sarah james, nbc news, brisbane, australia. >> you can see more of sarah's remarkable report tonight on rock center at 10:00/9:00 central here on nbc. when we come back here tonight after getting a late start he's taking orders from guys nearly half his age far from home. >>> it has been a season of joyful reunions. thousands of troops returning from war in time to spend the holidays with their families. of course many more troops remain over seas, serving far from home. tonight we are shining the spotlight on one soldier who's fulfilling a lifelong dream. we get his story from jim maceda in afghanistan's kandahar province. >> all right. let's go. let's move it. let's go, boys. >> reporter: u.s. cavalryman don davenport's world is a 30-mile stretch of taliban, poppy, and danger in the heart of kandahar province. but what d.p. lacks in rank he makes up for in street cred. >> we have to worry about that hole and this tree line right here. >> did you see that? >> reporter: the insurgents got away this time but left behind a slew of bomb-making materials making the mission worth it. are

sarah james, nbc news, brisbane, australia. >> you can see more of sarah's remarkable report tonight on rock center at 10:00/9:00 central here on nbc. when we come back here tonight after getting a late start he's taking orders from guys nearly half his age far from home. lf his age far from home. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able

sarah james, nbc news. >> you can watch the full story tonight at 10:00 on "rock center" right here on nbc 4. >>> today marks the start of kwanzaa, the seven day celebration is rooted in self-determination and cultural reaffirmation. each day, followers focus on one of seven principles believed to be pillars of the african-american community up colluding family, creativity and faith. it dates back to 1966. the word kwanzaa means first fruit in swahili. >>> a man held in cuba for two years. >>> the end to a search for a man who abducted a 2-year-old child in virginia who police say is responsible for a double murder. >>> we'll tell you about the store in maryland that sold a >>> we'll fast 4ward through the headlines now. police are looking for two men who broke into a house and assaulted a woman in haymarket, virginia. the man snatched the victim's necklace and then fled. the suspect fled. the victim may have known her attacker. >>> across the country, shoppers are, once again, out at the ma mall. many are out there spending those gift cards or using they will. others are hoping to ret

sarah james, nbc news. >> you can see that story tonight on "rock center" on nbc 4 beginning at 10:00. >>> at 11:00, much more on a pliszing blind man that got on a train two weeks ago and hasn't been heard from since. >>> the fallout after joe paterno's firing. we'll have that for you at 11:00. >>> final check, chuck? >> the rain is on the way for tuesday. if you got an umbrella for christmas, you will need it tomorrow. it won't stick around that long. the pattern we are in will take the rain out before wednesday morning gets here. it's blustery and windy outside. a mild start to 2012. >> thanks. >>> there's a wee little polar bear in denmark that's become an internet sensation. he recently hit a big milestone. new pictures out today that show the 3-month-old cub with his eyes open for the first time, getting his first look at the world. he might look around and decide to close them and go back to sleep. he's at the skandinavian wildlife park in denmark. he's being raised by humans because his mom didn't produce enough milk to feed him. there's a team working around the clock to keep

james reports, it provided proof at least to this one family that deep inside a coma their loved one was fighting to say "i'm here." >> reporter: sam goddard of australia was about asa, life as alive can be. a guy who could do nearly anything. >> oh, that was sick! oh! >> reporter: that is, until valentine's day, 2010. just three months before his wedding. on that day sam was playing a friendly game of soccer. he suddenly got a headache so severe that he had to be rushed to the hospital. he had suffered massive strokes, eight of them. doctors told his future wife sally nielsen that sam most likely would never recover. >> they said he'd be a vegetable. >> did they use the words being a vegetable? >> they did. there was actually a doctor that told us that would be better off let sam contract an infection, put him in a home and let him die. >> reporter: he was in a coma and life support. doctors couldn't figure out why sam, just 23, had suffered so many strokes. they did know sam had catastrophic brain damage. >> they said he would be in a wheelchair and he'd need to be in a room. they

sarah james, nbc news. >> well, you can watch this incredible story of survival tonight at 10:00 on rock center right here on nbc bay area followed by the news at 11:00. >>> still come at 6:00, the race for the white house is shifting into high gear, but there's one problem for the republican front-runner. up next, the blow for newt gingrich in his home state. >>> we're all about to get exposed. the major changes comes to facebook that could affect your online privacy. >>> also ahead, a south bay family with a mission. why they wouldn't rest until this cat found his way to solid ground. >>> no rest this campaign season after a very brief christmas break, republicans are heading back on the campaign trail, with just eight days to go until the iowa caucus. and tonight, a setback for the front-runner, newt gingrich. nbc's jennifer johnson has the story. >> mitt romney has launched a new spot called conservative agenda, focusing on the federal budget and repealing obama care. >> the experience of balancing budget is desperately needed in washington and i will take it there. >> rick santorum

>>judge james zagel has heard so much before. >>sarah rod blagojevich in his statement this morning said he except said the verdicts he accepts responsibility he is genuinely sorry ... still no admission of guilt >>we understand that any moment now the judge will be issuing his sentence. >>so the viewers understand ... this judge is reading an opinion he will give a detailed explanation of exactly what the sentences how is being crafted how he calculated this he understands this will go up on appeal later on. he will be explicit. >>when a case goes up on appeal one of the things that is a given is that there is no retrial of the case on appeal. the defense raises issues with errors ... these other things that the court has to wrestle with it's not going against what the jury decided necessarily. >>the judge says that he does not believe that the governor got bad legal advice he believes that he did not take the advice of counsel he accept his apology nonetheless ... >>the judges in the courtroom about to issue the sentence. >>we

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