Plot: In May 2007 the Second Platoon of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment begins a 15 month deployment in the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan, considered one of the most dangerous postings in the US Military. The young, inexperienced soldiers have so far only had a vague idea of war, but when they fly into the valley, they start to realize that this is going to be a living hell. They land on the Korengal outpost called The Kop. This is a terrace in the mountain, fortified with temporary protective walls. The Talibans are all around them, constantly shooting at them. Soon the first young soldier, Vimoto, is killed, and one month later Doc Restrepo. To get a better grip on the valley, Captain Kearney orders his men to capture a nearby mountaintop, and there erect a new outpost, which they call Restrepo in honor of their dead fellow. The most dangerous action during their deployment is Operation Rock Avalanche. They go into Taliban controlled land, where they end up in close combat, whereby Sergeant Rougle is killed. When their 15 months deployment is ended, the surviving young soldiers have irreparable, psychic problems.
Alternative Plot: Photographer Tim Hetherington and journalist Sebastian Junger allow the realities of war to speak for themselves in this unnarrated documentary about a U.S. platoon in Afghanistan. The men of Second Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade teeter from naivete to weariness as months of alternating boredom and fighting take their toll. The loss of medic Juan "Doc" Restrepo leads the platoon to name an outpost in the remote Korengal Valley after him.
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