This film goes hand in hand with the book written by Tim’s partner on the project, acclaimed author Sebastian Junger. Sebastian’s book “WAR” is the other half of this project and is a great read. I am currently half-way through the book so it is very fresh in my mind. If you get a chance to see RESTREPO then you have to read the book. It fills in many of the gaps. It is not like you typical book first and then movie made from book kind of deal. They were done in tandem so neither drives the other, but each completes the other. I will have a book review up soon after finishing it, but know this. If you watch or read one without the other, you are missing the other part of the experience. Reading names in a book is one thing, seeing those soldier’s faces fill a movie screen is something else.

There is another facet of this movie (and book) that is yet to be recognized. That is that a future Medal of Honor recipient (the first live one since the Vietnam War) was in this unit. Sal Giunta will be the first live Medal of Honor recipient we have seen in a long time. From my sources, it has already been signed by the President and they are only waiting on an award date. Sal’s exploits that earned him this distinct honor are detailed in the book. He was never shown (that I know of) in the movie, but this was his unit. He was there and it happened in what many of the soldiers described as their “low point” in the tour, Operation Rock Avalanche.

If you want to learn more about Rock Avalanche, I suggest seeing the movie or reading the book, or waiting until it is made public that Sal Giunta is going to be awarded the Medal of Honor. I am sure what that happens then much more will be made public about the operation. I also suggest heading over to Blackfive and reading what my buddy Jimbo wrote, www.blackfive.net/main/2010/07/first-living-medal-of-honor-since-vietnam.html

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