Plot Synopsis

Based on Martha Raddatz's book of the same name, THE LONG ROAD HOME is an eight-part scripted series that chronicles the story of Black Sunday, a day during the Iraq War when a small platoon of soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division was ferociously ambushed in Sadr City, Baghdad, on April 4, 2004. Eight Americans made the ultimate sacrifice that day and more than 65 were seriously wounded. This series follows the action of the battle on two simultaneous fronts -- the chaotic, terror-filled streets of Sadr City, where a group of inexperienced young soldiers faces an unexpected and unimaginable attack with bravery they never knew they had, and the homefront at Fort Hood, Texas, where family members, desperate for news of their loved ones and fearing the worst, discover their own courage and determination as they wait for news for 48 hellish hours. The incident, which took place 11 months after President George W. Bush's famous "Mission Accomplished" speech, changed the American military's view of Iraq from a peacekeeping mission to a fight against domestic insurgents. The military heroes portrayed in this series include: Lt. Col. Gary Volesky, the battalion commander, who leads a daring rescue operation when the 1st Cavalry Division comes under attack by Iraqi insurgents, and is married to LeAnn; Capt. Troy Denomy, who leads the rescue convoys into the city following the dramatic ambush of a 1st Cavalry Division Platoon and is a devoted family man with a wife, Gina, and newborn son; Lt. Shane Aguero, leader of the ambushed men; Pfc. Tomas Young, the heroic 24-year-old soldier and later peace activist, who is severely wounded in this battle; and Staff Sgt. Robert Miltenberger, a career soldier on the cusp of retirement, who has been stop-lossed for this deployment. THE LONG ROAD HOME tells the stories of these courageous soldiers and also of their compatriots involved in the three desperate and deadly rescue missions launched to save them. Across eight hours, reflecting the exact amount of time the soldiers were pinned down, each one-hour episode highlights a different character's unique journey to understand their heroism and humanity. On Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 11pm ET/PT, Nat Geo premiered a half-hour "First Look" special.
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On Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Channel premiered "Always Dream of Me," the season finale of THE LONG ROAD HOME, immediately followed by a new one-hour special. In the season ender (10pm), the rescuers finally punch through to the stranded platoon; eight hours and seven minutes after the first shots were fired, the men of the 1st Cavalry Division are reunited, and must cope with the new realities of the war that has just begun. Then, in the all-new special (11pm), "Heroes of the Long Road Home with Martha Raddatz," Martha introduces viewers to the people whose stories inspired "The Long Road Home."