My brother came home from Baghdad with TBI and PTSD. The VA hospital kicked him out because he didn’t have physical wounds. He overdosed that same night in a hotel room. He was 27. RIP Kyle Marshall Farr, United States Army.
Finally a documentary on the war in afghanistan where the actual people involved are the main subject instead of some journalist who’ll be there for two weeks and leave
@@bestjobieverhad9584all I’m saying is attaching a journalist to a marine recon unit lead to the single most accurate piece of media on the Iraq war in HBO’s generation kill.
Usually journalists embed with units for the duration of their deployment. Not just a couple weeks because the news outlets that send them there want the full story. Not just part of the story.
Lost my son, Christopher Shawn Baltazar Jr ,age 19 on 9/3/09, in Helmand Province, with 2nd Light Armour Reconnaissance Battalion. RIP Christopher, and all else who have died in service, and thanks to you all who fought and served. We love all of you. God bless
This is proof that you don't need a bunch of CGI, hype music, or actor re-enactment crap in a documentary to make it good. I wish History and Smithsonian put out more content like this.
One of the best documentaries you will find on you tube. Can't tell you how many times I've watched it . Respect to everyone who served and lived that hell on earth
The conversation at 01:47:00 is amazing. Everybody state side is surprised that Afghanistan fell so quickly, yet these Marines knew it would happen in 2010.
@N O Y B I'm curious, why do you think Biden is incompetent? The 18 month silence was part of what Trump negotiated. Trump also negotiated 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters to be released by the Afghan Government. When Trump withdrew more than 10,000 troops nobody said anything, but Biden begins withdrawing the remaining troops to see Trumps plan through and everybody freaks out. Trumps deal had no conditions, Rep Jason Crow introduced an amendments that added conditions and it was voted down. I'm in no way a fan of Biden, but the finger pointing seems absurd. There are many reasons I may argue Biden is incompetent, but this withdrawal isn't one of them. There is a lot of political grandstanding going on if we are being honest.
@@G59forlife. was much of that equipment not donated though? Having dealt with donated equipment in another context, normally the handover docs make it clear that it passes to the donor in totality
@@danielsullivan2558 fk off you psychopath, you killed 2 Million people between iraq and afghanistan, 3 million in Vietnam, and so many more… fking country of psychopathic baby killers.
I tell my husband I watch a lot of Afghanistan documentaries. On TH-cam this is really good you all do an amazing job over there and really respect the work you guys do.God bless you all.xo
What the Chief says at the end is the truth and the sad reality of the war in that country. Appreciate his honesty, optimism and strength despite all that he's been through. Thank you for this documentary.
I want to express my gratitude for the truly AMAZING comments below (even the crazy hilarious ones) However I do feel the need to recognize the negative comments and (as the overly protective Chief that I am) wish to call out the Brothers and Sisters that blazed the trail before my service, the one that fought, sweat and bled with me during and the one continuing to do so now to recall coming across these seemingly ignorant comments to NOT respond hastily, do not react. I challenge you to recall our oaths, these are the ones that are ignorant to our losses, sufferings, our tears, our core values. It was our job, duty to engage the enemy, they believe that we loved war, but did not witness our darkest challenges. We were called and we answered that knowing the dangers, without the luxury of questioning why. I am proud of this. Again thank you Robert. The true heros are our brothers that did not return with us - period!
@David Wang I am a full time liberal troll. And you sir, should regret this comment. There’s a difference between making stupid people mad, and saying insensitive things to people you don’t understand at all.
This was the best military documentary I've ever seen, maybe even one of the best documentaries I've seen period. I can't believe I had never heard of it. This made me feel so many emotions. It was absolutely amazing. Well done, you have my meaningless stamp of approval lol
There is Gomorrah as well that is similar to this, is a bit more action packed but not intentionally. It goes really deep and there are some losses that you feel.
My heart breaks for them. My husband served multiple times starting in 2009 and his last deployment was in 2019, he was the last group out of HKIA before everything happened. Absolutely devastating.
My 2 Marines were there. My 2 others Air Force and were in another areas. All home. Some with wounds They never bad mouthed the US nor the guy in DC that sent them I tire of ppl complaining. Each person that serves signs a contract!
@@vickimingus9281 yeah tell that to the mothers and fathers of the marines senselessly killed due to the potato in DC. I’m telling you right now they do not share the same dumbass opinion you have.
I served with Staff Sergeant Kesterson in the Marines; definitely a sharp dude. Semper Fi! Sgt. E. 0311/Infantry - 3/8 India Co. (9yr USMC Veteran - Jan/98'-Jan/07')
I swear the Chief gets all the respect in the world from me. Watching this he displays some of the best qualities of a human being and , toughness, compassion, honor, empathy, service before self, humorous, humble, assertive, and leads by example but can take charge if needed. I would love to write a book about his story. Thank you for your service, Chief.
Outpost Restrepo was a really good one if you haven’t seen it , if you want to see the ugly side of war watch Baghdad ER that one was too much for me but what I did see it was a well made documentary
It's 2022, and the conversation they have in the tent at 1:48:11 is truly chilling. These guys knew what they were getting into. The mess they're walking in. 12 years after that documentary, Afghanistan is back to square one.
The chief’s monologue at the end… It was absolutely spot on. He knew what would happen 11 years before it actually happened. That country can’t change unless the people themselves want it to change. And judging by history, they don’t want it to change.
What ive seen about what afgans want themselves is to get high. Maybe they want a change but they are too high to do anything about it. Maybe that why they just gave away their weapons, without a fight. U.S and British etc gave them a training and weapons but they just threw it away. Damn shame. I feel like this is a start for some historical events. Im afraid, i live in Finland and we got a big borderline with Russia. I know China has it interests with Afganistan. if something is about to happen, they gonna ask us first what side we are in and we are dragged to a war. Russia wants our sea and land connections, most of all, they dont want that Nato is using those connections against Russia. I have 2 kids and now im afraid how their life is gonna be if this shit is gonna escalate. I went to Finnish defence forces like most of our Men has to go. If they need to call us in, i hope they have planned it right and they know that anything can happen when you go to get your weapon and uniform. I dont want to die when its not even begun yet. Im patriotic and i want to defend our country, its just horrible to think everything what could go wrong and how much there is to lose.
@@Withnail1969 that's debatable. They have a very gem and mineral rich nation and there are ways they could work with pharma but they won't. Islam is honestly a poisonous influence in that country. It's all the elders know and the elders will always be in control
I don' think "complete incompetence at EVERY level," is fair. A lot of the Americans did know what they were doing, they were just doing as they were told.
@@mictianfollower2644 well you could say it was all for nothing, the Taliban are taking control over Afganistan again as the US-Troops fled the country. I would call this incompetent, nothing was achived.
how is any of this supposed to work if you cant even communicate with the locals? like the guy literally told them who the insurgents were and from where they are and it got lost in translation
What a fucked up situation. The girl whose arm was amputated was obviously worried for her but seemed to show no anger to the marines beyond dispair that there was nothing he could do, the Taliban was in control as soon as the marines left the village.
54:10 the exchange that takes place is truly frightening and very grim for this presumably innocent local. "Oh brother, you can't help me"..."they took me in the night!"..."do you truly want to catch them?? no, you leave"..."and tonight, they will drag me back to the cave"...
@@heribertfassbender5759 well maybe they should also not bring a guy that speaks one language to translate in a region that speaks another? Or maybe after 20 years occupying a place you'd think a bunch of American soldiers would have mustered up the brain cells to actually learn the damn language, but no, their arrogant asses just wanted to do "tours" and drive around in very expensive, fragile pieces of equipment acting like they owned the place whereas in fact it was the place that was slowly owning them.
@@MathieuDuponchelle There's not many people that speak Arabic or the local languages in the U.S and the govt isn't willing to pay Arabic speaking people to teach soldiers how to. Another thing, every soldier that I know or have met said that they didn't own that place and that they knew they didn't. It's a coping mechanism, that's why their humor is so dark.
Wow, one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Started watching yesterday finished today, May 1, 2022. Anyway you could tell us how these men are doing today 12 years later?
"There may be IED's in the tree." "Don't go into the trees, stay away from the shade." *Marines being marines, proceed to shelter in trees and literally climb into trees to grab random bags*
@@zakariyamohamed6388 their not there because they want to be. this is governments lying cheating and stealing for $$$ as an end result. These men are innocent they are just puppets doing what their told, They don't know what they don't know...
It's logical that a man that has spend so much time deployed in this country has a more reaistic view of what's happening than Washington People and some high ranking officers
Many people knew. You can't just go to a country that has been a warzone for like a thousand years and expect the culture to change in like twenty years. What a shame though.
20yr, 50yrs is not enough to make a change in people who been taught the same ideologies for many generations. Like not valuing women, or democracy. Many joined for a paycheck, and seems that their government had ghost soldiers n to collect more paychecks. I see mostly men on the streets hanging out, unbothered. While families/women freak out. Then men crowding the airports (who are not interpreters) instead of fighting, they just want a ride to ‘america’ . Remember this, Biden messed up, Trump made a deal with the devil. But as Americans we were never suppose to leave this country. It was never stable enough to exit. And as much it pains the world to watch. We were not making a difference long term.
The innocence of Glover sitting down with the children is amazing. I honestly wish we could just do that as people on earth. Sit, chat, even with the language barriers. Just sitting, learning from eachother, sharing laughs and put the rifles away. I wish all the best to our vets and to these people who want no part of terrorism. Hope everyone finds their peace.
What a brilliantly open hearted insight in to a life of danger and honour .These are a true family and by the first 20 minutes you feel part of this group and for me at least hoped dearly to see them them through not only the programme but to a ripe old age.💎
Gunny Kesterson was instrumental in me joining the Marine Corps in 2014 and getting to know him and learning some of what he went through was humbling.
"In my heart in wanna say that we've got a lot accomplished, but in truth I don't think we've accomplished much". That's heartbreaking to hear, these guys are aware that all of their sacrifice, deaths, permanent impairment, brain damage, untiredly efforts, are going to waste, not to mention billions of dollars, you can't change a culture
Fun fact : the blue eyes seen in some Afghans are the direct descendant gene traits provided by the Greeks when Alexander the Great invaded and populated the country. The Kalash tribes claim to be direct descendants.
Incredibly profound perspective from the 21 year old Marine at 39:45 referring to building rapport with the children/kids in the villages he visits. Outstanding young man and a great representative to the Marine Corp. Good things for him in life, I hope.
That's the same guy who went "I don't care if they have taliband shooting from their village they deserve to be wiped out completely" totally disregarding it's not up to the villagers to counter the Taliban emplacement at their village or not lol
Same fkers who shelled the village and slaughtered all these people, fk right off you fking yank, you have so much blood on your hands from slaughtering people all over the fking world, and you wonder why people fking hate you?! Every person in africa, mid east, asia has someone killed by your fking terrorist military.
He's a nutcase with a very, very binary vision of life. Some of it due to his age and inexperience, some of it due to combat stress, and some of it to him being a psychopath. How people can consider a man who openly says "I enlisted because I wanted to kill people" as outstanding is beyond me. And don't come at me with his "bad people". It's a very relative notion and I'd be very interested to see where he draws the line.
I pray 🙏 for the families that recently lost their sons and daughters in Kabul airport helping the people get out. WE LOST 13 of our Brave servicemen . RIP. WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
Never forgetting USA lost will hopefully reach the voting public to the benefit of generations to come. Having billions worth of kit doth never guarantee the win.
Just watched this story not once but 3 times, all I can say is amazing, I’m a USMC BRAT dad did 30 years, 3 tours in Vietnam, I’m a USMC Wife, hubby did 8 years, I’m an ARMY mom, son did 3 tours in Iraq, he came home with a TBI and was classified as 100% disabled. I want to say this to all the service men and women…THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WELCOME HOME HEROES, and to those brave Marines… SEMPER FI DO OR DIE!!! OOOOORAHHHHHH. thank you!
im sorry for your loss of your hubby and hope your son is doing well we thank them for their service i hope the army has helped your son for his brave service we thank you again
Just look at the cost/benefit ratio: $1m MRAP is taken out of action by a $5 IED that someone makes in their kitchen. That's effective guerrilla warfare. I'm not arguing the ethics of this at all - it's just really cost-effective in terms in reducing opposition capacity to operate.
An astute observation... One that other citizens need to see. We spend BILLIONS each year funding a war that should be ended. We have spent enough blood and treasure trying to democratize a nation of tribal Islamists. It was never going to happen.
@@jasonc9423 here's another astute observation for you mate, perhaps you folks'd be better off spending the money dealing with your democracy and tribalism issues, what do you reckon?
The villagers cannot stop the Taliban from coming into their village but to fire artillery into a village when innocent people will get killed is disgusting and one of the reasons the US failed in Afghanistan
@@kennyroyscrypto4935 because this world is doomed as it is. I have seen the decline in just the 32 years I've been alive, what's it going to be like in 40 or 50 years from now? Unless you're a millionaire or billionaire, I don't think it will be a very good time.
I wanna take this moment to tell all of these men/woman, all of the troops in all of the military branches…. THANK YOU!!! And for the ones who didn’t make it back home.. THANK YOU, and GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!! I have a special place in my heart for our soldiers!!!
The end was well built in this wonderful documentary. Lies from leaders lead to casualties among those who follow. It is a very sour feeling when you realize your sent not for humane reasons but for shadowy ones, it takes away the pride of accomplishment, of enlisting in the right army.
OUTSTANDING JOB getting the down and dirty real facts of war! I tip my hat to you Sir. Keep fighting the good fight! People need to see what these wars are actually like!!!!🤜🤛🇺🇸🇺🇸
I love, respect & am eternally grateful to American veterans who answered the call. Thank you will never be enough. We look around in 2023 & see insanity. People don't understand the price of freedom. These warriors, & those who came before them, make me so proud to be an American. God bless. 🇺🇸 🙏
Participating in an undeclared UNCONSTITUTIONAL invasion and mass murder does NOT make someone a hero. It makes them a WAR CRIMINAL. ALL who participate in Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen... are oath violators , traitors and cowards. They are also "Baby Killers". Look up Agent Orange children Depleted Uranium children if you have the stomach. Embarrassing how $30 Trillion US military were beaten by rice farmers and goat herding tribes who had NO Air force nor navy. They are a national disgrace.
@@oceangirl9816 nah you tripping, why didn't you sign up in the arm forces and shown us how to fight wars. It's a war and war is death and alot of fucked up shit but if you not in the trenches you can't speak on what it takes to survive. War crimes are not acceptable and there are laws to protect against it.
@@G3ro_Oni_mo You spell like a child. This is NOT a Constitutional War. The USA refuses to adhere to the ICC because it knows tens of THOUSANDS of US mercenary military would be charged.
@@moderatemexicanamericanpat4904 seriously , never understanding the big picture , or even the small one . Feigning obvious fake emotion over the innocents blah blah . And now they are the reason we have commercials about Emma’s two moms and the Russians have commercials with straight psycho killer going ham. Those that mean to do harm will not do it with rules in mind just savagery in their hearts need to be met by savages , the enemy not gna care about Emma’s two moms , they gna eat her face after her ass .
@@reddawn1487 what the fuck are you even saying haha if I was a local and my family or friends were killed by marines I’m not sure about you but I’d sure as hell take up arms and join the taliban to get payback. Can’t win a war when you create two enemies everyone you kill one
My heart goes out to those Marines, I know exactly what they went through while there and I know exactly what they are going through now, I was deployed to RC East that same year, God bless them all!
Should go also to those kids and innocent people who got killed and wounded because these same Marines just decided to indiscriminately bomb in the village instead of going in and wiping the fighters. What a shame that people don't even take pity on the Afghan elder who was trying to tell them how to kill those Taliban who were terrorizing them, but never figured out because of their shitty interpreter.
In 1987 Russua attached Afghanistan just to occupy Pakistan and then try US with creation of ISIL and Taliban. There was a nothing except targeting Pakistan to destabilize the nuclear power country with the name of terrorism.Pakistan is safe and will be safe in future. Russia and US only killed innocent Afghani people. By the way wish you happy return. Thanks A Pakistani
2/7 kicked ass in 06-07 in Al Karma and around Fallujah. Tough back to back deployments for you guys they should have given you at least a year in between
Unbelievable how piss poor of a help a different dialect speaking interpreter is. I can only imagine how many hundreds, or even thousands of times this type of scene repeated itself across the entire AO. 52:00 That afghan was essentially handing them a complete mission brief with guaranteed successful eradication of the main cell of Taliban, and it hardly even more then a few sentences worth of his story was understood. SMH 😲 sounds like some terps were straight up robbing the military blind.
it be like that. it's hard for the American public to understand Afghanistan (and many countries in Asia) dont speak one language, follow one God, one custom, one set of laws, or even look alike.
@@MrEvldreamr its easy to understand the problem is the interpreter problem told them he spoke both well and clearly he didnt.. you Americans just don't understand is ignorant
It’s crazy seeing your battalion on TH-cam. I’m with 1/2 right now, H&S co, S6. Ive only been to japanastan and Korea. I’m proud of what my unit has accomplished in the past. Oorah
@@lennicolosi4686 I flew into Caff the night before y'all left and drove down early in the morning. Shot the shit with you guys for a good while over in front of the prison gym/chow area before y'all flew out. Ripped with Sgt. J and another SL for a minute. Got 2 RPGs in the wire 1 or 2 days after y'all left. Thinking about it now makes me miss living in Dehanna 😆
Very well made film... Having spent a lot of time in the middle east with the British Army, especially Oman in the early 1970s, I can honestly say the key to success is "Hearts and Minds"... You win over the "enemy" with promises of a better future and you must then fulfill your promises nomatter how long it takes...
Well the Americans have always failed at hearts and minds, killing and maiming innocent kids isn't how it done. And what would the British know about it, how many war crimes have they committed. Just look at northern Ireland and the number of innocent civilians the British army killed
I'm not proud of this war but I'm proud of all my fellow Corpsmen and Marines, because every single one of them at one point gave their all to make things at least a little bit better for someone else. You may not believe it but 99.9% of those that join do so to provide a service to the world for a greater good, and chomp eagerly at the bit for their opportunity to do so. I look back at my time as a corpsman with pride, I always placed the lives and well bring of others before myself, I bore that burden with love and integrity of spirit. I pray that the Afghan people find peace and prosperity and that all wars end.
You think the collateral murder chopper video is a one off and a few bad apples and not systemic and covered up? What about Abu ghraib, Guantanamo, black sites, legalised torture, etc? What about the fact that USA has been at war for all of then last 250 years except for 17 years? You think all those are just a few bad apples and us military is great in general? Well I guess if your idea of good military is just to follow orders from corrupt and evil leaders without thinking, and committing all sorts of war crimes without remorse, then sure. They are great I guess. They gave their all at killing, there it. They didn't try to improve the country or anything, just destroyed it, then ran away in the middle of the night when they decided they didn't want to be there anymore.
America illegally invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. They caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Committed so many war crimes
What you wrote is the epitome perspective of an HM. I’ll bet you were awesome to work with. Hope you’re well and wish you all the best in life brother.
Afghanistan is endlessly fascinating to me, as a country and as a conflicted area. Great job on this documentary, definitely one of the better ones I’ve seen. The bottom line is that Afghanistan was virtually a futile effort by us (USA). The government not acknowledging the difference between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda was a huge mistake. It cost us many lives and too much $, we should’ve been outta there in 2003.
You can bomb a village with 155mm howitzers, without knowing anythiing about the occupants, just on a suspicion of a single Taliban fighter's presence.. and kill multiple non-combatants.. and let go of an IED supplier whom probably killed your comrades before and may kill more in the future, just because of formality?...... yeah sure that happened
In Iraq, I heard a Cpt. tell the interpreter "tell the kids to stop throwing rocks at my soldiers(points to his eyes)they been hit in the eyes," the interpreter says back to the village elder, "tell the kids to stop throwing rocks or he'll kill the kids" and that was commonplace in both theatres...the DOD had a really bad screening program, needed them so bad,3 sentences and you were in, getting paid 300 US $ a day...,
@@slimolson4822 damn..see how dangerous that was, nobody even pointed out the fact he told the Elder he'll shoot the kids...smh...I'm bookmarking that, I commented on another video about this and it was a fight between people who were really there and trolls saying that would never happen,
This is really an amazing look at the reality of this war, especially after these recent events. You see how impossible it is in every way. The pain and frustration of the soldiers, the pain of the dirt poor villagers having to deal with the Taliban and US fire (inadvertently) and not being able to do anything And all the spot on feelings at the end. A really relevant look
I have a feeling that this hopelessness, lack of purpose and depression from seeing all the sacrifices made in Afghanistan for a questionable cause contribute significantly to PTSD and other problems after deployment for our troops. I think a war that has clear goals and huge motivation to fight, like WW2, have less behavioral effects after serving. Just my opinion, the entire 'Global War on Terror' should've been fought with Mossad-like assassinations and strikes, with no boots on the ground.
holy shit the elder was telling them exactly who was doing the shooting and exactly where to find them and all they asked is shoot nobody else. marines take fire and panic, blast the city for not stopping the taliban sooner. but with what weapons? if the marines come through and the elders have weapons, they must be taliban and they shoot. there is no escape for these people. not permitted to defend themselves and instead forced to rely on fools who cannot tell friend from foe
God bless these men. I served in Ramadi Iraq 2005 and Tarmiyah Iraq 2008. This video brought back so many memories good and bad. I have never been the same since I returned in 2009.
Imagine if the USA had spent 20 years and trillions securing and rebuilding its own dysfunctional and crime ridden cities and how far ahead the country would be with modern infrastructure everywhere like China has done. It’s insane that politicians were able to fight these wars elsewhere while their own country needed investment. Add in strong border security and America would have very little to worry about.
@Bobby Taylor So the war hawks and America World Police nation builders are all on the left? Bush started that war. You realize your answer was to create war here. The suggestion to bolster American infrastructure is more of an FDR New Deal proposal. FDR was a democrat btw. The new deal was a roaring success. What also works in America is the separation of powers. These militant solutions like storm the capitol belong to banana republics.
You hit the nail on the head ! Starting in the 50s, America decided that it was going to be the police force of the world . We are not in a war but a "police action ."
@@gus2600 When you have a terror cell that kills innocent civilians on american soil you can be assured you will get a visit from the countries military. Thats goes for any country. We could however just let them cut each others head's off but then that ideology spills out and effects the rest of the world.
@@ringzorj7258 You think they got in the country and took over all them planes and flew them with that precision by themselves? The pentagon especially... always been something fishy going on that crazy day.
That's because there's a line . Between those kids and innocent men and women , vs the blood thirsty terrorist that rule them with an iron fist....the challenge lies in separating them .
FYI: Most servicemen don't have the attitude of the marine who thought civilians deserve getting killed if the Taliban use their village etc. Most feel bad for civilians as they know they're in q no win situation.
I honestly just took it as something someone says when they're young and dumb. However he may really feel that way and if thats the case, its unfortunate. I figured he was just talking out of his ass...
What shame.. they took IDF fire from a couple of guys and the Marines leveled the village. No wonder this war is never ending, what were they thinking?
I want to express my gratitude for the truly AMAZING comments below (even the crazy hilarious ones) However I do feel the need to recognize the negative comments and (as the overly protective Chief that I am) wish to call out the Brothers and Sisters that blazed the trail before my service, the one that fought, sweat and bled with me during and the one continuing to do so now to recall coming across these seemingly ignorant comments to NOT respond hastily, do not react. I challenge you to recall our oaths, these are the ones that are ignorant to our losses, sufferings, our tears, our core values. It was our job, duty to engage the enemy, they believe that we loved war, but did not witness our darkest challenges. We were called and we answered that knowing the dangers, without the luxury of questioning why. I am proud of this. Again thank you Robert. The true heros are our brothers that did not return with us - period!
My brother came home from Baghdad with TBI and PTSD. The VA hospital kicked him out because he didn’t have physical wounds. He overdosed that same night in a hotel room. He was 27. RIP Kyle Marshall Farr, United States Army.
Sorry for your loss.
Yeah that’s the horrible system we have.
Bro! So damn sorry! Peace to your family and your hero brother!!!
Rest up
This is we sag Oslo,, USa have to face and we never trust theme ,, I hopp Allah blessing for USA stopp Killing person In world
I love docs like this. No intro, no music, no bullshit. Straight to the point. Very good job.
Well said
I love how there is little to no music. It makes the scenes much less dramatized and you can see raw emotion everywhere. God bless you troops!
barracks ppl
@@vickimingus9281 what do you mean by barracks ppl?
"Unless we keep a force right here, things are going to revert right back as they were" That marine predicted the future
our boys know what the fuck is up, our leadership had no strategy
Did that Marine's interpreter make it out ?
That red carpet Trump rolled out for Taliban in Doha-he went around Afghan government and gave Taliban a crack to slip through.
@@nightoftheworld Bullseye.
Boy did he...
Clicked on a whim, and could not stop watching. This film needs more recognition.
Just clicked it on a whim myself just now... How you’re right...
Was just thinking the same thing, solid & community focussed, but theres always the story we dont see.
100% agreed
Just real life soldiers and stories not some bullshit propaganda. Very good film. Hope it got more vievs. Greetings guys.
Same....I stuck on it right now. 👊😉
This is what people need to see, Not a 30 second news story with numbers but actual human beings
Finally a documentary on the war in afghanistan where the actual people involved are the main subject instead of some journalist who’ll be there for two weeks and leave
My CO always said no to journalists trying to get attached to our unit
@@bestjobieverhad9584all I’m saying is attaching a journalist to a marine recon unit lead to the single most accurate piece of media on the Iraq war in HBO’s generation kill.
Usually journalists embed with units for the duration of their deployment. Not just a couple weeks because the news outlets that send them there want the full story. Not just part of the story.
@@JohnNeo19he should have never showed them a picture of his girlfriend
@@BostonsF1nest but then they wouldn't have gotten batteries for their optics!
“No there’s no woman in my life... I haven’t been to the right strip bar”. He’s a legend
a fkn God
That part KINDA HURT 😂😂😂😂
@@bayleenicole2096 what part of the video is that, i kinda missed it? 😂
@@thesimpofallstreets6232 mid end
@@thesimpofallstreets6232 right about the 100 102 min mark range, doc is a legend
Lost my son, Christopher Shawn Baltazar Jr ,age 19 on 9/3/09, in Helmand Province, with 2nd Light Armour Reconnaissance Battalion. RIP Christopher, and all else who have died in service, and thanks to you all who fought and served. We love all of you. God bless
This was was one of the most open docos that l have seen. Of this issue . Thank you for making it and allowing it to be made.
Look up only the dead here its amazing documentary
This is proof that you don't need a bunch of CGI, hype music, or actor re-enactment crap in a documentary to make it good. I wish History and Smithsonian put out more content like this.
History is too far gone to be saved Smithsonian still has some good content
National geographic too@@johnscanlon2598
One of the best documentaries you will find on you tube. Can't tell you how many times I've watched it . Respect to everyone who served and lived that hell on earth
I've been watching over million times 😊
The conversation at 01:47:00 is amazing. Everybody state side is surprised that Afghanistan fell so quickly, yet these Marines knew it would happen in 2010.
@N O Y B I'm curious, why do you think Biden is incompetent? The 18 month silence was part of what Trump negotiated. Trump also negotiated 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters to be released by the Afghan Government. When Trump withdrew more than 10,000 troops nobody said anything, but Biden begins withdrawing the remaining troops to see Trumps plan through and everybody freaks out. Trumps deal had no conditions, Rep Jason Crow introduced an amendments that added conditions and it was voted down. I'm in no way a fan of Biden, but the finger pointing seems absurd. There are many reasons I may argue Biden is incompetent, but this withdrawal isn't one of them. There is a lot of political grandstanding going on if we are being honest.
@N O Y B for last 18mobths Taliban has agreement n since may2020 written agreement that they won't attack us n NATO allies thats y ok
@@meRyanP
Biden also left all that equipment behind. It's good he had us leave, just it was rushed and poorly executed
@@meRyanP also props for not losing your mind over a disagreement. Better than 99% of people these days
@@G59forlife. was much of that equipment not donated though? Having dealt with donated equipment in another context, normally the handover docs make it clear that it passes to the donor in totality
This was recommended to me after the fall of Kabul. I wish peace and love to the Afghan people after these trying times!
More like the fall of occupying troops in Kabul
USA all day baby💪🤘🇺🇸
@@danielsullivan2558 fk off you psychopath, you killed 2 Million people between iraq and afghanistan, 3 million in Vietnam, and so many more… fking country of psychopathic baby killers.
@@yoursolosquad6283 keep sniffing little boys bike seats at the local library, ya fucking creep.
@@danielsullivan2558 USA losing all day baby lol
I tell my husband I watch a lot of Afghanistan documentaries. On TH-cam this is really good you all do an amazing job over there and really respect the work you guys do.God bless you all.xo
Tell your husband to watch them with you!
Thankyou I will do when he comes home.xo
What the Chief says at the end is the truth and the sad reality of the war in that country. Appreciate his honesty, optimism and strength despite all that he's been through. Thank you for this documentary.
I want to express my gratitude for the truly AMAZING comments below (even the crazy hilarious ones) However I do feel the need to recognize the negative comments and (as the overly protective Chief that I am) wish to call out the Brothers and Sisters that blazed the trail before my service, the one that fought, sweat and bled with me during and the one continuing to do so now to recall coming across these seemingly ignorant comments to NOT respond hastily, do not react. I challenge you to recall our oaths, these are the ones that are ignorant to our losses, sufferings, our tears, our core values. It was our job, duty to engage the enemy, they believe that we loved war, but did not witness our darkest challenges. We were called and we answered that knowing the dangers, without the luxury of questioning why. I am proud of this. Again thank you Robert. The true heros are our brothers that did not return with us - period!
@David Wang you do realize chief motz is the guy from the film right? He has a right to speak his mind.
@David Wang I am a full time liberal troll. And you sir, should regret this comment. There’s a difference between making stupid people mad, and saying insensitive things to people you don’t understand at all.
@@motzeric6715 I am grateful for the example you set. I will remember it.
@@motzeric6715 You Sir are a Class act. Thank-You for your Service & may you always be blessed.
This was the best military documentary I've ever seen, maybe even one of the best documentaries I've seen period. I can't believe I had never heard of it. This made me feel so many emotions. It was absolutely amazing. Well done, you have my meaningless stamp of approval lol
We need to share this story and push the truth! We pulled out and lost too many lives. We are screwed with them pulling out!
Watch "this is what winning looks like"
Best one is only the dead easy the best documentary ever not for the Squamish
There is Gomorrah as well that is similar to this, is a bit more action packed but not intentionally. It goes really deep and there are some losses that you feel.
@@arminius6506 that Afghan police force in that documentary are absolutely unbelievable and people in other countries complain about their cops lol.
My heart breaks for them. My husband served multiple times starting in 2009 and his last deployment was in 2019, he was the last group out of HKIA before everything happened. Absolutely devastating.
Please tell me
My 2 Marines were there. My 2 others Air Force and were in another areas. All home. Some with wounds They never bad mouthed the US nor the guy in DC that sent them I tire of ppl complaining. Each person that serves signs a contract!
@@vickimingus9281 هل ركلو مؤخرتكم في أفغانستان والعراق 😁
@@vickimingus9281 yeah tell that to the mothers and fathers of the marines senselessly killed due to the potato in DC. I’m telling you right now they do not share the same dumbass opinion you have.
hello👋 from Uganda we love you
Not overhyped and realistic. I wish all war docs were like this
you should check ou vice's documentaries, and real stories altho i dont really like that one
Agree 🌈
@@user7495 Why should I, I learnt from you 🌈
@@elizabethkuchta7009 I'm recommending documentaries that give war a more realistic view
@@user7495 I know. 🌈
I served with Staff Sergeant Kesterson in the Marines; definitely a sharp dude. Semper Fi!
Sgt. E. 0311/Infantry - 3/8 India Co. (9yr USMC Veteran - Jan/98'-Jan/07')
Im just curious, but how old were you when you left the military? You dont have to answer, of course.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️And you came back. Thank farK for it. Much love from Germany.
You really should be in Ukraine now. They could really use your help. ha ha ha ha ..... I'm kidding. No one wants your help. Just stay home.
@@rwjazz1299 aren't you a salty Sally. 💃
@@goldencheese7247 it is what is. You don't like to hear the truth?
I swear the Chief gets all the respect in the world from me. Watching this he displays some of the best qualities of a human being and , toughness, compassion, honor, empathy, service before self, humorous, humble, assertive, and leads by example but can take charge if needed. I would love to write a book about his story. Thank you for your service, Chief.
This is what you call a phenomenal documentary
Thank you thank you for not jamming a bunch of commercials in this documentary
Thank you for your service Robert...I'm a navy veteran that served on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga
Their corpsman is insane! 8 deployments, a Marine to the core.
FIVE TIME DRAFT DOGER PUT IN CHARGE !!!
@@kn9ioutom so98
It took a toll, but I'd do it again for my Marines in a heartbeat
@@motzeric6715 l⁶yyyuùuu7⁶⁶yyyuùuu7 76⁶yurt
6
Raw and unfiltered, one of the best military documentaries on Afghanistan I have seen. It definitely deserves more recognition.
Watching marines treat the villagers that other marines just shelled was insane.
Have you had the chance to watch This What Winning Looks Like?? that's another great documentary.
@@vurkzy8432 haven't watched this Vice documentary but will do. Thank you for the recommendation.
Outpost Restrepo was a really good one if you haven’t seen it , if you want to see the ugly side of war watch Baghdad ER that one was too much for me but what I did see it was a well made documentary
It's 2022, and the conversation they have in the tent at 1:48:11 is truly chilling. These guys knew what they were getting into. The mess they're walking in. 12 years after that documentary, Afghanistan is back to square one.
"Must suck to be in that village"
Yeah, it turns out 155mm tends to make you day significantly worse
Especially if one is buried on the road
@@olliephelan
exactly
Especially for the innocent
@@ahj3225
I mean yeah, no shit
THey should not have sent that artillery. They knew the risk, want to risk with life go in there your self risk your own not a small childs.
At 24:00 You can really tell that Sgt. had seen some badddd things.... feel bad for the guy. Thanks for your service
more like concussed as shit
The chief’s monologue at the end… It was absolutely spot on. He knew what would happen 11 years before it actually happened. That country can’t change unless the people themselves want it to change. And judging by history, they don’t want it to change.
Tyttyyyyyttyyyyyyyyyyyuuu July uyyuyugggggg hm
What ive seen about what afgans want themselves is to get high. Maybe they want a change but they are too high to do anything about it. Maybe that why they just gave away their weapons, without a fight. U.S and British etc gave them a training and weapons but they just threw it away. Damn shame. I feel like this is a start for some historical events. Im afraid, i live in Finland and we got a big borderline with Russia. I know China has it interests with Afganistan. if something is about to happen, they gonna ask us first what side we are in and we are dragged to a war. Russia wants our sea and land connections, most of all, they dont want that Nato is using those connections against Russia. I have 2 kids and now im afraid how their life is gonna be if this shit is gonna escalate. I went to Finnish defence forces like most of our Men has to go. If they need to call us in, i hope they have planned it right and they know that anything can happen when you go to get your weapon and uniform. I dont want to die when its not even begun yet. Im patriotic and i want to defend our country, its just horrible to think everything what could go wrong and how much there is to lose.
it can't change because there's no way to make the economy grow due to the geography of the country. may as well stick to the old ways.
@@Withnail1969 that's debatable. They have a very gem and mineral rich nation and there are ways they could work with pharma but they won't.
Islam is honestly a poisonous influence in that country. It's all the elders know and the elders will always be in control
@@scrappydoo7887 more religious shitfuckery... stone age ignorance has no place in a modern world.
This is a great documentary; totally highlighting the complete incompetence at every level. Thanks for posting.
I don' think "complete incompetence at EVERY level," is fair. A lot of the Americans did know what they were doing, they were just doing as they were told.
@@nicolaspope5599 There are some very competent, caring, and outstanding people in the US military. There are also some real Dilberts.
Carter hooah!
Complete incompetence would be you brain that failed to function properly
@@mictianfollower2644 well you could say it was all for nothing, the Taliban are taking control over Afganistan again as the US-Troops fled the country. I would call this incompetent, nothing was achived.
Randomly found this. One of the best documentaries I’ve seen of afghan. This award winning. I was there 11/2010-06/2011 FOB Edi
how is any of this supposed to work if you cant even communicate with the locals?
like the guy literally told them who the insurgents were and from where they are and it got lost in translation
What a fucked up situation.
The girl whose arm was amputated was obviously worried for her but seemed to show no anger to the marines beyond dispair that there was nothing he could do, the Taliban was in control as soon as the marines left the village.
That was so sad. Get that interpreter out of there!
54:10 the exchange that takes place is truly frightening and very grim for this presumably innocent local. "Oh brother, you can't help me"..."they took me in the night!"..."do you truly want to catch them?? no, you leave"..."and tonight, they will drag me back to the cave"...
the translater should be fired… if you don't understand them, tell your superior, it's life and death situations.
@@heribertfassbender5759 well maybe they should also not bring a guy that speaks one language to translate in a region that speaks another?
Or maybe after 20 years occupying a place you'd think a bunch of American soldiers would have mustered up the brain cells to actually learn the damn language, but no, their arrogant asses just wanted to do "tours" and drive around in very expensive, fragile pieces of equipment acting like they owned the place whereas in fact it was the place that was slowly owning them.
@@MathieuDuponchelle There's not many people that speak Arabic or the local languages in the U.S and the govt isn't willing to pay Arabic speaking people to teach soldiers how to. Another thing, every soldier that I know or have met said that they didn't own that place and that they knew they didn't. It's a coping mechanism, that's why their humor is so dark.
@@symphonic1057you retard , Afghans don't speak Arabic
Wow, one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Started watching yesterday finished today, May 1, 2022. Anyway you could tell us how these men are doing today 12 years later?
"There may be IED's in the tree."
"Don't go into the trees, stay away from the shade."
*Marines being marines, proceed to shelter in trees and literally climb into trees to grab random bags*
What did you expect? For gods sake, every night they all gather at 3am and eat crayons together
@@InnerCircleGateway lol
What are they doing there in the first place?
@@zakariyamohamed6388 their not there because they want to be. this is governments lying cheating and stealing for $$$ as an end result. These men are innocent they are just puppets doing what their told, They don't know what they don't know...
tbh id risk getting blown up just to get out of that heat too LOL
1:52:08 I have chills down my spine this man spoke like a prophet.
It's logical that a man that has spend so much time deployed in this country has a more reaistic view of what's happening than Washington People and some high ranking officers
Many people knew. You can't just go to a country that has been a warzone for like a thousand years and expect the culture to change in like twenty years.
What a shame though.
20yr, 50yrs is not enough to make a change in people who been taught the same ideologies for many generations. Like not valuing women, or democracy. Many joined for a paycheck, and seems that their government had ghost soldiers n to collect more paychecks. I see mostly men on the streets hanging out, unbothered. While families/women freak out. Then men crowding the airports (who are not interpreters) instead of fighting, they just want a ride to ‘america’ . Remember this, Biden messed up, Trump made a deal with the devil. But as Americans we were never suppose to leave this country. It was never stable enough to exit. And as much it pains the world to watch. We were not making a difference long term.
They´ve should asked the russians in the first place, many lives of U.S. and Nato Soldiers would have been spared.
99% of the Afghans support for Sharia!
Take a look at Pew Research Center: "Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world"
Terrific documentary. Did a great job at showing the truth of the situation on the ground.
That poor Elder is telling them exactly what they need, but the interpreter is shit. That poor man. Fire that moron!
Chilling words toward the end. Excellent film. Thanks for posting it.
*artillery hits*
"sucks for that village"
*few moments later*
"oh shit.. a fucked up kid"
The innocence of Glover sitting down with the children is amazing.
I honestly wish we could just do that as people on earth. Sit, chat, even with the language barriers. Just sitting, learning from eachother, sharing laughs and put the rifles away.
I wish all the best to our vets and to these people who want no part of terrorism. Hope everyone finds their peace.
What a brilliantly open hearted insight in to a life of danger and honour .These are a true family and by the first 20 minutes you feel part of this group and for me at least hoped dearly to see them them through not only the programme but to a ripe old age.💎
I feel for the father seeing his daughter that lost her arm. He handled it very good I cant say I wouldve been able too.
She wont be worth as much with bits missing 😂
Knowing that part of the world he's just thankful that she's alive ya know. It's different there.
Easy see why the locals supported the taliban when the Americans committed such attrocticies
@@Truthbomb918 Oh please... type away behind your armchair. Blah blah blah.
@@Asymmetrical-Saggin ah go fuckoff, do American war crimes trigger your sensitive little clit you clown
This was the best documentary I have ever seen
Very enlightening documentary. Full of spirit and decency. Shows the complete madness of war - no winners in war...
Gunny Kesterson was instrumental in me joining the Marine Corps in 2014 and getting to know him and learning some of what he went through was humbling.
God Bless our Service men and women. This was brilliantly produced.
"In my heart in wanna say that we've got a lot accomplished, but in truth I don't think we've accomplished much". That's heartbreaking to hear, these guys are aware that all of their sacrifice, deaths, permanent impairment, brain damage, untiredly efforts, are going to waste, not to mention billions of dollars, you can't change a culture
Trillions ,,,,,,
Taliban win war, usa biggest loser. 😜
You change culture, this just isn't the way.
Yeah, imagine the Russians or Chinese coming to your country trying to change American culture.
Serves each fallen 1 right. Karma at its best 😂
I know it isnt relevant, but afghans literally have the most beautiful eyes
Fun fact : the blue eyes seen in some Afghans are the direct descendant gene traits provided by the Greeks when Alexander the Great invaded and populated the country. The Kalash tribes claim to be direct descendants.
@@tristanader6928 You know your stuff my man!
Imagine growing up in a culture where that's all you see in the opposite sex. Yes you are right. Seduction always starts with the eyes.
@abis9 alpha9 🤡
@@tristanader6928
Supposedly, "Alexander" is just a westernisation (anglicisation).
He would have been known as Al Eskander
Hi I am from Afghanistan Thanks for Help
And for Respect
Incredibly profound perspective from the 21 year old Marine at 39:45 referring to building rapport with the children/kids in the villages he visits. Outstanding young man and a great representative to the Marine Corp. Good things for him in life, I hope.
That's the same guy who went "I don't care if they have taliband shooting from their village they deserve to be wiped out completely" totally disregarding it's not up to the villagers to counter the Taliban emplacement at their village or not lol
@@havokbaphomet666 he said if a village supports the Taliban the whole village should be wiped out.
Same fkers who shelled the village and slaughtered all these people, fk right off you fking yank, you have so much blood on your hands from slaughtering people all over the fking world, and you wonder why people fking hate you?! Every person in africa, mid east, asia has someone killed by your fking terrorist military.
He's a nutcase with a very, very binary vision of life. Some of it due to his age and inexperience, some of it due to combat stress, and some of it to him being a psychopath.
How people can consider a man who openly says "I enlisted because I wanted to kill people" as outstanding is beyond me. And don't come at me with his "bad people". It's a very relative notion and I'd be very interested to see where he draws the line.
Was that before or after 155 mm artillery was dropped into the village, because the marines were taking some fire.
Feel bad for those villagers and appreciate the boys in the Marines!! Love and thanks from Canada! 🇨🇦🇺🇸
This is by far the best documentary ever. You guys are cool af 💯🙏
I pray 🙏 for the families that recently lost their sons and daughters in Kabul airport helping the people get out. WE LOST 13 of our Brave servicemen . RIP. WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
Never forgetting USA lost will hopefully reach the voting public to the benefit of generations to come.
Having billions worth of kit doth never guarantee the win.
Thanks Robert I was with 1/2 a co 2nd plt during this time met you while we were there
Just watched this story not once but 3 times, all I can say is amazing, I’m a USMC BRAT dad did 30 years, 3 tours in Vietnam, I’m a USMC Wife, hubby did 8 years, I’m an ARMY mom, son did 3 tours in Iraq, he came home with a TBI and was classified as 100% disabled. I want to say this to all the service men and women…THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WELCOME HOME HEROES, and to those brave Marines… SEMPER FI DO OR DIE!!! OOOOORAHHHHHH. thank you!
im sorry for your loss of your hubby and hope your son is doing well we thank them for their service i hope the army has helped your son for his brave service we thank you again
Just look at the cost/benefit ratio: $1m MRAP is taken out of action by a $5 IED that someone makes in their kitchen. That's effective guerrilla warfare. I'm not arguing the ethics of this at all - it's just really cost-effective in terms in reducing opposition capacity to operate.
An astute observation... One that other citizens need to see. We spend BILLIONS each year funding a war that should be ended. We have spent enough blood and treasure trying to democratize a nation of tribal Islamists. It was never going to happen.
@@jasonc9423 i mean
@@jasonc9423 here's another astute observation for you mate, perhaps you folks'd be better off spending the money dealing with your democracy and tribalism issues, what do you reckon?
The thing is is that $5 IED is a shit ton of money to those Afghans.
The idea of a MRAP isn’t for it to be “fine” after hitting an explosive, it’s meant to keep the people inside alive
Chiefs an admirable dude. That regions been living like that for a 1000 years.
Lost my buddy, fellow firefighter to Afghanistan while he was searching for IED's. Saved his company. 142nd from Canada. RIP Tyler.
RIP to your friend! Thanks for your service from Scotland
The villagers cannot stop the Taliban from coming into their village but to fire artillery into a village when innocent people will get killed is disgusting and one of the reasons the US failed in Afghanistan
It's shocking to me about how people are confused as to why impoverished villagers joined the Taliban
Seeing the suffering of those kids just breaks my fucking heart and I don't ever even plan to have kids in my lifetime.
Why? Remember, you used to be a kid too.
@@kennyroyscrypto4935 because this world is doomed as it is. I have seen the decline in just the 32 years I've been alive, what's it going to be like in 40 or 50 years from now?
Unless you're a millionaire or billionaire, I don't think it will be a very good time.
@@leesuschrist If it's God's will... I am 37 Years old buddy...
@Calmac1888 ohhh you are an ATHEIST. No more discussion buddy. Thanks.
@@leesuschrist the world is better than it was 40 years ago. It’ll be better in 40 years. 2 steps forward 1 step back.
I wanna take this moment to tell all of these men/woman, all of the troops in all of the military branches…. THANK YOU!!! And for the ones who didn’t make it back home.. THANK YOU, and GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!! I have a special place in my heart for our soldiers!!!
The end was well built in this wonderful documentary. Lies from leaders lead to casualties among those who follow. It is a very sour feeling when you realize your sent not for humane reasons but for shadowy ones, it takes away the pride of accomplishment, of enlisting in the right army.
OUTSTANDING JOB getting the down and dirty real facts of war! I tip my hat to you Sir. Keep fighting the good fight! People need to see what these wars are actually like!!!!🤜🤛🇺🇸🇺🇸
People need to see that those guys mostly killed kids and farmers. Indeed.
False@@johnwasgeht5263
This is so incredibly underrated. These guys are awesome. Great job on the documentary.
@L Train45 actually, he did.
They knowingly bombed civilians. How does that make them awesome?
I love, respect & am eternally grateful to American veterans who answered the call. Thank you will never be enough. We look around in 2023 & see insanity. People don't understand the price of freedom. These warriors, & those who came before them, make me so proud to be an American. God bless. 🇺🇸 🙏
I like how the female nurse is holding that sick baby so that they can give him some medication, with so much love.
The introspection by the marines in their tent about the purpose and future of the war is some hard stuff to watch. But necessary.
I love DOC, fmf corpsman are the best.
You will never see this but ,you're amazing at what you do and thank you for all you do.
From a former GMC
Ultimately no amount of military force will change a culture, a way of life that has been in place for centuries. Outstanding documentary.
Participating in an undeclared UNCONSTITUTIONAL invasion and mass murder does NOT make someone a hero. It makes them a WAR CRIMINAL. ALL who participate in Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen... are oath violators , traitors and cowards. They are also "Baby Killers". Look up Agent Orange children Depleted Uranium children if you have the stomach. Embarrassing how $30 Trillion US military were beaten by rice farmers and goat herding tribes who had NO Air force nor navy. They are a national disgrace.
@@oceangirl9816 nah you tripping, why didn't you sign up in the arm forces and shown us how to fight wars. It's a war and war is death and alot of fucked up shit but if you not in the trenches you can't speak on what it takes to survive. War crimes are not acceptable and there are laws to protect against it.
@@G3ro_Oni_mo You spell like a child. This is NOT a Constitutional War. The USA refuses to adhere to the ICC because it knows tens of THOUSANDS of US mercenary military would be charged.
@@G3ro_Oni_mo They CHOSE to be oath violators.
@@oceangirl9816 A shepherd leads his sheep in an open field and you wonder at the shit.. and now you're blaming the sheep.
It's easy to forget about the innocent who are stuck in between. That poor infant who hadn't eaten for a month was so tough to see.
There’s always some lame virtue signaling comment like yours on every video .... soooo no it’s not easy to forget ...:
@@moderatemexicanamericanpat4904 & there is always some couch-humper who wants to act superior in youtube comments. Welcome to the internet.
@@moderatemexicanamericanpat4904 seriously , never understanding the big picture , or even the small one . Feigning obvious fake emotion over the innocents blah blah . And now they are the reason we have commercials about Emma’s two moms and the Russians have commercials with straight psycho killer going ham. Those that mean to do harm will not do it with rules in mind just savagery in their hearts need to be met by savages , the enemy not gna care about Emma’s two moms , they gna eat her face after her ass .
@@reddawn1487 what the fuck are you even saying haha if I was a local and my family or friends were killed by marines I’m not sure about you but I’d sure as hell take up arms and join the taliban to get payback. Can’t win a war when you create two enemies everyone you kill one
My heart goes out to those Marines, I know exactly what they went through while there and I know exactly what they are going through now, I was deployed to RC East that same year, God bless them all!
Should go also to those kids and innocent people who got killed and wounded because these same Marines just decided to indiscriminately bomb in the village instead of going in and wiping the fighters.
What a shame that people don't even take pity on the Afghan elder who was trying to tell them how to kill those Taliban who were terrorizing them, but never figured out because of their shitty interpreter.
@@kuhaku9587 History is violent
RC North ,also the same year.
@@kuhaku9587 You're acting like war is black and white when it's far from it
Thank you for your service
I was in nowzad in 2008 with 2/7. We were the first unit there. It was hell
Thank you for your service and sacrifice 🙏
Thank you both for you service
THANK YOU sir for your service and sacrifice 🙏
In 1987 Russua attached Afghanistan just to occupy Pakistan and then try US with creation of ISIL and Taliban. There was a nothing except targeting Pakistan to destabilize the nuclear power country with the name of terrorism.Pakistan is safe and will be safe in future. Russia and US only killed innocent Afghani people. By the way wish you happy return.
Thanks
A Pakistani
2/7 kicked ass in 06-07 in Al Karma and around Fallujah. Tough back to back deployments for you guys they should have given you at least a year in between
Unbelievable how piss poor of a help a different dialect speaking interpreter is. I can only imagine how many hundreds, or even thousands of times this type of scene repeated itself across the entire AO.
52:00
That afghan was essentially handing them a complete mission brief with guaranteed successful eradication of the main cell of Taliban, and it hardly even more then a few sentences worth of his story was understood. SMH 😲 sounds like some terps were straight up robbing the military blind.
It’s sad isn’t it
it be like that. it's hard for the American public to understand Afghanistan (and many countries in Asia) dont speak one language, follow one God, one custom, one set of laws, or even look alike.
@@MrEvldreamr its easy to understand the problem is the interpreter problem told them he spoke both well and clearly he didnt.. you Americans just don't understand is ignorant
That shit was awful. First time I can recall ever really seeing something like it in any type of film.
maybe he was on their payroll too
No bullshit agenda just informative, spectacular piece of content this.. impressive how these men carry themselves and speak
It’s crazy seeing your battalion on TH-cam. I’m with 1/2 right now, H&S co, S6. Ive only been to japanastan and Korea. I’m proud of what my unit has accomplished in the past. Oorah
Your unit accomplished nothing but killing women and children ... you dumbass !
@@Hero.Lone-Wolf educate yourself
I ripped with 1/2 in 2010 at the COP south of here. Good dudes that did good work.
@@OG03 Dehanna?? Dude, probably walked right by you getting on the bird, or saw the bird have to come back to actually get us.
@@lennicolosi4686 I flew into Caff the night before y'all left and drove down early in the morning. Shot the shit with you guys for a good while over in front of the prison gym/chow area before y'all flew out. Ripped with Sgt. J and another SL for a minute. Got 2 RPGs in the wire 1 or 2 days after y'all left. Thinking about it now makes me miss living in Dehanna 😆
Very well made film... Having spent a lot of time in the middle east with the British Army, especially Oman in the early 1970s, I can honestly say the key to success is "Hearts and Minds"... You win over the "enemy" with promises of a better future and you must then fulfill your promises nomatter how long it takes...
Which the British failed to do
@@jameswright2974 except they won in Oman?
Well the Americans have always failed at hearts and minds, killing and maiming innocent kids isn't how it done. And what would the British know about it, how many war crimes have they committed. Just look at northern Ireland and the number of innocent civilians the British army killed
Best war doc I’ve seen
Loved hearing at the end of video the soldiers realizing that they were being used
They are Marines, not soldiers.
@@dr-ko3009 Marines is a specific term, in a broader context they're all soldiers of USA
@@dr-ko3009marines=puppets
I'm not proud of this war but I'm proud of all my fellow Corpsmen and Marines, because every single one of them at one point gave their all to make things at least a little bit better for someone else. You may not believe it but 99.9% of those that join do so to provide a service to the world for a greater good, and chomp eagerly at the bit for their opportunity to do so. I look back at my time as a corpsman with pride, I always placed the lives and well bring of others before myself, I bore that burden with love and integrity of spirit. I pray that the Afghan people find peace and prosperity and that all wars end.
You think the collateral murder chopper video is a one off and a few bad apples and not systemic and covered up? What about Abu ghraib, Guantanamo, black sites, legalised torture, etc? What about the fact that USA has been at war for all of then last 250 years except for 17 years? You think all those are just a few bad apples and us military is great in general?
Well I guess if your idea of good military is just to follow orders from corrupt and evil leaders without thinking, and committing all sorts of war crimes without remorse, then sure. They are great I guess.
They gave their all at killing, there it. They didn't try to improve the country or anything, just destroyed it, then ran away in the middle of the night when they decided they didn't want to be there anymore.
Good job you were a puppet in a war for the rich to line their pockets real hero’s
Beautiful words friend. Thank you for your service, and thank you, most of all to those who gave it all🇺🇸❤️
America illegally invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. They caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Committed so many war crimes
What you wrote is the epitome perspective of an HM. I’ll bet you were awesome to work with. Hope you’re well and wish you all the best in life brother.
This is one of the best war documentaries I’ve ever seen
Afghanistan is endlessly fascinating to me, as a country and as a conflicted area. Great job on this documentary, definitely one of the better ones I’ve seen.
The bottom line is that Afghanistan was virtually a futile effort by us (USA). The government not acknowledging the difference between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda was a huge mistake. It cost us many lives and too much $, we should’ve been outta there in 2003.
@Dead Pool yes, very similar situation. An ideologically driven enemy that will outlast you
That poor bastard that left that field explosive test kit back in the compound. Rumor has it Ssgt is still hazing him to this day....
@Vla Lua make no mistake, Marines pay for complacency we just don't talk about it lol 😉
low iQ! lol
You can bomb a village with 155mm howitzers, without knowing anythiing about the occupants, just on a suspicion of a single Taliban fighter's presence.. and kill multiple non-combatants.. and let go of an IED supplier whom probably killed your comrades before and may kill more in the future, just because of formality?...... yeah sure that happened
Nice job on this very in depth and complete reporting...Thanks !
In Iraq, I heard a Cpt. tell the interpreter "tell the kids to stop throwing rocks at my soldiers(points to his eyes)they been hit in the eyes," the interpreter says back to the village elder, "tell the kids to stop throwing rocks or he'll kill the kids" and that was commonplace in both theatres...the DOD had a really bad screening program, needed them so bad,3 sentences and you were in, getting paid 300 US $ a day...,
I just saw that exact thing in a documentary..
@@slimolson4822 omg link me
@@Evocati-Augusti i gotchu ill find it here soon.
@@Evocati-Augusti here ya go. At the 29 min mark
th-cam.com/video/VlOM0F8fzb4/w-d-xo.html
@@slimolson4822 damn..see how dangerous that was, nobody even pointed out the fact he told the Elder he'll shoot the kids...smh...I'm bookmarking that, I commented on another video about this and it was a fight between people who were really there and trolls saying that would never happen,
This is really an amazing look at the reality of this war, especially after these recent events.
You see how impossible it is in every way.
The pain and frustration of the soldiers,
the pain of the dirt poor villagers having to deal with the Taliban and US fire (inadvertently) and not being able to do anything
And all the spot on feelings at the end.
A really relevant look
I have a feeling that this hopelessness, lack of purpose and depression from seeing all the sacrifices made in Afghanistan for a questionable cause contribute significantly to PTSD and other problems after deployment for our troops. I think a war that has clear goals and huge motivation to fight, like WW2, have less behavioral effects after serving. Just my opinion, the entire 'Global War on Terror' should've been fought with Mossad-like assassinations and strikes, with no boots on the ground.
I hope there’s at least peace for the everyday civilian there now. I hear ISIS is still bombing and shooting at the Taliban frequently anyway
holy shit the elder was telling them exactly who was doing the shooting and exactly where to find them and all they asked is shoot nobody else. marines take fire and panic, blast the city for not stopping the taliban sooner. but with what weapons? if the marines come through and the elders have weapons, they must be taliban and they shoot. there is no escape for these people. not permitted to defend themselves and instead forced to rely on fools who cannot tell friend from foe
@@keithbentley6081 honestly I feel so sad for them
@@andrewferguson6901 I’m so glad you’ve said this
God bless these men. I served in Ramadi Iraq 2005 and Tarmiyah Iraq 2008. This video brought back so many memories good and bad. I have never been the same since I returned in 2009.
Marine says "I've been married twice, because I made poor decisions when I was younger"
*Every stripper in the comments:*
@Mac Mac it’s so boot to get married just before deployment and leave behind a fresh wife pie for Jody
@@Mr.Wednesday. who the hell is Jody ?
@@prancer1803 if you have to ask your doing well in your marriage
@Harryson Drew Disrespectful
@@prancer1803 if you ask who Jody is, that means you’re not a veteran.
This is a great docu - well done
The reality of war. Very well made documentary. "we've been here before and made promises that were empty" -
Imagine if the USA had spent 20 years and trillions securing and rebuilding its own dysfunctional and crime ridden cities and how far ahead the country would be with modern infrastructure everywhere like China has done. It’s insane that politicians were able to fight these wars elsewhere while their own country needed investment. Add in strong border security and America would have very little to worry about.
@Bobby Taylor unfortunately youre right
@Bobby Taylor So the war hawks and America World Police nation builders are all on the left? Bush started that war. You realize your answer was to create war here. The suggestion to bolster American infrastructure is more of an FDR New Deal proposal. FDR was a democrat btw. The new deal was a roaring success. What also works in America is the separation of powers. These militant solutions like storm the capitol belong to banana republics.
"Plan of the day:"
"Save lives, defy laws of gravity, form a union and go on strike for higher pay"
Legit funny
Thank you for your service. Be safe out there. Love to all
It’s hard to win a war when you’re trying to kill people and at the same time make them fall in love with you.
Straight from the foreskin
You hit the nail on the head ! Starting in the 50s, America decided that it was going to be the police force of the world . We are not in a war but a "police action ."
@@gus2600 When you have a terror cell that kills innocent civilians on american soil you can be assured you will get a visit from the countries military. Thats goes for any country. We could however just let them cut each others head's off but then that ideology spills out and effects the rest of the world.
@@ringzorj7258 You think they got in the country and took over all them planes and flew them with that precision by themselves? The pentagon especially... always been something fishy going on that crazy day.
That's because there's a line . Between those kids and innocent men and women , vs the blood thirsty terrorist that rule them with an iron fist....the challenge lies in separating them .
The wounded and dead children haunt my nightmares.
My Vietnam vet hubby has the same nightmares- children reaching for help- sad state of man- 😥✌️🌎🇺🇸
that Navy Doc is cool asf! i like him
FYI: Most servicemen don't have the attitude of the marine who thought civilians deserve getting killed if the Taliban use their village etc. Most feel bad for civilians as they know they're in q no win situation.
I honestly just took it as something someone says when they're young and dumb. However he may really feel that way and if thats the case, its unfortunate. I figured he was just talking out of his ass...
Once he has worn their shoes . . . he won't be so cavalier in passing judgement, on others ! 💀🇺🇸
Now who is manufacturing these powerful IED 's ?
Well. Isnt it the same thing when Hamas shoot rockets into Israel and then hide where civilians live?
1:07:22
Marine: "were they taliban?"
Elders: *yea*
Other Marine: "no"
Fucking beautiful
lol......the way Afghans say no, sounds like yeah. Still a funny comment tho.
In Pashto language yeah means no
What a nightmare…
the eerie thing I noticed: when they’re in the villages, there’s lots of children, and old men. Where are the young men? Spooky…
My heart sank when those artillery rounds were in the air and they sent more way off target. That’s why a jtac is so valuable
What shame.. they took IDF fire from a couple of guys and the Marines leveled the village. No wonder this war is never ending, what were they thinking?
They didn’t level the whole village. And you think they didn’t feel bad? Don’t be dumb. Probably haven’t even served.
@@GracieTurts please tell us what you would do in that situation.....
@@Sol_Invictus510 not send a bomb from 14 Miles away.
I want to express my gratitude for the truly AMAZING comments below (even the crazy hilarious ones) However I do feel the need to recognize the negative comments and (as the overly protective Chief that I am) wish to call out the Brothers and Sisters that blazed the trail before my service, the one that fought, sweat and bled with me during and the one continuing to do so now to recall coming across these seemingly ignorant comments to NOT respond hastily, do not react. I challenge you to recall our oaths, these are the ones that are ignorant to our losses, sufferings, our tears, our core values. It was our job, duty to engage the enemy, they believe that we loved war, but did not witness our darkest challenges. We were called and we answered that knowing the dangers, without the luxury of questioning why. I am proud of this. Again thank you Robert. The true heros are our brothers that did not return with us - period!