When award-winning reporter Ben Anderson spent two months with a unit of Grenadier Guards in the Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan in 2007, he met some extraordinary men. One of them was Lance Corporal Jack Mizon, a brave 24-year-old who has seen and experienced more than most men of his age. On his journey, Ben accompanies Jack as he faces an eight-hour battle with the Taliban. This one-off documentary also follows Jack as he returns to the UK.

Over three weeks, Jack lost one of his friends in a roadside-bomb attack and a suicide bomber hit the convoy he was travelling in – killing another of his friends. Jack was sent to a psychiatrist to talk through his experiences. The only way forward for him, though, was to try to stop thinking about the incidents and keep going.

After an incredible 81 days out on operations, Jack comes back to the UK where he serves in the Queen’s Company of the Grenadier Guards. But Jack finds it hard to re-adjust to the routine of Army life back in the barracks. Within weeks, he’s on punishment duty and gets involved in fights. He is then absent without leave and flees the country – only to come back to the UK a few weeks later and hand himself in to the police. Despite being awarded a Mention in Dispatches for bravery, Jack is demoted back to the ranks.

Tuesday 7 October
9.00-10.00pm BBC THREE