But how true to events is the film? “12 Strong” is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when an elite U.S. Special Forces unit, led by their Captain, Mitch Nelson (Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. soldiers sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission in response to the attacks. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jerry Bruckheimer’s new film "12 Strong" is a fictionalized tale about real soldiers who fought on horseback in Afghanistan right after Sept. 11, 2001. Abdul Rashid Dostum is currently the Vice President of Afghanistan. Related Article: 12 Strong: History vs. Hollywood Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon play Captain Mitch Nelson and Chief Warrant Officer Hal Spencer, the leaders of the mission. Only two characters in 12 Strong will have the same names as their real-life Green Beret counterparts; commanding officers, John Mulholland and Max Bowers. 12 Strong (also known as 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers) is a 2018 American action-war film directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and written by Ted Tally and Peter Craig.The film is based on Doug Stanton's non-fiction book Horse Soldiers, which tells the story of U.S. Army Special Forces sent to Afghanistan immediately after the September 11 attacks. They're also the inspiration for the new movie "12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers." Mazar-i-Sharif was the stronghold for the Taliban’s northern force and once liberated, the northern provinces quickly fell. The mission was led by Green Beret Captain Mark Nutsch (in the film referred to as Mitch Nelson and played by Chris Hemsworth), and would result in Special Forces involved in ground combat operations in northern Afghanistan, hundreds of miles behind Taliban lines. © 2021 Average Joes is an independent digital mens magazine & lifestyle blog bringing the greatest content the world has to offer to your desktop, tablet & mobile. Early Special Forces operators therefore made the decision to move on horseback in order to keep up with the Northern Alliance, gaining the nickname of ‘The Horse Soldiers’. Latest; Premium; Shows; GB Infinite; Random Video; Popular Videos. 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban. They have no definite name or rank. At the same time, this Horse Soldiers documentary follows artist Douwe Blumberg and his creation of the Horse Soldiers monument that was put on display at Ground Zero. The movie focuses on recently declassified information about U.S. Special Forces who fought alongside Afghan soldiers in the weeks following 9/11, and who managed to take the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif in a period of three weeks. The real-life Special Forces officer he represents is Mark Nutsch, who asked that his name be fictionalized in the movie. Dostum proved to be a key ally in the early days of the Afghanistan war and beyond. Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig. Retired Adm. William H. McRaven is bringing his inspirational message to kids books. Why not sign up to our newsletter? Napoleon: From the infamous French leader Napoleon Bonaparte to the not-so historically important, yet culturally significant Napoleon Dynamite, this name has made across all the cultures in the last 300 years. But the ground assault was more challenging than ODA 595 had first thought. Check out the interview below. Dostum had around 200 paid Afghan soldiers under his command, as well as a vast amount of part-time militia. These popular strong boy names are culled from movies, comics, books, and other literary materials. '12 Strong' & the Legend of the Horse Soldiers, The SEAL Who Oversaw the Bin Laden Raid Wants Kids to 'Make Your Bed', All for Love: Prince Harry Gives Up His Honorary Military Titles, 7 Products You Didn’t Know Were Invented by the Military, 'The Daughters of Kobani' Tells a Riveting Story of Women in Combat, Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan. Harry’s appointment as captain general of the Royal Marines and titles with other military groups will revert to the queen... Take a look at these common goods that were actually brought to life by tax dollars and military research. Those were their names in Doug Stanton's acclaimed book "Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan," a book written at a time when the names of the real soldiers were still classified. 12 Strong is set for release in the UK on 26th January 2018. This name witnessed its peak in the 1880s. But while Wonder Woman is fictional, she has no shortage of real-world precedents. A further Special Forces team, ODA 534, soon linked up with ODA 595 and Gen Dostrum outside Mazar-e-Sharif, where a coordinated US airstrike coincided with a ground attack consisting of Northern Alliance foot soldiers, cavalry and armoured units. Supplying you with the very best in Mens Style & Grooming, Sports, Autos, Culture & Film, Travel, Girls and Technology. Based on the 2009 Doug Stanton novel, ‘Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Although you may not be able to name your boy “Spiderman,” you can, however, use the superhero’s real names. Their names are classified any more and we had a chance to speak with Mark Nutsch (a/k/a Nelson) and Bob Pennington (a/k/a Spencer) back in January. Drew Brooks Military editor @DrewBrooks Sunday Jan 21, 2018 at 12:01 AM Jan 22, 2018 at … No member of the 12-strong Operational Detachment Alpha 595 Special Forces died during the 2001 Afghanistan mission. Chris Hemsworth back. The movie, “12 Strong” tells the declassified story of the soldiers, starring actors like Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor in the hit Marvel films, and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon. These 12 solders were outnumbered by the Taliban as they worked with Afghan rebels. The story of that first response, and what a single 12-man team from Fort Campbell's 5th Special Forces Group did in northern Afghanistan on horseback will be among the season’s biggest Hollywood releases in 12 Strong, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña and Elsa Pataky. The Sicambri, Batavi, Frisii and Chatti tribes were all subjugated by his army in 11 BCE and a year later, he defeated the Mattiaci, Marcomanni and Cherusci tribes. This game based on the movie of the same name was released on the PlayStation and Game Boy, it does not follow the story of the movie, instead focusing on the struggle of the Gorgonites to defend their homeland of Gorgon from the invading Commandos. If you’re looking into military dog names, we’ve got you covered with a list of 50+ options below. Some are superheroes and movie action figures. They share their stories and personal photos from their 2001 missions in Afghanistan. However, the goal quickly changed, and ODA 595 were instructed to work with rebel Afghan forces to destroy the Taliban regime in a mission codenamed ‘Task Force Daggers’. In the year 2015, this name ranked 11th in terms of popularity. With Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban. As related in the 2009 book "Horse Soldiers," a small team of 12 Green Berets — known, in officialese, as ODA (for Operational Detachment Alpha) 595, as well as by the much cooler code name … The US-led coalition followed in pursuit. Not only were they greatly outnumbered and out-gunned, they also had difficulty navigating the mountainous terrain with transportation a real issue. The Horse Soldiers’ legacy was commemorated in New York City in 2012 in the form of a statue, which is on display across from Ground Zero. At the time, General Dostum did have a reputation for violence and turning on allies during battle. Transcript for Real-life heroes tell cast of '12 Strong' they successfully captured 'the spirit of the Special Forces' We have the whole cast. The Horse Soldiers and the Northern Alliance liberated Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth largest city, in just three weeks. Their purpose varied, from scouts to sentries to trackers. Videos. Initially, their mission was one of personnel recovery, with ODA 595 tasked with rescuing any pilots that were shot down during the inevitable combat in Afghanistan. ODA 595 was quickly split into two units, Alpha and Bravo, with the former accompanying General Dostrum and the Northern Alliance towards the Taliban-occupied city of Mazar-e-Sharif, while the latter focused on Taliban positions across the nearby Dari-a-Souf Valley. Top 10 Best Sports Documentaries of All Time, The Art and Phenomenon of Footballers in Films, Swatch and James Bond Unveil 007 Watch Collection, Stunning Britain – The UK’s best views according to the public, The Future of Long COVID: The Mental Burnout Pandemic. Mazar-i-Sharif was the stronghold for the Taliban's northern force and once liberated, the northern provinces quickly fell. How did female troops come to take such a critical leadership role in a part of the world notorious for its oppression of... © Copyright 2021 Military.com. All rights reserved. Invading Afghanistan with ODA 555 – The real story of 12 Strong (Horse Soldiers) A lot of people gettin ready to watch 12 Strong (in Theaters January 19th.) Drusus’ military prowess demonstrated itself during his forays into Germany. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan’, 12 Strong will also star Michael Shannon and Michael Peña as member of the ODA 595 team, as well as Elsa Pataky, who will play the wife of Mitch Nelson opposite her real-life husband, Chris Hemsworth. 8. There are various suggested explanations for this, with the most likely being to protect the identity of team members. The strong name Alexander belongs to one of the most popular historical figures of all time, Alexander the Great. 12 Strong is a thinking-person's war story, one in which deductive and clever reasoning wins the day as often as who has the most bullets and air support. The US Forces therefore had no real option but to trust him. 12 Strong is set for release in the UK on 26th January 2018. The story of ‘The Horse Soldiers’ is set to be told in a new film starring Chris Hemsworth as Mitch Nelson, a character based on Mark Nutsch. Oscar winner Ted Tally and Peter Craig wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed book Horse Soldiers by author Doug Stanton. The Hitmazing Race. We take a look at the True Story of 12 Strong: The Horse Soldiers. Almost immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, a team of CIA paramilitary officers and US Army Green Berets Operational Detachment Alpha 595 (ODA 595) were sent to Afghanistan to aid unconventional warfare against Taliban forces. Their looks are drawn from a limited amount of models, and their weapons come from a small pool that is dictated by the faction the character is being generated for. 12 Strong, rated R for military violence and rough language, is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when an elite U.S. Special Forces unit, led by their Captain, Mitch Nelson (name change for Mark Nutsch and played by Chris Hemsworth), is selected to be the … WASHINGTON – The movie “12 Strong” arrives in theaters on Jan. 19, and tells the harrowing story of the first U.S. Special Forces mission in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was the first Roman General to mount successful campaigns east of the Rhine, pushing his troops as far as the Weser and Elbe rivers. Codenamed Task Force Dagger, the mission was simple enough: Join with Northern Alliance fighters and oust the Taliban from power. Since ancient times, dogs have been used to help man with military pursuits. An urgent request was therefore made and leather saddles were quickly air dropped to the ODA 595 team. The story has been made into a film starring Chris Hemsworth. Mark Nutsch and his ODA 595 team were flown across the Hindu Kush mountains on the 20th of October and inserted in the Dari-a-Souf Valley. There are various suggested explanations for this, with the most likely being to protect the identity of team members. The event marked the beginning of seventeen years and counting of involvement in the country. The movie was a hit when it played in theaters and now it's available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Admiral: Admiral is the rank of the highest naval officer. The home video bonus features include "12 Strong: The Making of an Impossible Mission" and "Monumental Effort: Building America’s Response Monument," a documentary about the creation of the horse soldier monument that now stands in New York City's Liberty Park. 12 Strong (2018) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Only two characters in 12 Strong will have the same names as their real-life Green Beret counterparts; commanding officers, John Mulholland and Max Bowers. Following the Battle of Mazar-e-Sharif, American and Afghan forces further liberated Afghanistan, winning back the cities of Kabul in the east, Herat in the west, Kandahar in the south, and Jalalabad. But the US Armed Forces were thin on the ground, and were potentially facing around 50,000 Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Very few of the US personnel were actually accomplished horses riders, so Nutsch, who had worked on a cattle ranch when he was younger, taught many of his other team members how to ride. True Story of I, Tonya: The Rise and Fall of Tonya Harding, True Story of The Post and The Pentagon Papers, True Story of Billy Jean King V Bobby Riggs – Battle of The Sexes, True Story of Gold: The Bre-X Mining Scandal, True Story of Ray Kroc: The Founder of McDonald’s, True Story of the American Sniper: Chris Kyle, Ryan Reynolds’ new streaming service offers just one movie. Following the attacks of 9/11, Operational Detachment Alpha 595 (ODA 595) was one of three teams of Special Forces soldiers who were sent to Afghanistan. Popular Books and Movie-Inspired Strong Boy Names. Tenet delayed – What will happen to cinema in 2020? Mulholland, played by William Fichtner, is one of the few whose names weren’t changed for the film. Many of the US Army Special Forces soldiers seen in the film are seen wearing black fleece jackets. '12 Strong:' Meet the real soldiers behind film. The true story of '12 Strong,' Horse soldiers were first to enter Afghanistan . '12 Strong' & the Legend of the Horse Soldiers 7 May 2018 " 12 Strong " tells real-life story of the Army Special Forces mission that was America's first military response in the wake of 9/11. But there was one major problem: Afghanistan’s rugged terrain meant the team would have to ride on horseback. This resulted in the Taliban and Al Qaeda fleeing to Pakistan and the mountains of Tora Bora. There they linked up with the CIA and a man known as General Abdul Rashid Dostum. Like in the 12 Strong movie, the real Horse Soldiers were able to liberate Afghanistan’s fourth largest city, Mazar-i-Sharif, in just three weeks. Interestingly, one Taliban member captured during the Battle of Mazar-e-Sharif was American-born John Walker Lindh. … Nutsch and one of his Green Beret teammates visited the production on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to offer some guidance on how to portray soldiers, honor the facts of the real story — and ride the horses that play a key role in the film. Like in the 12 Strong movie, the real Horse Soldiers were able to liberate Afghanistan's fourth largest city, Mazar-i-Sharif, in just three weeks. Randomly generated soldiers are soldiers that appear in the game randomly. Dostum was the commander of the largest and most powerful Northern Alliance faction, a rebel group who wanted to overthrow the Taliban and Al-Queda occupation of the country. Tags: Chris Hemsworth, Cinema, Film, Movies, True Story. Virtually all of the men found the traditional Afghan wooden saddles extremely uncomfortable. "12 Strong" tells real-life story of the Army Special Forces mission that was America's first military response in the wake of 9/11. Playdate.