Taking Fire

You've gotta make sure your lens is straight, dude.

Is it cocked right now? I got it. I fixed it.

We are an assault team. Just six of us.

You better run, goat.

This is my first patrol, and I'm thinking,

"It's a beautiful country."

Up there when the sun comes up,

I'm wondering, "Man, like, this is so cool."

It smells amazing out there.

It's almost like a slight sagebrush smell.

You see that little area right there?

Let's go push over, go to that grassy knoll area

and bring it down over there.

There's these stacks of rocks, Taliban fighting positions.

I start walking over there...

Camera in hand, taking pictures,

making sure we get all this documented.

Holy cow.

These rounds are hitting inches away from me.

Welcome to Afghanistan.

Go, go!

In May 2010, a small unit from the legendary 101st Airborne

is among those deployed in an attempt to defeat the Taliban.

It is in our vital national interest

to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan.

Pick it up, go, go, go.

The Korengal Valley is frequently described

as the valley of death.

Hurry up, hurry up, get out there.

Oh, shit. Move!

We knew that it was gonna be the deployment

that people would write books about.

I figured I wanted to be able to document that.

What is that? Is that a camera or something?

Their mission: to intercept weapons and fighters

pouring through the valley from the Taliban safe havens

in neighbouring Pakistan.

Among the group, rookies who had never been in combat before...

Private JJ McCool.

We're leaving here in ten minutes, so...

And Private Kyle Boucher.

That's it.

I was pretty green.

I never left the country before I joined the army.

Hi, Mom.

We really didn't have any idea how bad it was gonna get.

We were already taking fire from two places.

We could die in a matter of seconds.

It is, kind of, that journey from boyhood to manhood.

Aargh!

Fuck you!

It's a brotherhood, man. You can't let your brothers die.

He's got hurt, but he'll be all right.

I don't really think there's anything that could bond you more.

Hey, let's go!

These are my brothers, this is my family.

Fuck man! Those are close.

Where's it coming from? I don't know, dude. Behind me.

They were coming right next to my head, dude.

McCool came running up over that little hill

that we were hiding behind,

just excited because, you know, he just got shot and he...

And we're like, "Oh, man," like... like, "This is real."

Dude, I was, like, taking a picture, all I hear is...

Hey, sir, it was all around me when I was on that other side.

So now we're just shooting everything.

Everything that moved.

I could literally see the rounds hitting the rocks right next to me.

It sounded like it was either coming from that tree right there

or right up this ridgeline.

See where that...

It's very hard to fight an enemy that a lot of times can't be seen.

It's almost like you're fighting a ghost.

If I can pinpoint a location based off the sound,

once I'm aware of the area I can see muzzle flashes.

We have CAS on station, which is our close air support,

so we are coordinating with them,

so that they could drop a bomb on them.

Hey, cover me. I'm going up to set the camera.

They tell us that they have a visual on them.

It's danger close, so we have to take cover.

Hey, come on. Get down.

Hearing that bomb come in screaming overhead, it's awesome.

It's this very distinct whistle.

Cowabunga. Woo-hoo!

You got it covered?

Come on, go, go, go, go, go.

Someone who was just trying to kill me minutes ago

now no longer has the chance.

Hey, hey, I got video of it.

You do? Yeah.

It's like going down a huge hill on a roller coaster,

when, you know, your stomach lifts up and you just have this, like,

almost feeling of, like, weightlessness.

There isn't anything like being in a fire fight.

It's funny looking back at now...

I mean, they say, "Hey, you may not make it back,"

or, "50 per cent of you will," or, "You could get shot."

That may be true but it doesn't really feel real

until you actually see one of your buddies get shot

or a round hit inches from your head.

It toys with your mind a bit, especially now,

knowing that I'm having a baby in a couple of weeks.

Everywhere you go, everything that you do,

I mean, it's exhausting,

always thinking of maybe what the worst thing

that could happen could be.

The small platoon from the famous 101st Airborne Division

are based at one of America's smallest and most dangerous outposts.

Deep in enemy territory,

COP Michigan is a critical line of defence against Taliban fighters

coming across the border from nearby Pakistan.

COP Michigan is maybe a little bit bigger than

a football field and a half.

I mean, you're talking 15 people to one little CHU

and the CHU is what we sleep in.

I mean, bunk beds on bunk beds on bunk beds and...

Privacy is not even a thing.

Things that aren't reinforced with sandbags and hescos,

they're just riddled with shrapnel.

Next to my bunk, there's bullet holes right there and they're, like...

You know, like, "I'm gonna sleep here?"

Tell me I won't put on my tiger mask.

Tell me this is not the definition of intimidation right here.

That is intimidating. Intimidation.

Let me tell you something. This is just...

How- Work!

I was doing sales, selling shoe cleaner in the mall,

but I like going on adventures, doing new things.

Yeah!

Any time I've ever done anything crazy, I've wanted it on video.

Then I decided to join the military

because I thought it'd be a lot of fun. Shake it like...

I wanted to be able to document that.

McCool was the type of guy that you either loved him or hated him.

Juarez, what you got? I'm not done, motherfucker.

He could annoy the shit out of you, and he was good at it.

Boucher? What's up?

What have you got, dude?

Hi, Mom. What are the last words, man?

Those are my last words, "Hi, Mom." "Hi, Mom." That's it?

I was a ranch hand, I had worked at a car wash,

at a Subway.

There's no job that I haven't done,

and I couldn't stick to one, you know.

I would just get bored, easily

and that's when I decided I needed to go and join the army.

You know, my mother cried when I left to go

and, signed the papers.

I was the baby.

I had gone on the computer to look up where he was going.

It was the worst place in Afghanistan.

It was the most dangerous place.

I was afraid every day.

I just prayed every day, that's all I could do, was pray.

The base is strategically located

to deny the Taliban control of a vital supply road to Kabul.

And they told us, you know,

"COP Michigan takes fire every single day."

The advantage to the Taliban is we're in the mountains...

You know, these guys know where we are.

Kind of like you're a sitting duck.

So we're all waiting for something to happen.

There was nothing.

We're sitting here waiting... wishing for a better life.

What have you got to say, Sergeant Petry?

You'd walk around the COP and we were like,

"You know, why aren't they shooting at us?"

Pissing just reminds me of home, you know?

Moving to that next day we're like,

"Surely we're gonna get attacked," and there was nothing.

Two, three days we were just hanging out at the COP,

still nothing.

Oh, they're friends. Oh, look.

I'm like, "These guys are exaggerating."

I mean, it's easy to make it sound like it's way worse than it is.

Not possible.

We really don't have any idea how bad it's gonna get.

We didn't know what we were in for.

Oh, Jesus!

Go!

Keep it up. Go, go, go!

Hey, let's go, come on.

Oh, shit!

Where the fuck did that hit?

Well, the first time COP Michigan gets attacked,

they're shooting right at us,

like shooting fish in a barrel.

Back side. A little more again.

We are at the bottom of this valley, surrounded by endless mountains.

I mean, they can kick rocks down at us and hit us.

Damn!

It's baptism by fire.

Jesus Christ.

I have just done two back-to-back tours of Iraq.

Almost all of our guys were new to the army.

They've never done this kind of stuff before.

Where's the mark truck, man?

The mark truck needs to be right fucking here,

laying up that whole fucking...