Korengal

I've been in combat with the Army in Southwestern Asia and this movie is as close as you can get to real combat. There is a bonus feature featuring Sebastian Junger a very experienced combat journalist. The Extra feature is called "Why Veterans Miss War" only like 20 minutes long but it is informative/accurate to the point of what Sebastian has gathered from veterans/soldiers that he has met and followed into combat with his cameras and videos as proof.

As an Afghanistan veteran I found this documentary to be exceptional. If you're an OEF vet definitely consider watching this, for me I found it helpful and almost therapeutic in some sense.

I watched the first movie, Restrepo and was impressed. This documentary, is just as good. Could be organized better, seems to jump around from time frame and person interviewed. I try and understand the nature of the conflict. It helped illuminate the conflict. One observation, the US is fighting foriegn (trained) fighters that travel to the region to fight the USA.

All things have critics but none can deny that this video is moving and have action! To all who serve, it goes without saying that I hope you got a good restitution for your service!

I never watched Restrepo [now that I've seen Korengal I'll probably go backward and view that one as well] but just the day before, I had watched "Jarhead 2". The difference was like seeing the same landscape night and day. Korengal really is a documentary, while Jarhead 2 is a Hollywood-fictional movie, and the difference is obvious.Korengal opens with views of the Restrepo OP (the post the Marines operated from in Korengal valley) being blown up and burning down. As part of the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, a decision was made to pull out. From there, the film goes back to up-close and personal views and interviews with the members of the same platoon previously depicted in Restrepo. This is not an "action film" although you do see footage of the guys on patrol, meeting with village elders, firing at the enemy, or hearing shots being fired at them. There's also plenty of footage of them inside the post doing what they can to relieve boredom: playing some video games, wrestling, playing guitar etc. But the heart of the film is each member of the platoon talking to the interviewer about what their tour has been like and how it has affected them: why they signed up, did they ever expect to be in Korengal, are they happy or unhappy to be there, what's it like taking leave; what's it like coming back from leave; will they re-enlist or not; how often do they feel afraid; how do they cope with their fears; what buddies they've seen killed or seriously injured; are there any friends or family back stateside they feel they can talk with about what it's like [almost uniformly: NO]; do they trust the villagers they talk to and so on.The "special features" to this film are slender. Besides one trailer, there's one 13 minute long segment of the documentarian discussing one of the "taboo" subjects of war: that despite seeing close friends killed or seriously hurt, despite the lousy conditions, the prolonged isolation at the post, the constant wondering when is the next time you're going to be fired at, and whether that will be the end, that even guys with significant PTSD symptoms often say, when asked if they'd like to go back, that yes, they'd go back right now if they could. The lecturer stresses one big reason why: that after the combat experience, nothing else in life feels as real, and that the bonds you form with your fellow platoon members are the closest bonds you've ever felt in life. When you have to rely on each other every single day to survive; when all of you know that the guy next to you would sacrifice his own life trying to save yours, and likewise you'd pay the ultimate price trying to save him--the intensity of the bonds you feel there are unmatched by any other relationships, even with your wife, your kids, your mom, dad, brothers or sisters or closest stateside friends. He does not dwell on some of the other reasons--the great difficulty feeling like you fit in anymore when you come back from a war zone, or the addiction to the intense adrenaline rush of combat, intensified when you know you just took out the guy that was trying to kill you.The technology of war obviously has changed radically, just in the last couple hundred years, but I think some of the emotions discussed in the film are common to pretty much every soldier who ever fought in a war. That, plus a view of what this particular zone actually looked like, and its significance to the Taliban, make for a sometimes rather cerebral but compelling story.

Buckle your helmet and make sure your armor is in place.This is "part II" of the Restrepo journey. (A little more course and disturbing than the first visit...)If you wonder what our troops are going through today - and perhaps why your dad/mom/brother/sister/friend is a little edgy after a deployment - this film will explain it all. Very good, very personal, and paints a vivid (but disturbing) picture of front-line life for our American warfighters.)Moms and Dads - if your son or daughter is deployed, don't watch this. (Or watch it with close friends and family for personal support.)

Korengal does such an incredible job showing not only how awful war is, but also the real effect it has on the soldiers. Anyone who thinks war would be super fun and exciting needs to see this. The interviews with the soldiers (especially at the end) show you what it does to people. War is a nightmare, and Korengal really drives that home.

Great insight on what our military are tasked with. Amazing footage. Everyone should see this to help us understand what these men and women deal with when returning from action.To any Veteran who happens across this review thank you so much for your service. I mean that so very much.

; )

I'M VERY HAPPY WITH MY ORDER THANKS AND AWESOME SHOW