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00:00In 2006 during the war, the US Army establishes outposts in northern Afghanistan to fight
00:05insurgency and hopefully connect with the locals so they drop their weapons.
00:08One of these outposts is PRT Khamdesh, located in a remote valley surrounded by mountains.
00:13This isolation caused the outpost to be seen as a death trap.
00:17One night a new team of soldiers is transferred to Khamdesh.
00:19They're not happy about it, but they still hit it off with the soldiers already there.
00:23Under one of the bunker beds, they notice the words it doesn't get better.
00:26The next morning, the new men stare at their surroundings while the other soldiers explain
00:30how the insurgents use the mountains for surprise attacks.
00:33Suddenly they find a dog and Zahid gets ready to shoot it, but Skuza immediately stops him
00:37because he rescued the dog to keep it as a pet.
00:39At that moment insurgents open fire from the mountains.
00:42The soldiers immediately run for cover as they fire back, trying to avoid the explosions
00:46that start going off in the outpost.
00:48Since they were taken by surprise they start running out of bullets soon, so Carter is
00:52sent out with more.
00:53However he was given the wrong ammo and after some arguing, Carter has to run back.
00:57The soldiers keep on shooting and fire a mortar to destroy their target, quickly earning them
01:01a victory.
01:02Afterward Gallegos kicks down Younger and insults him for firing too close to his head.
01:06Then Carter comes back with the right ammo and gets scolded for arguing during a battle.
01:10Nearby the soldiers discover a man has lost part of his face and they yell for a medic.
01:14Sometime later the soldiers get a call explaining their wounded friend got out of surgery okay
01:18and he'll rejoin them soon.
01:20Meanwhile Captain Keating scolds a young soldier because he was found smoking Mary Jane.
01:24Knowing not to cut payment because it doesn't mean much here, Keating busts him down to
01:28private and cuts off his free time.
01:30The next day Keating announces they need to improve their relationship with the locals
01:33and arranges a shura, which is a type of Muslim council used to discuss important affairs.
01:38Sometime later the soldiers arrive at the shura building to meet with the village elders.
01:42Even though the locals are armed, Keating leaves his weapons and protection outside
01:45to prove he comes in peace.
01:47With Muhammad as their interpreter, Keating explains to the elders that he wants to separate
01:50the civilians from the Taliban to keep them protected, he also offers money and contracts.
01:55At that moment another soldier finishes a gunshot residue test that proves one of the
01:58guards was part of yesterday's attack.
02:00Keating say he must report this, which will cause him to lose honor with his own elders.
02:05After lots of arguing, the elders make their entire group put down their weapons and Keating
02:08shares a hug with the leader.
02:10That night the soldiers grill some meat, drink, share some stories from home, and dance to
02:14some music to celebrate.
02:16The following day, the insurgents open fire from the mountains again and the soldiers
02:19quickly run for cover.
02:21They start shooting back but this time the fight doesn't last long.
02:24Sometime later Hart drags Younger out of his room, yelling at him because Younger stole
02:28a picture of his wife to have some private time with his own hand.
02:31Hart makes Younger do pushups while apologizing to the photograph, yet Younger kisses it anyway.
02:36Meanwhile Keating receives orders to move a large tactical vehicle to Na'ay.
02:40The others point out the potential danger since the roads are too narrow, but Keating
02:43reminds them orders are orders.
02:45He even volunteers to drive the vehicle.
02:47For the next few hours, a small truck guides the tactical vehicle through the dangerous
02:51paths around the mountain.
02:52The vehicle is still too big and its tires often slip down the edge a little.
02:56By night time, they have to stop when they detect something ahead, but when they take
02:59a closer look they discover it's just a dead chicken.
03:02The truck keeps going and almost pushes Carter off the road, but Romeshay catches him just
03:06in time.
03:07When the tactical vehicle tries to advance too, it ends up falling off the edge and exploding,
03:11killing Keating and the other soldiers inside.
03:14As soon as they return to the outpost, the fallen soldiers are given a proper funeral.
03:18Sometime later Ulescas arrives to be the new captain of the outpost and the soldiers show
03:21him around while telling him about all the issues with the mountain attacks.
03:25Suddenly something explodes on the ground and once again some insurgents start firing
03:28from the mountains.
03:30One of the soldiers was in the shower and has to help his friends while naked.
03:33After the attack is over, Ulescas sends a team on patrol.
03:36The group obeys but keeps on complaining about it during their walk, thinking it's pointless.
03:40Romeshay uses the chance to teach the others how an actual good assault would take advantage
03:44of the outpost's weak spots and destroy their supply buildings plus the generators.
03:48A few days later, Kirk discovers a local taking pictures of the area and starts chasing after
03:52him.
03:53The man almost escapes but bumps into another soldier and falls, giving Kirk time to capture
03:57him.
03:58After the team finds his phone and the photos, the man is cuffed and Thompson keeps guard
04:02while explaining the sad family story behind the scars on his arm.
04:05Another shura is organized, and this time only half the elders show up.
04:09The old men complain because they haven't received the money Keating promised, but Ulescas
04:12tells them he'll only pay after an investigation is done behind the pictures in the phone.
04:16In the evening, Muhammad comes back from the village saying that the Taliban are getting
04:20ready for a large-scale attack because the villages aren't happy over the lack of money.
04:24However his warnings aren't taken seriously because he cries wolf every day.
04:28Later Ulescas takes a team on another patrol.
04:30Muhammad keeps an ear on the radio to pick up any enemy talk, but he claims he can't
04:34understand certain dialects.
04:36When they make it to a bridge, Kirk and Carter cross first to make sure it's safe.
04:39Then Ulescas crosses with Younger just to be hit by an explosion in the middle of the
04:43bridge.
04:44Younger saves himself but Ulescas falls dead in the water.
04:47Blood lands on Younger's face and mouth, leaving him in shock.
04:50That night, the soldiers try to deal with their grief with some music.
04:53Romesha hears a noise and goes to investigate, only to find Ulescas trembling and mumbling
04:57to himself with a weapon in hand.
04:59While offering calming words, Romesha slowly removes the bullets from the weapon then shares
05:03how he had to watch a close friend die because of a sniper.
05:06However it's clear that the trauma has left Younger in a bad mental state, so when a helicopter
05:10comes by to pick Ulescas body, Younger leaves as well.
05:13The chopper also brings the new leader Broward, who announces the outpost will be closed in
05:17July and tells the soldiers to concentrate on closing shop until then.
05:20The next day, the soldiers give Broward an Afghan ID they found near the bridge.
05:25They believe he is one of the workers from the hydroelectric plant, so they want to start
05:28searching the villages.
05:29Broward forbids it because it goes against the rules of engagement and reminds them to
05:33leave this for the investigating officer.
05:35All of Romesha's protests are ignored.
05:37Time passes while the soldiers do their best to stick to routine.
05:41Soon another attack from the mountain starts and while the others fire back, Romesha calls
05:44Broward for backup.
05:46However Broward asks for a positive weapon identification first.
05:49Scusi uses his binoculars to confirm it and a bunch of soldiers go out to help.
05:53After the attack is over, Broward talks about the rules of engagement again, pointing out
05:57they can't just shoot someone for acting suspicious and radio or weapon identification always
06:01comes first.
06:02Romesha tries protesting again since they clearly were under fire, but Broward doesn't
06:06want to waste any more ammo or make the relationship with the locals worse.
06:09In the end Broward announces that since they're under pressure from the Afghan president,
06:13they won't leave in July.
06:15The soldiers will get a $1,000 raise and if they're lucky they'll leave in October.
06:19The group obeys but dislikes Broward more every day, especially since he pees in bottles
06:23in his room and makes the soldiers take them out.
06:25Later during lunch Carter approaches Bunderman to share the troops dislike of Broward.
06:29The man only leaves his office to poop and all his rules clearly show he's scared, so
06:33it's hard for the group to take him seriously.
06:35However Bunderman explains Broward has been in more battles than all of them and their
06:38duty is to obey.
06:40Soon it starts raining and Carter shivers in the cold while keeping guard and chatting
06:43with Gallegos on the radio about religion.
06:45That night some movement is seen on the mountains and suddenly an explosion happens in the distance.
06:50Broward allows the soldiers to shoot a mortar back as a warning and calls the wrong coordinates,
06:54but the team corrects him just in time and the mortar is fired without issues.
06:57In the morning they have a meeting to analyze the situation.
07:00If the insurgents were moving the mortars on foot that late, it means now they have
07:03night vision too but they can't guess where these weapons came from.
07:06The meeting is interrupted by the arrival of the elders, who have brought a dead girl
07:09and accused the Americans of doing it.
07:11The soldiers can tell the girl has been dead for days and the Taliban killed her on purpose
07:15to trick them, but Broward will pay them anyway to avoid trouble.
07:18The elder also reveals he knows the Americans are leaving, which was supposed to be classified
07:22information.
07:23Suddenly an elder yells in pain because the dog bit him, although it's unclear if he provoked
07:27the animal on purpose.
07:29Muhammad explains that getting bitten by a dog is extremely shameful in their culture
07:32and the elders demand retribution.
07:34Without hesitation, Broward kills the dog with a shot before scolding Scusa for keeping
07:38a pet during war.
07:39Sometime later the soldiers have fun by testing who can last longer in a waterboarding situation.
07:44They're interrupted by Broward, who announces he's been relieved of duty and a new captain
07:48will arrive in a couple of weeks.
07:50He also confirms they're officially closing this outpost in October 6th.
07:53Bunderman is left in charge until the new captain comes and he tells the others they're
07:56still allowed to talk to their families, but they can't tell them about October to avoid
08:00the information reaching the enemy.
08:02Everyone rushes to call their loved ones and get emotional when they hear news from home.
08:06Early in the morning on October 3rd, 2009, Muhammad comes running into the outpost, saying
08:10all the villagers are gone and that hundreds of Taliban are surrounding their base.
08:14Once again he isn't taken seriously, but when they look at the mountains with binoculars,
08:18they confirm he's saying the truth.
08:20Explosives start going off on their camp and the soldiers rush out of their beds to join
08:23the defense team.
08:24A firefight begins while the insurgents run down the mountain and a soldier almost gets
08:28hit in the head, but his helmet saves him.
08:31Bunderman runs to the comms room and falls when an explosion goes off behind him.
08:34The cameras show that the insurgents have surrounded the entire outpost and no spot
08:38is safe.
08:39Soon Bunderman is yelling on the radio demanding help, but an airstrike will only arrive in
08:42two hours.
08:44Thompson gears up and runs out to help, only to be killed on the spot.
08:47The other soldiers move around to reach the long-range weapons and the vehicles for cover,
08:51always keeping the fire going.
08:53Soon they're running low on ammo, so Carter rushes into the supply room to get more.
08:57It's taking too long though, so various soldiers start hiding inside the different trucks.
09:02Meanwhile Romesha runs around the base, giving out orders and shooting back at any enemy
09:05he sees on the mountain.
09:07Kirk hides inside a building to change weapons and quickly comes out to attack, however an
09:10explosion brings him down and a shot knocks him out, so his friends drag the body back
09:14inside.
09:15It's clear that the outpost is losing the battle and a desperate Zahid runs to see Bunderman,
09:19begging for air support and explaining his men can't fight anymore without ammo.
09:23A furious Bunderman tells Zahid to do what he can for now and pushes him out of the building.
09:27In the infirmary, the few doctors they have area already busy with patients and can't
09:31go out to help the fighters.
09:33A soldier volunteers to retrieve Kirk and crosses the outpost as he continues to dodge
09:37shots and explosions, falling a few times in the process.
09:40Eventually he reaches the building and with the help of the others, they put Kirk on a
09:43stretcher and begin carrying him toward the infirmary while running from the heavy fire.
09:47In the supply room, there's a great lack of organization because everyone wants to take
09:51ammo to every corner of the base.
09:53Skuza is given ammo for the group stuck in the vehicle, however he's shot down as soon
09:56as he leaves the building.
09:58Other soldiers throw gas grenades for cover and take his body to the doctors too.
10:02Unfortunately Skuza is dead by the time they make it to the infirmary.
10:05Kirk is hanging in there but his pulse is weak.
10:08Carter grabs as much ammo as he can carry and begins to run through the base, always
10:11taking cover before an explosion can hit him.
10:14Eventually he makes it to one of the vehicles and another soldier jumps in with him as they
10:18share out the ammo.
10:19Romeshay continues to sneak around the outpost, making use of any weapon he can find on the
10:22way.
10:23A grenade explodes near him and he jumps to dodge, but his arm is wounded anyway.
10:27He uses his radio to apologize to the soldiers in the truck since he doubts he'll reach them
10:31soon.
10:32Afterward Romeshay enters a building and makes a new plan of attack with other soldiers.
10:36Then he goes to the infirmary to check on Kirk, but he's already dead.
10:40Furious, Romeshay grabs a weapon and runs out to find a spot where he can shoot the
10:43enemy sniper, finally killing him.
10:46The firefight continues as explosions keep going off all over the place.
10:49Hart takes ammo to another group in a truck, but when they try to take off, the car gets
10:53stuck on a bump.
10:55At that moment they discover the Taliban has breached the perimeter so the group leaves
10:58the vehicle to fight them.
10:59But Hart quickly gets shot down and soon the others are killed as well.
11:02Only one guy survives and he runs to inform Romeshay, who together with Saeed shoot at
11:06any enemy walking nearby.
11:08Soon they're informed that the enemy is breaking through multiple points on the base.
11:12In the comms room, Bunderman gets a call saying reinforcements are close.
11:16The plan for now is to dig in and hold on as long as they can, but Romeshay comes in
11:20and says they should retake the base.
11:22He explains there's still plenty of ammo in the supply room, so his plan is to grab it
11:25and block the main gate.
11:27As an explosion hits the comms building, Bunderman gives Romeshay permission to go for it.
11:31He also cuts all the comms in case the enemy has their radios, and now the group stuck
11:35in trucks have no updates on the situation.
11:38Tired of waiting, the group with Goyegos and Carter decides to act.
11:41They get off the truck and run as fast as they can while Carter provides cover, but
11:44soon Goyegos is down and Carter hides inside the truck again with another soldier.
11:49At that moment he sees a man crawling as he bleeds out and wants to help him.
11:52At first his partner stops him, but eventually he agrees to provide cover.
11:56Carter goes out and quickly reaches the wounded soldier, securing his leg before picking him
12:00up.
12:01In one quick run, they make it back to the truck.
12:04After gathering some volunteers, Romeshay sneaks around the camp and ignores Bunderman
12:07when he tells him to wait for a machine gun.
12:10The group begins shooting at all the enemies getting into their base and even keep moving
12:13even if there's too much smoke in the area.
12:15After killing tons and tons of insurgents, they make it to the front gate and Romeshay
12:18secures a room.
12:20When he's about to start shooting the men on the mountain, a bomb falls from the sky
12:23announcing the arrival of air support.
12:26With the helicopters and bombers killing dozens of enemies by the second, Carter dares to
12:29leave the truck again.
12:31He keeps on shooting while picking up a radio to confirm that the airstrike is on their
12:34side.
12:35Then he runs back to the vehicle and the group uses the radio to call Bunderman, who explains
12:39a big bomb will drop soon so they need to get out of there on their own.
12:42Carter and his partner put the wounded soldier on a stretcher and run as fast as they can.
12:46Thankfully they make it to the infirmary just in time and the doctor has no choice but to
12:50use his own blood for the transfusions.
12:52Soon all the survivors are donating to help their wounded friends.
12:55By the time the new captain arrives with reinforcements, most of the base has been destroyed by the
12:59bombing.
13:00There are still a few insurgents around so they search the mountain area to stop them.
13:04At the outpost, the survivors search every corner too to gather the bodies and find Muhammad
13:08hiding in a cabinet ready to say I told you so.
13:10When the new captain enters the base, Bunderman reports their losses in tears.
13:14The captain commends him for his leadership and announces tomorrow they'll blow up the
13:17outpost before leaving.
13:19That night the few survivors gather around and share one last song to say goodbye before
13:23the helicopters take them away.
13:25As they fly off, they watch the explosion that finishes destroying the outpost, although
13:29they're sad to hear the man Carter saved didn't make it.
13:31All of them get stars for their work while Carter and Romesha get medals of honor, becoming
13:35the most decorated unit of the war.
13:37Three days later at a new base, the soldiers get to call their loved ones.
13:41Carter sees a psychologist and has a PTSD induced breakdown that makes it hard to breathe,
13:45so the psychologist helps him calm down.
13:48Eventually an investigation blames the Battle of Kamdesh on faulty leadership that failed
13:51to improve the base's defenses.
13:53This caused all obviously indefensible outposts to be closed.
13:57This battle was the first in 50 years to give medals of honor to living men.
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14:05Thanks for watching.