National Geographic Documentary "Restrepo"

I recently watched a documentary made by National Geographic called 'Restrepo', which documents the ravages of warfare that a US Army platoon must endure while staying at a remote outpost in Afghanistan. The entire film covers a wide range of emotions as it tells the story of the men who live and die there while fighting the Taliban. The combat footage is real, there is no acting. What struck me the most is the intense realism. There is no fakeness here. There are no Hollywood actors or everyday actors. The hell these men endure strips away all but who they really are. It is something I think every American should see. One part was strikingly powerful, when one of the sergeants is shot, laying there lifeless and bloodied, the reactions of his fellow troops. Grown men, hardened by months of constant combat, crying and wailing like little children. I cannot express here the deep sick feeling I got when watching that. And while it was hard to watch, I am so glad that I did.



This documentary is completely apolitical. There is no agenda other than telling the story of these soldiers as they endure the hell of combat in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. Or so I thought. Alas, the left wing in America proves me wrong yet again. After watching, I decided to check out Restrepo on IMDB to see what others had to say about it. Not only had leftists run rampant on the message boards decrying the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they had vile and insulting words for the very troops (even the deceased) who were shown in the film!

It makes me sick and angry to think there are actually people out there in the United States who legitimately hate our country so much, that they hate our dead soldiers. I have no words.

After spending a good twenty minutes reading the posts from coward, pot smoking, hippie boys hiding behind their keyboards and computer screens I noticed a couple of trends in their thinking.

1) All the troops are brainwashed pawns who enjoy killing
2) America is an imperialist nation and the cause of all the world's woes

Both of these accusations are only subconscious attempts to mask their own cowardice and lack of manhood. Idiots who say such things are ignorant people in denial. They have no merit. I ask you, if you are one of these scum maggots, why are you so quick to accuse American troops of barbarity but you never acknowledge the heinous crimes of the Taliban? Does our military hang eight year old boys and elderly women? Does our military stone women if they are raped by a man? Does our military sever the heads of captured enemy combatants with dull blades?

This moves us to point number two. If America is such an imperialist nation, why have we not completely seized every oil field in Iraq and poppy field in Afghanistan for our benefit and why have we not enslaved their people? Imperialist nations don't spend their very own money rebuilding the nations they "occupy". They take the resources there. Imperialist nations don't construct schools in the lands they conquer. Imperialist nations don't help set up democratic elections for the countries they invade. Why are Iraq and Afghanistan not annexed territories of the US? Left wing scum like these people have absolutely no grasp of history. A history lesson is in order. Egypt, Rome, Greece, Persia, Ottoman Turkey, Spain/Portugal, Napoleonic France, and Nazi Germany were imperialist empires. Difference between America and said empires: they annexed the territory and enslaved the people they conquered. The United States has not even come close to either of these actions. The next time one of you hippies says the United States being in Iraq or Afghanistan is an "imperialist occupation" you deserve a slap in the face with a history textbook. I thought the left were the intellectually enlightened!


The next time I am confronted by an anti-American liberal who presents either of the above arguments I will swiftly bury both inane statements in a matter of seconds. Why? I can personally attest to the exceptional qualities of the American military and its relationship to its enemies. I am a medic. Myself and my fellow soldiers have been tasked out by the US Army specifically to treat captured enemy prisoners here in Iraq. We treat Al Qaida detainees to the same standard we would treat a wounded American soldier. Hardly the actions of a bloodthirsty military and an imperialist occupation. I speak from personal experience and I will trump ANYONE who says otherwise!

And to those who openly mock the actions of dead soldiers, where is your humanity?