Baghdad, Iraq - April 11, 2004: Led by Sergeant Major James Ross, the 1st Cavalry suffer brutal, repeated attacks. Against the odds, they redefine what it means to 'leave no man behind.'

It is a Shia holy week in Iraq, a time when soldiers are aware that violent insurgents can blend into the mass pilgrimages of faithful, unsuspecting worshippers to gain access into zones of operations. Tensions run high for the 1st Cavalry who secure the critical area surrounding Baghdad International Airport.

As a senior leader of the 1st Cavalry, Sergeant Major James Ross is not obligated to go on patrol. It is a fateful—and nearly fatal decision to lead the patrol along Main Supply Route Tampa.

MSR Tampa runs like a jagged scar down the face of Iraq, north from Syria down to Kuwait. Desolate and ominous, the six-lane road is no American expressway: it is a rogue passage through the desert, where thick dust clouds the troops’ vision to other vehicles and sparse farmhouses and grassy areas mask insurgents. They prey on military and civilian convoys that bear vital supplies.

Six bridges have been blown up along the route this month alone. April also marks more the highest level of insurgent attacks on military convoys running MSR Tampa since the start of the war, accounting for a majority of the 100 total troops that die at the hands of Insurgents. There are no routine patrols along MSR Tampa, only perilous missions.

The 28 troops are heavily armed as they head north. Led by Ross, they travel 8 kilometers before coming across an enormous crater in the road that seems to have swallowed a car. Obviously an IED blast, the vehicles pull to the side and conduct an investigation. In a small irrigation pipe running under the six-lane roadway, troops find the main charge and firing wire. Ross and two others follow the evidence, which takes them over a five-foot culvert into the yard of a remote house where the IED was detonated. As they prepare to conduct a cordon and search, well-hidden insurgents surrounding the area unleash a furious firestorm.

Totally exposed and weighed down with heavy gear, the soldiers run for their vehicles. Bullets fly from all directions. The men are lucky to be alive. From their vehicles, they let loose a brutal response that quiets the insurgents but nearly depletes the troops of ammunition. A call is placed to have a re-supply waiting while the 1st Cavalry return to the scene. They question residents and search the dwelling, but when they leave the house the enemy strikes again, this time with mortar fire. As the bombs shatter the ground closer and closer to the under-equipped troops, it is a frenzied scene. Facing death once more, the troops race to their vehicles, get back on the MSR and speed to the re-supply point.

When they arrive, there is a convoy of 20 fuel tankers and 5-ton gun trucks preparing to leave. The sergeant in the lead vehicles reports they’re headed south on the MSR. It is a simple slip-up that prevents the outgoing convoy from being warned about the insurgents: They are in fact heading north.

After re-loading, the platoon heads back toward MSR Tampa and sees something ominous. Black smoke is rising from the north, and it’s clear the fuel tankers have been ambushed. Two tankers are destroyed, blocking the three northbound lanes and creating a kill zone the Insurgents take full advantage of. Enemy fire is coming from both sides of the street. They need protection, but the only route there is a dirt trail running parallel to the right side of the MSR lined with 8-foot weeds, the perfect enemy camouflage.

With no other option, the 1st Cavalry must take the trail. They know an ambush is likely, so the troops travel at a high rate of speed through the 200 meter diversion. Enemy and friendly fire slice through the air and one RPG misses a HWMVV by inches, but the plan works: they make it back on the MSR, where they take positions around the disabled vehicles. The 1st Cavalry battle the enemy on both sides while taking mortar and small arms fire. The troops cheer at the sight of helicopters, relieved to see the Apaches’ fire rain down along the enemy’s line of attack. But the celebration is over in a matter of seconds.

The tail of one Apache bursts into flames. Within three seconds, the craft falls to earth and explodes on impact, killing the two pilots. While additional troops go to the horrific scene of the crash, the 1st Cavalry continue to battle the enemy and cover the convoy mechanics. After thirty agonizing minutes, the enemy is finally suppressed and Ross leads his men, and the supply convoy, back down MSR Tampa.

In the staging area, the convoy personnel are safe and accounted for, but the unthinkable happens. Gunfire erupts and Ross’s men are under fire yet again. The shots come from a house about 500 meters away. This time, the 1st Cavalry is not alone in the fight. The troops are joined by tower guards along the western wall and Bradley Linebackers, mighty allies that help put the shooting to an abrupt end.

With six hours left on its patrol, the grateful platoon leader offers Ross the option to stay behind. Without hesitation, he gets back in the HWMMV. And just as he has for the past six hours, Sergeant Major James Ross once again leads his men down the deadly MSR.