SOLDIER: Forward march!
(marching footsteps)
Mark time, Honor Guard. Halt.
Ready? Front.
♪♪
(vehicle doors close)
♪♪
DUNFORD: Violent extremists move fighters, financing,
and ideas at the speed of the Internet,
and the military network needs to be equally fast.
But no one nation or group of nations can deal with this challenge themselves.
♪♪
This is gonna have to be an enduring military campaign
in support of whole-of-government approaches
that will take largely a generation to address.
But this actually presents us with an opportunity to think about what's next.
And, again, to have 75 chiefs of defense
that literally represent every corner of the globe --
You know, someone used the expression this morning
"a powerful gathering," and I think it is.
Each of you, I recognize, will have a unique perspective.
♪♪
AL-BANYAN: The world knows that terrorism and extremism
are two faces of the same coin.
They have no faith and no country.
AKAR: Daesh will continue to inspire various terrorist organizations
by effectively using the Internet propaganda.
The social, economic, and political setting
of these violent extremist groups are different.
How do we then measure the success?
RAHMAN: Think about 4 million children experiencing violence on a daily basis
and growing up without hope and dream and proper education.
When these 4 million children will grow up, what they are going to be?
♪♪
DUNFORD: The responsibility of many of us now that are senior leaders is,
what is it that we're gonna leave to those who follow in our footsteps?
It's a constant dialogue, a conversation, that makes sure that leaders at all level
have a common understanding of what needs to be done,
the environment within which we are doing it,
and then the resources necessary to be successful.
♪♪
(squeaking)
(squeaking continues)
BRADLEY: Luke, when do you think I got these boots?
A long time ago.
Before -- Are they older than you or younger than you?
LUKE: Older, definitely.
BRADLEY: It was my second tour in Afghanistan.
Mitch Lane, he was my engineer sergeant.
My detachment left.
The conventional force and some other Special Forces team went in,
got in a large firefight, and Mitch Lane was killed.
It was two days before my son was born,
and I conducted the notification myself.
PRODUCER: What was that like?
Not easy.
'Cause I was very close with Mitch and his wife and two daughters.
♪♪
You okay?
He was the one that told me, "Hey, anything you do,
you gotta understand what your purpose and direction in life is,
and that things have to have a priority.
♪♪
Care for the wounded, honor the fallen, and continue mission."
That sets priorities pretty well,
and you can't go wrong with that.
♪♪
Today we're gonna pause.
Honor our fallen.
♪♪
We lost some of our brothers.
♪♪
NEWSCASTER: A remote area near the Mali-Niger border last Wednesday.
Now CNN is learning more
about the routine patrol that went horribly wrong.
NEWSCASTER #2: Four U.S. soldiers killed in an ISIS ambush
in the West African nation of Niger coming home to their families.
♪♪
NEWSCASTER #3: Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, 39,
from Springboro, Ohio.
NEWSCASTER #1: Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, Special Forces medic
from Washington state.
NEWSCASTER #3: Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright from Lyons, Georgia,
just 29 years old.
NEWSCASTER #1: Sergeant La David Johnson was from Miami Gardens, Florida.
He was 25 years old.
The father of two children, he had a third child on the way.
♪♪
BRADLEY: No commander wants to lose soldiers, but it's part of what we do.
♪♪
Everybody in this organization believes in the mission that we've been given.
♪♪
This isn't a job.
This is a lifestyle.
♪♪
And they've all chosen to be a part of it,
and it's important for me to stand up and say, "It was a good choice."
Because not everybody does that.
And the nation needs them.
♪♪
(group singing in native language)
♪♪
VAN SAUN: What makes the Green Berets different,
what makes Special Forces different,
isn't the tab that's on your shoulder that says, "Special Forces."
What makes us special is that we are experts of the basics --
shoot, move, communicate, and survive.
Those soldier skills.
We know them to the point that we can teach it to anybody,
anywhere in the world, at any time, in any conditions.
12 Green Berets working alongside up to 600
and 700 partner forces, a battalion-size element.
SOLDIER: Ready? Go.
(gunshots)
VAN SAUN: Low signature, low footprint
so that we can inevitably prevent problems before they occur.
NARRATOR: Green Beret Major Alan Van Saun is the commander on the ground
of the United States Special Forces mission
to train and assist the local army in Niger.
Today, he and his staff at the mission's headquarters
are receiving a visit from their commander.
VAN SAUN: SOC Forward NWA Commander.
BRADLEY: Hey, everybody. Sit down. Relax, relax.
Diaz, how's my hair look?
(laughter)
It's good for us to give you a perspective on what the hell's going on around you.
The United States is not at war on the continent of Africa,
but many of these nations are at war with violent extremist organizations, right?
That shouldn't be new to any of us.
What becomes the center of the problem?
You guys. Right? Inside of Niger.
♪♪
(men singing in native language)
Niger is regularly ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world.
In total, the United States has approximately 800 troops here,
its second-largest presence on the continent of Africa.
♪♪
BRADLEY: The Nigerien government's asked us to come help them eliminate a threat.
Not for them, but help them learn how to do it better.
♪♪
Niger is landlocked in the middle of a cluster of unstable states
and vast ungoverned spaces,
the intersection of territories
where a number of violent extremist organizations operate.
BRADLEY: The Lake Chad Basin with Boko Haram.
I abducted your girls.
I will sell them in the market, by God.
BRADLEY: The enemy threat on the other side of the border in Mali.
♪♪
-(explosion) -NEWSCASTER: Right now,
north of the Niger River in Mali is basically completely ungoverned space,
and AQIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate in that region, has basically moved in
and established a very troubling presence.
MOSES: You've got ISIS within this region.
Everything passes through Niger.
♪♪
If the instability facilitates violent actors
to continue to expand and grow,
then that's a cancer.
♪♪
This afternoon, Colonel Moses and Major Van Saun
are meeting with their Nigerien counterparts,
who, as their hosts, are responsible for guiding the strategic plan
and determining where the Special Forces' help is needed the most.
(speaking native language)
BARDOU: The biggest problem now is this area near the Malian border.
These guys are very mobile.
They move on motorcycles, Land Cruisers.
Anytime we have an encounter with them,
they will just try to work through and then cross the border.
♪♪
In normal times, you don't see them in large groups.
They're just, like, scattered in villages.
You know, they have those small camps.
They only regroup to conduct an attack.
Over the past few years,
Nigerien commander Colonel Major Moussa Salaou Barmou
has seen dozens of soldiers killed by militants near the Malian border.
So at his request, the U.S. has shifted its attention there.
We had thought that the focus of effort
was gonna be in and around this area, right?
And on, uh...
OFFICER: Lake Chad Basin.
BRADLEY: Counter Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa.
-Right? -BARMOU: Yes, sir.
Surprise to us, we still can't get towards the enemy.
Let's go to Ouallam.
Yeah.
♪♪
Ouallam is a town just 70 miles from the threat in Mali,
in a region Nigerien leaders have determined
is ideally located to secure the border.
So the United States Special Forces have been charged
with helping to build up the local army.
My intent is to grow that unit
into a battalion to conduct operations.
But no matter the means you inject
into most kinds of operations,
you cannot make sure you seal your borders, like, 24 hours a day.
♪♪
We're trying the most we can on our side.
Now, sometimes when I meet some of my close mates, they say,
"Hey, why are you guys always fighting?"
-You're defending your country. -Yes!
♪♪
REPORTER: General, could we start with Niger, if you don't mind?
♪♪
Was that Special Forces team authorized to go after ISIS
or al-Qaeda leaders in Niger?
They were authorized to accompany Nigerien forces
when the prospects of enemy contact was unlikely.
NEWSCASTER: How did something where they thought that contact
was "unlikely" turn into a firefight in Niger?
NEWSCASTER #2: The loss of four American troops continues to come under scrutiny.
NEWSCASTER #3: Did the mission change?
NEWSCASTER #1: This group was ambushed, outgunned, outmatched.
NEWSCASTER #2: So many Americans had no idea that there were U.S. troops in Niger.
NEWSCASTER #4: Why were they there?
I mean, why would they have been in such a remote region?
I think it's important that we complete the investigation,
we determine the facts, and then we share them with you.
And at the time we share the facts with you,
we will answer all the questions that you have.
♪♪
MAN: Thank you.
NEWSCASTER: Mounting questions about the extent of military operations in Niger
following that ambush that left four American soldiers dead.
CNN's David...
NEWSCASTER #2: Niger and even further west, that is a very, very dangerous area,
and yes, the French and the United States for the most part
were supposed to be training the Nigerien soldiers and police.
DUNFORD: We can't wait till terrorists establish territory
as they did in Iraq and Syria.
In the wake of Mosul and Raqqa, the enemy is gonna be forced to adapt
and find other places for safe haven, and in my judgement,
this affects every corner of the globe.
MAN: Look at, for instance, what happened in Africa.
In 2013,
there was an action carried out by the international community...
...against a terrorist element in northern Mali.
Some fled, some hid themselves...
...and now they are disrupting
the security of the entire region.
♪♪
VAN SAUN: Alright, so we're gettin' ready to load our bags
and go across to the airfield, fly out to see Team Ouallam,
what we consider to be the main effort right now.
This will be my first time out to see the guys since we've gotten here.
♪♪
United States Special Forces commander in Niger,
Major Alan Van Saun, is heading to visit his newest team of soldiers,
just two weeks into their mission
in one of Niger's most volatile regions along the border with Mali.
VAN SAUN: This terrain is wide open.
If we leave this vast space unsecured,
this provides a sanctuary right here for those organizations to operate,
to plan and resource attacks that could then affect the rest of the world.
♪♪
Just 70 miles from the Malian border, the remote region near the town of Ouallam
is ideally located for the newest Special Forces outstation in Niger.
♪♪
Here, a welcoming community allows the team to carry out its mission --
training the local army to defend itself from the persistent threat
of violent extremists in the area.
(helicopter blades whirring)
♪♪
VAN SAUN: How are you? Hi. Major Alan Van Saun.
-Captain Almine. -Very nice to meet you.
Thank you so much for having us here.
You are welcome, sir.
Bonjour. Major Alan Van Saun. Hi.
My first opportunity to see the front lines of what our mission is out here.
♪♪
Part of what we do as Green Berets is getting here,
embedding ourselves with the soldiers, with the culture,
and then understanding it so that we can work with it
and enable them to do what they need to do.
♪♪
And this is the other part of the mission.
♪♪
It's not the fun part. It's not the exciting part.
It is camp life.
Alright, guys, what's cooking?
SOLDIER: Spaghetti and meat sauce.
VAN SAUN: Real Nigerien cuisine, right?
And is this what you imagined you'd be doing
when you went through basic training -- to become a cook in the U.S. Army?
Is this what they prepared you to do?
No, this is actually, like, the last thing I thought would be,
is, like, on a team with 13 guys in the middle of nowhere.
(sizzling)
VAN SAUN: So how are you guys doing the food situation for this?
For your setup here on the camp? How's it working?
Most of the food we get is actually from in town.
-Okay. -So, we buy it from local farmers.
First deployment, I was in Afghanistan,
and we got all fresh food.
Here, it's different.
We just get an entire cow and slaughter it.
♪♪
And we check, like, its vital signs,
whether it can stand up or not, make sure it's healthy meat. And...
-VAN SAUN: Really? -Yeah.
'Cause actually, last deployment, I had to wrestle a cow to the ground.
Pretty intense.
VAN SAUN: Nothing surprises me on deployments.
♪♪
Unlike conventional large-scale military bases
in places like Iraq or Afghanistan,
the Special Forces make do with a bare-bones camp
and limited resources, often relying on the local community.
SOLDIER: We have nothing really imported from America.
Everything's self-sustained here from Niger.
All of our operations are actually conducted by,
with, and through the host nation forces.
And in order to use such a small footprint
and be able to be far-reaching working with the Nigeriens,
we gotta have good, dependable vehicles.
So our mechanic stays very busy.
♪♪
For team mechanic, La David Johnson,
staying busy often means wearing multiple hats.
VAN SAUN: I've come to check out the barbershop.
I've heard good things.
Who's next?
-You, sir. -(laughs) I'm good.
I got mine in the capital the other day.
So when you're not cutting hair, what are your other camp duties around here?
Finding stuff to do, like making sure my truck's good,
making sure my generator's good.
Like, regular maintenance on the daily.
VAN SAUN: Jack-of-all-trades? Where'd you learn to cut hair?
-JOHNSON: YouTube. -VAN SAUN: You serious?
Yes, sir. YouTube.
So I watch videos, sit here, and just cut my own hair.
-VAN SAUN: Yeah. -Keeping it regulations.
Wow. What's one training that you don't have right now
that you wish you had already on this trip?
♪♪
JOHNSON: One training?
VAN SAUN: Is there something you haven't been able to fix or do
that you've been asked to do on this trip?
-Negative, sir. -VAN SAUN: Not yet?
-Not yet. Not yet. -VAN SAUN: Okay.
Well, when you figure out what that is,
let us know, and we'll make sure you get trained on it.
Or you can just watch YouTube, like you did with haircutting.
Yes, sir. (laughs)
♪♪
PRODUCER: Did you blow (bleep) up when you were a kid?
SOLDIER: Oh, yeah. I was the guy that had a tackle box full of fire crackers. So...
...they said I could get paid to do it. I was like, "Oh, hell yeah."
NARRATOR: Preparing the Nigerien army to take on the enemy
requires more than just combat skills.
So engineers like Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright
are critical for their know-how, like demolition expertise.
-Well, this is how we set the charge. -(laughs)
-I feel like Tom Hanks. -This will not make the final cut.
Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan.
I don't know. This should make the final cut.
Here we go.
(humming)
Wright and the team are preparing to detonate a bomb as a test
so they can teach the process to their Nigerien partners,
who need to be able to blow up enemy resources like weapons caches.
SOLDIER: Explosives in my hand.
♪♪
WRIGHT: I actually like this kinda stuff. I mean, anybody can shoot a gun.
You know? Demo is something else.
It's a lot more fun.
♪♪
SOLDIER: It all begins with this nice little spark right here.
♪♪
Hold this for me.
WRIGHT: The explosives we use in and of themselves are very stable.
You could roll that down the hill, and, you know, nothing would happen to it.
♪♪
Unless you roll it down a hill into a fire
and then something (bleep) landed on it.
♪♪
There we go.
♪♪
WRIGHT: Mission success.
♪♪
(indistinct conversations)
♪♪
SOLDIERS: Hey!
SOLDIER: It's Italian.
(indistinct conversations)
Italian Stallion.
♪♪
SOLDIERS: Whoa!
SOLDIER #2: Put it on. I want to see you sweat.
And if you don't eat hot sauce a lot, it's gonna be hot.
SOLDIER #3: It's already hot.
♪♪
SOLDIER #4: You're gonna feel it.
SOLDIER #5: You gonna feel it later.
(laughter)
♪♪
WRIGHT: I just like ranch.
SOLDIER: Ketchup is spicy enough.
WRIGHT: Ranch on everything.
JOHNSON: Nah, blue cheese.
-I'm a blue cheese. -WRIGHT: You're a blue cheese guy?
Blue cheese. I cannot do ranch.
I thought we could be friends. I'm not so sure now.
(laughter)
♪♪
Yeah, the bread was a good touch though. It's strengthening the enamel of my teeth.
-(laughter) -JOHNSON: Kept me alive.
This is what kept me alive.
SOLDIER: Is it too much to ask for garlic bread
and Parmesan cheese on Italian night?
(laughter)
(indistinct conversations)
♪♪
SOLDIER #2: This is good.
♪♪
DUNFORD: Later today, we'll have a discussion about the whole-of-government
from a U.S. and a Coalition perspective in the Middle East.
We face an enduring threat, and we need an approach
that's both effective and sustainable.
Local efforts have to be supported by this global military network.
Equally, our trans-regional approach has to be informed by local efforts.
♪♪
And while we're making progress today, much more work needs to be done.
(man speaking native language )
(men speaking native language)
(man speaking native language)
(men speaking native language)
NEWSCASTER: At least 15 Army Cadets have been killed in an attack
on a military academy in Afghanistan.
A suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives
into a bus outside the training center in Kabul.
NEWSCASTER #2: More than 200 soldiers and civilians
have been killed in terrorist attacks across Afghanistan this week.
♪♪
Amidst another deadly month in the 16-year-long war in Afghanistan,
new soldiers continue to sign up, train,
and prepare for what's yet to come.
♪♪
Sir, First Lieutenant Naquibullah.
I've come here to receive my certificate.
Many of them walking into a war they were born into,
fighting to achieve a peace they've never known.
I serve Afghanistan.
(applause)
♪♪
CLARK: All of their soldiers deserve good leadership.
They do not deserve incompetent leaders, corrupt leaders,
'cause them the ones that have been getting their soldiers killed.
Today, as part of an effort to bring order to the Afghan army
from the top down, U.S. Command Sergeant Major David Clark
and two of Afghanistan's most senior military leaders
are heading to Helmand Province, one of the nation's most deadly regions.
CLARK: When soldiers are killed out there on the battlefield,
their families are looking to y'all.
What happened, why it happened.
Didn't you have some families come to your house this week because you lost soldiers?
Yes.
The families are feeling it every day.
♪♪
DARRELL: Brother, how are you doing? It's great to see you.
Awaiting them on the ground is Marine Sergeant Major Darrell Carver
of Task Force Southwest, who is bringing together the senior leaders
and the new Afghan commander,
who he's been mentoring for the past three months --
Sergeant Major Wafa Wahiduddin.
CLARK: I tell you, it's a great team down here.
You done broke the back of the enemy this fighting season.
And as we're getting ready to go into the next season,
what adjustments did you need to make going forward,
and what help do you need from us?
WAHIDUDDIN: I will give them reports covering the months since I got here.
As Sergeant Major Wahiduddin attempts to remove a commander in his unit
who he believes is getting special treatment due to nepotism...
WAHIDUDDIN: Army Corps told me not to touch him, and I didn't.
...the Americans are ready to offer their support to Carver's protégé
in the face of a chain of command that doesn't always make change easy.
WAHIDUDDIN: He says he has relatives to visit.
You cannot build an army by having soldiers always visit their relatives.
CHAMKANI: I want to say something about this.
How long have you been with this unit here?
WAHIDUDDIN: Three months.
Three months.
Three months is not enough time to make an evaluation.
WAHIDUDDIN: That's what we have decided and I hereby recommend it to you.
We have written and signed this recommendation at the board level.
No, at the battalion level.
(Safi speaking native language)
There's a chain of command that needs to be followed.
I listen to the Army Lieutenant whatever he says, alright?
♪♪
Alright?
♪♪
Swear to God...didn't a fire truck have to come here
to wash the blood of our fallen men?
♪♪
I cannot see any more dead soldiers from the 215th Corps.
INTERPRETER: I don't have the ability to see and witness more losses and attrition.
-Okay, okay, yeah. -SAFI: This is a clear message.
They need to do something, right thing, and here is the support, sorry, Major.
And that's what they doing.
There's one Afghan flag.
-There's not no tribal flags. -DARRELL: Yes.
So nepotism and all that (bleep) don't cut it.
That's what's been killing this country for years and years.
Merit-based selection.
The best will rise up.
And them the ones who need to be leading soldiers,
especially at the sergeant major level, that's gonna take ownership,
and make decisions, and have the courage to speak up.
♪♪
So there's still challenges here in Afghanistan,
but it's a tremendous opportunity for the people and for the country.
We gonna finish this fight.
And making it matter, you know, that's who we are.
That's what we stand for.
Every time when I come in here, every morning,
and look through the names of a lot of the great Americans
we lost along the way...
♪♪
...I think about the ones that blood was shed on this soil...
across this country.
That they sacrificed so much, and their families sacrificed.
So when we think about the upcoming holidays,
the empty chairs in their living rooms at Thanksgiving, at Christmas...
♪♪
...we're making it matter for their families where we have empty chairs.
♪♪
PRODUCER: How many names are in the box?
Oh, I don't keep count no more.
♪♪
NARRATOR: With only a few months left in their deployment,
many of the Marines stationed in Helmand Province
are beginning to look towards home,
each with their own thoughts on why their time here has mattered.
♪♪
Try and enjoy yourselves in this -- this wonderful latrine.
♪♪
When you get on deployment, you slowly kinda develop this ritual that you do
to just kinda keep your mind in the game,
and normally I think it's the people who have done multiple deployments
that try to make things home
'cause you've dealt with it before, you don't resist it.
42 young.
♪♪
The homecomings is always emotional for a lot of people,
but, you know, I usually try not to get excited about homecomings
until I'm actually at my house.
So for January, you know, my daughter may be --
Makaya might be there in January,
but she's gonna be really busy with school, so...
(alert beeping)
Incoming.
(alarm blaring)
We need to go out and jump in the bunkers.
There's one right right out here. Just go straight out here.
And there's a bunker right in front of you.
(indistinct shouting)
WOMAN ON P.A.: Incoming. Incoming.
-DARRELL: Did you hear that thud? -SOLDIER: Yeah, I heard it.
-DARRELL: The radar didn't go off. -SOLDIER: No, it didn't.
DARRELL: So what's happening right now is,
we received some sort of IDF mortar system or rocket.
They're gonna be trying to figure out where it came from in the COC.
And then until we figure out to make sure there isn't any other threat,
then we'll keep everybody on the base in the bunkers, okay?
NARRATOR: For the Marines of Task Force Southwest,
a Taliban rocket that hit their airfield
has triggered an immediate call to action.
Fortunately, no one is hurt.
And soon the response team locates the rocket's point of origin
and begins to mitigate the threat.
WOMAN ON P.A.: All clear.
All clear.
DARRELL: Yeah, I try not to tell anybody what's going on here.
It's never good for family members when they're back in the rear
to know that there's, you know -- that you're receiving rockets
or, you know, some sort of direct fire, you know, when you're out here deployed,
so you try and keep all that stuff, you know, to yourself
so that they don't deal with it, too, so...
Hey.
CODY: Hey, Dad.
What's goin' on?
CODY: Nothing. Just got back from the movies.
DARRELL: I know it's late there. I don't wanna keep you up too late.
CODY: No, that's alright. How's it been there?
Oh, you know, it's been an exciting morning.
CODY: How exciting?
Um, it's been exciting.
NARRATOR: Sergeant Major Carver's son, Cody,
will soon be following in his father's footsteps,
heading to a Marine boot camp in little more than a week.
DARRELL: So you're not nervous, huh?
CODY: No, not nervous yet. I mean, it's definitely been on my mind a lot more.
It's kinda like...what I wanted to do since I was a kid.
DARRELL: The worst part of it for you is gonna be when they cut your hair.
CODY: Yeah, I know.
♪♪
-I love you, man. -CODY: Alright, I love you.
Alright. Bye.
In as soon as a year, Cody could be deployed
here in Afghanistan or any number of locations
elsewhere in the world, with the threat of violent extremism
constantly continuing to bleed into new danger zones.
♪♪
NEWSCASTER: On the treacherous border between Niger and Mali,
terrorists often cross over the border to launch attacks.
♪♪
NEWSCASTER #2: Several attacks have happened
against Nigerien soldiers in the past year,
so it's known to be an area where ambushes do happen.
VAN SAUN: Look forward to just talking with you today
about how you feel the training is going.
They are all giving 100 percent of what they can to get in good shape.
♪♪
VAN SAUN: I'm really interested in understanding now,
what is the intrinsic motivation of these soldiers?
Is it pay? Is it a sense of duty?
To country? To something greater than themselves?
Is it because generation after generation in their family served?
We talk about that in our own military,
because there's tons of motivations of why we all serve.
And we have to understand those motivations to work with them.
♪♪
DRILL LEADER: For the first round, immediately get in formation.
The Special Forces have only just begun their training
with this unit of Nigerien troops,
many of whom are still learning how to be soldiers at a basic level.
SOLDIER: Is this how the formation should look like?
This is how it should be. It's all good.
Put some space in between you guys.
Ok, everyone get the ammunitions.
SOLDIER #2: Everybody has 120 bullets and it goes by quickly. So, keep that in mind.
VAN SAUN: Behind us, we have the guys getting ready to do
what we call small unit tactics -- teaching the soldiers how to work together
as a team to close in on an enemy threat.
♪♪
DRILL LEADER: Stay spread out. Stay spread out.
SQUAD LEADER: What are you doing? You're supposed
to put one knee on the ground. Let's go.
These guys here, they're actually picking up on this stuff pretty easy.
(soldiers shouting in native language)
SOLDIER: Come up here to the leader.
He moves out, he I.D.'s what's going on right now.
You should be over there on the other side.
SOLDIER #2: Moves back to his other team,
and at that point, they make the decision to flank in either direction.
♪♪
SOLDIER #3: Look around for other enemies.
(soldier shouting in native language)
DRILL LEADER: Enemy has been killed. Stop firing.
SOLDIER: That's good.
♪♪
This drill is over. Come back.
♪♪
(soldier cheering)
(soldiers cheering)
♪♪
-SOLDIER: Hey. -PRODUCER: Brent, do you have
something you wanna talk about?
We need to find who the best singer is.
They want to know who has the best voice to lead your wonderful military song.
SOLDIER #2: I need help on my dance.
(soldier speaking native language)
(soldiers shouting in native language)
SOLDIER: Clap your hands!
TOGETHER: That's right.
SOLDIER: My men gather strength and morale, so we can accomplish our mission.
My men, may God protect and grant us peace of mind and heart.
TOGETHER: That's right.
SOLDIER #2: If I'm in the army, I'm no longer a pauper.
TOGETHER: That's right.
I'm no longer a poor man. I have no money and no worries.
TOGETHER: That's right.
I have my brothers beside me.
(soldier singing in native language)
SOLDIER: I just really enjoy getting to know all the soldiers
in everything that I do train and that all of our teammates get to train.
I don't think the American populace really understands
how many forces we actually have deployed in places like this,
and I don't think they really understand
how far-reaching we can be when we work by, with, and through our partner forces.
♪♪
PRODUCER: Do you wish every once in a while, though,
that there was a bit more excitement?
Uh, sometimes.
Excitement can be good.
It's also -- Without any big support,
that excitement can also lead to bad things.
♪♪
VAN SAUN: Sit! Huh? Sit!
(indistinct conversations)
♪♪
(soldiers cheering, clapping)
SOLDIER: Off the wall! Do one where you grab the wall.
I'll do it off the truck, but you gotta go get the truck.
Truck? What about that truck?
(indistinct conversations, laughter)
(soldier singing in native language)
(solider singing in native language)
SOLDIER: There you go. There you go.
SOLDIER #2: Yay!
(singing in native language)
(soldiers cheering)
(laughs)
(laughter)
Do you think the American soldier speaks Housa?
SOLDIER: No, very little.
(conversing in native language)
What is your name?
-PATRICK: Patrick. -Patrick.
♪♪
(rhythmic clapping)
(soldier singing in native language)
(soldiers shouting in native language)
-MEN: Encore! Encore! -PATRICK: For the -- For the camera.
-MAN: For the camera? -PATRICK: Yeah.
♪♪
(soldiers singing in native language)
♪♪
(soldier cheering)
♪♪
NEWSCASTER: Here are their names --
Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson,
Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright,
Staff Sergeant Bryan Black,
and Sergeant La David Johnson.
♪♪
HOLLY: Have any regrets?
Like there's nothing, like, you look back and think on the last night
of your teenage-hood, teenage retirement?
CODY: No.
HOLLY: What's gonna happen tomorrow? Did they tell you?
I don't know.
HOLLY: You've never shipped to boot camp before.
I've never shipped to boot camp before.
HOLLY: I was actually at a Marine Corps Ball the other day,
and the youngest Marine in attendance was two months older than Cody.
And I thought, "Okay."
That's when it finally hit me that my son's gonna be a Marine.
Off he goes, doing his thing.
So...
♪♪
-Should we call Dad? -CODY: Yeah.
♪♪
(line ringing)
(keyboard clacks)
♪♪
-What's up, Dad? -DARRELL: Hey, what's up, son?
♪♪
MAKAYA: Nice mustache, dude!
It's Movember, and I jumped on board.
Movember.
-I'm excited for you. -CODY: Yeah.
Once you get there, you won't have time to be nervous.
Yeah, I'm not too worried about it.
The flight?
You might...
HOLLY: This is really -- You might what?
(laughing) Really good advice that we're missing out on.
Might what, Dad?
Oh, I was saying, during the flight, you might be a little nervous.
CODY: Yeah.
HOLLY: Any last words for him?
Just remember -- You're not in it alone.
There's a whole bunch of other guys in your platoon with you.
So reach out, help them.
Like I said, it's easy to become a Marine,
but it's living up to it every day after that.
CODY: Yeah.
♪♪
♪ Come on, feet, don't fail me now ♪
♪ 'Cause I'll fall too hard if I hit the ground ♪
♪♪
♪ And these worn-out souls are all broken now ♪
♪ I'll give it all, I'll give it all ♪
FURNER: The 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt,
spoke these words.
I believe his words capture the true essence of the men
we've all come to honor today --
"It's not the critic who counts.
It's not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles
or the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
and who at worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.
So his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who neither know victory nor defeat."
Ladies and gentlemen, this country is not free on account of luck,
and it won't remain free by it either.
It is free on the account of strong men and women.
It is free on the account of real-life superheroes
like Jeremiah and Bryan, Dustin and La David.
♪ Ooh-ooh ♪
♪ If I don't see you ever again, oh, where do I start? ♪
♪♪
Thank you for joining us today in remembrance of our fallen brothers.
My name's Colonel Brad Moses.
I am the 3rd Group Commander.
The motto of Special Forces is "De Oppresso Liber,"
to liberate the oppressed.
For people like this, it becomes an addiction
of wanting to succeed at making other people's lives better.
On 4 October, Team Ouallam and their Nigerien BSR partners
were attacked by an enemy that didn't want them
to make this small spot in the world a better place.
The ODA, caught in a near-ambush,
made a decision to plant their feet and fight.
Under overwhelming fire, each man did his job.
After the vehicles were completely destroyed
and the men nearly out of ammunition,
they made a decision much bigger than themselves.
To avoid compromise of other American forces throughout the region,
they made one last call -- Broken Arrow.
This is code from SOF MACV-SOG days in Vietnam of U.S. forces being overrun.
♪♪
They zeroed their secure communication and went black.
The quick actions of additional Nigerien forces,
our French partners, and additional sister ODA
and SOF assets kept constant pressure on the enemy
until all of our wounded and fallen were recovered.
♪♪
I ask that each of you reflect on these men's actions
as a reminder of why and how you serve.
♪♪
It can be as profound as "De Oppresso Liber."
Or it might be that you can and should.
Or...
♪♪
...it might be as simple as you do this, like me,
so like me,
a wife and kids sitting in the front row shouldn't have to.
Care for the wounded, honor the fallen, and continue mission.
Thank you.
♪♪
SERGEANT MAJOR: Team Ouallam, atten-hut!
Captain Parazini.
PARAZINI: Here, Sergeant Major.
Master Sergeant Figaro.
FIGARO: Here, Sergeant Major.
Sergeant First Class Bartoz.
BARTOZ: Here, Sergeant Major.
Sergeant First Class Hoffman.
HOFFMAN: Here, Sergeant Major.
Staff Sergeant Ondercheck.
ONDERCHECK: Here, Sergeant Major.
Staff Sergeant Howe.
HOWE: Here, Sergeant Major.
Sergeant First Class Johnson.
Sergeant First Class Jeremiah Johnson.
Staff Sergeant Black.
Staff Sergeant Bryan Black.
Staff Sergeant Wright.
Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright.
Sergeant Johnson.
Sergeant La David Johnson.
SOLDIER: All! Half-right face.
Ready. Aim. Fire.
♪♪
NARRATOR: Why do we fight?
♪♪
It's a question that has been asked with any war,
and particularly a war like this one.
A war without borders.
♪♪
A war defined maybe more than anything else by its sense of endlessness.
♪♪
And yet we fight because tomorrow is too important to take for granted.
♪♪
BILL: What are you doing?
Oh! Hey, hey, hey, hey!
You gotta watch for Mom and Dad's plane.
♪ Ramblers in the wilderness ♪
♪ We can't find what we need ♪
♪ We get a little restless from the searching ♪
♪ Get a little worn down in between ♪
NARRATOR: As deployments come and go, you can still find hope.
♪ Everybody needs someone beside 'em ♪
♪ Shining like a lighthouse from the sea ♪
♪♪
♪ Brother, let me be your shelter ♪
♪ Never leave you all alone ♪
NARRATOR: You can find hope in the connections
made across borders and beliefs, languages, and cultures.
♪ Brother, let me be your fortress ♪
♪ When the night winds are driving on ♪
NARRATOR: And you can find hope in the simple idea that there are heroes
who will fight for those who can't fight for themselves.
♪♪
(boy crying)
(man speaking native language)
♪♪
♪ Brother, let me be your shelter ♪
♪ Never leave you all alone ♪
♪ I can be the one... ♪
You gonna see Daddy?
♪ When you're low ♪
NARRATOR: For an entire generation of Americans, the answer to that question,
"Why do we fight?"
has been maybe the best answer we can find to explain who we are...
♪ Bring you home ♪
NARRATOR: ...what we believe in...
♪ Brother, let me be your shelter ♪
♪ Never leave you all alone ♪
NARRATOR: ...and what's most important to protect.
♪ When you're low ♪
♪♪
♪ Brother, let me be your fortress ♪
♪ When the night winds are driving on ♪
LIZ: I have no idea where the kids are.
Where are the kids?
♪♪
SCOTT: Maybe they're inside? There they are!
♪♪
♪ Brother, let me be your shelter ♪
♪ Never leave you all alone ♪
GABBY: Daddy!
Daddy's home!
Yeah! Daddy's home!
-Daddy! -Gabby!
Can you give me a hug?
LIZ: Hi!
♪♪
♪ Be the one to light the way ♪
♪ Bring you home ♪
-Mama! -♪ Brother, let me be your shelter ♪
♪ Never leave you all alone ♪
♪ I can be the one you call ♪
♪ When you're low ♪
♪ Brother, let me be your fortress ♪
♪ When the night winds are driving on ♪
♪ Be the one to light the way ♪
NARRATOR: And so for every ending, there's a new beginning.
♪♪
For every pledge to fight, a fresh dose of hope
that ultimately the evil in the world will be outdone by the good.
CODY: I, Cody Loren Carver...
-...do solemnly swear... -CODY: ...do solemnly swear...
SIDDALL: ...that I will support and defend...
CODY: ...that I will support and defend...
SIDDALL: ...the Constitution of the United States...
CODY: ...the Constitution of the United States...
SIDDALL: ...against all enemies...
CODY: ...against all enemies...
-SIDDALL: ...foreign and domestic. -CODY: ...foreign and domestic.
SIDDALL: And that I will bear true faith...
CODY: And that I will bear true faith...
SIDDALL: ...and allegiance to the same.
CODY: ...and allegiance to the same.
SIDDALL: And I will obey...
CODY: And I will obey...
Captioned by VITAC