WATERLOO - A documentary featuring Northeast Iowa soldiers was recently recognized for excellence in broadcast journalism.

The CBS News magazine "60 Minutes" was awarded an Emmy for "Fathers, Sons, and Brothers," a one-hour special about the mobilization of the Waterloo-headquartered Ironman Battalion. Camera crews followed soldiers and families of the Iowa Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry before, during and after its nearly two-year deployment in Iraq.

About 560 soldiers departed for Camp Shelby, Miss. in September 2005 to wage the war against terrorism. The unit was shipped the following April to the Middle East. After spending 15 months in Iraq, the battalion returned on July 25, 2007 to a memorable homecoming at Riverfront Stadium.

From the time the soliders were told about the deployment and the emotions of losing a comrade in battle, to returning to a standing room-only crowd of 8,000 screaming family, friends and supporters. CBS News crews captured the highs and lows of the deployment, the longest of any individual unit during the war up to that time. The battalion's deployment was extended as a resuilt of President Bush's troop surge initiative.

"The recognition shows how valuable the report was," said Jeff Fager, "60 Minutes" executive producer. "It's not about awards, but showing real Americans making real sacrifices. … It meant a lot to tell the story, especially once we got to know them."

The honor was presented to CBS at the 29th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards on Sept. 22. The category was "outstanding continuing coverage of a news story in a news magazine."

Staff Sgt. Joel Peters, attached to Company B of the 1/133rd in Oelwein, said the award was well deserved. He was with the 1/133rd in Iraq.

The show first aired on May 27, 2007, over Memorial Day weenend. It was rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS Reports, with additional footage of the homecoming ceremony, this year on Feb. 3, while the Super Bowl aired on another network.

"I think it was a really accurate representation," Peters said. "I like how it showed (the soldiers) and how it affected the families. However, I would have liked to see more on the after affects of the deployment."

Men and women of the 1/133rd - with armories in Waterloo, Dubuque, Oelwein, Iowa Falls and Charles City - provided security for more than 500 combat logistical patrols, escorting 62,000 trucks more than 4.1 million miles. Most of the loads carried 169 million gallons of fuel into Iraq, or more than one-third of the fuel used by coalition forces during that time.

The unit also received logistical support from an additional 130 soldiers assigned to Company E, 334th Brigade Support Battalion from Waterloo and Dubuque. Two 1/133rd soldiers never returned - Sgt. 1st Class Scott Nisely of Marshalltown and Sgt. Kampha Sourivong of Iowa City. They were killed in combat.

Life and death were documented. CBS talked to family members who lost a loved one; and Jim and Margo Bodensteiner of New Hampton when their daughter was born while he was in Iraq.

"The real fulfillment is the ability to show what the men and women were going through and the sacrifices they made for this country," Fager said.

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.