A powerful war documentary titled "The Hornet's Nest" premieres Friday at select theaters.
The film was made by Mike Boettcher, an ABC war correspondent of 34 years, and his son.
"This film, as we say, isn't based on a true story. It is a true story," said Boettcher.
During his career, Boettcher was kidnapped in El Salvador and was the target of a suicide attack in Baghdad.
The father-son team began filming in 2009 as they were imbedded with soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan.
"I felt that we had stopped telling the story of the American soldier and the Marines who are in the trenches over there in Afghanistan, and that we needed to go back to old traditions," Boettcher said.
The film is no Hollywood rendition.
"Everything you see in there is real. The combat is real. There are no sound effects," Boettcher said. "Those are real bullets going by the camera. Those are real explosions. And people died with me."
There were times when Boettcher and his son were separated during battles and each thought the other had been killed.
"What we wanted to do in this film is connect that 99 percent of America that does not feel the pain of this war with that less than 1 percent that does," Boettcher said.
To see the full trailer for the film, click here.
"Americans have been very good about coming up to soldiers, and Marines, and sailors and airmen and saying, 'Thank you for your service.' But the next time they do that, I want them to know what they're thanking them for," said Boettcher.