Despite all the discussions surrounding the war in Afghanistan, it is not often that the soldiers themselves are asked for their perspective. That is what combat photographer Tim Hetherington and journalist Sebastian Junger sought to do with Restrepo.

They joined an American platoon of soldiers on a fifteen-month deployment to a place dubbed ‘the deadliest place on earth’ – Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. For just over a year, these filmmakers lived alongside the unit, attempting to document their everyday life.

The title of the film comes from an outpost the team built during their deployment. They marched into enemy territory, about 700 to 800 metres away from the Korengal Outpost, known as ‘The Kop’. There, amidst heavy gunfire, they built a new outpost, or OP, which they named after a fallen comrade, Private First Class Juan ‘Doc’ Restrepo.

The film follows the soldiers over the course of the year, and the footage is supplemented with interviews of the survivors reflecting on their time. It covers first impressions of the valley, interactions with the locals, building OP Restrepo, the almost daily firefights, as well as the disastrous Operation Rock Avalanche. The interviews show how deeply affected these soldiers were by what they saw and experienced while on deployment, and gives an idea of the things that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. We get a taste of the heartbreak felt by these soldiers as they lose men who had become almost family to them.

The soldiers depicted in this film are ordinary men just like us, and just like us they feel the same emotions at the loss of a friend, the same sense of boredom when nothing happens. The situation in which they find themselves is far more intense than what most of us might experience, and therefore the bonds that grow between them are similarly more intense and develop much faster, which thus also multiplies the sense of loss.

The death of Restrepo and other men in the platoon brought out both a desire to honour their memories as well as to avenge their deaths. Specialist Misha Pemble-Belkin laments, ‘I really didn’t want to get overrun, but I wish they were closer so I could have actually seen them when I killed them.’ Such a comment seems to me very harsh, and although to a minor degree I understand where he’s coming from, I don’t think it’s something I could ever agree with. The Bible, though it advocates putting a stop to tyranny and injustice, forcefully denounces killing for the sake of revenge. It says we should leave the payback to God to deal with[1] since only he has entirely pure motives. Our motives for revenge are fuelled by hatred, and vengeance by one party will only lead to vengeance being deemed necessary by the other party, which can easily become an endless cycle that will never fully satisfy either side. Jesus addresses the issue of retribution in his sermon on the mount. He instructs his followers to distinguish themselves by loving their enemies and praying for those who persecute them. He explains that this is the example set by God and that we ought to imitate him[2].

Besides witnessing their heightened senses of closeness and loss, we are also privy to their frustrations at the local leadership. First Sergeant LaMonta Caldwell explains that, despite their efforts to explain how they can aid the residents of the valley, it makes no difference. He explains that he felt as though, ‘we took one step forward and it seems like they took two steps back.’ Often it is hard to see things from the perspective of others. When we believe ourselves to be in the right, contrasting arguments will only serve to annoy or frustrate us. We need to be willing to look at things from other angles. Though the inhabitants of the valley were happy for the Americans to kill the Taliban, they understandably hated it when their families became victims of the conflict. The residents were afraid to help the soldiers because, as one man explained, ‘If we let you know about the Taliban, then we will get killed.’ Captain Dan Kearney, the platoon’s leader, sought to rectify the wrongs of his predecessor by having weekly meetings (shuras) with the valley elders to dialogue with them. Talking to people is an important aspect of overcoming differences and gaining an understanding of the other person. Perhaps Captain Kearney could have made the effort to learn a little of the language before going out to Afghanistan, but at least he did try to negotiate with the elders, attempting to give them an idea of his goals and to understand their take on things.

By all means stand up against evil. Don’t lie down and let evil trample over you. But don’t mistake ‘different’ for ‘evil’. A person with different views of life isn’t necessarily wrong, and in fact this variety of worldviews contributes to making the world more interesting. The Bible tells us, ‘Do all you can to live at peace with everyone.’[1] This may not be so easy to do, as it is very likely each of us has people with whom we don’t get along, even if there is no one we would consider as an enemy. But often the best thing to do is the most difficult. Living at peace with everyone is not an impossible ask, else the Bible would not instruct us to do it. It may be hard but nevertheless it is a directive that we should consciously seek to obey.

Violence to stop evil should only be a last resort and should not be used for vengeance. But Restrepo, as a documentary, shows life as it is, not as it should be. We live in a messed up world and without some sort of guidance for life, such as the Bible offers, we will be stuck with only our own wisdom to lead us. Which some might consider enough, but is negligible compared to God’s wisdom. One of Jesus’s titles is ‘Prince of Peace’, and it is only with his help that we can truly be authentically at peace with those around us.


[1] Romans 12:17-21
[2] Matthew 5: 43-48



This article was first published on Damaris' Culturewatch website (www.culturewatch.org) - used with permission.
© Copyright Richard Blakely 2011