One of the veterans of the ambush in Sadr City in April 2004 has revealed that National Geographic’s film The Long Road Home is a shameful piece of propaganda that butchers history and ignored offers of help from the squad who were actually in the firefight in order to present a bastardised and propagandistic version of events.

In response to my latest article on the film series, Duncan Koebrich posted several tweets that tear into The Long Road Home, especially the writer Mikko Alanne.

It appears Koebrich’s entire squad offered to help make the series more accurate, but were ignored by the writer who preferred to tear up the real lives and deaths of these soldiers because it didn’t suit the story he wanted to tell.  That the Pentagon provided such extensive (even subsidised) support to the film only emphasises how callous they are towards their own veterans.

Koebrick also corrected the record, explaining that Colonel Gary Volesky did not lead the rescue convoy into battle, as portrayed in the series, and that it was company commander Captain Lewis whose valour was stolen.

Since the events of Black Sunday, Volesky’s star has risen and he is now commander of I Corps and of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  In the series he is portrayed by Phil Strub lookalike Michael Kelly.

Michael Kelly and Phil StrubLeft: Michael Kelly  Right: Phil Strub