Movie tells story of Bay Area Special Forces veterans

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A new documentary film about a group of Army Green Berets features several special forces veterans from the Bay Area.

For the first time, they're telling their story of secret missions in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

There were three teams from the 5th Special Forces Group, known as The Legion.

"Each team had a different mission," says retired master sergeant Scott Neil. "The other teams didn't know, in case we were captured, what those missions were."

Many team members remain close years after those missions. They collaborated with journalist Peter Bergen for a film called Legion Of Brothers. It premieres Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. at the AMC Theatre at Sundial in St. Petersburg.

Neil says the terrain in Afghanistan was so rugged that the Americans joined tribal fighters on horseback. The Green Berets organized tribal forces against the Taliban.

"Someone said it was like the Jetsons meet the Flintstones. You had all of this American firepower," says Neil, who says Afghan allies and enemies rode in saddles as they would have in the 18th Century.

In one photograph, Green Beret Mark Nutsch is seen with Afghan allies preparing saddles. His wife, Amy appears in the film, recalling how little she knew about what Mark was doing at the time.

"I had the feeling, I just didn't know where. He just said, 'I have to go,'" Amy explained.

One of their children was born while Mark was deployed. Amy says she and other team wives looked out for one another. At least two from the Legion were killed by errant  American bombs. Neil says they never knew if it was due to equipment malfunction or human error.

"Those that were affected by that event are still affected today," says Neil. 

His own 24-year-old son is now in the Army as the war his father fought goes on.

"Knowing it's the same fight and sometimes the same actors, wondering if their sons are junior terrorists and insurgents, and this becomes a generational fight of a very small community," says Neil, whose Legion of Brothers are finally telling their story.