A Long Way Back

It’s 1969 in Vietnam. A racial incident causes a riot at the Cu Chi Army base. Fifteen black mostly non-combat soldiers are sent on an illegal mission into Cambodia as punishment for their participation. They are led by a battle weary Sergeant Willie Stinson who anticipating a confrontation with the Viet Cong teaches the soldiers the basics of combat. The men are abandoned by the commanding officer who sent them and after their first firefight Sergeant Stinson is missing in action. The seven surviving wounded and starving soldiers realize that if they are to escape Cambodia alive they will have to unite and employ the fighting tactics they’ve learned from Stinson. Anthony Andrews a reporter for the Washington Post inquires about seven disheveled soldiers he watched disembark from a helicopter in Cu Chi but faces resistance from the Army. Sensing something is amiss he pursues the story. With help from an anonymous source he identifies and locates the men after their discharge but they are reluctant to talk. When Andrews obtains information about their missing sergeant the seven agree to meet with him and tell their story. Andrews publicizes their improbable account of survival. This initiates an investigation that punishes the commanding officer and redeems the men who were not only declared AWOL but were given Less Than Honorable Discharges.