Rectangle: four sided figure whose parallel, straight sides meet at right angles.
In between fighting the young men set down their guns and dug a ditch and rocks and dirt into a rectangle enclosure that would become their makeshift home for more than a year.
Correct: to make it right.
The young men named a hard won strategic position Restrepo after one of the boys in their platoon who died on their deployment- the first- hoping that naming the outpost with his name could somehow correct, make right, or make the death of their beloved friend more meaningful.
Rectitude: 1. moral integrity. 2. correctness of procedure.
Despite facing difficult and cruel circumstances, including seeing their friends die, American soldiers are asked to act with rectitude to win the hearts and minds of the locals, which is believed to help them ultimately in their war against "bad guys". The men of Restrepo soon learned the difficulty of identifying good guys and bad guys, and the right things to do in a situation as messy as war.
Rectify: 1. to set right. 2. to correct by removing errors; revise.
After the American soldiers killed a local cow, the locals asked the men of Restrepo to set the situation right by providing them with $500. Being unable to bring the cow back, or provide the locals with money, the soldiers offered the locals food the weight of the cow.
Rectilinear: 1. moving in or forming a straight line. 2. having many straight lines.
When in a gun fight, usually you don't want to travel in a predictable rectilinear way- usually it is advisable to zig zag.
Rectus: from Latin rectus musculus, may refer to any of several straight muscles, such as those of the abdomen. In one scene in Restrepo a soldier retells the story of how he was shot below his bullet proof vest (presumably through the Rectus muscles of his abdomen) and a moment later had a rocket fired at him, yet still managed to escape with his life. Even when sometimes it seems nothing is going right, sometimes things just unpredictably do. Sometimes the average (or lucky) soldier lives and the best soldiers die. The details of war are not linear or predictable- war is erratic.
Rector: 1. a clergyman in charge of a church or parish.
No one uses the word rector, however the role of a rector (clergyman in charge) is to help other people understand situations, actions, decisions, and consequences to either put their minds at ease, and in some cases help them do right more often than wrong in future situations.
While I have a great deal of admiration for the men and women who fight for the interests of their country, sometimes I question rectitude of fighting in Afghanistan or anywhere near the middle East. I am not sure there is anything we can accomplish there that will rectify former atrocities or prevent future atrocities. I hope I am wrong. Respectfully, Restrepo does not attempt to answer this question but may put this question front and center in your mind.
