The Long Road Home

As newly arrived American troops are settling in for their first wartime deployment to Sadr City, Baghdad, a platoon led by Lt. Shane Aguero is ambushed during a routine sanitation support mission to the city slums.

Still under fire, Lt. Shane Aguero and his platoon take refuge in an Iraqi house and set up defensive positions. At Camp War Eagle, Volesky and Denomy launch a rescue mission to retake the city and free their men before it’s too late. Meanwhile, rumors of an attack in Sadr City start circulating at Fort Hood, and a tragedy strikes that threatens to tear the platoon apart.

Denomy leads the first rescue for the platoon under heavy fire. Volesky launches the second convoy. Aguero and his men struggle to hold their position in the Iraqi house. Meanwhile, at Fort Hood, Gina Denomy faces challenges of her own as a new leader of the Family Readiness Group and the mother of a newborn child.

Staff Sgt. Miltenberger is overcome by a premonition that he will die in Iraq. He’s already said his goodbyes to his wife and family. Prepared for whatever lies ahead, he sits down for what he believes is his last meal. As night falls, Miltenberger and his men get stranded under increasingly dangerous conditions. News reaches stateside, and LeAnn and Gina try to reassure families.

Interpreter Jassim al-Lani’s troubled past is revealed and his allegiances are tested. Tensions rise in the alley house as the insurgents change tactics and force Aguero to make a decision that will scar his platoon forever. Back at Fort Hood, LeAnn and Gina learn about mounting casualties and prepare for the worst.

Tomas Young learns about the realities of war when Miltenberger’s troop comes under fire. Casualties mount in the rear of the LMTV, as Denomy tries yet again to rescue the stranded platoon. Aguero’s men reckon with the destruction. For Young, this moment marks the beginning of a lifelong struggle, with far-reaching consequences, through which he’ll touch countless lives.