How do you manipulate an entire country to get an enlisted soldier home?

Previously, on cereal.

Like, how can I get into Afghanistan?

How can I get into Pakistan?

I'm going to get my bags, but I have my passport.

Our greater bureaucracy is telling the families to just shut up and wait.

I address the Pakistani Armed Forces.

I think I can get that done for you, but he really likes Johnny Walker Black label.

In order to exchange you, the Taliban is waiting for all the prisoners,

in all the prisons, all the Muslims around the world to be released.

From this American life in W.B.C. Chicago, it's serial, one story told week by week.

I'm Sarah Canig.

May 31st, 2014, the day Bo gets picked up by special operations team in Afghanistan.

He's quickly pulled onto a helicopter, leaving the ground like that with space suddenly

all around him, after five years of being locked in rooms.

He said it was like crossing an abyss.

When they landed at a nearby base, Bo wanted to communicate with these guys who'd rescued him,

but he couldn't talk yet.

He hadn't spoken sentences, much less had a conversation in so long.

He says he could think of the words, but he couldn't make them come out of his head.

What I ended up doing was asking for something to write on.

And the first thing I asked them was if there are special forces.

...