Exploration 7

The thing that struck me the most about the movie would have to be just how rough an environment Afghanistan is. Not only is it a rocky desert, but the soldiers were fighting right in the middle of a mountain belt. The Lieutenant summarizes it best when he says they "felt like fish in a barrel." The fact that they could have ambushed from all sides is a scary thought to think about.Another thing that struck me was the story of how the Restrepo base came into being. The fact that the base was built on top of a mountain during a fire fight is incredible. What also is amazing is how building that single base was a turning point in the war in the valley. I loved the soldiers quote of how "building the Restrepo base was like giving the enemy the middle finger".

The most memorable scene of the movie Restrepo would have to be when the men lose one of their own. I do not remember the name of the soldier who died, but the scene when his fellow men see his body is hard to forget. This is probably the strongest scene in the entire documentary.

I will totally recommend this movie mostly because I do not feel that people really know much about the war in Iraq. I know that before this movie I really did not think that there was much going on in the middle east now. Mostly because I never watch the news or read articles, but I think everyone should at least know one story about the men and woman who are fighting for our country.

Expolration 6

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/asia/afghanistan-troops-death/index.html?iref=allsearch

This article tells of 2 Coalition troops that died in Afghanistan Tues November 1. This article proves to show that even if we do pull out the war is still pretty much alive.

Exploration Seven

What stuck out the most to me was how dangerous a place like Korengal Valley in Afghanistan was. It was shocking to hear that about 70% of U.S. bombs we dropped on Korengal Valley. That Valley was one of the deadliest places. The soldiers would have to take fire and defend everyday. In the video there were multiple occasions where the viewers were able to witness the fighting and action. I thought it was interesting how the one soldier was talking about getting an adrenaline high from shooting a gun, and how there was nothing that could compare to it. When shooting a gun he states, "You can't get a better high, it is like crack . . . you can't come down." The interviewer then asked him, "What are you going to do when you gets home?" He replied, " I have no idea." That is one of the common troubles with returning veterans, they are always wanting the rush that they feel when they're in war. When they return home though there is nothing that compares to it, and they almost get addicted to the feeling they get with fighting.

There were many scenes in the documentary that were very impacting. Two of them really stood out to me while I was watching the video. The first was after the soldiers bombed parts of the Korengal Valley, and then it showed that the bombs had hit an innocent family's home. 5 of the local people died. The images of the wounded people, and especially the crying hurt children were heart breaking. It was interesting seeing Captain Kearney's response to what happened, and how upset he seemed to be that he let something like that happen. Another meaningful scene was that during one of the ending ambushes, Rock Avalanche. Most of the soldiers said that time was one of the most scariest times during their deployment. It was very eye opening to see what the soldiers went through, and how much emotional trauma was caused from the war. Especially when one of the best soldiers died, and watching how the soldiers reacted, like how Aron Hijar was so effected by the death of his friend that he was crying uncontrollably. He says that war and that specific time in the war, "was one of those moments that made me appreciate everything I have."

I would extremely urge my friends and family to watch this video. It made me respect and appreciate all the soldiers and what they are doing in Afghanistan. It is amazing of how blessed the U.S.A is to have such brave and honorable soldiers to defend the country. I believe by watching the movie that it can really shed light on what the war is really like, and for most people I am sure that they had no idea that war is truly like this. Especially after reading The Things They Carried, I was able to understand and appreciate everything in the video.

Exploration 7:RESTREPO

This is the second time I have watched the film Restrepo. I think I got a lot more out of it the second time I watched it. I think what struck me the most about this film is how real it felt. I felt like part of Battle Company during their stay in the Kornegal Valley. Also, how intense the fighting is there. Even one of the members of the platoon said after an ambush by the Taliban “I was shocked.” It really shows how truly nothing can prepare you for fighting for you life.

The scene that got to me the most was easily the ambush that Battle Company took during Rock Avalanche. Seeing the adrenaline run through the soldiers veins and at the same time see them scared for their life. When shrapnel from an RPG hit Sargent Rice, the whole Companies moral hit rock bottom. You saw grown men cry for their buddies. Movies usually depict soldiers as heroes with ice water in their veins, but the truth is they are only human.

I would absolutely recommend this to anybody. This film is very informational and you really get the whole war experience. Even though this is about war, this film does a great job of getting the loss of war, but not showing it. What I mean is, there is a minimal amount of gore shown throughout the movie, if any. This makes the film watchable, even for the queasy.

Exploration 7

What struck me most on the documentary "Restrepo" was how easily the men out in Korengal Valley moved from complete chaos to every day activities so easily. Also, how casually and seriously they speak about death. One minute they would be shooting off their guns and firing missals and the next they would go back to eating, singing, building, or playing games as if nothing had happen. The two extremes seemed almost unnatural in a very realistic way. The me could talk about the war and its effects so casually and humorously, but they could also talk about them seriously with the full weight and devastation it caused. For example Hijar said, "The only hope I have right now is to maybe process it differently...I never want to forget it". This was in regards to what had happened to him and how it affected him afterwards. In contrast, another soldier said, "He's fucking pink mist right now". It is amazing how these soldiers talk about what goes on with such carelessness yet, they also speak with such weight about some of the things that went on in the valley.

The scene that was most memorable to me in the documentary is a toss up between rock avalanche and the scene where it shows the soldiers going home. Rock avalanche was memorable for me, because it showed the true magnitude of what was going on in the valley and that the soldiers were not only fighting for our country, but fighting for their lives. The scene where the soldiers are going home was very memorable to me, because of the pure joy and happiness each soldier showed not only by their words but by their body language and facial expressions. Not a single soldier was sad to go. The chaos made them appreciate what they had at home and made them so excited to return home to their families alive.

I would definitely recommend this documentary to friends and family. This film shows what really went on for american soldiers over seas and what their lives were like while they were fighting for our country, I think it is important for people to see this so they can understand what is going on and why it is so valuable that we understand why we are there and why we are fighting. I thought it was a very good documentary and enjoyed watching it.

Exploration 7

I really enjoyed this film and thought it was a good wrap up after reading The Things They Carried. I thought it was good to see a film tapped in the "real deal". No blurred out things, no beeps for cursing, just the real deal. I enjoyed how they interviewed a few of the soldiers after the recording and got their direct thoughts about the war after they had been sent back home. I thought this was good to see how they were feeling once they made it back home. I could relate many of the soldiers to Norman Bowker in the sense that they were confused on what to do with their lives after being home. Luckily the soldiers in the film seemed a lot happier and hopefully weren't suffering any post war depression like Bowker. My most memorable part of the film was when one of the soldiers said he was taking 4 to 5 sleeping pills a night in order to be able to fall asleep. He said that all the visions of war enable him to be capable of resting and clearing his mind enough to fall asleep. I thought this was a very powerful quote because you don't think about how hard it would be to fall asleep in an environment like that. They never knew exactly what was going on around them and that had to be such an uneasy feeling. I think about lying in my own bed at night knowing that I am safe and everything quite around me. I can't imagine falling asleep in a dark unfamiliar place. The soldiers had no choice though which is why I'm sure a lot of them were on sleep medication. They had to get rest somehow for the next days attack. I would definitely recommend this film to my friends and family. I think they would really appreciate seeing this film and understanding a little more clearly what a real war situation is like and some of the emotion struggles the men went through similar to the ones the soldiers went through in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

Exploration Six

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html

This article is about the Iraq war and it points main events that have happened during the war and it includes Obama's plan to pull all the troops out of Iraq.