RIK HAMBRIGHT NAVY VET

From My Perspective: A Take on "Warfare" and the Reality of Ramadi Hey everyone, RIK Hambright here. Ramadi veteran, and one of the few who lived the chaos you just watched in Warfare. Let me break it down for you—not as a critic, but as someone who breathed that dust, felt those concussions, and still carries the weight of 2006. The "Call on Me" Hype Train Turns out, SEAL Team 5 was bunked next door. Coincidence? Maybe. But when I saw that same track open the movie? Let’s just say I side-eyed the screen. Did they steal our pre-game ritual? The world may never know. The Ugly Truth: Freezing, Fog, and Fury The movie nails the chaos—**especially the freezing**. You think you’re Rambo until RPGs start cratering the street around you. I froze solid for minutes after an IED hit my team. Time slows. Your brain short-circuits. The film’s sound design? Perfect. After an explosion, everything goes muffled, like you’re drowning in a murky lake. You don’t “snap back”—you claw your way up from that underwater haze, praying your limbs still work. Hollywood Flubs (Because of Course) Not gonna lie—the Brit FV432s posing as our Bradleys? C’mon. We’d never hang gear on reactive armor unless we wanted a BBQ. But hearing “Bushmaster” over comms again? Chills. Those guys were our lifeline. Why Didn’t America Care? Here’s the Hard Truth After Ramadi, I flew home to… crickets. Coworkers shrugged when I mentioned Iraq. “Cool, man. Want a coffee?” The war was background noise—no draft, no stakes for 99% of folks. But in Ramadi? We patrolled 300 days straight. If you weren’t bleeding, you were back out there. No downtime. No therapists. Just adrenaline and ammo checks. Final Verdict Warfare is the first film to grip the raw terror and tedium of those wars. But that 2-hour rollercoaster? That was our Tuesday. If you want the full, unfiltered story—the brotherhood, the breakdowns, the moments no camera could capture—grab my memoir, Where Cowards Go to Die. Half of it’s dedicated to Ramadi. Because some stories need more than a credits scene. Stay sharp out there. —RIK Hambright