Far From Home, on the battlefront

>>> we're back now with our special series " far from home . kwaelts jim maceda habeen profiling the men and women of the military who have knin doing the hard work in iraq and afghanistan . today was a great day to do a story on another 1 of the young warriors. jim has the story of a young warrior from california who is very far from home in one of the most remote parts of the war zone .

>> reporter: bag e, erkese, it means road of the winds. this is as far forward as it gets.

>> like last time, we took contact with these guys, all right. throw some rounds down, all right? throw some rounds. let them know we're okay.

>> reporter: all of them are trigger pullers. and often, the police.

>> which house is he living in the is he lives here or over there.

>> reporter: even the government.

>> they start giving us intel on the taliban , we could help the village, help the workers out, get them jobs. what's up, all right?

>> lewis , 32, from san francisco , has made some friends here, but the taliban are never far away , waiting, watching.

>> you're surrounding by mud. the mud is surrounded by a mud wall, and the mud wall is surrounded by the talupon in.

>> pretty much. that pretty much sums it up.

>> lewis ' day revolved around his wood stove , staying warm and dry, and keeping his men alive. the taliban launched this surprise atang from three directions, pinning down the troops for several hours.

>> that was intense. and we're all safe.

>> reporter: and when this scout isn't fighting --

>> what's up, buddy?

>> reporter: he's playing with the new mascot, or skieping home every night to his wife and daughters back in colorado springs .

>> i can't wait to see what you have done.

>> reporter: lewis said it's tough. at 18, he lost his mother, father, and grandparents and lost his way. smoked dope. a bay area stoner, he says, until boot camp turned him around forever. don't stop believing.

>> reporter: now, far from home , it's his military family that fills the void.

>> i try to be the father figure for them and look after them.

>> he deeply believes in the power of service.

>> it's a great honor to serve your country, period.

>> reporter: fighting to hold on to every inch of a barren northeast afghanistan with few re-enforcements.

>> they're shooting pretty far.

>> reporter: but plenty of heart. jim maceda, afghanistan .