By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – As the war in Afghanistan nears its end, many stories of heroism and sacrifice remain untold or forgotten. For this reason, journalist Mike Boettcher and his son Carlos have created a feature film that aims to show the public the true cost of one of America’s longest wars.
The Hornet’s Nest uses real footage from combat zones in Afghanistan to share the experiences of elite U.S. troops during a dangerous mission inside a hostile valley. From roadside bombings, to civilian casualties, to soldiers killed in action, every emotional aspect of war is laid out in the documentary.
The film focuses on U.S. Marines, as well as a group of soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division during a nine-day firefight with terrorists that resulted in American casualties.
For those who were able to return home, this story is something they want the world to see. Staff Sgt. Joshua Frappier was with First Platoon, Charlie Company on the west side of the valley during the entire operation where he witnessed devastating loss.
“I think this is going to be a great documentary for people in the public to see and fully understand what soldiers go through on a day to day basis in a combat zone,” he said. “Hopefully they have a better understanding of what goes on and what guys actually go through and sacrifice.”
Staff Sgt. Frappier’s son was born one month before he deployed to Afghanistan and he wants the public to understand the difficulty of deployments and how much soldiers miss when they’re away. Most importantly, he stressed the relationships between fellow soldiers.
“You have to go through that when you do that with your guys overseas. You have to do that for them. All that matters is the guy on your left and your right,” he said.
These relationships are what Boettcher wanted to capture in The Hornet’s Nest, which was screened in Clarksville May 13 for a special audience comprised mostly of service members and their families. While speaking to the audience, Boettcher said the movie is not about war, but about family.
“What we have here are real heroes. You and your families,” he said.
Boettcher’s long career as a war journalist led him down a path of self-doubt and guilt. Many of the stories he previously covered had been ‘locked away’. He decided with this story he couldn’t do that anymore; he had to tell it right.
“I had to tell the stories of the men and women who were on the pointy end of the spear, who had to pay the price of deployment after deployment because we were in a war.
“What I believe is that more than 99 percent of the American public does not feel the pain of war. Our intent was to connect them with the less than one percent that do feel the pain of war, and those are the men and women in uniform,” Boettcher said.
He described the way people thank service members, but hopes that after seeing this film they will know what they’re thanking them for.
“I want them to hug those soldiers and sailors and marines and airmen, because they’ll finally connect to what that experience was, what we sent them off to do,” he said.
Boettcher and his son stood with the soldiers during a constant storm of bullets and bombs. As they were fighting to tell the story, they were also fighting for their own lives, but Boettcher made it clear that the emphasis remains with the soldiers, not with him.
“What happens is the individual goes away and the benefit of the group is paramount. That’s why soldiers fight for each other.”
The Hornet’s Nest will be released nationally in theaters May 23. Visit the official website for more information.
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Story and photos by Nicole June