The War in Iraq and the Role of Southern California

The war in Iraq is a local story in Southern California. Octavio Sanchez was a Marine staff sergeant deployed to Iraq from Camp Pendleton. In July of 2005, while on patrol in Ramadi, his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. Two comrades died in the incident, but Sanchez survived to undergo 40 surgeries at Veterans' facilities and at UCLA. He's the married father of four, who lives in Fontana. Southern California is home not to just to veterans — wounded and otherwise, but to people left behind by the war. Military widow Nicole Hart, who met her late husband when they were 12 years old, has gone back to school where she's studying to be a photographer.