Off To War - From Rural Arkansas To Iraq

Episode 09 (1x9)

: 19, 2005

As their deployment in Iraq nears its end, the men begin to count the remaining days, as do their families on the home front. Back in Arkansas, the Hertleins and the Jacksons eagerly prepare for the return of Matt, Ronald and Tommy, but wonder how much their loved ones have changed and what the future will hold. Sergeants Curtis Rohrshceib and David Short are already plagued by nightmares of men they have lost in combat, and they worry about how their experiences will affect them later on. But the soldiers aren’t home yet, and they have to survive one more convoy to Kuwait on the most dangerous highways in Iraq. When they arrive back in the States, members of the Guard are sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to debrief, and are warned of the difficulties they will face readjusting to life as civilians. Clarksville is festooned with yellow ribbons as the men finally return to Arkansas to a heroes’ welcome back in the arms of their families.