Watching "Restrepo": Rock Avalanche

[DemoTex]

Mother of my dog! Viet Nam Redux. I had just finished Sebastian Junger's "War." His (and Tim Heatherington's) film is awesome. Too bad they were not at Lam Son 719 in February 1971.

[Lint Head]

1. Is it on cable?

[elocs]

2. "Restrepo" is available on Netflix online streaming video:

Restrepo
2010R 93 minutes

Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, teamed with photographer Tim Hetherington to spend a year embedded with the Second Platoon in Afghanistan, documenting the hard work, fear and brotherhood that come with repelling a deadly enemy. Hunkered down with the soldiers in one of the region's most strategic valleys, the filmmakers uncover the dark humor, sleepless surreality and constant anxiety of war in this Best Documentary winner at Sundance.

Director:
Sebastian Junger, Tim Hetherington
Genres:
Documentary, Military Documentaries, Blu-ray
This movie is:
Violent, Emotional, Dark, Gritty, Suspenseful
Format:
DVD, Blu-ray and streaming (HD available)

My godson did a tour in the Afghanistan Korengal Valley and he arrived just a month or so before the Restrepo outfit left.

[DemoTex]

3. I salute your godson.

.

[elocs]

4. He was maybe 18 or 19 years old then.

Amazingly I can remember when he was 15 he would get very worried about storm warnings although he had never experienced a tornado. Also at that age he had to have a friend's mother take him home from a zombie movie at the theater because it scared him too badly.

He reenlisted after that tour for another 6 years and is now in Germany but I bet he will be doing another tour in Afghanistan, and he wants to go back there. At least he won't be back in the Korengal Valley since we've pulled out of that area and given up on it. Pulled out too late for those who needlessly died there.

[Bonobo]

5. Amazing film. It really shows how downright stupid and futile the war is.

The disconnect between our view of things and the reality is stark.

[DemoTex]

6. But it shows a whole lot more, too.

The bravery of the soldiers of the 173rd goes without question. The bravery of the two men who did this film lurks in the background. Hetherington and Junger are heros too.

[catnhatnh]

7. My Brother was disturbed by it (1/506 101 Airborne 70'-71')...

...he cited the officers for a general lack of leadership under fire and the enlisted for poor discipline and fire control. While I liked the movie myself, the tattooing of hands and lower arms and necks reminds me that to fill the ranks, recruiting standards have changed. The men were brave. Maybe Old Fartness makes us carp.....

[DemoTex]

8. Negative on recruiting standards.

Did you not catch the eloquence of every soldier interviewed? Standards are very high, relative to Vietnam. The tattoos have not one thing to do with the quality of the soldier/student/doctor/lawyer etc.

[catnhatnh]

11. Demo....

...I never disparaged the soldiers. But the old (72') standards would have barred enlistees with visible ink...The guys are something special.

[Bonobo]

9. Yes, bravery in a totally wrong cause though.

What good is that kind of bravery however laudable?

They are damaging themselves, damaging others and participating unwittingly in the further damage to the United States IMO.

[DemoTex]

10. Strategically, you are probably correct.

Tactically, on the platoon level, I'll stick with the Eltee and his decisions any day of the week.

[Bigmack]

12. I was so goddam angry...

after seeing that.

Why the fuck was it necessary to put those people out there as live bait? Having had that experience (on a much reduced scale) I cannot fathom the twisted fucking individual who made up the mission of those brave men.

[Scruffy1]

13. Haven't seem it yet-but i do have experience as bait.