'The Hornet's Nest' Film: Chaplain Embedded With Platoon Says America Need to Know These Stories (INTERVIEW + VIDEO)
"The Hornet's Nest" is not your typical military movie. It is actual footage taken from nine days of battle in Afghanistan and the perilous situation a group of soldiers found themselves in. Several men were killed in a dangerous and hostile environment, referred to as "The Hornet's Nest" by war photographer Mike Boettcher, who was embedded with the unit.
One of the men embedded with the unit featured in "The Hornet's Nest" was Chaplain Justin Roberts, who captured footage of Staff Sgt. Brian Burgess, who was killed in action on March 29, 2011.
CP: What was your reaction to learning of "The Hornet's Nest"?
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Justin Roberts: Well, the way that I became a part of it – chaplains are not allowed to carry weapons, so I carried a camera. I had a First Sgt. who suggested that I deploy with each platoon at least once so that I could connect with the guys and do my ministry in the battlefield. When I was on one of those missions, I met Mike Boettcher and started a friendship and shared what we were working on.
We wound up going on another mission entitled Operation Strong Eagle III. Both of us happened to have the same kind of camcorder. During that year, I found some stories that I absolutely wanted to share and I let him know I wanted to do a documentary when I got home and he said he would be working on the piece for "Nightline" and wondered if he could use some of my footage, and I agreed.
Together, that "Nightline" piece won two Emmys, and it spun into "The Hornet's Nest," and that's the journey. I was pretty aware of it from the beginning, but after the "Nightline" piece I didn't know what was going on with it, but when David Salzberg called me, I saw it could go in that direction, and they did an amazing job with the film. They had to work on it for several years.
CP: You shot the last footage of Terry Burgess' son, Brian. What does that mean to you now, knowing that you captured that image and time for his family?
JR: The mission of a chaplain, partly, is to honor the fallen. I believe the camera can be a tool used in ministry to honor the fallen. Growing up, I wish I could have been a music minister, and I have a limited skill set, but I love photography and cinematography. This is a tool I can use to honor God and the men I walked with. America does not know these stories, because if the country actually knew these stories, they would be more engrossed in what is going on in Afghanistan. They would be entertained as well, wanting to know more of the stories of these wonderful individuals. It's not America's fault, it's just that these stories are not being told.
CP: How do you process what you see while in battle, especially such as what happened during Operation Strong Eagle III?
JR: It takes a lifetime. It's like a 10-year answer. You get little bits at a time, you never truly resolve it. The only thing you can do is try to tell people about these guys and the sacrifices they made for friends. That's the only way you can honor them is by telling their stories and honoring their example of selfless love. This to me is a memorial, this film, and it's also representing people whose stories are lost in time. We can't tell everyone' stories, but we can tell the stories of those we walked with, just so the country can understand that there are stories and countless sacrifices that are being made.
CP: Have you noticed any changes in the people you work with since the film's release?
JR: At the premiere, I was standing between a Marine who said it saved his life and a Gold Star who said it saved his life. The most important part in counseling is simply telling your story and having your story understood, and I believe this film can represent many, many soldiers' stories, many veteran's stories. Communities can watch this and know more about what goes on and offer their support, the freedom for others to tell their stories.
This is a catalyst for conversations we need to have as this war comes to a close. Whether we're ready or not, this war is coming home and these soldiers are going to be bringing it with them. Everybody in America is going to be connected to a veteran in some fashion. This is the conversation we need to have at this time in history and will determine our future in some way. These soldiers will be stepping into leadership roles, and the more we talk about what we've been through, the more we talk to one another, the more we'll be connected. There can be no empathy without understanding, and we need to generate that and build it up so we don't repeat what happened in Vietnam.
We actually have a second film coming out in 2015, which follows my story as a brand-new chaplain. It's the same team that produced "The Hornet's Nest," and it's entitled "No Greater Love." I did a year's worth of filming, so it will follow that story and answering the question of how do we come home … how do we fully come home.
One hundred percent of the proceeds of "No Greater Love" will be going to soldiers' charities.
"The Hornet's Nest" is out in select theaters now. For more information, click here.
Watch a video tribute to those in "The Hornet's Nest" here:
