'The Real 24': From Iraq to the Homefront

Jan. 21, 2008 — -- It's midnight at Combat Outpost Battle in the West Rashid neighborhood of Baghdad. The soldiers of the 28th Infantry Regiment's Battle Company are about to launch a raid. A tip has come in that a cache of weapons is hidden in an abandoned home nearby.

The video clip above features some candid moments with Nikki Kolowich, as she talks about family life away from her husband, Nick, currently serving in Iraq.

CLICK HERE to see pictures of the combat outpost.

Company Commander Capt. Brian Ducote briefs his men on the situation.

"First platoon, you are going to go in the hot side," he says. "Make sure we get in and get what we need. Detain any people who are associated with the cache if they are there."

Ducote, a 31-year-old West Point graduate, has been leading the 130 men of Battle Company since the surge began nearly a year ago. Tonight, he has concerns about the informant who says he will lead them to the weapons.

"Never used him before," he says, "so I don't know how much we can depend on him and his information."

Staff Sgt. Nick Kolowich, 28, will lead the squad that will enter the house first. He gives his men final instructions using a map propped on the hood of his Humvee before leaving base.

"We're going to swing back around, back up to the north, come around these abandoned houses and drop down the first road we know is open," he says.

The video clip, left, is a sneak preview of Martha Raddatz's full report on "World News With Charles Gibson" tonight at 6:30 ET

But almost as soon as the soldiers leave the base, the plan changes. The informant has backed out. He will not be meeting the soldiers to show them where to go. Driving through the night, the soldiers of Battle Company are suddenly more alert.

"He obviously knows where he is sending us and we don't know who he's told we are coming," Kolowich says. "You never know. We could be walking into an ambush."

At Fort Riley in Kansas, 7,000 miles and nine time zones away, it is midafternoon. Kolowich's wife, Nikki, is taking advantage of her children's nap time to get a head start on dinner. She has no idea that her husband is heading out on a combat mission.

"Very rarely do I have enough time to sit around and let my mind go there," she says, stirring her chicken casserole. "When I do, I just start praying because in the beginning, when that fear was there — and you just can't help it sometimes, faith or no faith, it's just so real. A lot of times when it would come up on me I would just start praying."

The Kolowiches have been married for five years. They have three children, 4-year-old Caden, 2-year-old Brooklyn and 1-year-old Coleman. "Nick left when Coleman was only 6 weeks old," Nikki says. "It has definitely been an adventure."

As Nikki Kolowich heads out to pick up her oldest son from school, her husband's squad makes its way to the abandoned house. During the mission he tries to keep his family far from his thoughts.

"They are out of my mind," he says. "I have to stay focused on what we are doing and there is usually so much going on."

Once at their target, the soldiers enter the house quickly and find it empty. Turning up floor tiles and grates reveals no weapons. But there is also no ambush.

At 2 a.m., the night is still not over for Kolowich and his squad. They now head out along the busy airport road to do overnight checkpoint duty. It can be tense. It can be tedious.

"When you are sitting stagnant like this, it's hard not to think about home," Kolowich says, his eyes scanning the road for any unusual activity. "This is when thinking about family kicks in. Right here."

Two a.m. in Baghdad is five in the afternoon at Fort Riley. "Now is when it gets hectic," Nikki Kolowich says, standing in her kitchen and trying to manage the evening routine. Over the next two hours she will prepare dinner, give the children their baths, read them bedtime stories, say their prayers with them and tuck them in.

"One of the things that's majorly different when Nick is not home is usually I make dinner while he spends time with the kids," Nikki says. "Then I clean up dinner while he gives the kids a bath. And then we both do prayer time, story time and bedtime."

But with Nick away on his first deployment, Nikki has to manage alone. "We love our soldiers and we do what we have to do so that they can get the job done and come back home to us," she says.

By 9:20 p.m., the kids are asleep and the phone rings. Her husband is calling. The time and distance close. They talk about their days, how young Caden was nice to his younger brother and sister. With a promise to speak to each other the next day, they each sign off "I love you."

With dawn breaking in Baghdad, Kolowich heads off to bed after a long night. "I am one of the few guys who can say he sleeps with his wife over here," he jokes, referring to his pillowcase with a picture of his wife on it.

Across the small base, Ducote is up and hitting the minimally equipped gym. The outpost in West Rashid was one of the first to be set up for the troop surge. In order to be more integrated with the neighborhood, the base is set up on what used to be a community parking lot. Conditions are spartan. While the soldiers enjoy a trailer with showers, Port-o-Johns are still in use. And on a cold winter morning, the soldiers warm themselves over a fire in a barrel.

When the company first arrived, the men saw nearly constant combat. But security has improved dramatically enough for Ducote to spend his days working with Iraqis to try to keep the relative peace.

By 10:30 in the morning he's meeting at the local reconciliation office, discussing conditions for people to return to homes they abandoned during the conflict.

Then it's on to a meeting with the local Iraqi Army commanders, where he plans a joint patrol with his soldiers and the Iraqis as well as the arrest of an older man in the neighborhood who has been stirring up sectarian violence. And finally, a meeting with a local council leader to explore what more he can do to help the community.

Returning to the base after 3 p.m., Ducote grabs his first bite to eat of the day. "That's sometimes how it works," he says with a shrug.

Ducote is quickly off again to deliver soccer balls and school supplies to a nearby neighborhood. Seeing the small children who come to collect the unit's offerings turns his mind to his growing family back home. Ducote and his wife, Gina, are parents to Michael, born in October while Ducote was on home leave. He returned to Baghdad four days later.

"I do worry about them and make sure she's OK," Ducote says. "Gina is a wonderful mom, but she could use the help. From me."

But like many military families, the Ducotes accept the sacrifice.

"Not once have I ever heard 'I can't handle this' or 'this is not what I want you to do,'" he says. "She knows that this is where we are supposed to be. We've thought about it. We've prayed about it. We've talked about it. This is where I am, and she supports me 100 percent."

A world away Gina echoes her husbands thoughts. "It's hard for Brian to be away. But you can do it. And you do get through it."

Spending her days caring for Michael has made the time pass quickly. She keeps her husband up to date on Michael's first months through videos and photos. "The phone calls, the e-mails, pictures. Things like that help you stay connected," she says.

Back in Baghdad, it closes in on midnight once again, another day gone in this long war.

"When it all settles down and I lay my head down, the last thing I think of is my family," Ducote says. "Gina and Michael. Unequivocally it's them."