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Eric Bourquin

The Long Road Home Ep. 1&2: Come Together

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(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be?at?peace?with all men.
–The Apostle Paul

Peacekeeping was the goal for the members of the First Calvary Division when they headed to Sadr City, Iraq in 2004.? It was a quiet area with one incident in the previous calendar year.

Two weeks later, that peace turned into war and a desperate fight for survival.

The first two episodes of National Geographic?s new series The Long Road Home (tonight, 9 PM/8 CT) chronicles the events of Black Sunday and paints a multifaceted picture of war and its effects on not only the soldiers but their families seven thousand miles away.? Based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by ABC Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, it?s intense, violent, and sad?sometimes all at once.? It?s definitely must-see-TV (or at least must-DVR).

Each episode focuses, to some extent, on one of the main players in the Black Sunday attack on April 4, 2004.? 1st Lt. Shane Aguero (EJ Bonilla) is the focal point of episode one as the leader of the group initially attacked.? The viewer sees him at the outset playing with his two kids, each of whom are taking his deployment hard.? His daughter is clinging to his side while his son wants absolutely nothing to do with him.? His wife Amber (Kate Paxton) is left to deal with things until he returns, but she has a group of wives on base who have banded together to provide support until the boys come back (if they do).

Life at Camp War Eagle seems quite boring, but who really wants action when it could mean dying in the process? When Aguero?s battalion is ambushed, it?s the first time many of the troops have ever experienced live fire of that nature.? It?s easy to tell the soldiers are a band of brothers, and when one of their own gets hit, it?s a race against time to keep him alive.

Courtesy National Geographic

The second episode looks at the situation through the eyes of Lt. Col. Gary Volesky (Michael Kelly, seen above), a calm, mild-mannered man who lives a life of faith back home.? There are flashbacks to his family praying before dinner and a few situations where he is asking God for faith in what would become two days of nightmares.? One of the most heartbreaking parts of the episode is when a soldier introduces his mom to Volesky, who promptly demands reasons as to why her son is being forced to deploy.? After calming her, he promises that everyone on the journey will return home alive. You can see his resolve shaken when he later learns one under his charge was killed.? Aguero?s team calls for reinforcements, and when they head out (inadequately protected, BTW), Volesky stands beside the chaplain as he prays a long prayer for them.? It?s easy to tell that the situation is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

I was immediately struck by how galvanized the troops were to each other.? Sure, they got on each other?s nerves and struggled with making the right decisions at times, but in the end, they all came together and took care of each together.? This was in direct contrast to the interpreter they had on board (Jassim al-Lani, played by Darius Homayoun), who seemed to be dispensable?especially to Sgt Eric Bourquin (Jon Beavers).? The writer of Ecclesiastes notes that ?Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.?For if?either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not?another to lift him up? (Eccl 4:9-10 NASB).? It works in friendship, it works in marriage, and it works in life-and-death situations. That writer was pretty wise!? We were not made to life live alone, and the first two episodes of The Long Road Home are testimony that is the case.

The Long Road Home: Interview with the Cast

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Every individual who enters a branch of the US Armed Forces understands there is a possibility of having to be in a combat situation. They also understand there?s a chance they will be wounded or potentially killed while attempting to complete their mission.? The First Calvary Division from Ft. Hood TX was on a basic peacekeeping mission in Iraq in 2004?the city they were placed in, Sadr City, had been incident-free for nearly a year.? Nice and easy, right?

On Palm Sunday (April 4, 2004), the First Calvary Division came under a surprise attack resulting in nearly fifty soldiers being wounded, along with eight deaths. It was horrible, to be sure?an event that was written about by ABC Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz in her book The Long Road Home.? On Tuesday, November 7th, National Geographic will broadcast an eight-part miniseries chronicling that day in Iraq.? I had the recent opportunity to interview members of the series and discovered that despite the difficult circumstances, the concept of family and faith was critical to the survival of both the soldiers and their families seven thousand miles away.

(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

For the soldiers, the situation was pretty dire?but they didn?t fight alone. Katie Paxton, who played the wife of 1st Lt. Shane Aguero in the series, said that, in reality, ?Every soldier is you, is me, is your neighbor.? As a result, the families deploy with the soldiers (though not physically), constantly worrying if their loved one will return to embrace them again. It?s a sense of sacrifice that isn?t lost on the children. Karina Ortiz, playing the wife of Spc. Israel Garza, noted that the soldier is seen to some kids as abandoning them instead of a hero. ?Others attempt to cling to them in a sense of desperation. It manifests itself into varied and unpredictable forms of behavior as a result.

War is a test on couples as well.? Paxton noted that the wife is basically a single parent.? It?s an additional level of stress and trauma to deal with. Martha Raddatz added that since the families don?t know anything, they?re constantly terrified. As a result, the wives have no real choice but to form a close-knit community.? Jorge Diaz, who played Israel Garza, shared that it?s also tough on the soldiers who constantly think about their families back home.? The occasional phone call helps but doesn?t relieve the worry.? In addition, the soldiers miss out on large chunks of family life.? In the case of Shane Aguero, his tours of duty caused him to miss 65 months of his kids? lives.

When soldiers get into the heat of battle, they are forced to make split-second decisions affecting people?s lives.? But that?s not all they deal with in those moments.? Sometimes, a soldier is hit by gunfire or shrapnel and has to deal with physical injuries. But Aaron Fowler, US Army veteran, mentioned a unique term in my interview: moral injuries.? Moral Injuries are unseen and involve doing something that is legally correct but violates a person?s morals (such as killing a child who has a suicide vest on). In these cases, deep spiritual trauma can occur.

To this end, faith in God is almost a requirement for a soldier.? Chaplains are deployed just like soldiers and help the soldiers spiritually, but they don?t have weapons.? Mikko Alanne, executive producer and screenwriter, added that each episode of the series has a focus on a specific character and theme.? The second part of the episode on Tuesday evening has a theme of faith?and it?s readily on display for the viewer to see. He referenced Psalm 130:1, ?Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,? mentioning that faith can give people the will to survive in a difficult time. Eric Bourquin, US Army veteran featured in the series, noted that ?if you have nothing to believe in, you have nothing to hope for.?

It?s important to know not only what happened, but why it happened, according to Alanne. The Long Road Home was created with meticulous attention to detail to honor the soldiers who were a part of Black Sunday.? As Fowler noted, why would you sacrifice the relationship with your brothers for something that?s not accurate?? It became a solemn responsibility for them.? Raddatz mentioned that when the event happened in 2004, she received two photos of the whole thing, so her reaction to first seeing the final product was one of ?absolute awe.?? After seeing two episodes, you?ll probably say the same thing.

The Long Road Home premieres Tuesday, November 7th at 9 PM (8/CT) on National Geographic and will feature the first two episodes.

Special thanks to National Geographic and Andy Peterson from Different Drummer for coordinating the interview sessions.