The Outpost | Based on a True Story

Thanks to The Great Courses Plus for sponsoring this episode. Check out a free trial at ow.ly/dURg30rjr2k
The Battle of Kamdesh, which is the focal point of the movie, was part of a buildup of conflict in Afghanistan, resultant from a surge in troops that began in 2009. Given how few are coming out in 2020, this might be the best of the year. They not only nail the looks of everything, but the general feeling.
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References
Clinton L. Romesha, “Medal of Honor Story,” American Legion (10 September 2014): • Medal of Honor Story: ... .
The Battle of COP Keating, report, The Operational Environment Center Gaming and Visualizations, 10 August 2012: • The Battle of COP Keat...
Al Jazeera report showing insurgents footage of the battle: • Taliban fighters displ...
Complex Attack on COP Keating, AR 15-6 Investigation Executive Summary, 3 October 2009. www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...
Dexter Filkins, The Forever War (New York: Vintage Books, 2008). amzn.to/3ihA1Rm
Ian S. Livingston and Michael O’Hanlon, Afghanistan Index: Also Including Selected Data on Pakistan (Washington DC: Brookings Institute, 2012). www.brookings.edu/wp-content/...
Stephen Tanner, Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban, new ed. (2002; Boston, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2009). amzn.to/3fB1uM7
Jake Tapper, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor (New York: Little Brown and Company, 2016). amzn.to/3fB1uM7
www.historyvshollywood.com/re...
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Chapters
0:00 opening and promo
2:22 intro
3:15 reality
8:03 bias disclosure
13:30 scholarship
15:34 accuracy
18:35 inaccuracy
20:27 bloopers
Wiki: The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the War in Afghanistan (2001-present). It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 300 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh of Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32 km) away from Kamdesh. The attack on COP Keating resulted in 8 Americans killed and 27 wounded whilst the Taliban suffered an estimated 150 killed.
As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed.[1][8]:531-41Observation Post ("OP") Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position.[9] The Coalition forces withdrew from the base shortly after the battle. A deliberate withdrawal had been planned some time before the battle began, and the closing was part of a wider effort by the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to cede remote outposts and consolidate troops in more populated areas to better protect Afghan civilians.[10] The Americans "declared the outpost closed and departed-so quickly that they did not carry out all of their stored ammunition. The outpost's depot was promptly looted by the insurgents and bombed by American planes in an effort to destroy the lethal munitions left behind."[2]
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Hashtags: #COPKeating #TheOutpost #Kamdesh #review #BasedOnATrueStory

[@jameswoodard5767]

This was a well done take. My brother SGT Michael Scusa was one of the eight lost that day. My family felt the movie was done very well. Jake Tapper was always up front about any changes that needed to be made in regards to the condensed timing. Hard to believe that it will be 13 years tomorrow.

[@CynicalHistorian]

Thanks for saying so and my condolences. Somehow Afghanistan still feels like it was only a few years ago, despite leaving there so long ago

[@vertebralremains379]

@@CynicalHistorian It does feel like it was just yesterday, hell, watching the towers go down live on TV and knowing what my future would look like 3 years later feels like just yesterday. I also had a bias for this movie and thought they did a decent job portraying the mundaneness and boredom and the frustration etc..Despite any bias, every one of those guys and guys all over Kunar, Helmand, Kandahar, Bamyan, Wardak, Khost, Nangarhar and Panjshir all deserve movies dedicated to their bravery and sacrifice. Thank you for your service then, and thank you for your service to historical accuracy now brother.

[@REALFILMSTV]

Thank you guys for your services ❤️

[@cardrifter9281]

Your brother was a brave man, my condolences.

[@peterpursley9852]

May your brothers memory be eternal.❤

[@WarDogMadness]

the placement of the outpost looks like what the french did in Vietnam .

[@wesh8599]

Dein Bhen Phu or something

[@WarDogMadness]

@@wesh8599 yeah that the battle

[@michaelsinger4638]

But at least on paper the French plan seemed like it made sense. COP Keating was positioned terribly from the beginning.

[@WarDogMadness]

@@michaelsinger4638 i don't know the method behind the plans, but both turned out bad and cost the lives.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

@@WarDogMadness Original plan was to set up in a spot where the Viet Minh would have no choice but to attack, but not where they could bring artillery to bear. Unfortunately for the French, the Vietnamese muscled up some guns to a mountain top and obliterated that plan.

[@michaelsinger4638]

I've heard they had actual veterans of the battle on set as consultants, and even the soldiers who fought there really liked this film for it's accuracy. And yeah, it was unexpectedly really good. Also the army putting a base in that location was insanely stupid.

[@williamt.sherman9841]

Danial Rodriguez plays himself in this movie.

[@RandyLeftHandy]

It almost seems like it was put there to draw out attackers.

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Why would anyone want to be a fish in a barrel

[@williamt.sherman9841]

@@USSAnimeNCC- well it was not put there by the people who were going to be fish.

[@humphrey3056]

@@USSAnimeNCC- suicidal mfs

[@USMCjkm]

This reminds me of how I felt about Generation Kill. Very few inaccuracies, fucking spot on with how we interact, and also has some of the guys from the actual unit playing themselves.

[@chriscasson6879]

My first thought when I watched the movie was, who in the wide, wide world of sports would put a combat base in the valley like that? Thank you, for confirming that even after having been out for a little less than 20 years at that point, ineptness still existed and likely still does today. No disrespect intended to anyone who was there. You serve, you follow orders and you do the best you can. These guys exemplified the best that America has to offer. You should be proud to count yourself among them. Thank you.

[@genekelly8467]

Basic military practice. McChrystal seems to have been a politician 1st, soldier 2nd. We ought to ask ourselves just why we get involved in these wars, without considering the costs and possible benefits.

[@naciremasti]

When you said 'There, I fixed your movie', I thought that should be the name of this series of videos. Keep up the good work, sir.

[@brendankearns7955]

Good job on your review, however the original design for COP Keating was as a PRT for Nuristan due to the road line of communications (LOC) this was covered in the book by Jake Tapper. No corrections needed.

[@kzonedd7718]

This historian is getting more and more uppety, this time he's locking out the cat completely! :-P

[@BradyPostma]

Today, on The Adventures of Historian and Cat...

[@kzonedd7718]

@@BradyPostma Cat and historian! This is KZbin, it's for cat videos, not education!

[@jackthorton10]

@@kzonedd7718 Make cats great again!

[@kzonedd7718]

@@jackthorton10 What are you smoking? Cats have always and will always be great.

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Is it just me or is the soundtrack similar to or reminds you of Command and Conquer Generals?

[@Janus936]

I was at FOB Bostick at the same time. We may have bumped into each other at one point lol

[@bvailcards44]

Thank you for your service man

[@bobrobert1123]

I remember you poon

[@ehrldawg]

During Operation Just Cause,the freezer in our supply squadron was one of only two freezers big enough to hold dead bodies. Id walk by it every day and say to myself,*There are dead bodies in there*. I breifly thought about going inside and checking them out,but changed my mind and never did. The female SMSgt who was in charge of that freezer experienced PTSD for having to deal with the dead bodies.

[@duckieforever]

Cypher - First off, thank you for your service. Secondly, thank you for helping the fallen find their way home. Most people don't really understand what that process entails other than standing on the side of a highway waving a flag. I've had the chance to speak with a few honor guards, and I've found that they've tended to be some of the best human beings I've met. I think your personal bias on this particular movie helps, though. Regardless of how removed from direct involvement you may have been, you still offer a unique perspective on it, and that's incredibly valuable. Not everyone has the ability to be involved in a historical narrative in this way, and I think you've managed to still be very objective about the movie.

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Those guy where brave to stand there and fight while being engage form high grounds locations and to make the most use of their defenses is something

[@oopsiepoopsie2898]

I got to admit this movie really pissed me off. The poor tactical decisions made by higher for this out post is what got all those men killed and injured.

[@MrWheelman82]

And then people go complaining that officers being incompetent in movies, books, series, anime, etc, is unrealistic. It's surprising how people don't realize that the world is filled with incompetence, and blind guesswork (Which is not inherently the fault of the one guessing)

[@johnusas2870]

Welcome to the army. If you ever get a chance to talk to an enlisted man; ask em about Lt.

[@oopsiepoopsie2898]

@@MrWheelman82 don’t get me wrong I think like 90% of officers do care about their guys, want to do what’s best for them, complete the mission. It’s just that minority climbs the ranks and fucks up everything.

[@0akland510]

@@johnusas2870 Butter Bars are always getting lost XD

[@rotwang2000]

Had the enemy in the area performed as normal, then it makes sense, but battles are lost when your opponent starts to behave differently, CF Custer at LBH, his deployment makes perfect sense if you constantly deal with natives that melt away under disciplined fire, except in this case they counter-attacked in large numbers. Or look at the situation around Moscow and later Stalingrad, the Germans knew the Soviets were easy to beat in the open field and tenacious in defense, but could be overcome by good coordination. The string of success and haphazard counter-attacks lead the German high command to assume the Soviets were incapable of pulling off large scale offensives and probably even lacked a proper general staff and then Moscow happens and the Soviets come near destroying a big chunk of an army group and they let themselves be tricked again at Stalingrad believing that the Soviets are spent and will not launch a major offensive. The outpost was built at a time where intelligence figured that opposition was scattered and incapable of coordinating major operations in that area and even if they tried, they would be able to deal with it effectively. What happened was not the smartest thing, but not insane either. Just the classic overreach.

[@bern1228]

Thank you, soldier, from an old Army brat. My dad did Korea and Viet Nam, (2 tours). Welcome back and so glad you survived it. I normally shy away from war movies bc of the Hollywooding. Thanks for your review and maybe I can make it through this one. Best wishes from a subscriber.

[@joelglanton6531]

No one cares that your parents/husband/brother blah blah blah was in the military or that you almost joined or whatever! You just want attention and are trying to get some based off your old man's sacrifices and I think it's sick!

[@jackthorton10]

Coming from the guy who is begging for attention with his ww2 soldier as his avatar.

[@legoworksstudios1]

So KZbin once again proves that its allergic to history in general and military history specifically. They're also not very consistent. It might have something to do with trends since KZbin is always looking to put its best foot forward, but for your case, Cypher, it's a double standard of sorts for KZbin to point left and say, "We support education" but then turn right and pick and choose what qualifies as education. It's a good thing Great Courses Plus can sponsor you and Patreon supporters can pitch as well so you can keep bringing us the education we can't really find anywhere else, man.

[@choosetolivefree]

Idk man. Like the character Will Hunting said, you can get a college education for the price of some late fees at your local public library. Not sure why you're acting like this history can't be found anywhere but KZbin, but I promise if you try doing research, you'll find you can find this information in numerous places. KZbin is a private website, so they can do what they want with it. Instead of relying on KZbin for your education, I'd suggest delving off into the great world wide web, where almost all human knowledge is at your fingertips, if you choose to seek it out

[@legoworksstudios1]

@@choosetolivefree i know that. What I meant was history walks on thin ice in these cases. Monetization is difficult for some history channels; some of the channels I've found don't monetize at all. I've done my own private research in the past and still do it today. I actually do it a lot more for my own writing than I did when I was in high school or college.

[@bvailcards44]

Hey Cynical, I wanted to say, unironically, thank you for your service. Seriously. It's really neat that you were there and you're able to talk about this type of stuff. You're practically a primary source. Thank you man.

[@nstyhl]

I was in paktika for oef 8. I was so pissed when we found out that the massive gains we made where lost in a few months by the new guys.

[@GUNROCKS1990]

Nice I’ll try this movie out and yesterday was Veterans Day.

[@thatcanuck5670]

You aren't the first person to have advertised Great courses plus to me, but you're the first that actually didn't make me glaze over the moment I realized I was being advertised to, so kudos.

[@GodOfWar221]

Just watched this movie for the first time last night. And wow. What a knock down, drag out fight for survival. And the fact, that this fight actually happened...just sent chills down my spine the whole time I was watching. Great movie, now I'll have to read the book.

[@ano1962]

I know it’s a day late but to you and all my brothers and sisters in arms happy veterans day

[@Blazcowitz1943]

Went and saw this a few weeks ago with a friend of mine. Easily one of the best films made about the Afghanistan war. It is particularly somber to hear about Cypher's own experiences in relation to it. For a future review, may I suggest "Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan". Its an Australian film set during the Vietnam War about the Battle of Long Tan, where 104 Australian and New Zealand troops defeated a force of around 2000 V.C.

[@Briosification]

Charlie Wilson's War counts, it is an Afghan War movie, just not our Afghan war.

[@EpicMRPancake]

Not our war? And I suppose those Stingers, funds and training just fell out of the sky? Well, in a manner of speaking perhaps, but you know what I'm trying to say.

[@averagekentuckyfan870]

@@EpicMRPancake 2 months late but our “proxy war”

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

Good cast but the clips I saw of it on youtube looked really cheesy, especially the actual "war" scenes which had kind of a Buster Keaton vibe.

[@blazodeolireta]

I really hope he review that. That guy is a f@cking idiot. Read C. Johnson's "empire trilogy" to see why.

[@burncycle4621]

I was a Cav Scout as well, though I was in Iraq in the triangle of death during the horrific time prior to the surge. You hit all the points about how accurately this movie shows what it’s like in a stressful combat situation.

[@roryreed9727]

how long did you serve?

[@wplacke]

“The great gamble” is a good prequel to this about the soviets, what a crazy country

[@smenard1107]

The two guys hugging and saying I love you over and over again because they where fighting made me laugh and brought back some memories.

[@DRWHO-UNIT-COSPLAY]

It took me about 3 years to find a copy of "The beast"/ "The beast of war" ended up finding it in a random charity shop while visiting a friend. Loved the movie so did he, would be interesting to see your view on it. Also be interesting to see 9th company too

[@zurita1642]

Will be a review of "The beast of war" soon?

[@DRWHO-UNIT-COSPLAY]

@@zurita1642 Hope so

[@nitrobyname]

Why would i want to skip through the personal story?, fascinating to get insight into these things from people who were there. Great video, thanks for posting.

[@CC-8891]

I didn't not know you were a Cav Scout. I went to basic at Knox in 2006 and did my tour in Iraq shortly after, never made it to Afghanistan. Respect to my fellow 19 Deltas.

[@CynicalHistorian]

I started as a 19k, but turned delta a year prior to leaving for Afghanistan. But i did still go to the school of hard Knox

[@Shinimusha]

You're literally the only YT historian/movie guy I would love to watch a war movie with. It is really hard to watch those kind of movies with civiliand or other veterans that have not "developed" after they left the military. I was OMLT (what you guys call embeded training teams I think) in the north

[@ecurewitz]

didn't know you were in Afghanistan. Thank you for your service

[@allgodsnomasters2822]

The Sackler family and their opiod companies appreciate their poppy fields being guarded by US troops

[@jackthorton10]

@@allgodsnomasters2822 Even in death the fallen are guarded with the upmost respect, never to waver in their rest, for their duty has been fulfilled.

[@drakashrakenburgproduction5369]

@@allgodsnomasters2822 did we ask for your pretentious opinion?

[@seanpoore2428]

i deeply appreciate you taking on modern history with such an even, level headed approach. keep up the good work

[@bostonterrierfanatic9652]

i was coming back from leave and not an hour after i touched down Bagram was sending everything they had. 3-61 was part of our brigade 4/4 4th ID so i ended up participating by escorting their caskets into the c17 on their way home. it was a terrifying experience going back to the korengal thinking it was about to happen to us because weve known for about a month that the taliban were planning these types of attacks on remote bases.

[@lskywalkeys1]

A British film similar to this is Kajaki. It's the real story of a patrol who walk into an old Soviet mine field and get trapped. It's very good.

[@deanstuart8012]

He might struggle with the multitude of British accents and cultural references. The second time that I watched it I had to use the subtitles for hard of hearing just to catch what I missed first time.

[@peterlovett5841]

@@deanstuart8012 Dean, at least you watched it a second time. I have the DVD and have watched it but it will take a lot for me to watch it a second time. As I watched it I kept thinking it can't get any worse and then it does.

[@davehossack7191]

Really great review CH...the first one of yours I've seen. Your service experience, amongst other things, gives you instant cred. I quite enjoyed Outpost as a film and am glad it was as accurate as you report. Wondering if you considered reviewing Hyena Road, a Canadian flick about Canadian troops in Kandahar Province. Yes, I'm a Canuck and a Vet buddy of mine thought highly of it. Thanks for your service and your history work.

[@rynonatas]

Justin Gallegos was my brother in law. My wife said at his funeral “ he may have of been a hero to you but he was my brother to me”. I have not seen the movie yet or read the bookssss. Iv been a long time fan so I hope you did him justice cypher. Cheers

[@bobrobert1123]

I was in his platoon

[@PhillyPhanVinny]

Good review and thank you for your service. I also liked this movie and recommended it to a few of my veteran friends who also really liked the movie as well.

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

Bringing back a lot of memories from my time in service with the jargon there Cipher.

[@J.C_Hong]

Thank you for your service Mr. History person

[@deeman1643]

Hi I served as the USAID Representative and deputy team leader for one of those PRTs in Najaf Province located on FOB Endeaver. You got it RIGHT my friend!

[@NastyNate18B]

You won’t bother taking 5 seconds to explain the jargon, but will bother taking 5 minutes to type it out and format it into the video 😂 gotta love it

[@RichGilpin]

Just got to this review. I read Wanat a few years back. Believe it was in the same or similar area. Not sure if I can watch this though it looks very well done. Watching over fellow troops who have fallen is never easy. Among the three I gave up ponchos to wrap with one haunts me to this day as I had to drive him back, laying in the back of my ACAV, the 14 to 20 Klicks to basecamp. It turned to night and we had to 'thunder run' through additional mine laying activity and an ambush as it got dark. I am mostly at peace with it now, saw his name on the wall in '82. Still sometimes the night or even day dreams return. A belated 'Welcome Home'. Your are doing well, but take care of yourself my fellow trooper of another era.

[@gumgumdookuin7963]

*PRT exist* *Cyber band-aids it over with 'COP'* Cyber: There we go. Fixed your movie. :)

[@kevintamayo9336]

You are a combat vet. You can have whatever biases you want. You earned it.

[@dr.wisdom7917]

As always, excellent work here and informative!!

[@ihaterz123]

Watched this with my military siblings and they said most of the scenarios and decisions are accurate in terms of what they would do in a similar situation

[@Rakadis]

I just found out about this movie from a friend of mine. I spent time OM in that general area of Afghanistan in 2006-2007. It is quite interesting that Hollywood decided to make a movie about this. I am going to have to have a look at it now.

[@rwool53]

I have not been able to watch a movie about Afghanistan yet, and it has been a decade since I was there. This might be the first one I will watch cause of your review. I was in Kandahar in 2011. Thank you for the great work.

[@CynicalHistorian]

I liked 12 Strong and the Beast of War too, but those weren't of my time

[@tuckerrobbins9592]

Never knew you were a vet! Thank you for your sacrifice sir, that goes to the other brave men and women.

[@miaththered]

Thanks for this, I learned things and got a good movie recommendation.

[@tribudeuno]

I'm a retired Hollywood motion picture lighting technician. In 1980, I worked on The Six O'Clock Follies, which was a television series that dealt with the Vietnam War. It was like the movie Good Morning Vietnam, but a military television station in country, rather than a radio station. I enjoyed working on the show, but I think they only did 6 episodes, and really never aired any of them, maybe only a pilot. This was like 6 years after the US started to pull out of Vietnam, but it was still considered far too close to this laboratory fire in the American Experiment® to deal with in an episodic television sense. I also worked some on MASH in the late 70s, which was decades after the Korean War. So I am aware how unusual in my life's experience that there are movies being done about conflicts the US is still involved in... One of my life decisions that I consider the best that I have made, was to become a Conscientious Objector on a Non-religious Basis, which was a fairly new basis for objection at the time. I was never granted that status, after going through hearings before both my local and state draft boards. I was number 32 in the lottery of my year. Since the beginning of the War on Terror, my perceptions of the military draft and its current absence has changed. During the conflict in Vietnam, with the draft, the military was staffed with citizen non-professional soldiers. This made it so just about every American had flesh in the game, which caused all of the nation to put greater attention on the question whether the war was being fought for valid reasons. But now, the draft is gone, and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq - and Africa for that matter - are being fought by many who were weekend warriors in the National Guard, drawing payments for that minimal participation, and then were called up. When these weekend warriors were called up after receiving payments for their involvement, they had absolutely abandoned all hope of saying "Oh, I don't believe in killing or in this war". Where if there were still a military draft, my perception is that this what has been called a "Forever War", would have been over years and years ago. But here we are, in America's longest war, and I can't say I know anybody personally that has been or is participating in it. So it is really just to the majority of American people, a television event, like a video game that you can play or not play as you choose, that is unless you are in the National Guard. So there is no desperate struggle to get America out of these conflicts, as was the case with Vietnam. And that I believe is the Complex's objective, to create a money making machine that doesn't create enough anger at home for anyone really to do anything about it... And I believe that this has quantum mechanical repercussions, in that the use of force abroad is causing the divisions and conflicts we see within the borders of the US. Mark Twain spoke as a prophet when he said that America cannot remain a republic at home while being an empire abroad... "You must never THINK of conquering others by force. Whatever strains with force will soon decay. It is not attuned to the Tao. Not being attuned to the Tao, its end comes all too soon"... Tao Te Ching, written during a 250 year long war, known as the Warring States Period .

[@deonopperman2194]

"The Beast of War" is outstanding. Amazes me how it sort of slipped under the radar.

[@Christopher-xn6rb]

Dude, thank you for your service. How about going out of the box and doing a personal video based on your military experience, or a comprehensive review of the wars in Afghanistan, (British Empire, USSR and the US) or a special edition on PTSD?

[@txdude19d]

From one Scout to another, great video and Scouts out!

[@SquirrelSquirrel-dz1jz]

Iraq Veteran here, great story!

[@jacksontaylor290]

Thank you for your service!

[@chuckmyntti]

really great video, dude. Thanks.

[@shottaslim8378]

Great Review bro!! Really broke down and explained everything well

[@matthewskinner1637]

I never knew about this battle and it’s amazing to see and hear the story of those guys who were there and your story aswell! You should deffo should review Kajaki, a movie based on the events true events of 3 para who got trapped in a Russian minefield and had a mass casualty event.

[@ruui5935]

I watched the movie last night, how does that happen

[@ComradeCommissarYuri]

Magic!!’

[@fergusmallon1337]

I watched the movie The Bridge at Remagen, 1969. Next day, boom - there it was, featured on KZbin. Excellent movie, by the way. Well acted and very factual. The Cynical Historian should do a review of it.

[@theshenpartei]

So this the belated Veterans Day episode anyway another great episode thanks for your service

[@nest1363]

Hi man, quite a fan of your work here. Especially brave to share personal testimony about moments that must have been very difficult to live trough and remember. If I could give you a little bit of feedback though. What you bring, as well as the movie you cover are both testimonies of a historical event. History is the art of combining testimonies from opposing sides to try to understand what happened and why. The American perspective(s) are vital for understanding the matter but are not sufficient in itself. You should keep that in mind when contributing to our bigger understanding about the historical event. Also, I love how you use your experience to analyse how the historical narrative gets created and what flaws this can bring with it. I love it when a historian dares to go meta. So please don’t see this feedback as anything more then an investment from a fellow historian who admires your work! 👌

[@davidma6616]

What a great video. I appreciate you so thoroughly integrating your experience as well as history into the review. Checking out the other vids on this channel, it’s an easy sub. No doubt you’ll be at a quarter million very soon. Respect.

[@thorkellhyden9694]

Would love a video on the causes of the war on terror! Great video and keep it up 👍

[@damianm-nordhorn116]

The causes? Obviously 9/11 plus the desire to somehow sort the situation in the arabic and Islamic parts of the world without really having any real strategy or concept at all. Regarding 9/11, nowadays we'd be super vigilant after something like Ahmad Shah Massoud's assassination and expect more incidents to follow, but back then it seemed so far from home and we were all too content after those bloody conflicts after the fall of the iron curtain in the 90's had finally died down.

[@grogu5453]

I catch myself looking up tons of shit everytime I watch military type movies I might have to look 2 or 3 terms up to learn the meaning. But I love it. I crave knowledge, I loved outpost. ESPECIALLY with your input and personal touch! Excellent as always

[@Deviusroach]

Fellow vet, great job explaining everything, really liked seeing the facts vs hollywood.

[@johnsmith3085]

Another factor contributing to the heavier losses in Afghanistan during this time period was the implementation of the Afghan Operational Coordination Group...

[@mamabearandpapabear4689]

Thanks for the background. Cop Zerok was a similar story 4July,2009.

[@Baldwin-iv445]

2:35 Never thought I'd see cypher with a cigar.

[@menachd01]

Cypher, I look forward to your well presented and informative videos. I see that you put in a lot of work and effort into each of them. We all have our own biases and you do try to keep them out of you vids. Keep up the good work.

[@Aarzu]

I would be deeply interested in hearing your thoughts on the 2010 Medal of Honor video game, which is (VERY loosely) based on Operation Anaconda and, more specifically, the Battle of Takur Ghar and Robert's Ridge.

[@RandyLeftHandy]

You know you're in a shit location when you're using AA mounted machine guns to engage foot mobiles

[@cyberdaemon]

When Soviets invaded Afghanistan, they also claimed they are there to build up a country.

[@ihs51]

BS American government not interested in anyone except to loot their resources or some kind of strategic base to use in future wars. The USA have some 600 or more bases all over the world while their own country is going down the tube.

[@cyberdaemon]

@@ihs51 your reply is not even remotely related to what i said.

[@lohfert86]

What was the view on the locals and enemy? Were they viewed of them as a bunch of savages? Or is there any respect and maybe understanding?

[@CynicalHistorian]

greatly depends on the soldier. Since I have an anthropologist/sociologist for a mother, I certainly took a lot of the cultural training to heart, but I doubt the rest of my platoon took it that seriously

[@damianm-nordhorn116]

Excellent question and answer.

[@lohfert86]

@@CynicalHistorian Thanks for the answer.

[@TensileStrength]

@2:45, so this time YOU'RE the primary source? This will get interesting. *Edit:* yes, it was. Thank you for your perspective as well as your research.

[@topguntopcat]

A really interesting review and it’s great to hear some first hand comments from some one who was near by. More king Richard the 1st please he is such a cute cat.

[@hrunchtayt1587]

8:49 B o n k

[@wangbot47]

Started watching this movie and right away, the doggo scene, I was sold that it was trying to be authentic. That M240 Bravo guy did EXACTLY what he was supposed to, got cover, deployed bipod, and opened suppressive fire without squeezing and holding the trigger which would melt the barrel

[@diggs5142]

great vid cypher

[@TheGahta]

Sat through all 9 ads like a champ ;-)

[@SunflowerSocialist]

You've referenced the beast of war in I think four reviews youve done now, I hope we get that review soon!

[@CynicalHistorian]

I do love that film

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@@CynicalHistorian as much as you love musicals?

[@CynicalHistorian]

@@SunflowerSocialist perhaps, but one is a genre and the other is a singular film. Definitely not as much as I like Patton for instance

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@@CynicalHistorian I'm just imagining your Hollywood career now: Patton (the musical)

[@combatdoc]

Love hearing acronyms. Twenty years of deep programming. Oh and The Best of war is one opf the best

[@Jp5codforever]

i mean one of the guys that fought in bengazie said the movie wasnt too far off from what actually happened. sure some things are gonna change for viewer sake and story telling but he approved and thats good enough for me

[@tacticalgreengecko7369]

I've been waiting 2 years to hear your side of the story.

[@escobareric]

Thank you for your service

[@Nerd_of_Anarchy]

Watched this recently, wonder how your review will treat it

[@CannaGro81]

Thanks for your continued service.

[@CynicalHistorian]

Thanks for watching and to The Great Courses Plus for sponsoring this episode. Check out a free trial at ow.ly/dURg30rjr2k See following replies for corrections and additional info, but first, here are some related videos to check out: 0:20 - currently demonetized videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLjnwpaclU4wUWJt6-1-dlVWrPfD4-lpOk 0:20 - 12 Strong: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opCZenl3mK1qhJqXE 0:20 - Lone Survivor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3vKm4Znbq-jfsk 13:50 - Autobiography: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p17bhq1shbSqfaM 10:05 - Based on a True Stories: kzbin.info/aero/PLjnwpaclU4wVzPp-sQVV48cdfyeg9G5JJ 13:50 - 13 Hours: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3Ske3tslLiko7M

[@CynicalHistorian]

please consider supporting the channel by buying merch: teespring.com/stores/the-cynical-historian Or by donating to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/CynicalHistorian *References* Clinton L. Romesha, “Medal of Honor Story,” _American Legion_ (10 September 2014): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqDFkJtpgdFkeKM. The Battle of COP Keating, report, The Operational Environment Center Gaming and Visualizations, 10 August 2012: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r524q6yJj8dmgpo Al Jazeera report showing insurgents footage of the battle: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqbNZ6aIod-an80 Complex Attack on COP Keating, AR 15-6 Investigation Executive Summary, 3 October 2009. www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/02/army_releases_report_on_combat.php Dexter Filkins, _The Forever War_ (New York: Vintage Books, 2008). amzn.to/3ihA1Rm Ian S. Livingston and Michael O’Hanlon, _Afghanistan Index: Also Including Selected Data on Pakistan_ (Washington DC: Brookings Institute, 2012). www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/index20121031.pdf Stephen Tanner, _Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban,_ new ed. (2002; Boston, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2009). amzn.to/3fB1uM7 Jake Tapper, _The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor_ (New York: Little Brown and Company, 2016). amzn.to/3fB1uM7 www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/the-outpost/

[@CynicalHistorian]

*[reserved for errata]*

[@devonbrooks246]

First of all Thank You for your service. Second, I am glad Hollywood finally made a accurate war film. I really did enjoy this one and it seemed like it fell under the radar.

[@enrique1422]

its crazy how simular our lives are, we both grew up in vegas (east side), joined the nevada national guard and the cavalry. Plus we share an passion of history and hatred of president wilson.

[@CynicalHistorian]

you were 221st?

[@enrique1422]

@@CynicalHistorian yes, c troop

[@CynicalHistorian]

@@enrique1422 I was B/I myself

[@nomad090]

I'm reading the book, in the book there is a small paragraph that talks about commands insisting they call it PRT not OP. Then talks about the insanity of it because it's not a PRT.

[@Trav_Can]

The Beast of War! I loved that film as a kid.

[@fatass4779]

Do you think you could do a video about the movie on the Deborah Lipstadt and David Irving case?

[@noahsabin7386]

Loved the movie, love the review, this channel rocks.

[@christiancorbitt5309]

I’ve been watching your videos for a while and somehow never made the connection that you’re an Army veteran. You should do a video about all of the “official” Marine Corps history that’s either mischaracterized or largely made up by us. Do it in your service uniform so I can watch my coworkers get angry about it.

[@_boils_8492]

This movie was surprisingly good. I thought it would absolutely suck, but it turned out to be a pretty good watch. If you have Netflix, you might as well give it a try.

[@corycody6967]

I would love to hear your comments on The Battle of Ganjagal. I have read Dakota Meyer’s Book and have seen the DoD video you had shown. So, it would be interesting to hear what you heard to add a little depth to the story. Keep up the good work.

[@jesinchen7282]

Ohh noooo! I misread the title and thought it was about my favorite horror movie "The Guard Post", but interesting non the less.

[@marinuswillett6147]

A Holywood war film that can make the battle interesting without adding extra drama or anything? Now I have to watch it.

[@TheVegeta67]

Hollywood producers/directors underestimate how intense actual combat is.

[@crashemt]

@TheCynicalHistorian Thanks for this! I will say, if you got demonetized, they pushed at least 4 ads during my viewing. You should be getting paid for that. Hell, I should be getting paid for having to listen to KZbins BS ads

[@zwinmar21]

Hell man, I'm still finding out shit that went on in the company when we were over in Kosovo in '99, we were part of the initial insertion. Such as, apparently our helos were target by Serb tanks while we were flying in.

[@ikeflaherty8910]

One note, not about the movie or the review (which I enjoyed both) but rather about the Surge, I don't believe it was the main cause for the reduction in violence in Iraq. At that point a civil war had been going on for a couple years (hence why the surge happened in the first place). There were actually two main factors that I think could probably be better attributed to the temporary drop in violence. First was that a lot of the city neighborhoods that had seen heavy fighting had been effectively ethnically cleansed at that point, with formerly contested areas being firmly held by either Sunnis or Shias. Also of note was the US policy of effectively buying off Sunni militias which was going on at the time, we would pay them to either stop fighting us or to fight for us, especially since Sunni insurgents had been causing the US the most problems early on. Part of the reason I dont see the Surge as having been the main cause also is that the reduction in violence was a nationwide affair, whereas the surge was mostly concentrated in Baghdad. It in all likelihood it could be A factor, I just am not convinced it was THE factor. Whatever I know that was about Iraq and this video was about Afghanistan but I just felt like sharing, feel free to prove me wrong.