Taking Fire

Taking Fire is a documentary series which involves the participants filming their personal war experiences while on a one-year deployment in Afghanistan. The show is a Discovery Channel series about the 101st Airborne Division, using personal hand-held and helmet cameras. The action unfolds during America's farthest flung outpost in the Korangal Valley, deep in Taliban-held country throughout 2010. The rookies wanted to capture what they saw using their personal cameras and bring the footage the folks back home. The footage they brought back charts an eyewitness view of modern warfare in what is considered one of the deadliest places on earth.

Their combat footage takes viewers into the heart of combat action, with a visceral perspective not captured by news reporters or traditional documentaries. The segments document the personal struggles, confusions, joys and sadness of war. The men in the Discovery Channel series left the United States for Afghanistan, seeking to serve their country. However, what they experienced was possibly something different from what they anticipated.

Taking Fire showcases American soldiers under intense fire from Taliban positions in Afghanistan. The men experienced IED explosions and being pinned down under enemy machine-gun fire, and many of the surviving soldiers gave accounts on the operations and spoke of their fellow soldiers who did not return. The footage seen in the show is approved for public viewing by the Department of Defense. The show contains upsetting images and redacted profanity.