Transcripts For KGO Nightline 20140527 : vimarsana.com

KGO Nightline May 27, 2014

This is a special edition of nightline. The other war. Good evening, and thanks for joining us. On this memorial day we honor americas servicemen and women. And tonight youre about to meet soldiers who formed a brotherhood so strong while serving in afghanistan they found nothing could replace it. A new documentary takes us inside the brutal and harrowing battles they fought so far from home. And while the fighting was tough enough, in some ways they say coming back was even tougher. Heres abcs brian ross. Reporter what happened in this ruggedly beautiful faraway country became known as the other war. Even though more than 2,300 americans have so far died in afghanistan, in fighting as fierce and as difficult as anything ever seen by the u. S. Military. Did you see him . No, i dont see him. Yeah, its frightening. I think if anybody told you they werent scared they were kind of [ bleep ] you. Youre scared. You know that fear is there but you just put it away. Reporter most of the fighting and dying in afghanistan happened in remote places that few americans ever heard much about. Down low. Youre doing good. Reporter like the area around the u. S. Outpost called restrepo, a sixmilelong korengal valley, near the border with pakistan. Some 42 americans were killed in the korengal valley. And for those who served here with them, today is very special. I think memorial days a very powerful day for them. This is the day where they really think about, like my god, that guy died at 22. What a sacrifice. Its a very solemn time for them. Reporter over the course of more than a year journalist Sebastian Junger along with photographer tim hetherrington were embedded. They produced awardwinning reports that aired on abc news and a featurelength documentary called restrepo that was nominated for an academy award. And now with American Forces being drawn down in afghanistan junger has a followup film called korengal that provides a rare and surprising insight into why some american soldiers may actually wish they had never left restrepo. Its a giant machine gun. Whats not to like about a giant machine gun . Soldiers miss war. What is it theyre missing . I really wanted to make a film that got into the soldiers minds and helped them and the country obviously understand what that experience is like. Is there anything about this youre going to miss . Shooting people. Its always fun shooting. Is there anything you miss about restrepo . The6a i think a lot of us kind of miss that adrenaline. Americans have a kind of war fatigue. But not these soldiers. It was the most intense thing theyve probably ever done. And you know, of course they dont miss getting shot at and they dont miss having to shoot at people. But what they do miss is that brotherhood of combat. Its not replaceable back home. And i think thats the sort of secret to understanding why soldiers can miss something thats as terrible as war is. Theres nothing else like it. Were getting engaged again. Reporter at timesw scenes set to a pounding rock beat, it seems not unlike a violent video game come to life. Whoo, hoo fire combats a lot of things. And among other things, its intoxicating and very high adrenaline. And those guys were jacked out of their minds in that firefight. By the same token, theres other moments in the film and in real life where youre in this sort of like, you know, moral freefall into this sort of darkness, like what are we doing . Were killing people, were dying. Whoo [ gunfire ] for a while there i started i started thinking that god hates me. And like i said, im not religious or anything, but i felt there was this hate for me because i did sin, you know, i sinned. And although i would have done it the same way, everything the same exact way, i still would feel this way. You know, i still thats the terrible thing with war. Any honest film about war captures those two truths. Its very, very combats very exciting. And its profoundly disturbing. That comment, you did what you had to do, just drives me insane. Because is that what gods going to say . You did what i had to do. Good job. Punch you on the shoulder and say welcome to heaven . You know. I dont think so. Reporter the mission of american soldiers in afghanistan over the last 13 years was to go after the taliban and al qaeda, considered vital to national security. For these soldiers that meant leaving the protection of their hilltop base and heading down to the villages below to win over the hearts and minds of the villagers. When we left the wire, most of the guys were scared, and what was going through their mind was hopefully i dont get to die today. You know, hopefully i live to see another day. Theyre going to talk to you guys reporter but jungers film reveals the seeming futility of the mission and the contempt in which each side regarded the other. We come in, theyre going to take what they can get from us, and then as soon as the taliban comes in theyre going to give them what they want, but theyre a little more scared of those guys than us. So i think they played both sides and theyll be fine to your face but in the end theyre just kind of in the middle trying to survive. You know, this whole going there and act like theyre friends thing doesnt work. Hearts and minds is out the window when you see the guy shooting at you and then he puts his wife and kids in front of him knowing full well that we wont shoot back. Women and children up on the roof. Or the guy who shakes our hand, takes the ten bags of rice we give him for his family, the school supplies, and immediately walks through the mountain, shoots an rpg at us, walks back down and smiles at us. [ bleep ] his heart. [ bleep ] his mind. Reporter the u. S. Withdrew most of its forces from the korengal valley some four years ago. Junger says in the minds of american commanders the mission at restrepo served a larger strategic purpose in stabilizing the area and holding the taliban at bay, even if the soldiers in the korengal valley didnt always see the bigger picture. Once youre out there, you know, your countrys an abstraction. Once youre out there, what youre really doing is fighting to survive and help your brothers survive. And thats really it. And i think thats been true for millenia. I think the greek soldiers at the walls of troy didnt really care about helen. Right . They were fighting because they were there with their brothers and thats what was happening. And some of the most telling moments in jungers film come in between battles, waiting for the next mission or the next attack. Ive been hit what does courage mean . I would ask them that. Like what does courage mean . Whats it mean to be brave . Bravery to me, as an example would be something along the lines of someone who goes out of their way despite the very likely potential of dying and risking his life to, you know, protect another one. We didnt talk about that word very much because we didnt feel what we were doing was bravery. Every Single Person that got shot over there, they didnt worry about themselves one bit. All they asked about was how are my guys . Sergeant rice when he got hit, hes like wheres my team at . Is solo okay . Is jackson okay . Is vandenberger all right . Sergeant padilla lost his arm. His arm was missing. He had shrapnel in his face. And he was just asking if everybody was okay. Thats bravery. Sergeant first class cortez, unwavering courage, aggressiveness, and leadership while under fire were decisive to his company defeating an enemy attack. Private first class cortezs performance reflects great credit upon himself, task force bayonet, combined joint task force 101. Howd that feel . Awesome. Yeah . Felt good . Felt good. You guys looked proud up there. Of course. We accomplished something. We got recognized for this. Im happy. You didnt start crying or anything. No. Im not sentimental like that. I dont break down. Im a soldier. But there were times when they did break down. When the tears flowed. Yeah, theyre all trying not to cry. And of course they fail. Yeah. Its very powerful. Reporter when we return on this memorial day special edition of nightline. It really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. Unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you new fitflex®, our best protection. Its a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands. Get your free sample at depend. Com. We return to our profound story 1 abandon of brothers formed in the war in afghanistan. Four american soldiers say they became family while struggling to maintain faith in their mission and fight for their very survival. So why did so many of them say they miss it . And how did they learn to cope with the grief . Abcs brian ross takes us back into a journey of hope. Reporter journalist Sebastian Junger and his partner Tim Hetherington put their lives on the line to report from afghanistan, spending more than a year with the soldiers of Battle Company in an outfit post called restrepo. We both were almost killed out there. Tim broke his leg in combat. I got blown up by an i. E. D. We paid our price too. And i think by the end the guys were open and honest with us because wed been through an awful lot of this with them. Reporter as junger portrays in his new documentary, korengal, the american soldiers formed a brotherhood that ironically left many feeling empty when they left afghanistan. Did you have your own withdrawal . Did you miss it when you came home . I missed the guys. You know, im 52. Im starting to get over the combat thing. But i missed the guys a lot. In a weird way, as dangerous and scary as it was out there, it was also one of the happiest times of my life. And i think its true for a lot of those guys too. How so . Theres no stress. Like no emails to deal with, no bills to pay, no fights with your girlfriend. No real life to deal with. Its very simple. Just stay alive. Tim called it a sort of paradise for men in a weird way. Its like none of the hassles of real life and all of this male bonding, which is pretty intoxicating to men. Tim hetherington had his own intoxication with war. I need to get close to the action. Thats as a cameraman in combat you need to be close to where its at. If hetherington himself was scared he never showed it. On this mission with Battle Company the soldiers got word the taliban were tracking them as they pulled back to their base at night. It was a sense that we were now going to be hunted. And that was not a great feeling. Reporter as the shooting began, hetherington kept rolling, steady as always through the chaos of battle. And we ran up to the ridge, expecting there to be fighting. And instead we came across the scene of the scouts and a part of 2nd platoon that had suffered casualties. Reporter and the grim discovery involving a beloved company leader. The men were distraught. And as close as he was to them, hetherington did not hesitate to do his job as a journalist while the platoon leader got his men back into the battle. Hetheringtons work with junger in afghanistan won wide acclaim and is seen again in this latest documentary. But soon hetherington was on his way to his next war, libya, where at the age of 40 he was killed. His partner, junger, was devastated and learned a painful lesson about war and loss. I was supposed to be with him on assignment, and last minute i couldnt go. Personal reasons. And then he got killed. I twisted it around in my head, i should have been there to help him, save his life. Or protect him or i know, its not even rational. But i was i mean, an enormous component of ptsd is survivor guilt. And im still i can get incredibly emotional out of the blue, out of nowhere. I think ill probably have that my whole life. Reporter so junger treats with special care how the men of Battle Company dealt with their grief. They take responsibility for the tragedies that happen to their brothers. And they live with it their whole lives. Thats one of the reasons soldiers dont want to talk about war, is theyll end up crying at the dinner table. And most grown men dont want to cry at the dinner table. You know what i mean . So they just avoid the whole topic. Reporter the restrepo outpost was named for one of the companys medics, juan restrepo, killed in action valley. When the soldiers said goodbye to him, they struggled to hold on and find a way to somehow move on. Is it a good thing this place has been named after him . Yeah . 14. Restrepo. Pnc juan restrepo. Pfc juan restrepo. Ready, aim, fire. Ready, aim, fire. Ready, aim, fire. Just upset. Like before this information how you want to be buried, who you want to be notified, and how you want your memorial. You can pick out what songs you want played. So we were really upset, and all of a sudden the song i will survive comes out in spanish. And he requested that if he died. And we just start laughing. Our thanks to brian ross for that report. Korengal opens in theaters on may 30th. And well be back with another look at memorial day tributes. Hey, buddy . Oh, hey, flo. You want to see something cool . Snapshot, from progressive. My Insurance Company told me not to talk to people like you. You always do what they tell you . No. Try it, and see what your good driving can save you. You dont even have to switch. Unless youre scared. Im not scared, its. You know we can still see you. No, you cant. 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Turn around every now and then i get a little bit hungry and theres nothing really good around turn around every now and then i get a little bit tired of living off the taste of the air turn around, barry finally, i have a manly chocolatey snack and fiber so my wife wont give me any more flack i finally found the right snack throughout the day across the country a wave of patriotism. Remembering those who served and those weve lost. Countless communities parading in honor of our nations veterans, paying tribute to those who returned home safely and those who did not. In arizona Raymond Murphy remembering her husband william, who served in world war ii. And in fort worth, texas a 7yearold cub scout placing flowers, moving his grandfather to tears. It meant that he cared. About so many people giving their lives for our country. Reporter that grandfather, a vietnam vet. At Arlington National cemetery, remembering those whove fall nen more modern wars. This former army sergeant, anthony brown, remembering his best friend, Sergeant Scott kirkpatrick. They fought together in iraq. In new jersey a mother honoring her son, ryan ianelli, who served in afghanistan. Even on the field, in atlanta today, braves players standing side by side with current men and women in uniform. And across the nation children paying respects and giving thanks. And of course tonight we salute all of our men and women in uniform. Thanks for watching abc news. We hope you enjoyed your memorial day holiday. Be sure to tune in to Good Morning America tomorrow. Theyll have the very latest on that tragic shooting outside santa barbara. And we will have a full report tomorrow night on nightline as well. As always, were online at abcnews. Com. Good night, america. Every day more americans choose abc news, americas number one news source

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