IamA (Afghanistan Veteran and Filmmaker who documented his experience deploying and the process of returning home. I finally finished my film after 8 years, and published it to YouTube.) AMA!

Did you pick up any of the language?

At 37:49 the 2 guys sitting on the cot (ANA soldiers?) says to your buddy filming "How are you girl?" "Aren't you a nice girl?" LMAO!

Source: Am Pashtun from Kandahar, but lived most of my life in US.

Watching the whole thing. I like it so far.

OMFG!!! I was wondering that for so long! THANK YOU! ahahahahahaha!!! that is so funny! Everyone is busting everyone elses balls- just like I thought!

Yes I did pick up a little pashto, but not very much at all. I learned more Somali in Djibouti on my first tour, and I remember that better than I do any Pashto.

DUDE! You are so awesome! I can't believe this!

Haha...sure thing. Let me know if you have any other audio/video you need translating. I was in theater in from 2010-2011 working as a translator with an US Army MI unit. So I have my experience working with US military. Still good friends with the unit I was embedded with. This documentary helps me understand my country more as well since I left at a very young age (1979) after the Soviet invasion. Was born in Afghanistan. I'm an American citizen but Afghanistan is the country I lost to war.

if you had the pictures and video to tell this story- I'm sure it would be totally amazing!

Ok, I watched the whole thing. Despite being rough around the edges I thought the editing was done well...the audio could have used some work (nearly lost an ear drum on a couple of scenes, others hard to hear your commentary over the music), but overall I think you did a fine job telling your story and explaining your history. It's what has defined you as a person but know that it doesn't control your destiny. Your mother played a huge role in your life and I'm sorry it couldn't have been a more positive one. I hope you find closure with this film and somehow find peace and forgiveness with your mother. She is misguided and stubborn, but it doesn't mean she doesn't love you.

Let me know how the video game turns out...I'd be happy to take it for a spin.

Finally...

Call Dianna...

HAHAHA! Thank you very much, and I am aware of the audio issues. Should I ever screen it anywhere I should hope I have that fixed.

Regarding Diana... we are in a decent amount of contact. We are good friends, and we love eachother dearly. There is no need to call her- we have been talking all the way through this!

and, the game is live at: www.argzombiesgame.com

I was so excited I forgot to answer- ANBP (Afghan National Border Patrol)- even a step below ANA

Are you worried about conveniently disappearing because you're giving insight into one of the governments secret clubs?

No. While I'm sure that some organizations must have the ability to do such things, I don't think I'm worth the expense. Also, no government organization in the world can un-publish my film, because it's also published to this blockchain thing... https://alexandria.io/browser/0a9fac

So, there's definitely no need or advantage to making me "disappear"

Yea good point, the other question that came to mind was why you call yourself a former Marine? My buddy said once a Marine always a Marine.

former indicates that I am not active, but also not retired. Yes, I retain the title Marine, but I did want to clarify that I got out in 2010.

think your mom will watch it?

I have been wondering about that... I doubt it. Her fight or flight response is pretty deeply engrained, and something tells me this falls in the "flight" response.

also, I watched some of it, but it's pretty long to watch here at work haha but what do you mean by "raised gay"? kinda threw me off, being that I watched like the first 5 min and the last 10... nice standup by the way

heterosexuality was a punishable offense in our household. I was made fun of for being on the football team. I was made fun of for wrestling. This is my mother making fun of me by the way...

I don't know how else to describe that treatment than "raised gay" because that was where she was hoping to steer me.

I don't want to go into horror stories, and start getting myself all upset, but I do have one small story for you. We had access to the internet, back when the whole internet was 4chan, and she caught me looking at porn at age 11. My punnishment was to write a 10 page essay double spaced with sources MLA cited- on the perils of the porn industry and why it's wrong to objectify women, and I was grounded until I finished.... I was 11 years old. I don't think I wrote another essay like that until senior year of college.

that's fucking crazy. what do u mean "the whole internet was 4chan"lol

I was on Prodigy ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodigy_(online_service) ) when I was like 8 or 9. Once 56k modems started being commonplace, things like AOL got a lot of luddites onto the internet, and paying attention to the darker parts of it- starting to censor etc... During the time when that was happening- I had been navigating the internet for years. In the late 80's and early 90's the entire internet was the wild west- which meant it was porn, dead things, and all the worst human behavior you could imagine, and NOBODY was really watching or regulating any of it... 4chan...

I would have been 10-14 during those years... what do you think I was looking at on the internet?

im prob your age and I remember printing pics of naked woman to show my friends at school in 4th/5th grade. In middleschool I found rotten.com but 4chan didn't have an audience outside a few people until like 2005 , 2006. I am just confused if you are saying you frequented 4chan or if your saying your entire internet experience was a lot like the content on 4chan.

entire experience was a lot like the content on 4chan today, yes.

I am 12 mins in and wondering why this isn't on Netflix. I only meant to watch a minute or two of it to see the quality, but I fully intend to watch it all after leaving this comment. My question is, slightly on a tangent, have you considered approaching Netflix about this and getting some money for your effort?

I have worked in the industry for many years. I am aware of the quality of my work... which is why dropping it on YouTube for free is way cooler than begging netflix to look at it, or trying to work with a media aggregator- more interested in squeezing pennies out of it than getting eyeballs on it...

Good things will come. I have faith in my work. The YouTube move is just a filmmaker "mic drop"-esque cool guy move that I am hoping I can get away with.

What genre would you say your movie falls into?

Did you write the dialogue yourself??

Any future projects?

Who funded you for this movie?

Documentary. Yes. I didn't write it- I improvised it as needed. I literally would say an idea to the camera several times and narrow in on the shortest way to say it, and then drop it right into the computer and cut it in on the spot. You are actually watching me complete the film for real as you watch it. (only took ~2wks once I started again in 2017) YES! Future projects for sure... but what they are, I have no idea.
NOBODY. I didn't get funding. Brave New Foundation provided me with the media (tapes/cards), but they have ignored me for years so I don't talk to them. I didn't have a budget or money, I just had a camera and I knew it would be good if I could do it right... so I did it.

Ohh ok you're solo in this. Like do you have footage of any actual war stuff?

Documentary regarding which aspects?? How it affects a soldiers life or life of an ex soldier.

Any near death experiences?

WATCH THE MOVIE. Seriously... Yes ACTUAL WAR STUFF (could you be more vague)... if you watched even 5 min, you would see what aspects... I'm not a soldier, and I'm certainly no ex anything. YES near death experiences- I was on the front lines in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan- PEOPLE WERE ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL ME! I know who you are. You're that kid in the bar that hears military and asks "have you ever killed anyone?" was that your next question? Did I guess right?

Nope not even close!!! Hahah!! I have seen enough death and I actually see it on a daily basis.

Good. Cuz nobody likes that kid. Do you work in a hospital, or live in a bad hood? Who's doing all this dying?

Patients mostly....and the occasional suicidal psychiatrist. I'm a doctor.

What type of doctor? Are you good at your job? What kills the most people?

Well it depends... in my country leading cause would be an infection..in yours though cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death.

I'm done with my bachelors degree. Planning on doing masters soon within a year or so..right now I'm prepping for the exam...reddit I use during my break time.

Well I saved quite a few lives so I guess I'm not that bad and so far nobody has died under my watch. Hoping to keep it that way. I have just finished a 2 year medical service in a rural area

What country are you in?

In Afghanistan I didn't see much death. People died, but not many and we were only there for 7 months. I went to Djibouti, Africa on my first tour- they are having a drought there right now. I hear many people are dying of dehydration. So much death in the world- glad to hear you are keeping a good watch!

Well, have you?

hahaha- it's in the film. Obviously no, I've never killed anyone. I never shot my rifle once (in combat).

Hey, I watched it all.

It is a revolution that normal soldiers like you can tell stories and post them for everyone to see. This way, we see the reality, which was in this case, your reality, but this is the closest that most of us will be to the way we will experience the war.

There is a feeling in me that wants to hug you, even tho I have no clue how you must feel, I feel kinda sad for the soldiers that are dragged into a war that is not theirs. Like you said after the Afghan video, those are just people like us, fighting their war. Which is crazy.

I hope that you found a place in your home country right now. It must be really hard getting back into it. My question is: What are you doing with your life at the moment? What kind of job do you have? And what are the daily stuff you struggle with at the moment? Also, looking back, do you think you did the right thing? Do you think that it made any sense about what you did? (Partly yes, because that Afghan police march was laughable.)

I am currently an unemployed aspiring filmmaker. My last job was working for a video streaming service, taking the content from the studios, and managing the compression to get it up onto the service. I have made my living working with video for years- it's just what I do.

Daily- I struggle with anger. I'm not mad about the war- I'm mad that my mother and brother use the war as a defensive tool against me. They are angry hurtful people, and I don't want to be like that anymore- I have had to cut them out of my life entirely, because they are unwilling to even try to improve our relationships. They prefer to call me mentally ill, and blame me before they behave any differently. I'm very angry at them for that, and that is probably my biggest struggle- dealing with family.

Yes, I absolutely feel that I did the right thing. I believe that if you see something wrong in the world you should go out and get deeply involved. I joined the military with moral curiosity- wondering what this war thing was all about. I believe I caused more good than harm with my actions, and that's all any one man can do. If every anti-war protester had the courage to join the military, and refuse to fight- that would be considerably more effective than protesting... GET INVOLVED!! That's what I did. I got involved, and I did good. I feel good about what I did.

Enjoyed the film. Great work. VICE (tv/magazine) might be interested in your skills as a videographer. On another note (constructive criticism coming up), have you done an edit of this film that leaves out all the history between you and your mother - Just a straight expose' of your company's experience? It would shorten the run time, be a bit tidier, and would appeal to a wider audience. I realize the film is process for you working out your conflict with your mom but as a standalone war-piece it could be even more compelling. Thank you!

Yes, I have done many other edits over the years. I even shot a bunch of interviews with some of the other Marines- to try and focus in on the unit... I did one with tons of voiceover one with no voiceover... I think the answer to this is in the opening- I needed to tell MY story of how I have been affected... the biggest change in my life is my relationship with my mother, that is why it's in here, and I think it gives the personal nature of the film more weight- like, this is some super real super personal shit, and that shit is why I did any of it in the first place. I think removing it would weaken the piece.

Can I ask why you don't want to see that part? What about it made you uncomfortable? How's your relationship with your mother (if I may be bold)?

I need a job. If you know anyone at VICE- tell them to hit me up, because they have ignored my applications so far.

I know your conflict was the catalyst for joining the marines but i thought the story of what happens day to day for soldiers in Afghanistan was the more compelling story for me. Sometimes in art we have to edit out our favorite parts for the sake of the whole. But you seem clear about your intention and it has been achieved so I won't meddle. Again, thank you for making this and sharing it. Great work.

If you have any creative justification for cutting it beyond "killing my darlings" which is a practice I am very familiar with... I am all ears. I do appreciate the input, and creative interrogation- but I think I got it right. I really am curious if you have a good reason beyond "it made me uncomfortable" - because if that is the only reason, good- that's what I wanted!

What was the role of your 2nd or 1st lt from a plt command stand point, and how did you respect/receive their actions or lack of action?

We only had one Lt, and he was prior enlisted- from our unit to begin with... that goes a long way to earn enlisted respect- having gone through it urself, or at least close enough.

Marines get leadership and command better than I have seen anywhere. Commanders are in service to the unit (plt, company, bn)... you are given great respect, but the job mostly involves doing all the detail stuff to keep your men as clear to focus on their job as possible; often times this is the logistics, which is why the higher ranks see less field time.

My platoon commander was a Gysgt- not an Lt- and he had years in special forces... no problems respecting that guy, or him giving us any grief or bullshit- I felt he was always making good decisions in the best interest of the plt, and not making unnecessary bullshit anywhere. My platoon Sergeant was a Ssgt- here's a leadership story for ya. I was in the tower pulling guard for some insane amount of time- I don't remember what was happening, but leaving me there let some guys that had been out all day sleep. So I'm in that little tower (the one Mohamed Khan was in) at like 3-4am. Vehicles are still coming in and out- dealing with whatever bullshit was happening. The platoon sergeant rolls into the outpost, and before leaving he walked to every tower and checked on his men face to face. I Roger'd up, and gave the all green- don't need nothing... he went back to his personal stash and brought me a Monster and some other bullshit. I never forgot. He knew I was lying, and I was fucking exhausted... he didn't bother calling me out- just helped make it easier- get what bullshit he could out of my way. That is leadership.

Thanks for the response, I have some buddies shipping to OCS soon and wanted to get a perspective of what they'll deal with. Would you give them any advice, especially the guys with ground contracts?

Listen to the Sergeants. Trust them- they've been around long enough and done it a few times- they know how to operate without nonsense. Your friends should think of themselves as working FOR the platoons NCO's, not the other way around. I don't care how fucking shit hot they think they are cuz people are saluting them- you work for the platoon, not the other way around. Never forget that.

Mr. Morris, do you have any pets?

The dog in the film!! TANDY! She's real, and she's the best.

Mr.Morris, what is your favorite beer?

I do really like me some Sierra Nevada, or Lagunitas.

Mr. Morris, did you get any injuries or illnesses from you time in Afghanistan?

Only illness I got was the "yuck" that happens whenever you get on a new duty station with a lot of people moving through- usually everyone gets it, and it's like a cold/flu whatever all mixed- so everyone has different symptoms. Other than that nope.

Mr. Morris, what is or was your highest rank? Did you receive any medals' and accommodations?

Sergeant, and no. Just the basic stuff that you rate for showing up, and doing it.

Mr.Morris , what compliments and criticism have you gotten about the film?

Overwhelmingly positive reactions... TBH it's a little tough to take in, and hasn't really hit me yet. I'll congratulate myself later I suppose.

OH- One Marine was upset with me. He was in 1st platoon, and felt accused by the line "they hit the bomb on purpose" ... I really meant the commander Gysgt Campos, but he took it personal.

Also, he was on site for SgtMaj's death, and he was not happy I showed the image at all. He let me know that.

At the end you said you had one more story about Diane but you never mentioned it (or did I miss it?), what was it?

We drank Ayahuasca together- several times- and that's pretty much it. If I start trying to explain how a hallucination helped me arrive at the conclusion... I probably won't make sense if you haven't experienced the drug.

Saw this and watched your youtube film. Thanks for that, it was a nice little watch. I lost a school friend in the British Army to an IED.

My question more revolves around your relationship with your mother though. Did your father not have any say in how you were raised? Obviously you said that your real first name is Tyler as named by your father, but your mother got her own way regardless. Is she that forceful a personality that she gets her own way in a given situation?

Yes, she is that forceful. My dad tried to deal with it, they have been divorced since 1989. I lived in Ohio with my mother while my father lives in San Francisco - I left that out of the film... I dunno- just one less detail to make you process that went to the cutting room floor.

what sorts of things must be redacted for legal reasons?

Confiscated Taliban footage that I took off a detainees camera, and selfie video with detainees. I don't know how the government would feel about me trying to sell that to a distributor and making money with it. I don't really want to find out.

your mom

cold, breh.

At what point did you realise that you wanted to serve your country? How did your friends and family react?

I was very interested in the hardship, especially after the wilderness experience. Sitting in my freshman dorm room at SFSU watching the invasion of Iraq- I really felt a sense of regret for not being able to be there for my guys (not my guys yet, but I felt it). It wasn't long after that that I enlisted. I was also guaranteeing being near Diana- which didnt hurt (if you've watched the film).

Most of my family and friends were a little shocked, but those that really knew me understood. My mother on the other hand I don't think understood then or now.

Hello Mr. Morris, are you still in the marines? If not, what is your job now?

I am not in the Marines anymore. I am an unemployed creative person- hoping to work in augmented reality games. I make my living producing video freelance mostly... My last full time job was as a producer for a studio that managed content on a streaming service called Ultraflix.

Mr. Morris, who is your favorite fictional marine in a movie?

Full Metal Jacket (1987) Kubrick was a genius.

Mr. Morris,how many more films will you make on the future and what will be the topics?

I don't have a plan for number of films- just that I want to keep making them... and hopefully be able to put a roof over my head doing so. As far as topics- I have a background in visual effects, and I would love to do a Science Fiction FX piece at some point in time- other than that, no idea.

Mr.Morris how often are you on Reddit and what are your subreddits?

I am on Reddit everyday- I'm mostly into going deep down the /all board. I love good documenataires, and so I go by /r/Documentaries every now and then. I'm also a gamer- so I hit up some gaming subs (I mostly play Blizzard games)

Mr. Morris, what are your hobbies outside of work?

I like hiking with my dog. I like hanging around the standup comedy still, but I don't perform anymore. I consume a decent amount of media, watch a lot, read a lot...

Hi Congratuwelldone on the film! What made the film unmarketable? What are the Youtube distribution results like?

The fact that I was legally government property while I shot most of the footage... I am only one person, and I don't have any production support... I don't have the energy to fight that battle on this thing anymore, and so I just made it public and free.

It has been adding more and more viewers, and appears to be accelerating- I would say it's going well.

Mr. Morris, how many views do you hope to get on YouTube?

What's the maximum?

At Christmas you say you were looking for both Santa and the bad guys, do you really think they're the bad guys?

Thank you for this documentary, but not for your service.

Wow... obviously I don't think they're bad guys, or that they even exist... You seem to have missed the point of the documentary. I find your comment rude and inappropriate. It's cowards like you that sit in the rear and judge what men like us do- the things you don't have the courage to do. Keep taking shots from the audience kid.

Look, no hard-feelings. Undermining the struggle you went through or judging you superficially is not my intention, War has affected you and it takes courage to do what you did Tyler.

I'm criticizing the politics of decisions of wars from the government of America that leads to wars like that, that put brave men like you against other brave men, in wars that they shouldn't fight.

It just seemed to me that in the documentary there was more focus on how it affected you than your outlook in general on the other side of the war, is all. Saying I don't like your service is not to say I dislike you, in fact I admire that you, unlike a lot of people, think that other actual human beings are in the same situation as you are, but on the other side.

Again, thanks. The documentary was great.

So, were you just ignoring the parts of the film where that's exactly what I was trying to show? Where I was trying to show we'd rather be hanging out with these guys, than fighting them. Where I show THEIR footage and how remarkably similar it looks to MY footage... see how I'm trying to make that exact comparison?

I don't have room to comment on the larger situation, and quite frankly neither do you. If you think it's wrong- get in there an do something... politics... military... something. Most people just keep living their simple lives, content to pass judgement from the sidelines. That's a big reason I joined- to get involved and really understand it for myself. If you think it's so wrong- GO DO SOMETHING (other than slip little insults at vet's like me on reddit)

I remember those parts, and because of the Christmas scene it seemed contradictory to me, I was confused so I asked and now I got it.

I'm not judging you, but it'd be a jump to conclusion to assume that I'm not "doing something" about the things I don't like simply from a reddit post. I don't mean to insult you, that's just my position on wars in general, and I will try to do something about it to the best of my ability.

You could have said "thank you for the film" and left it at that... specifically excluding my service was inflammatory and unnecessary. The christmas scene I suggest that we saw Santa, but no bad guys... I really think you were stretching to make this about my cause somehow being less just than your own... What are you doing? What do you believe is wrong, and how do you plan to fix it?

What I am doing now is my video game. I believe location based games along with crypto-currency have the potential to create an entirely different kind of currency- based on information, not on material goods. By introducing such a currency, one could depreciate the value of material currencies (like the $- which is backed by oil), and begin paying citizens for actions more likely to increase health and happiness in the community (exercise, play, social engagement). THAT is why I am doing what I am doing now- that's my contribution. What's yours?

I think part of the reason I intentionally left my comment about your service was after seeing how cheered the soldiers were after returning back home, and how people responded with "horaahs" when you told them you were a marine at the joke segment at end. You partly agree with me on this when you said it doesn't guarantee it makes you a hero or anything being promoted in an organization "notorious" for missing with people's lives.

There is nothing more .. just.. than wanting to defend the people you love and care about, but when you look at the harsh reality of things(which is something you make clear in your documentary, and is beautiful), war is simply ugly with no winners.

It's not your fault, and I shouldn't have directed it at you(apologies), but it doesn't feel right cheering a vet for their service, I believe that if people knew more about the unfortunate ugliness of war on both sides they'll just show respect for the struggle of vets rather than "horaah" them. You said it yourself, there is nothing really "clap worthy" about people dying. I feel especially strongly about this because throughout history: the region I live in has been corrupted by civil war, unnecessary war(Iraq), dictatorships, terrorism; so much instability because of greed of countries with bigger power like the United states(Not that it's entirely their fault either). From invasions to funding of the wrong people to supporting dictators. The country I come from has over half the population living under the poverty line. Our soldiers aren't saints or anything, if anything they're corrupt monsters, so many of them(not all).

Of course there is much more nuance to this, but if you'd like to know, I believe if I can bring the injustices to light, people would be able to collectively overthrow the blatant dictatorship in my home country, after they failed(since a new dictator came along) in 2011 during the Arab spring. I also protested with my entire family among over a million others against the dictatorship back then, sadly my brother got shot in his eye. Now our military staged a coup and we see our "leader" shaking hands with Trump. Makes you feel pain you know? To know that your own military literally crushed people under their tanks and that those people died in complete vain, just paving the way for another dictator. Some people say that things like this: https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=215_1377031773 are justified. I wish that, if I can make more people listen, people that died like this wouldn't be for nothing.

Lastly, just wanna say I meant no offense really. I sincerely hope you the best with your game. I think you can truly make a difference.

Thank you for sharing all that- I understand where you are coming from a lot better now.

Money. Everything revolves around money, and America is the most money driven- because our money is the most global. Our power rose after WWII- when USD became the international go-between currency. Manuvers since then have fought to maintain the value of the dollar. The ONLY reason we are in the middle east is because the US dollar is loosely backed by the OPEC price for a barrel of OIL.

As soon as you find a system that disrupts that- you can begin to dismantle it. I believe that is coming in the form of crypto-currency paired with real-world gaming. Hopefully someone will dig this conversation up one day and be like - "oh shit he called it- shit totally got better!!!"