The SHEPHERDS of HELMAND

 “Shepherds of Helmand” is the follow-up the the critically acclaimed film, “This is War-Memories of Iraq," a documentary about the National Guard's experiences in Iraq. “Shepherds of Helmand” takes viewers into an Afghanistan rarely seen by outsiders and explores the complexities and challenges of trying to build the Afghan National Army. The film follows a 17-man all-volunteer team of seasoned National Guard veterans from Oregon that was assigned to mentor an Afghan National Army Kandak (Afghan for battalion) and lead them in counter-narcotics campaign in the dangerous Helmand Province (a region notorious as a Taliban stronghold). In a remote patrol base called “Attal” a small group of the volunteers and their Afghan counterparts endured tenacious daily attacks from a Taliban enemy determined to overrun the base and kill the Americans.  This is the true story of one of the most decorated units in Oregon National Guard history - they came to be known as the Shepherds of Helmand.