Courage

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I want to share a video with all of you. It’s something that has really moved me. This video comes from the footage from Restrepo, the movie about the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and their fifteen month deployment to the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. It specifically focuses on Sal Giunta’s actions that earned him the Medal of Honor, the most prestigious American award to a member of the military.

Sal put his life on the line for his friends to earn the medal, yet he considers his actions average and equal to that of his entire platoon. The story itself is emotional, yet it’s his attitude that inspires me. In a world of narcissists, Sal is painfully humble. If you don’t watch the whole video, Sal is asked what went through his head when he was up for the Medal of Honor. His response begins at 11:48. Uncommon courage became a common occurrence for Sal and his friends.

I also want to draw your attention to Major Kearney (a Captain during the deployment) in this video. Major Kearney exhibits a tenacious, controlled rage towards his enemy. At 4:32 he says, “I made the decision, being the commander on the ground, that I wanted to go into Landigal and get our damn weapons back and show these people that we aren’t gonna give up…I don’t want them to have a war trophy…Hell no, I’m getting that stuff. It’s not theirs it’s mine.” Decisive. Tough. Determined. Major Kearney, Sal Giunta, and plenty other courageous military members are 70’s Big.

It’s almost embarrassing to sit here and compare these guys with 70sBig.com. Instead I want you to reflect on this video because you can learn just as much from these men as you can from Kazmaier, Pisarenko, and Konstantinovs. When you sit in the gym or at home and feel sorry for yourself, remember the story of Sal, and remember how Major Kearney never questioned his decision to kick ass. Remember these stories when you feel defeated, because you’re only defeated if you let yourself be.

12 thoughts on “Courage”

  2. Great call. Restrepo is the best war documentary I’ve ever seen. It really details the sacrifice these guys make despite never seeming to have the luck. It’s available on netflix instant stream. I’m friends with an Army Captain who was in Korengal about three years before the movie was made who has told me about how frustrating the situation is.

  5. There’s absolutely no asinine or preachy narrator telling you what to think; it’s all unaffected, unvarnished reflections on one little outpost. It’s a testament to the filmmakers that their brand of politics is not evident.

  6. One of the guys behind the documentary (Sebastian Junger) actually has a book version called, quite simply, “War”

    As most books do, it gets more in detail than the movie (I admit I’ve only seen about half of Restrepo though). It’s an excellent read, gets in deeper with the guys at Restrepo and what they’re dealing with. Coupled with the shots in the movie showing what the land really looks like and how crazy the terrain is, it’s a powerful combo and makes you realize what a tough task these guys have. I was actually stationed in Jalalabad a few years ago, when we arrived at Bagram and were getting our in-briefs the only comment made about the Korangal Valley was, “every time we go there, we get our asses kicked.” Rough place, there’s a reason the bad guys go there to live.

  7. +1 on Sebastian Junger. He’s easily my favorite correspondent, followed by Evan Wright in a close second. I think if you total up the amount of time he’s spent in Iraq/Afghanistan in the past ten years it amounts to like 5 or 6 years total time.

  8. Well, true about Sebastian and Tim, but you guys are detracting from my point.

    I realize this isn’t a hugely sexy topic, but it was something that moved me. We’ll get back to the lifting tomorrow.

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