Wounded warriors return to Iraq for closure

The U.S. military has found that for all the physical and mental therapy it provides for troops wounded in the war, it was missing a crucial therapy: soldiers and Marines wanted to return to the battlefield where they were injured. Operation Proper Exit takes wounded warriors back in an effort to provide closure that often leads to better lives for these veterans and their families. Scott Pelley follows one group to Iraq on an emotional journey to relive their traumatic experiences for a "60 Minutes" report to be broadcast Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Steven Cornford needed to return to help get over the feeling that he caused the death of his lieutenant, who was killed coming to his aid on the battlefield. "It's something that haunts me every day. I see his face every time I close my eyes to go to sleep at night," he tells Pelley. "I blame myself a lot, because I-- got hit first, and he was coming to get me. I just-- I want to be able to lay it to rest, like he is, because I know he's in a better place. I just--I know he would want me to."

Despite being shot in the shoulder, Cornford carried his lieutenant, Phillip Neel, a mile to get medical attention. Cornford was awarded the Silver Star.

The desires of Cornford and others to return to the battlefield were brought to the military's attention by Rick Kell, a retired advertising executive who runs the Troops First Foundation. Kell also volunteered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "It really didn't occur to me, it was presented to me by a corps of wounded warriors at Walter Reed that I saw frequently," he says. "In every conversation it came up: I want to go back, I need to go back," recalls Kell.

Kell goes back with the veterans in small groups; 68 have made the journey so far. Part of the reason they feel the need to return, says Kell, is that they left Iraq unconscious in most cases, ripped out of the unit and away from their brothers in arms. It's a crucial piece of the rehabilitation process that cannot be provided in a hospital. Says Kell, "But the one piece they couldn't put back...was exiting and leaving the way they thought they would leave with their team...their battle buddies."

The group Pelley follows, eight individuals, all suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, in addition to amputations and other battlefield injuries such as blindness. They go to several places in Iraq, including the Air Force Theater Hospital where their lives were saved. They also fire the weapons and see the vehicles they depended on in battle. They return in uniform. "They all love putting the uniform back on. It motivates them, it takes them back to something they love, absolutely love," says Kell, who accompanies each group.

In addition to Cornford, a retired Army Corporal, this group included Marine Cpl. Matt Bradford and six other veterans, all of whom are retired now: Army Sgt. Tom Bishop, Marine Cpl. Donny Daughenbaugh, Army SFC Brian Mancini, Marine Cpl. Isaiah Schaeffer, Army 1st Lt. Jim Kirchner and Army 1st Lt. Ed Salau.