiers who have fought and died. It's an easy recommend for me.(For the 10/11 Not Helpful votes, Bite Me!)