An Inside Look into “Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand”

Editor’s note: Army Wife Network was recently invited to get a first-hand look at National Geographic’s new special, Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand, which will premiere on National Geographic channel.

National Geographic brought us to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia, to spend some time with two elite Air Force units featured in the special. Valdosta is located in Southern Georgia, just a couple of minutes from the Florida line. Valdosta became the home of Moody Air Field in 1942. Known today as Moody AFB, it is home to about 8,200 military service members and their families, as well as 375 civilian employees who work on the base.

National Geographic’s Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand began about a year ago when they first aired a six-part miniseries that took an in-depth look at Pararescue Jumpers (also known as PJs), of the 83rd Rescue Squadron deployed to Afghanistan. This year, National Geographic is back with Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand which took them back to Afghanistan following not only the PJs but also an elite Air Force unit known as “The Reapers.”

The Reapers are a part of the 822nd Base Defense Squadron, who also call Moody AFB home. During this deployment to Afghanistan, National Geographic follows Reaper Team 5 as they hunt down a dangerous high-level Taliban target who has been conducting assaults on Bagram Airfield.

During our time with these men and women at Moody AFB, we were able to view demonstrations of some of the training the Reapers go through on a daily basis. These demos consisted of an IED training lane, Humvee roll-over drill, working dog demo, and a Military Operations Urban Terrain exercise demo. Watching how efficient and skilled the men and women of the 822nd are was amazing and gave me a deeper respect and admiration for what our Armed Forces do every day for our country.

We were also able to have some one-on-one interviews with members of Reaper Team 5 who were featured in the special. I had the honor of talking with Senior Airman Kameryn Futral, one of the few female airmen that make up the team. SrA Futral talked to me about her time in Afghanistan and what it was like being featured on the special.

I also got the chance to talk with Staff Sergeant Joseph Crotty, who is also featured in the special. Hailing from Southern Illinois, Staff Sgt. Crotty also shared insights into his time in Afghanistan, which was his first deployment, and gives us some insight into his family and how they coped with his deployment.

Our time at Moody AFB culminated with a screening of Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand, for the service men and women of Moody AFB, their families, and members of the Valdosta community that have been a source of constant support for the base.

Watching the special for the first time was an amazing experience. I had learned from earlier conversations with many of the airmen featured in the special that they felt National Geographic had done a great job of capturing their story and not turning it into something that was touched by Hollywood, and boy, were they right.

Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand is a powerful documentary that truly shows the missions these airmen conducted, the dangers they faced, and the impact of their efforts. There are some intense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and there were moments that truly took my breath away. You will feel like you are there with the Reapers and PJs. You will be scared with them at times, you will cry for them at times, and you will root for them the whole time.

If you don’t believe me, just check out this exclusive clip below as the Reapers are faced with a potentially deadly drive back to Bagram Airfield.

This is a documentary special you won’t want to miss that highlights the heroic efforts of these Airmen. Be sure to tune into the National Geographic Channel on June 15 at 9 p.m. eastern for your chance to see Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand.

Then come back Army Wife Network to follow a three-part blog series that will take you behind the scenes of this special and give you an in-depth look into my time at Moody AFB, including video footage of the training demos I mentioned earlier and a chance to share with you the stories of SrA Futral and SSG Crotty.

P.S. If you missed last year’s six-part miniseries, Inside Combat Rescue, tune into National Geographic starting at 3 p.m. eastern on June 15 to see a marathon of the series before the premiere of Inside Combat Rescue: The Last Stand.