By Lauren Burgess

The father of a fallen soldier in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in the Afghanistan War, Frankie Gay, produced the documentary, “11 Days and a Wake Up” to honor the young men killed and wounded.

On July 8, 2008, members of the Chosen Company were ordered to relocate to Combat Outpost “Bella”, four miles from Wanat, the capital city of the Nuristan Province in Afghanistan.

Five days later on July 13, 11 days before the Chosen Company was supposed to return home, they were attacked by over 200 Taliban fighters, an event now known as the Battle of Wanat.

The Battle of Wanat is known as the single deadliest attack on U.S. forces in the Afghanistan War, claiming the lives of Sergio S. Abad, Jonathan R. Ayers, Jason M. Bogar, Jason Hovater, Israel Garcia, Matthew B. Phillips, Gunnar W. Zwilling, Jonathan P. Brostrom, and Pruitt A. Rainey. Twenty-seven others were wounded.

Frankie Gay, the father of Pruitt Rainey, has made it his mission to honor these heroes. In previous interviews, Mr. Gay has talked about how he and other Gold Star families wanted the government to be held accountable.

The government took no such responsibility.

In response, Frankie Gay began working on a documentary to pay tribute to the soldiers of the Chosen Company. He began to interview the soldiers who survived Wanat, and the families of the deceased.

Combining these interviews with real footage taken by the soldiers themselves, “11 Days and a Wake Up” is both compelling in its storytelling and haunting to the viewer.

Instead of using the documentary to show the frustration families faced when meeting with government officials, Mr. Gay chose to focus on the soldiers of the Chosen Company– both the heroes who made it home and the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“11 Days and A Wake Up” ensures that their courage and bravery will never be forgotten.