soldier s lives. we re giving this special coverage called a soldier s story. it documents following the troop from home front for too battle front. you can catch it tonight and tomorrow 8:00 eastern time. jason carroll reports. here he is with a preview. reporter: in the fading light of a cold december evening, barely one full year ago, the president of the united states boards marine one, then air force one for a trip to west point, new york. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. reporter: the 33-minute speech he s about to deliver will affect the lives of every cadet in eisenhower hall. as commander in chief, i have determined to send an additional 30,000 u.s. troops to afghanistan.
for more than a year cnn has been following the stories of three u.s. military recruits. a mother who makes the tough decision to leave her baby in order to join the army. an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, pursuing his dream. and a career soldier on his second combat tour in afghanistan. jason carroll gives as you sneak preview of what it is like for these three to be in the army during a time of war. in the fading light of a cold december evening barely one full year ago, the president of the united states boards marine one. and then air force one for a trip to west point new york. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. the 33-minute speech he is about