"A story." "A man has a lot of choices." "And these choices made in life are rarely perfect." "So he decides to sign a contract 'cause he wants to make a difference." "He wants to save this world, make it a better place." "But when that contract is signed, he will no longer choose when he wants to eat, sleep, fuck or fight." "Those decisions will be made for him." "He will be part of something bigger than himself." "He will train for 70 consecutive days and get to know every inch of his M16A4 rifle better than his own dick." "Then, he will go to the desert and fight." "And die." "Why is he fighting?" "Why is he dying?" "What's the fucking point?" "Go, go, go!" "On your .50" "Cal, now!" "Go!" "Go!" "Watch it, watch your back." "Take cover!" "Take cover!" "Take cover!" "Tiger one-seven!" "Tiger one-seven!" "This is P.B. Cobra requesting immediate fire mission in the same vicinity of my last grid." "Confirming grid 8-8-3-7-6-5." "More ammo!" "We gotta get this stuff outta here so we can get the hell out." "Let's go, hustle, get this unloaded." "This is crazy, man." "For fuck's sake, go get that truck unloaded!" "Right away, Staff Sergeant!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Move it!" "Move it!" "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Kett, give me." "Merrimette, you can carry more than one!" "Let's go!" "Dickson, we need some more 5-5-6!" "Merrimette, bring down that 5-5-6!" "Go!" "Go, go, go!" "Danni, grab me the ammo!" " Hey, yo!" "What do you need?" " I need, 5-5-6." "Here you go." "You got it?" "Get the ridge!" "Get the ridge again!" "Again!" "You guys doin' all right down there?" "I don't know, man." "It's crazy." "Thanks!" "Come on." "Here you go." "How much more is left?" "A shitload, Staff Sergeant!" "Hurry up!" "I'm on it." "Is every bad guy in the world in our face?" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Staff Sergeant!" "Request permission to get some!" "That's a negative, Corporal." "You wanna provide support, then fly and get in that truck and unload the rest of that goddamned toilet paper." "These boys may need to drop a deuce when that thing is done, you got me?" "Yes, sir!" "RPGs!" " God!" " Man down!" " Crap!" "My fucking leg!" " Sergeant!" "God!" "My fucking leg!" "My fucking leg!" "Sarge, Sarge." "Stop the bleeding." "My fucking leg." "Everything's okay." "Corpsman!" "Corpsman up!" "My leg's all the way over there, man." "My leg's all the way over there, man." "Corpsman!" "My fucking leg, man!" "I'm gonna die." "Corpsman!" "I'm gonna die." "Corpsman!" "I'm gonna die." "Help me!" "God!" "No!" "I'm gonna die." "I'm gonna die." "No, we're not gonna let you die." "That's what's happening." "I'm here." "I'm with you, sir." "I'm sorry." "Come on, boys." "Motherfucker." "Relax, bitches." "What up?" "Hey, Li, what's up?" "Aloha, boys." "Hey, guys." "What do we got?" "A crown for the queen." "Cute." "What, we both get both of them?" "Doesn't matter, dude." "My God, what is that?" "Pineapple juice?" "That is disgusting." "No, I don't want that." "Give me something stronger douchebag." "I'll get you a bib." "Get the fuck outta here with that shit." "Hey!" "Stop dickin' around." "Go escort Sergeant Dickson to Mortuary Affairs." "Yeah, stop dicking' around." " He's talkin' to you, fool." " He keeps taking' my cup." "You're just the man I'm lookin' for." "Sir." "Like that hat." "Lovely lid, Li." "It's Luau Sunday, sir." "It's my party hat." "Well, carry on." "Yes, sir." "Walk with me." "Yes, sir." "Staff Sergeant Dickson was a good man." "Yes, sir." "Is this allowed, sir?" "No." "Jack Dickson." "Sit down." "Your wife, she's expecting, yeah?" "Yes, sir." "How far along is she?" "Eight months, sir." "I'm afraid that's one delivery you're gonna have to miss." "Yes, sir." "I've been there, I share your pain." "The things we do for the Corps." "Corporal, this job of ours, driving trucks in heavily contested areas, it's just about the most dangerous job on the planet." "We lose good men and women every day, don't we?" "Yes, sir." "I expect you and your people are wondering who's gonna take over as squad leader." "I haven't really had time to think about it yet, sir." "Well, you better give it some thought." "You're the new squad leader." "Major?" "Congratulations." "You just got yourself another stripe." "Sir, maybe there's someone else." "I..." "Come again?" "Corporal Kettner." "He's the same rank." "He's got more experience..." "Corporal Kettner's an exemplary marine." "He made the short list but you drew the long straw." "Sir, it's just that this is my third deployment in four years." "After it's over, my contract's up." "I'm not sure if I'm going to re-up, sir." "Is my beloved Corps not living up to your expectations?" "It's a big decision and my wife and I, we haven't made up our minds yet." "Well, I've been there, too." "Just the way I felt after my third deployment and hey, look at me now." "How about this, Corporal?" "You're taking over the squad." "That's a fact." "But, if and when you wanna walk away from this, there's no reason you shouldn't walk away as a sergeant." "Can you live with that?" "Yes, sir." "All right." "You're dismissed." "You have a shower, some grub, grab some sack time." "You leave on mission in the morning." "Yes, sir." "Corporal?" "Sir?" "Keep the faith." "Semper Fi." "Semper Fi, sir." "No, no, no." "I'm out." "I'm out." "You don't feel like staying out there?" "No." "Grass skirts and desert camos aren't really my look." "I don't know." "The right set of shoes, I think you could pull it off." "Ha." "Times like this, there's only one place I wanna be." "Go call her." "Have fun." "Wish me luck." "Ain't happening, Soto." "Keep your dick away from me." "Shut it, Li." "Hi." "Hi, baby." "How you doing?" "I'm okay." "I'm just doing some laundry." "I didn't expect you to call." "No, I know." "I just wanted to say hi." "Hi." "Everything okay?" "Yeah." "I just really wanted to hear your voice." "How's our little lady doing?" "She's been jumping on my bladder, but we're doing good." "Wow, I've really missed you." "You sure everything's okay?" "Yeah, I'm good now." "Okay." "Did you send that letter yet?" "Have you told them you're not re-enlisting?" "Not yet." "Don't worry, baby." "I'll do it." "I love you." "I love you, too." "Okay, Marines, fire when ready!" "Hey, bud, what's the good word?" "Yeah, we're getting a new sergeant?" "Yup." "Word is Davidson from over at Fox Trot's coming over." "No, that's not happening." "Can you tell us who it is?" "Yeah, who's the FNG?" "Fucking new guy, buddy." "Seriously, the last thing we need is some uptight asshole." "Okay, come on." "Tell us who it is." "It's me." "Say what?" "What?" "No way." "You?" "Get outta here." "I'm sorry, man." "Hey, if it wasn't me, it was you." "So you down for being my alpha team leader?" "Hell yeah." "A-slash gets the girls, shoots the bad guys." "Squad leader does the paperwork." "Shit." "That's actually true." "Right?" "Right." "Wow." "Nothing changes, guys." "Everything changes, man." "I can't give you shit anymore." "I love givin' you shit." "Soto, you can still give me shit." "I can just bust your ass for it now." "That's cute." "Well, we said we didn't want an uptight asshole." "Yeah, at least he's not uptight." "Very funny." "No, you guys should really laugh it up." "Because once I get my stripes, you guys are just pushing all day long." "Hard." "Crew, back to marksmanship training." "I need the best damn squad in the Corps." " Yeah." " I'll remember that." "One, two..." "Hey, Soto, do you actually have a penis?" "All the way down." "All the way down." "Easy on the ammo, Danni." "Just in case." "Just in case what?" "Just in case you animals piss me off." "I'm a gear queer." "What can I say?" "You're a toolbox." "That's what I can say." "Yeah, but I look good." " You're all right." " Don't deny it." "Good afternoon, sirs!" "All right, listen up!" "Stand easy." "You'll be transporting supplies to Forward" "Ops Base Ouellette in the Garmsir District." "Those poor people have been taking beaucoup casualties." "They need to get resupplied ASAP." "Now this is definitely outside the Green Zone." "So watch your corners, keep your head on a swivel." "LEDs, HMEs, ambushes, whatever." "Questions?" "Are we taking route 605, sir?" "Affirmative." "It's a straight shot 75 clicks, then a hard right under Route Red." "We're totally fucked." "Son." "This is Private Khalid Hassan Abu Faisal." "He's with the Afghan National Army." "He's joining the squad." "Muji motherfucker." "You got a problem with that, Corporal Kettner?" "No, sir!" "That's good." "This is part of the drawdown handoff." "Private Faisal has received the same training as every one of you has, so he deserves your cooperation and your respect." "Would you agree with that, Corporal?" "Yes, sir!" "That's fine." "All right, Marines, you stay safe, get the job done." "They're all yours, squadron leader." "Thank you, sir." "Oorah, sir." "All right, Marines, top up your ammo." "Let's get ready to roll." "Faisal." "Corporal Merrimette." "Thank you." "You'll be riding with Corporal Kettner." "You ride in the back." "Go ahead, man." "Go ahead." "Go." "You speak English?" "Easy, Kett." "Let's go." "Show time." "All right, Li." "You look stupid." "Thanks." "Corporal!" "What's up, A-slash?" "You really gonna let him have a gun?" "They let you have one, don't they?" "You really want him to be armed?" "I don't know." "Let's find out." "Private Faisal?" "What are you doin', man?" "Can I have a minute of your time, please?" "Yes, sir." "Private, Corporal Kettner here is concerned that you may be a terrorist in disguise and you're planning on killing all of us." "Now, do you have any plans like that?" "I have no plans to harm anyone in this unit, sir." "Thank you, Private." "Carry on." "Sir." "You happy now?" "Do I look happy?" "You never look happy." "Come on, let's roll." "This is some bullshit." "Hey, Corporal." "Hey, Lance Corporal." "Now that you're a top dog, can you put in for a new transport vehicle?" "Yeah, man, we're tired of getting army hand-me-downs." "Look..." "This has got up-armor, a 10-foot whip." "I love it when you talk dirty." "I know you do." "If only I weren't married." "And you weren't so obviously a lesbian." "Is it that obvious?" "Is it really that obvious?" "All right, let's get ready to roll, Marines!" "I still think I can turn you." "Not a fucking chance, Soto." "Remember those days, rollin' out in force with your M16 and a full set of balls?" "Smokin' and joking'." "Good old days." "Yes, sir." "Well, it's a young man's game." "Keep your hands off my porn!" "I'd rather keep my hands on you!" "I'll say hi to your wife." "Systems check, Corporal." "Blue force tracker?" "Check." "Green comm?" "On it." "Thunder Ops, yeah." "This is Gunmetal 2-5." " System check." "Over." " This is Thunder Ops." "Systems are online and operational." "Be safe out there." "Over." "Roger that." "Out." "Hey, guys." "What do you like better, chocolate chip cookies or brownies?" "Chocolate chip." "Chocolate chip." "Chocolate chip, only if it's baked hard." "I heard you like it hard." "Okay, pizza or sushi?" "Sushi!" "Pizza." "Sushi all the way, I'm Asian, dudes." "Blonde or brunettes?" "Brunettes." "Brunette." "That's right!" "Um..." "Okay, hot face or banging body?" "It's definitely hot face." "It's all the same in the dark." "Ass!" "I gotta go with the hot face." "I don't care what she looks like, as long as she's got a not face and a banging body." "I knew it!" "There's no surprise there." "What's going on up there?" "I got trash on the side of the road." "A hundred yards to my 11 o'clock." "You see any wires?" "Detonating device?" "Disturbance in the dirt?" "Affirmative, Corporal." "Which one?" "I got a pile of trash and disturbance in the dirt." "Thank you." "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "We have a visual on a possible IED." "Over." "Gunmetal 2-5, do you have a visual on the actual device?" "Negative." "We have a trash pile and some disturbance in the dirt." "Copy that, Gunmetal 2-5." "Hold your position and wait for EOD." "Over." "Standing by for EOD." "Gunmetal 2-5 out." "First fucking mission as team leader." "Had to be." "What's going on?" "We got orders to hold and wait for EOD." "Any idea how long?" "As soon as possible." "Just do your 5's and 25's." "Get everyone back in the vehicle." "All right?" "Soto!" "Corporal?" "Stay sharp, man." "Keep an eye on that ridge." "Look for snipers." "Roger that." "Dude, I got a serious case of swamp ass sitting in this friggin' heat." "How long has it been?" "Two hours." "At this rate, we will be traveling all night." "Hey, Soto?" "Hey, what up, big boy?" "I got a Dear John letter from my girl a couple of days ago, man." "Damn, man." "You been holding out on me?" "Yeah." "I didn't believe it was real." "Said she needed a break." "Maybe she's bangin' some other dude?" "Yeah, man." "Your girl's probably sleeping around on you." "I really thought she was the one, man." "One of many, brother." "You know, it ain't easy being a jarhead." "Seven-month deployment." "The uncertain future." "Hot as hell." "All this sand, goats everywhere." "Ugly chicks." "Ugly dudes." "That's for you, brother." "Poco dinero, Bro." "Jarheads for life!" "Por Vida!" "I love being a marine." "Oorah!" "Hey." "Yo." "Chin up." "Yeah." "Thanks, buddy." "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "We've been waiting here for over two hours." "We're sitting ducks." "Do you have an ETA on the EOD?" "Over." "Negative, Gunmetal." "They'll get there as soon as they can." "Hold tight." "Understood." "Gunmetal 2-5 out." "Fuck this." "I'll do it myself." "What the fuck you doing, Muji?" "Get back in the fucking truck!" "Corporal." "Where the hell is he going?" "Private Faisal, where the hell do you think you're going?" "Don't worry." "I got this." "God..." "That's why I don't like working with these motherfuckers." "Look at this guy." "Take charge, go get him." "Muji!" "What the fuck are you doing?" "Get your ass back in the truck!" "Soto, watch him." "Roger that." "Make sure he doesn't get his ass killed." "Hey, Muji!" "What the fuck you doing?" "Tell him not to touch a goddamned thing and get his ass back here." "You should wait there." "Who do you think you are, John Wayne?" "Get back in the truck." "I have a visual on a pressure plate to my 12 o'clock." "Stop walking before you blow me up." "Blow you up?" "What about me?" "What about you?" "Do not let him touch that mound." "What the fuck you doing, Muji?" "Get your ass back in the truck." "We got movement at 12 o'clock." "Shit." "Donkey!" "Who's that?" "That your boy?" "That's your boy?" "He's just carrying water to his village." "I don't care about his village." "Lower your weapon." "How do I know he's not gonna set this thing off?" "Because it's a victim-activated IED." "There could be a secondary." "Cell phone!" "Cell phone!" "Drop the cell phone!" "Relax!" "What's on that donkey?" "Drop the cell phone!" "A-slash, take charge." "I'm gonna put one in him, I ain't killed..." "Do not let him touch..." "Get him away from there." "Shh!" "Drop the phone!" "Fucking asshole!" "What the hell does a Muji on a donkey need a cell phone for anyway?" "Probably texting his girlfriend?" "You got jokes?" "You can relax now." "You see it?" "You see it?" "Yes." "I see it." "Wait, what..." "What the fuck is goin' on, A-slash?" "This is just a car radio." "Maybe it'll play the Beach Boys." "We're cool." "He says it's just a car stereo." "What are you doing, man?" "Are you playing in the sand?" "Come on, man." "You tell him to get away from that thing." "What?" "What, man?" "What?" "The radio was just a decoy device." "Leave it alone." "Let's go." "It's a HME, maybe 40 pounds of bang, maybe more." "So if I trip it," "I'll be going to paradise sooner than I planned." "That's fine for you, right?" "You got 72 virgins waiting for you, right?" "Tell him not to touch a goddamned thing and get his ass back here." "I'm gonna shoot you right in the face, motherfucker." "I swear to God, man, you touch that thing," "I'll shoot you and say you did it to yourself." "Let's go." "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "No!" "What the fuck did I say?" "I told you not to fucking do it!" "I'll kill you, motherfucker!" "Are you listening to me?" " Get off him!" " Listen to me." "Kettner, get off." "I'm telling you, man." "Get off him." "You cool?" "I'm cool." "I'm cool." "I'm cool." "Daniel?" "I'm cool." "I'm cool." "You cool?" "Yes, sir." "If you ever pull any shit like that again, I'll kill you myself." "You got that, Private?" "Yes, Corporal." "Now get in the trucks!" "Yes, sir." "I told you I got this." "Shut the fuck up, Muji!" "Gunmetal 2-5, this is Thunder Ops, over." "Roger, Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Send your traffic." "Over." "What's your ETA to FOB Ouellette?" "Over." "67 clicks over rough terrain." "Two hours Max, over." "Roger that, Gunmetal 2-5." "Thunder Ops out." "Got another one for you, Li." "Yeah, go for it." "Bush or no bush?" "I think bush is highly underrated." "George Bush?" "No, come on, man." "What do you know about bush, man?" "You still live with your parents?" "So?" "You pigs never cease to disgust me." "Come on, Danni, you know you dig it." "What?" "Being objectified by a bunch of drooling troglodytes?" "Not so much, boot." "What's a troglodyte?" "Google it." "It means caveman." "Come on, Danni." "You could tell us." "We're all friends here." "What are you rocking downstairs, baby girl?" "You couldn't handle what I'm rocking downstairs, mama's boy." "Come on, Danni, you gotta give us a little something something." "What are you rocking downstairs?" "Full '70s style?" "Bermuda triangle?" "Landing strip?" "Bald eagle?" "Come on, leave my bush outta this conversation." "Yeah." "Okay, fine." "I got a hardwood floor with a Queen Christina." "What's a Queen Christina?" "Hey, what about you, Soto?" "You look like a pretty hairy guy." "You trim the hedge?" "Come on, Soto, you can tell me." "You squeaky clean down there?" "Or you got a little chin tickler for your girlfriend?" "Maybe." "Come on, what is a Queen Christina?" "Am I making you uncomfortable, Soto?" "Yeah, kinda." "Okay, that's what I thought." "Let's leave my bush out of the conversation, okay?" "Come on, guys, what the fuck is a Queen Christina?" "Google it, boot!" "Whoa!" "What the hell?" "Sit tight." "They're friendly, Corporal." "U.S. Marines!" "CPO Fox, SEAL Team 10." "It's a SEAL." "Chris Merrimette." "Echo Company Second Battalion, CLR 10." "We need a ride outta here." "You mind if we catch one?" "Yeah, sure." "Where's the rest of your team?" "Coop, let's move." "That's it?" "Taliban hit us really hard." "That's all we got." "Our comms are down." "Get ready to roll, Marines." "Who's she?" "She's with us." "I want to Evac ASAP." "Let's go, come on, move." "Danni?" "Call in QRF." "Let's get these guys a chopper to the Green Zone." "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Over." "Listen to me, keep trying." "This valley's shit, you understand?" "Hey, Coop?" "Let's go, move!" "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Over." "Let's roll." "Go!" "See you, boys!" " Get the hell outta here!" " Go, go, go!" "Thanks for saving our ass, Corporal." "No problem." "We need to get her outta this valley ASAP." "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Over." "I repeat, Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Over." "We got no talk." "Just keep trying." "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "Over." "What's that right there?" "What's that there?" "Hey, I got movement at my 3 o'clock." "3 o'clock-50!" "What the hell!" " Shit!" " What the hell!" "Get up on the fucking .50" "Cal!" "Thunder Ops, this is Gunmetal 2-5." "We're taking heavy fire in the vicinity of our last coordinates." "Gunmetal 2-5, we're taking heavy gunfire!" "Soto, get your ass back up there!" "Get on the goddamned .50!" "Gunmetal 2-5." "They're shooting, Soto, you get on that .50" "Cal." " Son of a bitch!" " I can't do it." "Tell him you're marines!" "Il:" "They don't give a shit!" "This is Gunmetal 2-5." "This is Gunmetal 2-5." "RPG, move!" " Get out!" "Get out!" "Get out!" " Move, move, move!" "Soto, get the fuck down!" "Grenade!" "Suppressive fire!" "Come on, move, move!" "Go!" "Get him!" "Get your asses down." "Go!" "Down, damn it!" "Reloading!" "Save your ammo, Marines!" "Only shoot what you can hit." "Soto, snap out of it!" "Shit!" "Get behind the rocks." "Behind the rocks!" "All right, listen up!" "Forty Mike Mike!" "Forty Mike Mike!" "Go three, gunner acknowledge." "Up top!" "Three on the ridge." "9 o'clock, Cooper." "Nine, nine, nine!" "I need a Mag here." "Soto!" "Get down!" "Soto!" "Man down!" "Soto!" "Soto!" "Fuck you!" "Ridge clear!" "Li." "Li, come on, man." "No." "No, buddy, come on." "Relax." "Let it go." "It's okay." "Shh!" "Let it go." "Li." "Li." "Fuck!" "Hey!" "Marine!" "Stand down!" "Walk away!" "Easy." "Easy, easy." "Slow down." "Slow down." "Slow it down." "Breathe, Marine." "There you go." "Let it go." "Hey." "Cowboy up, do you hear me?" "Get back in the game." "Let's go." "Corporal, we need to move." "That was a coordinated attack." "We're gonna have every Muji in the province gunnin' for us." "And I need to get her out in 48 hours." "We can't leave our men behind." "I know what it's like to lose good men, Corporal." "But if we don't get our asses in gear, we're gonna lose a lot more." "Let's go." "Senior Chief." "I don't think we can help you." "We're box kickers, not a fire team." "You are now, kid." "Hey, Private, keep it together." "Go pull Li's dog tags." "Consolidate his ammo." "Roger that." "Everything's shot up or blown up." "Vehicles are toast." "We got no SatComm." "Let's go." "Come on." "Thank you." "Move or die, Marines!" "Standard diamond formation." "Package in the middle." "Let's move." "Set up a perimeter." "Aye-aye." "Anoosh." "Here, drink." "Thank you." "Thank you." "You okay?" "Okay, come on." "Here." "Stay here." " You watch her." " Yes, sir." "You go low." "I'm gonna take the high ground." "All right." "I don't trust this Muji." "He fought with us, took the same gunfire we did." "Still." "I'm not inviting' him over for Sunday night dinner." "I don't think he'd show if you did." "What do you make of her?" "Hard to tell." "She must make some kinda juice to have SEALS come extract her." "She's kinda hot." "Think I can hit that?" "You're a sick fuck." "Stay sharp." "Soto." "Tough day, Bro?" "He took a bullet for me." "If I had just done my job." "Don't do this to yourself, man." "He knew what he signed up for." "He didn't deserve that." "No." "But it's not your fault." "Yes, it is." "We all get scared sometimes." "It's what you do when you're under pressure that matters." "Now quit your whining and man up." "Are you ready to lay some pain for these Mujis and make it outta here, man?" "That's how we honor Li." "Oorah?" "Oorah." "Major Gavins." "We have a situation, sir." "CLR 10 didn't make it to FOB Ouellette." "Where are they?" "Well, COC reported them offline in the vicinity of the 67th gridline." "And?" "Not good, sir." "Supply train was totally destroyed." "KIA?" "We brought six back last night." "And here's where it gets interesting." "One of the KIA was a SEAL." "He was part of Team 10." "They went into the Tangi Valley yesterday to extract a high value package." "What kind of package?" "What the hell's a Navy SEAL doing with our unit?" "Don't know." "And sir, five of our marines are missing." "Missing?" "Who?" "Merrimette, Soto, Kettner, Allen, and the new guy, Faisal." "Li?" "Didn't make it, sir." "And the unit?" "You got a fixed position on 'em?" "No." "We have a best guess." "I want a no-bullshit assessment, Captain." "We believe they've gotta be on the move somewhere in the Helmand River Valley." "We gotta get them outta there soon, sir, or they'll be eaten alive." "Well, let's not write 'em off." "They're marines." "They're supply marines." "They're marines." "Strap in and bring everything to bear we have to get our people outta there." "I'm trying, sir, but we can't push air." "There's a sandstorm kickin' up between them and us right there." "We got red air?" "Yes, sir." "High winds, low visibility." "Air support's grounded." "I don't want excuses." "Find me a workaround and let's get this solved." "You hear me?" "Yes, sir." "Let's bring our boys home." "Shit!" "Bring up grid 67, give me weather." "It sure is pretty, isn't it?" "Yeah." "It looks like a five-star resort." "Take a look at your 12." "So what exactly am I lookin' at?" "You're lookin' at the most dangerous place on Earth, with the toughest enemy you'll ever face." "There's a reason why they've never lost a war." "Now, look at your 10." "There's a village called Minar." "It's about 20 clicks away." "And there's a captain there, he's a pretty good guy." "If we can make it there by this afternoon," "I think you got a chance to make it back to Leatherneck for a little chow." "What do you say?" "What about FOB Ouellette?" "That's too far." "With the heat we got on us, we'll never make it back in time." "And you can trust this police captain?" "If you're lookin' for guarantees in this country, you're in the wrong place." "And the wrong war, for that goddamned matter." "Who are we protecting?" "That doesn't matter." "What matters is she gets back alive." "She's bigger than you and me." "So you like this play?" "A midday trek through the Helmand River Valley, humping a tier one package, short on water, short on ammo, and everybody in this province gunning for us." "What's not to like?" "Is that your daughter?" "Yep." "She just turned five." "She's beautiful." "You have children?" "No." "I had a younger sister." "She was killed by the Taliban when she was 13." "What for?" "To punish me." "To punish my family for violating Sharia law." "Sharia law as interpreted by the Taliban forbids women to have an education." "My parents broke with this tradition and sent me to college." "When I returned to Afghanistan, the Taliban wanted to make an example of me." "It was decided by the tribal elders to send a message to the people of my infidelity." "But they couldn't kill me." "Then I would be a martyr." "I begged them to take my life but..." "She was just a child, had so much life ahead of her." "I'm sorry." "So am I." "Sniper!" "Get down!" "Get down!" "Where'd that shot come from?" "I don't know." "I can't see 'em." "We're going to need another round if we're gonna zero in on him." "Another round?" "He's got us pretty well dialed in here." "All right, heads down, Marines." "Dude, my head is not goin' anywhere." "Give me your binos." "All right." "Let's find this son of a bitch." "Where you at?" "Come on." "There you are." "Where?" "At 700 meters." "Look at your one." "Do you see the glint?" "The sun's reflecting off his optics." "Yeah, yeah, I got it." "He's far." "Danni?" "Yeah, I see him." "Can you take him?" "In perfect conditions, if we were 300 meters closer, maybe." "All right, so what do we do?" "Get 300 meters closer." "That would be choice number one, but when we get there, if we miss, we're in the same boat." "Only worse." "Because we're closer." "Exactly." "So what's choice number two?" "Well, Merrimette, we can sit here and wait until one of them shoots one of us." "Yeah, then we all get shot." " I'm not feelin' that." " You know what?" "Enough of this shit." "Khalid?" "Let's go get up close and personal." "Not all of us can make that." "Not all of us." "You and me." "Gear down." "Let's go." "Lose your rifle." "Come on." "Man, always sitting and babysitting the Muji." "Hey, Corporal?" "You take care of her." "You understand me?" "Yes, sir." "All right, Corporal, listen to me now." "I want you to stay behind me and just be patient." "All right?" "All right." "Come on, let's go have some fun." "You all right?" "Yeah." "All right." "I want you to start movin' forward and I'm gonna flank around and go on the right hand side." "You hear me?" "I'll come with you." "No." "I move better alone." "Now, listen, I want you to keep this field of view." "When you see me hit him," "I want you to come in hard and fast." "All right." "Now, no gunfire." "We do this hand-to-hand." "There's too much enemy." "See you in a minute." "You got this." "Good job." "Keep your eyes down range." "Anoosh, get a drink." "Get a drink." "Don't do it, Corporal." "What's that, Senior Chief?" "Overthink it." "Killing." "Let me tell you somethin'." "Every day we go out, it's life or death." "It's him or you." "This is my first time out as squad leader." "Before yesterday, I..." "I never even fired my weapon at anybody." "And I never thought I'd have to do it that close." "It's all the same." "They died today." "And we lived." "Look at me." "Today was a good day." "Now, I want you to do something for me." "I want you to get out of your head and focus." "Focus on the mission." "The mission is God." "All right." "I'm gonna give you another second and then we gotta go." "Soto, start gearing' up." "Let's go." "You speak very good English." "Thank you." "Which is very unusual for a woman in our country." "May I ask where did you learn?" "I went to university at Cambridge." "May I ask the same of you?" "I was trained by the U.S. military as a translator." " In Lexington, Virginia." " Whoa." "You learned how to speak English in Virginia?" "With the help of my iPad and Rosetta Stone." "I'm not buyin' it." "I'm not selling it." "Brunswick stew, thick or thin?" "Well, if it is thin, it isn't Brunswick stew." "It is soup." "Right, Corporal?" "What's up?" "Opium poppies." "They're in harvest." "Yeah, and where there's opium farmers, there's Taliban." "You got it." "Move, Marines!" "Move!" "Move!" "Marines, 100 meters, follow me!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Get down!" "Get down in it!" "Cover me!" "Cover me!" "Cover fire!" "Watch your six!" "Shit." "Chief!" "Hey." "Hey, hey." "I got you." "I got you." "I got you." "I got you." "Get me a poppy." "A poppy." "Kettner, go grab a poppy." "Listen." "You gotta get to the village and talk to the police captain." "You hear me?" "I will." "Yes." "Okay." "Okay." "Now listen to me, you gotta get her out." "You have 24 hours." "Chief, we're truck drivers." "You're a marine!" "And this country needs her." "You wanna risk the lives of my men for some symbol?" "What do you think this is?" "Bring me Anoosh." "These men are gonna get you out." "What is your name?" "It's John." "Thank you, John." "Okay." "Give me your hands." "Merrimette, no easy day?" "What are we gonna do now, man?" "We gotta get outta here." "You're in charge, Corporal." "Your orders." "Call it." "Just..." "Just gimme a minute." "Come here." "Come with me." "Who the hell are you?" "I'm not unlike you." "I am fighting for the rights for my people, and your government is supportive of my cause." "A lot of good men have died for you, so I hope you're worth it." "So do I." "We need to get to that village." "I think we should talk about this." "Nothin' to talk about." "It's my squad, makes it my call." "I don't mean to question you." "Then don't." "All due respect, Corporal, this..." "She's not our mission." "She is now." "Get ready to move out." "Standard diamond formation." "Package in the middle." "Let's go." "Door on the left." "Clear." "Windows and door on the right." "Clear." "Stay sharp, Marines." "U.S.A.!" "U.S.A.!" "Jeez, kid." "Beat it, kid." "I'm not in the mood." "All right." "Get the fuck outta here." "Hey, I got somebody with a video camera at the window." "Is he armed?" "I can't tell." "Keep an eye on him." "Hey, put the camera down." "Put the video camera down." "Put the camera down." "Movement." " Hey, hey!" " Gun!" "Drop the weapon!" "Khalid, tell him to drop his fucking weapon." "That's right, be smart, stupid." "Be smart, motherfucker." "What's he saying?" "He's invited us to come inside and talk." "All right, let's get her inside now." "Hey, Soto, stay on this door, okay?" "Roger that, sir." "What's goin' on?" "He is offering us chai." "Thank you." "Tell him Senior Chief Fox sent us." "We need to make arrangements with our base so they can come get us." "What have we got, buddy?" "It looks like everyone's clearing out, Corporal." "It looks good." "Still got that video camera in that window though." "Hey, A-Slash." "Yeah?" "Stay sharp, buddy." "Roger that." "About to be on the evening news, sir." "Well, just stay on him, all right?" "Let me know if anything changes." "Hey, Corporal?" "What's up?" "Can I get one of those chais?" "I'll see what I can do." "Corporal Kettner?" "Yeah?" "Ever have a camel milk chai latte?" "He says he is sorry to hear about Fox and that he was a true friend to the village." "And that he will help us contact our base." "How soon?" "Shortly." "He is curious about the package and wondering if she is our prisoner." "No." "She is Afghani national, yes?" "Yeah." "Then why does she travel with us?" "That question's above my pay grade." "I just need to get her out of here and back to base." "He is saying she is safe here." "Tell him I have my orders." "He has his also." "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" "Because she is Afghani national and not our prisoner, he must seek permission from the provincial commander before he can allow us to leave with her." "All right." "Let him know that we're running out of time." "Time." "We need to get this done now." "I don't understand." "We got goddamned satellites up there that can see everything, they can see up your asshole." " You know that, don't you?" " Yes, sir." "See into your bedroom." "All this goddamned technology, all this manpower, we cannot locate five marines?" "Perfect storm of bad stuff happening, sir." "They got ambushed, marine comms go down, sandstorm between them and us." "Well, what about the air on station?" "Do we have any direct support?" "Still grounded, sir." "Son of a bitch!" "I got a Humvee column rollin' outta FOB Keenan now, sir." "Keenan?" "That's Royal Irish Regiment?" "Imjin Company Second Battal..." "We goddamned better hope for a little luck of the Irish here." "They're on the other side of the sandstorm and they got access." "Now you're telling me that this is our best worst option, right?" "I'm afraid so." "I do have some actual intel on who's the package that they're traveling with." "Talk to me." "Her name is Anoosh Hassan." "Anoosh Hassan?" "I know the name." "Who is she?" "It's a women's rights' activist." "She's a real hero to the people in the provinces." "She's a beacon of hope." "The Taliban wants her dead, sir." "And Washington wants her alive." "Yup." "She's good PR." "She's good PR." "You know what's bad PR in my book?" "Dead marines are bad PR." "She's a keynote speaker at the United Nations" "International Summit on Human Rights." "She's scheduled to be in New York in 36 hours." "That's direct from Washington." "She's the president's guest of honor." "And she's with our marines?" "Yes, sir." "Fuck!" "Can we call our base?" "How are we doin' out there?" "Fine as fuck, Corporal." "All right." "What's goin' on with the video camera guy?" "He's still there." "You think he's Taliban?" "Or a sympathizer." "I don't care if he shoots for National Geographic." "Let me turn his lights off?" "Easy, A-Slash." "It's too quiet." "I don't like it." "The calm before the storm." "Yeah." "Here's that storm you're talkin' about, Corporal." "Close the door." "Get her to cover." "Now." "All right, Devil Dogs, remember your training." "Semper Fi!" "Semper Fi." "Semper Fi." "Comin' in heavy." "Okay, here's what we're gonna do." "We're gonna draw their fire out front and then we're gonna fight our way through the back." "What's everyone's ammo situation?" "I got four mags left." "I'm doin' about the same." "I got nine full mags." "You got nine full mags?" "Hey, I'm the gear queer, remember?" "Jeez." "Funy loaded." "I love ya." "Give me three." "Plus up." "Video camera guy fucked us." "Hey, you ready for what's comin' through that door?" "Hell, yeah." "You sure?" "Hell, yeah." "Ain't no one comin' through that door, Corporal." "Semper Fi." "Oorah." "All right, here's the deal, Marines." "We got 19 hours to get her out and get her to wherever it is she's goin'." "So, I want you to keep your fields of view open and only shoot what you can hit." "Fire on my command." "Kettner, I need you to take Khalid to the back door." "You guys are our way out." "On me, Muji." "Yes, sir." "Ready?" "Yeah." "Spider Muji?" "You have Mujis where you get that?" "No!" "Anoosh, stay down!" "Danni, get on that front window!" "Kettner, how's the back coming along?" "I'm working on it!" "Danni, we gotta take out that machine gun." "I got it." "Fuck." "I got you, bitch." "I'm crossing." "I'm crossing." "All right." "Hello." "Front clear!" "Reloading!" "RPG!" "RPG!" "Soto, get down!" "Move or die, Marines." "A-Slash, let's roll out." "You ever pray?" "Sometimes." "With my little girl." "So what's next?" "We're going after her." "Four of us against every Taliban fighter in the province?" "You ready to die for this chick?" "We don't know anything about her." "That chick inspired the nation." "Because of her, the people have hope, for the first time in a very long time." "Soldiers and bullets and fighting will never save my country." "The people will." "People like her." "People who are brave enough to stand up for what they believe in." "It is a beautiful country." "I wish you could see it the way I do." "Where'd they take her?" "Only one place." "To Mullah Nafiz." "She will be stoned at dawn." "You know how to get to this Nafiz guy?" "Yes, sir." "Listen to me, man." "I know you wanna make a difference in this war." "So do I." "See, the thing about what you're doin'," "I'm your A-Slash, I'll follow you anywhere, man." "But you need to ask yourself if you are ready to live with the consequences of your decision." "We're marines." "We're the tip of the spear." "I'm not gonna let that woman die." "We go in at dawn during morning prayer." "Are you sure she's in there?" "We can't go in through the front door." "There is another way." "Follow me." "Once we're inside, where's she gonna be?" "In the Nafiz's chambers or imprisoned." "So we find her and then what?" "Then we fight." "We're going in silent." "That means no gunfire until it's absolutely necessary." "That's it." "The call to prayer." "Kill your lights." "We got exactly seven hours to get her back to Leatherneck." "Take the door, A-Slash." "My guess, she's in one of those towers." "All right, let's go." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Here!" "Let's get you outta here." "Let's go." "Marines!" "Standard diamond formation." "Package in the middle." "Khalid, shield her." "Yes, sir!" "All right, move out." "We're pinned down!" "Chris!" "We're pinned!" "Kettner, go!" "I'll hold them off!" "Kettner, let's go!" "I'll make my stand here." "Go!" "Looks like I'm stayin'!" "Come on, let's move!" "Chris, move or die." "Chris!" "Don't you have some paperwork to do?" "I'm hit!" "Kettner!" "Get up!" "Cold!" "You gotta cook it over a low flame for a long time." "Brunswick stew." "You can't rush it." "Most people like chicken, but if you want real Virginia Brunswick stew, you gotta use rabbit." "I prefer lamb." "Never tried it with lamb." "Danni, I don't have a shot!" "I'm movin' in." "When we get home," "I'll have my grandma make a big ol' pot of Brunswick stew." "I'll tell her to use lamb." "There's plenty to go around, and I know the old gal would love to have you." "I would like that very much." "On your command, Corporal." "Clear!" "Seventy-two virgins?" "Let's get some, my brother." "Let's do it." "Come on." "Let's go." "A story." "A man has a lot of choices, and these choices made in life are rarely perfect." "So he decides to sign a contract because he wants to make a difference." "He wants to save this world, make it a better place." "The consequences are punishing, unforgiving, and he questions why he ever signed that contract." "So what's the fucking point?" "I guess the point is responsibility of duty." "Love of country." "A way of life." "Are we on the right side of this?" "These aren't our questions to ask." "A marine fights for the person standing next to him." "He fights for the man who can't stand anymore." "He fights so that others can have the opportunity to make a difference." "That's how we make the unforgiving forgivable." "And if we're lucky, somewhere in all the fighting and dying, we discover hope." "And the marines who killed and bled and died will always be jarheads." "Their families will have to live with the unbearable demands of their ultimate sacrifice." "Unidentified vehicle, 12 o'clock!" "Get out of the truck!" "Show me your hands!" "U.S. Marines." "Marine." "Hey, it's me, Merrimette." "Unload." "Come on." "Welcome home, Marines." "It's good to have you back." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you, sir." "And the ones who make it home, we never really leave our brothers behind." "We always remember." "We're professional fighting men." "We are jarheads."