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When an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran this past April 2nd, not one but two US Air Force officers were left stranded alone in a rugged mountain range being pursued by Iranian forces. To prevent their capture, five weeks into a costly and unpopular war that has taken the lives of 18 US service members, the US military launched one of the largest search and rescue operations in its history. Tonight, we begin our 59th season with how the mission unfolded. We'll show you newly declassified footage, and you'll meet the colonel who lived through it all to tell us the story. When the US went to war with Iran this past February, it was by sea, by land, but mostly from the air. >> Broadly, we had flown about 13,000 missions up to this point. So, we had air superiority, but clearly we weren't flying over Kansas.

>> Admiral Brad Cooper is the American commander in charge of the war. We asked him what brought the fighter jet to a mountainous area south of the city of Isvahan, close to where Iran had been keeping much of its highlyenriched nuclear material. What were they doing in that area? >> Their mission that evening was to conduct a strike uh on industrial facilities related to the both the drone and the missile program, not related to the Esvahan nuclear facility. >> The plane's mission call sign was dooed 44. It was an F-15E, a type of two seat fighter that's been a workhorse of US Air combat operations for decades. The $30 million jet, was brought down by a shoulder fired missile that can cost around 100,000. Evidence of the wreckage was shared online by Iranian media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegath was woken up Thursday night with the news. When you heard that an American fighter jet was down behind enemy lines in Iran, what went through your mind?

>> Probably uh you know, you always knew that was possible. And so immediately it's to the next steps. Are they okay? Um does Iran know that? Uh and you know, whether they're alive or not, we're going to go get them. That day was just another day in the war for us until the moment where we got hit by an Iranian weapon. >> This is Bravo, one of the two officers shot down over Iran. >> Neither has spoken publicly until now. >> I think the best way I've been able to describe that moment was getting hit by a freight train. We've agreed to call the weapon systems officer by his mission call sign bravo due to security threats from Iran. >> We do all we can to try to save the aircraft. It was evident that that wasn't possible and soon thereafter we ejected and found ourselves floating over the heart of Iran.

>> So within seconds you're ejecting. That's how quick the decision is. >> It is. I will be thankful to my dying day for my pilot and crewmate Alpha for saving our lives and ejecting us. After they ejected, Alpha and Bravo found themselves 5 miles apart, separated and alone on the ground in the rugged Iranian desert. Alpha landed safely. Bravo was lucky to be alive. My parachute was damaged in the the initial attack. At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. So I paused right then and I prayed, "Lord, your will be done."

But if I'm getting through this, I need help. >> While you're in the air. >> Yeah. >> Is that like almost like freef falling or how would you describe that? >> Freef falling is a good way to put it. Uh I wasn't focused on the speed at which I was falling. I was instead focused on trying to correct the problems that were in front of me and doing anything I could to unfurl or pull pieces of the parachute loose. We'll never know just how fast Bravo was falling. >> But we do know the military trains to survive hard landings. >> So, how fast do you think you were going when you hit the ground? >> Professionals, based on my description and the injuries that I had. The professionals think I hit the ground going somewhere between 70 and 100 miles an hour. >> How did you survive that? >> A modern-day miracle. I believe that it's a testament to God's provision in my life to bring me through that moment in a way that didn't prevent injuries, but prevented any catastrophic injuries that would have affected my ability to survive.

>> The fall broke Bravo's back. He also sustained a broken arm, broken shoulder, sprained ankle, and was bleeding from cuts and scrapes to his head and face. I had injuries, but we all trained to adapt and overcome the things that are uh that we're faced with. I moved as quickly as I could despite the injuries away from the place that I I landed. >> It's dark, right? And can you tell me what you what you see around you? >> It is dark, but much like early morning hunting trips, you know, the sun starts to come up and you can start to perceive uh elements of the environment around you. Iran is the size of Alaska. And in the heart of Iran where we were, there are high desert valleys, but also amazing craggly cliffs. And so I find myself in one of those valleys with cliffs on either side. >> Bravo told us the safest place for him to go was up. So he quickly made the decision, despite his broken bones, to hike and climb up a 7,000 ft ridgeel line. Given your injuries, how did you find the strength to make it up the mountain?

>> Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV. >> You were thinking that? >> Absolutely. >> Soon after the crash, an Iranian news anchor announced a bounty for the capture of the Americans. Videos emerged on the internet of armed groups hunting for the down crew. I can tell you for a fact that they were looking for me. >> According to US military sources, Iranian forces got to within a few hundred meters of Bravo. >> There was clear intent out of the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys. >> General Dan Kaine is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former fighter pilot himself. When you think about the risk of them being potentially trotted through some place downtown in Tyrron on TV, that's not a fun thing for anybody. >> We were tracking Iranian forces like BB's. There were about 1,500 within a 10mi radius, and we were watching them very closely.

>> 6 hours in, the US had its eye on Alpha, the pilot. This is declassified video of the risky daytime raid to pick him up. Two helicopters of the 21 aircraft deployed. >> Videos posted on social media showed American helicopters taking fire. >> It was a gunfight all the way in, all the way out, but they got Alpha back. And then we began to immediately I mean, you're celebrating that Alpha's back, but you realize there's the job's only half done. >> Bravo was still missing. Alpha's rescue force attempted to also locate him, but was unsuccessful and eventually withdrew. >> Then, as night fell on that first day in Iran, a message from Bravo. When were you first able to send a signal? >> As soon as I found a spot that I felt provided some concealment, I started working on toward communication. >> What did you say in that message? When I got to the moment where I could review and think about all that I'd gone through, I sent God is good as a recognition of all that he had brought me through.

There was a um I'm hurt. I'm moving. And there was a God is good message uh that came in there. Now we knew he was alive. He's moving. Okay, let's keep planning. There was the thought of maybe going on Friday night uh first, but there just it just didn't line up. That was a really tough decision. I'll never forget being in the situation room and saying, "Okay, I guess we're going to roll 24," which means, "Hey, Bravo is going to be out there for basically 24 hours more." >> Bravo would have to survive with almost no water and no food in the wind and the cold of the high mountain desert for another full day. In the end, it was the CIA that played a pivotal role, launching a multi-pronged campaign, which included deception to confuse Iranian forces and top secret technology to pinpoint Bravo's exact location. To clear the way for his rescue, American bombers and drones hit Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces nearby, as seen in this newly declassified video.

Nearly 2 days after dude 44 went down, it was time to go in for Bravo. >> And how many special operators did that involve? >> That second operation had about uh 92 people on the ground. This would be the first US boots on the ground in 46 years in Iran. >> In Iran, we had about several hundred in the air and there were probably 3 to 5,000 supporting overall. It was an operation inside an operation. So in order to get out one, there were close to a hundred other service members involved in risking their lives on the ground. >> Or I think what you need to know is we would have sent more to go get the backseater. >> I don't know the specifics of what they sent, but I'm glad they sent it. >> The force came in on two large search and rescue planes and landed on a makeshift desert airirstrip. They then unloaded small little bird helicopters capable of reaching Bravo on the ridge line several miles away. This is Bravo on the rgeline waiting to be picked up.

The Pentagon declassified this video of the rescue. We asked General Kaine to take us through it. >> Well, we're looking at a [snorts] feed from a intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance asset. That's 44 Bravo up there, I'm quite sure. And we've got two special forces folks coming forward and it looks like they're bringing them out. >> The two service members on either side of Bravo were elite Air Force par rescue operators known in the military as PJs. >> The moment a PJ showed up uh to me on that RGEL line was one of the greatest moments of my life. And I don't know how to say it any more clearly than thank you for all that they did. What did your rescuer say when they got to you? The >> specific conversation. I think I'll leave for another time as I don't want to release anything that's not just my story to tell. >> Mhm. What did you say to them? >> Let's go.

>> Bravo was in American hands, but not out of danger. Back at the makeshift airirstrip, the rescue plane's landing gear was stuck in the desert sand, and the planes could not take off. You had more than 90 service members on the ground that then needed to be rescued. >> We had more than 90 of America's most elite service members on the ground. And our focus at that point was to make sure we got them safely out. >> It took a clandestine unit of the US Air Force to get Bravo and the 90 plus special operators out of Iran. The US then bombed its own marooned aircraft, so no technology fell into Iranian hands. 50 hours after being shot down, Bravo was safe. Rescued as the sun rose on Easter Sunday, back home in the US, his wife waited for a call.

>> What was that call like? >> I was really proud of her. and grateful for the strength that she showed. >> What do you want the American people to know about this rescue mission? >> This is not a story about what I went through. Instead, it's a story of the teamwork, of the training, of the faith, of the decisions and leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America is willing to do in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind. Shortly after 9/11, the Pentagon ordered a top secret team of American commandos into Afghanistan with a single simple order. Kill Osama bin Laden. It was America's best chance to eliminate the leader of al-Qaeda. The inside story of exactly what happened in that mission and how close it came to its objective has never been told until tonight. The man you're about to meet was the officer in command leading a team from the US Army's mysterious Delta Force, a unit so secret it's often said that Delta doesn't exist. But you're about to see

Delta's operators in action. Why would the mission commander break his silence after 7 years? He told us that most everything he's read in the media about his mission is wrong. And tonight, he wants to set the record straight. Our job is to go find him, capture or kill him. Uh, and we knew the writing on the wall was really to kill him. No one wanted to bring Osama bin Laden back to stand trial in the United States somewhere. >> In 2001, just 10 weeks after 9/11, he was a 37-year-old Army major leading a team of America's most elite commandos. Even now, we can't tell you his name or show you his face. We hired a theatrical makeup artist to take the former Delta officer through a series of transformations to create the man you see now. He calls himself Dalton Fury. He's the author of Kill Bin Laden, a new book out this week. Dalton Fury is used to disguises. In fact, in 2001, his entire team transformed itself in Afghanistan.

>> Everybody's has their beard grown. Everybody's wearing local Afghan clothing. sometimes carrying the same weapons as them. >> The idea was that if this all worked out, Osama bin Laden would be dead and no one would ever know that Delta Force was there. >> That's right. That's the plan. And that always is when you're talking about Delta Force. >> And there was no mission more important to the United States. >> We'll smoke him out of his cave and we'll get him eventually. But the administration's strategy was to let Afghans do most of the fighting. Using radio intercepts and other intelligence, the CIA pinpointed Bin Laden in the mountains near the border of Pakistan, following the strategy of keeping an Afghan face on the war. Fury's Delta team joined the CIA and Afghan fighters and piled into pickup trucks. They videotaped their journey to a place called Tora Bora. Fury told us his orders were to kill Bin Laden and leave the body with the Afghans.

>> Right here, you're looking at basically the battlefield from the last location that we had firm on Somal's location. >> This ridge line is at about 14,000 ft and back this way toward me is Pakistan. >> That's right. >> On a scale of say 1 to 10, 10 being the toughest, how tough a position is this to attack? >> In my experience, it's a 10. Delta developed an audacious plan to come at Bin Laden from the one direction he would never expect. >> We want to come in on the back door. >> You were going to come up over the tops of the peaks. >> That's right. The original plan that we sent up to our higher headquarters, Delta Force wants to come in over the mountain with oxygen coming from the Pakistan side over the mountains and come in and get a drop on Bin Laden from behind. >> Why didn't you do that? disapproved at some level above us. Whether that was uh central command or all the way up to the president of United States, I'm not sure. >> The next option Delta wanted to employ was to drop hundreds of landmines in the mountain passes that led to Pakistan.

Bin Laden's escape route. >> First guy blows his leg off, everybody else stops. That allows aircraft overhead to find them. They see all these heat sources out there. Okay, there's a big large group of al-Qaeda moving south. They can engage that. >> Why didn't you do that? >> Disapproved. Why was it not approved? >> I I have no idea. >> How often does Delta come up with a tactical plan that's disapproved by higher headquarters? >> In my experience, in my 5 years of Delta, never before. >> The military wouldn't tell us who rejected the plans or why. Fury wasn't happy about it, but he pressed on with the only option he had left, a frontal assault on Bin Laden's dugin al-Qaeda fighters. The Delta team had only about 50 men, so the mission would depend on the Afghan militia as guides and muscle. Their leader was a warlord, a self-styled general named Ali. >> Ali told us after about 30 seconds of discussion, he kind of listened to me ramble on and then the first thing he said was, "I don't think you guys can handle it. You can't handle al-Qaeda in these mountains."

Ali, second from the left, met with this CIA officer and accepted millions of dollars in cash from the agency. In short order, his Mujahedin fighters were escorting Delta force into the mountains. >> Paint the picture for me of of these Afghan Mujahedin troops. >> They range anywhere from maybe 14 up to maybe 80. Uh various dress. Basically, we would probably consider it rags, which the standard dress for a mujahedin warrior. >> This is video of the top secret mission never seen by the public before. It was recorded by the Delta commandos themselves. Dressed like Afghans, the Americans maneuvered up the mountains, calling in air strikes on al-Qaeda. By day, they would advance, but at night, they soon discovered that their Afghan allies went home. Well, I have to assume that if you started up the hills of Tora and you and the Mujahedin took territory, they didn't abandon that at night.

>> Oh, yes, they did. >> They gave it up to the enemy. >> Absolutely. The Muja would go up, get into a skirmish, a firefight, lose a guy or two, maybe kill an al-Qaeda guy or two, and then they leave. It was almost like it was an agreement and understanding between the two forces fighting each other. Almost put on a good show and then leave. 4 days after arriving in Tora Bora, Dalton Fury was faced with a fateful command decision. Three of his men were in trouble behind enemy lines. And at the same time, the CIA had been listening to Bin Laden's radio transmissions and had a breakthrough. >> And this is where it gets complicated. At about the same time, the CIA, George, comes into our room and he says, "Guys, I got a location for Assam Bin Laden." That's probably the best location data we've had on this Assam Milan ever. >> It was night, so Fury was without his Afghan allies. Still, he managed to rescue his men and then found himself approaching Bin Laden's doorstep.

>> Determined we're about 2,000 meters away from where we think Bin Laden's at still from where we're at. Uh, now we have to make a decision. >> Fury had two choices. advance his small team with no Afghan support or return to camp and assault in the morning. He was under orders to make the Afghans take the lead. And intelligence said there were more than 1,000 hardened fighters protecting Bin Laden. >> You write in the book, "My decision to abort that effort to kill or capture Bin Laden when we might have been within 2,000 meters of him, about 2,000 yards, still bothers me. It leaves me with a feeling of somehow letting down our nation at a critical time. >> That's correct. >> Why do you feel that way? >> Had we gone up that ridge line towards that location, Assam Bin Laden might have been 500 meters away. We might have run right into him. So there's always that doubt that we might have run into him. We also might have got up there and found nothing. It wasn't worth the risk at that particular moment to go up there and play cowboy. It was better to be cautious, refit, go up there with the entire force the next day and play the battle out as we had planned.

>> In the morning, bin Laden was on the radio. The CIA, Delta, and their Afghan allies were listening. >> How did the Afghans react when they heard from Osama bin Laden on the radio? Osama bin Laden is many a Muslim's hero. These guys, in my opinion, were more in awe of Osama bin Laden than they were willing to kill him. When they heard him talking on the radio, they would gather around the individual that held that handheld transistor. He would hold it up in the air almost as if he didn't want the connection to break. Almost like they could see the ridge line have to be talking from. Like they could almost see him and feel his presence. And they just stood there with wide eyes and somewhat in awe that here is the leader of the jihad, the leader of al-Qaeda, and they're actually hearing his voice over the radio. >> And these were the men who were supposed to help you capture or kill him. Some allies, >> some were better than others.

>> The radio intercepts gave Delta a fix on Bin Laden's location, and one of the Delta soldiers narrated his own video. this top hill. >> Yeah. The >> very top up there, >> that's supposedly where uh Bin Laden's hanging out. We've seen uh movement along this uh saddle right here. We don't know if it's friendly or not. So, we haven't been able to call fire on it. >> And then something extraordinary happened. Fury's Afghan allies announced that they had negotiated a ceasefire with al-Qaeda, something the Americans had no interest in. When Fury's team advanced anyway, his Afghan partners drew their weapons on Delta. It took 12 hours to end the bogus ceasefire. Precious time for al-Qaeda to move. >> So, we think he's moved over here. >> So, Osama bin Laden starts here as far as we know, and he's coming all the way around now. He's doubled back. You got to figure he's heading for the valley >> and the pass into Pakistan.

>> Our assumption is he's going for the valley at that time. >> Bin Laden had changed direction and the tone of his radio calls. >> Clearly under duress, clearly hurting, clearly caring for his men. >> Inside this building, the American team listened to Bin Laden on the radio. Fury wrote down the translation in a notebook. quote, "Our prayers were not answered. Times are dire and bad. We did not get support from the apostates who are our brothers. I'm sorry for bringing you here. It is okay to surrender." End quote. >> When you heard that, what did you think? >> I thought, "It's almost over." >> Soon after that intercept, a Delta team called Jackal radioed that they had Bin Laden's entourage in sight. The operation from Jackal team observed 50 men moving into a cave that they had hadn't seen before. The Muja said they saw an individual, a taller fellow wearing a camouflaged jacket. Everybody put two and two together. Okay, that's got to be Assam Ban egressing from the battlefield. They called up every available bomb in the air, took control of the airspace, and they dropped several hours of bombs on the cave he went into. We believe it was our opinion at the time that he died inside that cave. Bin Laden's radio went silent and Dalton Fury believed that the bombs had killed him. 6 months later, American and Canadian forces came back for proof.

They checked al-Qaeda fighting holes and used explosives to try to open up collapsed caves. This is where they hoped to find Bin Laden's body. It's an al-Qaeda graveyard rising from the opium poppies. The troops dug up bodies and removed the fingers for forensic analysis, but there was no luck. In October 2004, Bin Laden released a message, and Fury knew that his team had failed. Today, based on intelligence, Fury believes he knows what happened. He says that Bin Laden was wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel from an American bomb and was then hidden in this town next to the al-Qaeda cemetery. We believe a gentleman uh brought him in uh a gentleman who him and his family were supporting al-Qaeda during the battle. They were providing him food, ammo, water. We think he went to that house, received medical attention for a few days, and then we believe they put him in a vehicle, moved him back across the pass.

>> This is the trail Bin Laden would have used to escape. >> It's my understanding they believe he got into a vehicle, he moved as far as he could, and then got out and walked across or was carried across the pass into Pakistan free and clear. when this is all over and this all dies down and once we finally do grab Osama bin Laden, I think the fact that we lost him in Torah will move out of my memory so to speak and I'm looking forward to those days. Two and a half million Americans served in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we wondered, what's become of them long after they cut down the yellow ribbons and the camo went into hiding in the back of the closet? What do they think of their war? Was coming home the homecoming they hoped for. Recently, we joined an annual reunion of men that we first met 5 years ago. It was back in 2009 that Golf Company, Second Battalion of the Eighth Marines, was taking the highest casualties on Afghanistan's most lethal battlefield. When we met them again last summer in Washington, we found that their searing experience had made them brothers in war and peace.

>> We caught up with them on a field trip, part of their Washington reunion. They fell in without uniforms, weapons, or the passing of years. Congrats. >> They're mostly civilians now, gathered in one place they could be together. >> The place they could say things that had been left unsaid or deliver news of the last 5 years. Golf companies Lance Corporal Burrow and Lieutenant Bajgeois were enlisted in the ranks of Arlington National Cemetery. Each stone arch a gateway through time. >> Lance Corporal Jonathan F. Straoud. Lance Corporal Gregory A. Posey. >> This was September 2009. We were there as golf company stood rigid in a mudwalled memorial service. It was the first time the troops had come to grips with the terrible loss signified by seven battlefield crosses. First Sergeant Robert Pulland called the role of the dead.

>> Lance Corporal Patrick W. Shiml Lance Corporal Dennis J. Burl Lance Corpal Javier OA Lance Corpal David R. Hall. >> The seven Marines had died fighting to clear and hold the Taliban heartland. exhausting months negotiating around landmines and skeptical elders. Back then, their orders were to use restraint. And Corporal Jonathan Kisseno told us what he thought of that. >> It sucks. I don't know another word to say. It sucks because uh all you want to do is get that guy. You just want to get them, you know, for for everything, you know. I I don't you know, for revenge, if you know, to say the least. revenge for the death of his friend Nick Exaros, who was killed in 2009 by a roadside bomb. Five years later, Kiseno had used his veterans benefits for college, and now he's selling retirement plans for Lincoln Financial outside Philadelphia.

He moved on, but he never let go of Exxaros. It's because of people like him that I want to continue to push harder in life and succeed because it's it's the good ones that pass and I can't let that be in vain. It drives me. It motivates me. >> Is there anything that you miss about Afghanistan and the Marine Corps? >> Absolutely. Uh the brotherhood. There's no question about that. Um you missed the the sense of purpose, right? You had a mission. um you felt accomplished with um everything that you do even at a young age. And I think when you transition into the real world, you have to find out what your mission is. >> You know, a lot of people would think you would try to forget Afghanistan and it seems to me you're trying to remember it. >> I don't want to put it behind me. I want it to be real in everything that I do because it gives me something to live for. It gives me something to stand for. >> I love the camaraderie and everything that came along with it.

>> There's nothing like it. Nothing. I haven't found anything like it. >> Golf Company's Rory Hamill was so dedicated to the camaraderie, he went back to Afghanistan for another tour in 2011. >> I suppose it was uh to try and get back at the guys that killed my brothers. >> Tell me about the day you were wounded. >> Came across a local national who um gave us some intelligence on the ground that there was an IED in a compound next to his house. I took the mind sweeper off my point man's back and I I jokingly said, "See you on the other side. I got about threequarters of the compound swept." And then I stepped on a low metallic pressure plate and my leg was instantly sheared off. I remember it seemed very surreal. My vision went gray. There was a lot of ringing um dust everywhere. >> When the dust settled, his right leg was gone halfway up the thigh. At Walter Reed Medical Center, President Obama brought him an honor. He ordered me with a Purple Heart. It was amazing. It was an amazing experience.

>> You must have been in a pretty dark place otherwise. >> Oh, yeah. The first two weeks, um, a lot of the thoughts going through my head were, "Why didn't I die? What am I going to do now with my life?" >> Were there times that you wish you hadn't survived? [snorts] Yeah, I was contemplating taking my own life, but sitting and thinking about it, realizing that I have children that depend on me, I knew that that that was not the right course of action. >> Urged onto a different course by his father, Hamill pressed through counseling and physical therapy. He's found work managing logistics in a Navy program for wounded warriors. Having been through everything you've been through, would you do it again >> in a heartbeat? You made me the man I am today. Whether they like it or not, I still feel responsible, you know, for them. They're still your Marines. They always will be.

>> G's battalion commander was Lieutenant Colonel Christian Cabinos. >> In this summer of decision in Afghanistan in 2009, you are going to change history. >> Living the dream, one minute at a time. Today he's Colonel Cabinus and he joined this reunion. >> Why do you think some of the Marines are still struggling after they've come home after 5 years? >> I think in some ways we all do when we come back is cuz we're trying to put that experience uh into perspective. I joked I'm never more popular coming home from a deployment than right before the bus door opens. Superman's coming. Superman's coming. Superman's coming. The door opens. Oh, it's just him. And they expect you to fall back into those roles. Husband, um, father, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle, as if nothing changed. >> There were definitely times when I questioned what we were doing over there.

>> 5 years ago, Dan O'Hara was a fresh second lieutenant leading his first combat platoon. >> What's the biggest threat to your Marines? the biggest threat would be uh the improvised explosive devices. >> He told us then that he joined the Marines because he didn't want to regret not serving. It turned out we met on what would be his worst day. >> We should be good pushing up through here until we get near that IED site. >> It was a mission to diffuse a landmine and it went exactly according to plan. But on the way back, Lance Corporal David Hall detonated a second bomb. And the next day, O'Hara tried to give meaning to Hall's death. >> So, just understand we're doing we're doing the right things. We're doing good work. We're making a difference here. You know, we're here fighting for the people of Afghanistan. We're here ultimately fighting for our country. >> Should we have been in Afghanistan? I don't know. Maybe the answer is yes. Uh maybe it's no. And so, when I run into people who say, "Tell tell me about Afghanistan. What were our goals there?

Should we have been there?" I think I'm in the same boat where I would say, you know, to be honest with you, I don't know. After two tours and a lot of questions, O'Hara's been recruited into General Electric's program for returning vets. He's a project manager for GE Oil and Gas. And sometimes he thinks about running for office. >> I had done what I wanted to do in the Marine Corps. I could say I deployed twice in the defense of my nation. So that was something I was proud of. There's certainly part of you that says I'm glad that that's over with. >> Goodbye to all that. >> Yeah. Good. Goodbye to Afghanistan. I won't be seeing you again. >> Those images are burning your head, man. They never go away. >> Afghanistan did not leave Golf Company's Devon Jones. Like many others, Jones brought the war home. I >> mean, it was rough. I didn't do anything during the day. I moved at night. That was it. The anxiety of post-traumatic stress left him isolated and jobless.

>> You're getting closer to closer to being on the streets. You're getting eviction notices and you're getting those and you're just like, man, this is this is bad. >> Did you lose the apartment? >> Yeah, I ended up end up losing it. Ended up uh >> Where'd you go? >> Uh for a little while. I stayed in my storage unit. >> You were living in a storage unit? >> Yeah. Yeah. Stay in the storage unit. Why aren't you reaching out for help? >> I felt like a complete idiot, like a complete failure. I went from being a very proud combat, you know, veteran that just to another, you know, percentage of the homeless vets. It's so much easier to give up. You go from having a job, a stable job, having everyone that cares about you around you 24/7 to being alone, broke, eating saltine crackers, living in a storage unit. Who wouldn't want to die?

>> But what torments Jones is that he isn't alone. There is the persistent presence of his friend Dennis Burrow. After Burrow was killed by a landmine, Golf Company put his name on a combat outpost so he wouldn't be forgotten. But it turns out that isn't the problem. The dead are immortal in the mind. >> Were you there when Burrow died? >> Yes. >> Yes, I was. >> What happened? I'm not sure if I really want to go into detail on that too much, you know. Um, I'm not I don't want to be the person that that the family hears that from if they don't already know. You know, it's not easy to think about that day because um that was a pretty rough day.

Sorry. I'm sorry that it's it's so hard to remember that. It's all right. [gasps] You're still looking out for Burrow. Yeah. You never stop looking out for your team. Your team's everything. [snorts] I've had nightmares where I just been sitting there just staring at him. >> [snorts] >> Did you sometimes think you'd like to trade places? >> Every day. Every single day. How do I deserve to be here? [snorts] It's been a long time, buddy. Miss you, dude. Nothing else to really say.

Just look after us. look after, you know, everybody else, man. So, I'm thinking about you, bud. [sighs] >> The men do look after one another. Phone calls at 3:00 a.m. to be reminded that what got them through combat will get them through whatever they're fighting now. There is a bond that only a vet can know, that does not loosen with time. >> Where do you think these Marines will be 5 years from now? What I really hope is, you know, five years from now, they're still coming together to see each other, to talk to each other, and they're talking about their kids and the things that are going on in their lives. So that they've been able to put that experience in perspective and use it as a foundation because I said that they these kids are our next greatest generation, but not necessarily because of what they did on the battlefield. It's going to be because of what they did when they got home. Last month was the most lethal yet for American forces in Afghanistan. And most of the Americans were killed by the deadliest weapon in the enemy's arsenal, the roadside bomb, or IED, an improvised explosive device. IEDs killed more than 40 American and coalition forces in October alone, up from five two years ago. In response, the US military has gone on the offensive. Search and

destroy missions are carried out across Afghanistan by a small army of elite units called Task Force Paladin. Only volunteers are allowed to serve on paladin teams because the mission is so dangerous. It was after midnight last month that Do Air Force Base in Delaware. President Barack Obama went to the base as America's war dad came home. Eight of the flagcovered caskets contain the remains of Americans who have been killed by roadside bombs in Afghanistan. >> It's been a terrorist tool of choice for many, many years. >> A terrorist tool. Absolutely. >> Colonel Jeffrey Jarowski was in charge of Task Force Paladin when we visited Afghanistan. >> Look at us. We can kill. We can ma. We can destroy when we want to. And the Americans can't stop us. >> That's their intent. Yes. We'll have front team again to the west and rear team to the east. >> The colonel says his squads are having more success finding those bombs. We spent two days on the road with Army Captain Dave Foster and his paladin team. They were on patrol for less than an hour when they discovered their first bomb. It would not be the last.

>> The IED that we found had a 107mm rocket connected to a command wire. As the team was uh doing dismount and ops, they found the command wire. 107 millimeter rocket has approximately about 8 pounds of explosives in the warhead. >> They spotted it near a family's home. Staff Sergeant Max Cabrera found and then disconnected the command wire or detonation wire, disabling the bomb. Six Paladin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2008 on similar missions. Despite the risk to himself, Cabrera picked up the bomb and to avoid civilian casualties. He carried it behind that abandoned building and blew it up. >> You get scared, but when you got so many things going through your mind, you just don't even know what what to concentrate on sometimes. >> You are scared. >> Yes, sir. >> Everybody is. Let you know you're still alive. >> Being scared lets you know you're still alive. >> Yes, sir. >> Sergeant Cerra is 26. His home is on the island of Saipan in the West Pacific.

>> You talk fast. >> Yes, I do, sir. >> Well, I guess in your business, you got to think fast, too, right? >> Roger, sir. >> What does it take to do that job, you think? >> A belief that you're making a difference and uh a little bit of craziness. >> A little bit of crazy goes a long way in Afghanistan. >> Yes, sir. It does. In World War II and Korea, artillery and shrapnel killed more American troops than any other weapon. In Vietnam, it was small arms fire. Here in Afghanistan, it's the roadside bomb that has caused more than 75% of the deaths of American and coalition forces. We were in eastern Afghanistan, post province, walking distance from the Pakistan border, where many of the bomb makers are trained. >> You guys know the threat. There's a lot of stuff going on up there. >> On this mission, the Paladin squad was working with a Michigan National Guard unit to clear bombs from roads in the area. It's called Route Clearance Patrol, and there are 35 of them in Afghanistan. The Pentagon plans on sending 13 more this winter. Specialist Christopher Parsons has been a Guardsman for 3 years.

>> I love the pressure and it puts a lot of pressure on me to make sure I do my job correctly. >> What skill does it take to do your your job? Honestly, uh I'm from Michigan, so I love to hunt and that helps a lot. >> So whether it's hunting deer in Michigan or hunting IEDs in Afghanistan, same skill set. >> Roger. >> One of his commanding officers told us, "Deer hunters like Parsons make the best bomb hunters." With a sharp vision, he was able to find one with a trigger smaller than his index finger. >> It was a close pin. >> 30 m away, you're moving at what speed? >> About about 10 15k. And you saw the clothes pin and thought what? >> I thought at first when I thought it I thought trip wire right away and so I just started looking more and I saw the wire. >> Thanks to Guardsman Parsons, the bomb was destroyed. The devices can be triggered by clothes pins, but the blast are often massive. That's why paladin teams travel in these specialized, highly armored vehicles. Each one costs nearly a million dollars. This one, called a buffalo, has a large claw-like arm that can dig for bombs in the road.

Another can snag trip wires lying across the road. >> Thomas Lefay, captain of the National Guard unit, says the vehicles are targets every time they leave base. >> They know what my purpose is when I roll out with that buffalo, and they've watched it enough to know exactly what that vehicle does. >> You leave the gates and people are watching you, you think, >> right? >> Yep. Every time we leave. >> Every day they're going to be out there trying to kill you. >> Every time we leave. >> Their job was to clear a road so the base commander could drive safely to a meeting with a local official 12 mi away. Outside a village, the Buffalo, the most highly armored vehicle in the convoy and the biggest target, stopped to dig for a bomb because the squad was attacked here just the week before. >> Clear. >> No bomb. The convoy moved on. But 6 minutes later, The buffalo filled with smoke as two powerful bombs buried in the dirt road exploded, engulfing the vehicle in a huge cloud of dust. Despite their training and experience, the squad never saw it coming.

>> 366. We're good. >> We're good. >> 10:00 is a guy running 10:00 >> above our vehicle. >> Look at the tree line. Watch the tree line. >> Shoot them sons of [ __ ] Two bombers got away. The buffalo, which collapsed in a huge hole, lost its wheel and drive shaft. But all three soldiers inside survived. One of them, Sergeant Daniel D. Roach, that's him with the drive shaft, was relieved, but frustrated. >> Same goddamn spot that happens every time we roll up here. >> How many times is that for you? >> This is my second hit. Cat got the mouse this time, I guess you could say. Sergeant Cabrera found the detonation wires buried in the road. Easy to do here because there are so many dirt roads in Afghanistan. Cabrera and his partner, Specialist Joshua Gross, told us the first bomb hit its target, but the second one 30 yards away missed. >> This right here was the first explosion that went off. This right here was the second one. >> In this instance, did the trigger man make a mistake or were you guys just lucky?

>> Trigger man made a mistake. >> And we were lucky. And we're lucky he made a mistake. >> Lucky because it's usually the second bomb that causes the most casualties. After the first explosion, men like Sergeant Cerbar go to investigate and that's when insurgents often set off the second bomb. >> Something with your name on it. >> Yes, sir. >> Meant to maim or kill you? >> Yes, sir. Roadside bombs are also meant to prove to Afghans the United States with its superior military still cannot protect its own troops or them. >> How much you think it cost to make a IED in Afghanistan? >> We say maybe 10 US dollars. >> $10. You could lose your life over $10. One soldier we talked to had been hit by IEDs on the same road within a half kilometer three times. Right. Well, the the enemy is relentless in the way he employs these. And so you you can't stop. Ours is a fight of constant consistent pressure where we have to be relentless just as that enemy is. This is not a fast fight. It's warfare at a snail pace. We stopped so often we averaged just 2 miles an hour. Captain Foster thought there might be a bomb hidden in this field. The local farmers seemed friendly enough, but a bomb wire was found on their land.

>> It's still sitting here all on the school on the east side of the road. >> We're pulling security on uh the east side of the road. You're watching their back now. Roger. >> One of the vehicles dug for explosives but couldn't find any. With darkness falling, it was up to Sergeant Cabrera again. So, he put on his 80 lb bombsuit and took what soldiers call the long, lonely walk. The road appeared safe, but to be sure, he set off two explosive charges. Turns out there wasn't a bomb connected to the command wire. The convoy presumed the road was clear enough to move on when another bomb exploded behind us. >> Looks like we got out of there in time. >> Just before midnight, we made it safely to an old farmhouse turned military outpost. While his men slept, we talked with Captain Foster about a difficult 17-hour day. >> So, did you accomplish your mission today?

>> Yes, sir. >> Strapped to mortars, IEDs. This was a good day. >> Yes, sir. Everybody came home safe. >> You seem a bit somber >> or you just exhausted? >> Uh, no. It's at the end of the day knowing that all my soldiers are safe. That's when I sit down in a quiet time and thank God for watching over him. >> Yeah, roger that. He said uh to pull forward. >> Hours later, near the end of their mission, Captain Foster's men were attacked again. Are these lead vehicles are hit? >> Around that bend in the road, the smoke in the distance meant that a massive bomb had exploded under the lead vehicle just two miles from the base. The vehicle appeared to be total. All three men on board were injured. Within minutes, soldiers climbed bridges on both sides of the road looking for the bomber. >> They went looking for the trigger man. >> But your expectation is that someone had to be eyeballing this convoy in order for it to go off?

>> Yes, sir. the initial expectation. >> Several men and a child in a car nearby were questioned and released. In our two days on the road, the bomb squad encountered five bombs. Three soldiers were injured, two others shaken up. One US vehicle was damaged, another wrecked. Not a single bomber was captured or killed. You've been briefed on the mission we went on. Was it successful? Overall, yes. It was successful in that that force was able to find IEDs. >> Did they find the IEDs or the IEDs find them? >> Some of both. Uh, some were found and rendered safe and I think we destroyed them and at least one of them. Uh, others we found the hard way. For the American people who see those scenes of the explosions, vehicles being damaged, you say, "America just got his butt kicked that day." You say what? Not at all. A vehicle getting blown up, doing what it was designed to do to absorb that blast is not us getting our butts kicked. It's us removing that threat.

>> Do you ever think that this is a fight you can't win? They go out, they place a bomb, you remove it, the next day they put out another bomb, >> right? I mean, I I try not to think about it too much because it doesn't really help anybody, you know. >> What do you think? Is this a fight you can win? >> It's me, >> I guess. I guess winning to me is going home really after our deployment's done is going home. >> Going home life. >> That's how you measure success in Afghanistan. >> Yes, sir.