In 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was the scene of one of the most intense battles during the Afghanistan War.
Just 53 U.S. soldiers faced an onslaught from 400 Taliban insurgents surrounded by mountains near the Pakistan border.
That's the setting of a film set to release in theaters this July — The Outpost was scheduled to premiere at South by Southwest this year, but due to the global lockdown it has been pushed back, and they are aiming for a July 3 release date.
There have been a number of films that tried to depict the War in Afghanistan, and many have failed to bring this conflict to the silver screen effectively. Given the specific battle depicted by The Outpost and the unbelievable odds faced by the US soldiers in it, this movie delivers the most compelling film about the Afghanistan War to date.
Director Rod Lurie told The Wrap in an interview that this movie is the most important thing he will ever do.
Facing heavy casualties, the US troops at Keating had to persevere through those long odds, heavy mortar fire and a well-coordinated group of Taliban fighters.
Eight Americans died during the Battle of Kamdesh. As a result of their incredible actions on this day, Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment became one of the most decorated regiments in US military history.
Two of the surviving soldiers, Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, were awarded the Medal of Honor.
Romesha took heavy fire while obtaining recon of the Taliban position and getting reinforcements from another barracks.
Carter, despite being wounded early in the battle, ran 328 feet (100 m) in the open while taking fire to resupply the troops with ammunition and machine gun oil.
According to Military.com, soldiers who fought in this battle received a total of 27 Purple Hearts, 37 Army Commendation Medals, and 18 Bronze Stars for valor, and nine Silver Stars.
Journalist Jake Tapper (CNN) wrote a book about the assault on Keating, which inspired this film, titled The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor.
According to Tapper, the attack on Keating was one of the most well-planned and coordinated Taliban attacks of the war.
It was a nightmarish scene.
Orlando Bloom stars in the film as Lieutenant Benjamin Keating. Romesha is played by Scott Eastwood and Carter is played by Caleb Landry Jones.
Initially the film was going to shoot in Morocco, but wound up filming in Bulgaria.
The filmmakers worked closely with Carter in order to ensure they accurately depicted the battle. They hoped to speak with Romesha as well, but at the time he was working on a separate film about the same conflict that has since unfortunately been shelved.
Movies about the Afghanistan War rarely strike a chord with audiences, but the story behind The Outpost will capture the attention of viewers across America.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGifnqqVqHq4tNhmq6GdXaTCtbzOrKtmoaNiwamxjKamrKxdmLyuvMSlo6Kml2KzqrjMZpueqJmYwaq6xmaroZ1dlrOotMCnZLCZomLGpsCO