ACG: The soldiers you were around and interviewed were thoughtful and articulate. Did you coach them at all to help them summarize their thoughts succinctly on film?

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JR: I didn’t coach them; they don’t need to be coached. In fact that’s the exact opposite of what I was trying to accomplish. My goal was to not have guys talk about something that happened ten years ago and have it all cleaned up through the prism of memory. I wanted to be on the front lines with the guys – the edge of the battlefield – and have them talk about what they were going through while they were going through it. If I hadn’t been willing to go outside the wire with them the guys would not have been in the film. They wouldn’t have been willing to talk to me. And I think that’s something that was really important to me.

ACG: The role of the snipers is fascinating and not very evident in most “war” films. What motivates them, your brother included?

JR: Being a sniper’s an extremely challenging job, both physically – the danger you put yourself in by going out in small teams – but beyond that, the amount of focus it takes, even just the decision you have to make to pull the trigger. It’s a very proactive profession.

One thing that’s very interesting for a sniper is your bullet goes where you aim it. So there’s a certain comfort level in knowing that you’re not going to potentially kill people you don’t intend to kill. At the same time, what is a certain challenge to that job is they know that while they’re pulling the trigger while somebody’s putting an IED (improvised explosive device) in the middle of the road that, by taking that life they are saving the lives of potentially many soldiers and lots of kids that might be in the area when (the insurgent) hits pound on that cell phone. So it’s a very important and effective part of the war effort, but to the guys who have to do the job it’s a big challenge and I’ve got a lot of respect for the guys who are able to do that.

ACG: As in the case of the snipers, we see National Guardsmen right in the forefront of the fighting. In your opinion, do Americans really grasp and appreciate the danger these part-time heroes go through?

JR: I don’t know that they understand that the National Guard guys really have gone out to the front lines and have done their part to win the war on terror. As you see in the film, those snipers are on the front lines in the Sunni triangle between Ramadi and Fallusia. And I thought they were doing an awesome job. There’s a lot of National Guard units that have been taking casualties right alongside the Army and Marines. I personally think the best part of my generation is currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

AGC: Having been among them, what is your impression of the Iraqi soldiers and their commitment and ability to bring peace and security to their country?

JR: I was with the Iraqi army at a very interesting time. I was there with them in 2005 and 2006 before the surge. We were attempting to take away the staging ground for much of the foreign fighters who had come into Iraq and were operating in Ramadi and Fallusia and the Iraqi army got tasked with taking that ground back. They take casualties, they get shot at, they return fire, and they go out the next day. I had a chance to go into combat with these guys, and they didn’t drop their guns and run away. For me I still think it’s fascinating to look at the Iraqi army and where they are this moment in time. You don’t just snap your fingers and all of a sudden “poof” you’ve got an Iraqi army that is like U.S. Marine caliber. From what I hear from Isaac – and he’s just gotten back from Iraq on his 4th deployment – the Iraqi army is beyond where they were in the film. They’ve progressed to the point where now they are leading the charge. The American army is in a support role with them.

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