reporter: for more than a year, cnn has followed three of these soldiers. together, they tell a story of how the president s decision to expand the war in afghanistan affects the people most directly in harm s way. one, two, three come on, you got it. you got it. latrisha rose joins the army, leaving behind a 2-year-old daughter with a husband wondering how he can do it alone. here we go. almost done. reporter: sergeant randy shorter is a husband and father of two, just 32 years old, he s already a veteran of two combat tours. now he s about to return to afghanistan to an area the military calls hell on earth. and then there s 18-year-old will mclean who may find himself carrying out the president s mission into the very heart of afghanistan.
randy shorter, latrisha rose and mclean, continuing to make sacrifices every day. their stories are outlined in this one-hour documentary. will mclean, i remember his family and the weight he lost, the struggles he went through. i can t wait for you to see how things turned out for will. and i know you had to feel for her. first of all, the emotion of trying to say good-bye to her 2-year-old who didn t understand. and she sort of had the husband who was supposed to, you know, pull his own weight. and he had some struggles. and we got the most mail, actually, about latrisha rose about the three of them. but again, all of their stories we want to know how it all ends. and cnn s going to be airing this one-hour documentary airs saturday, december 18th, tomorrow night, 8:00, and sunday, december 19th, 8:00 p.m.
reporter: it s latrisha rose last day at home before leaving to join the army. just about everything is done. paperwork, check. final meeting with recruiter, check. smile. reporter: telling her 2-year-old daughter, iana she is leaving, not quite. i think she kind of knows i am leaving. i said i was going to tell her today that i am leaving but she kind of i think she kind of knows. reporter: latrisha and her husband, brandon, have been struggling to tell their daughter for weeks in a way a 2-year-old can understand. they think iana may be catching on. she just cries if i walk out the room or anything. i think she just can probably sense something. hi, iana. reporter: for now, latrisha and her husband make the most of
wants to serve her country and she wants to create a better life for her family. and it s a tough struggle. i hope everything works out for them. we re going to see and you will see as well. jason will be back tomorrow with latrisha s first days in basic training. she faces unexpected challenges. and the whole story takes a very odd twist. that s tomorrow right here on the most news in the morning. jason, thanks. we re half past the hour, time for a look at the top stories. trouble continues for thousands in tennessee after weekend storms produced widespread flooding that killed 15 people there and in mississippi. now the cumberland river may crest at 10 feet above flood level putting nashville in a water-logged danger zone. several businesses have been evacuated. with dozens of highways closed it s proving to be difficult to find a way out of town. a detroit police officer killed in a shootout overnight. four other officers were hit and
latrisha is on the road to becoming a soldier. latrisha and brandon told me they tried to tell their daughter for weeks what was about to come. both of you are parents. how do you then explain to a 2-year-old, i m leaving? there is no concept of time for a 2-year-old. in some ways, it is almost easier than trying to tell a 5-year-old or an eight-year-old that you are leaving. they know. you have seen the heartbreaking stories when the dad surprises the kid and comes back to the classroom and you see what the kids go through. the other thing to remember here is that this is what a lot of mothers, young mothers are going through who are soifg the military dealing with second and third tours of duty but you never get a chance to see what s happening behind the scenes. the whole thing with the family plan can be very burdensome. very, which you are about to see in our next installment of this. good story this morning. back again tomorrow with latrisha s first days in basic tr