1. A method of decoding a coded signal that is encoded in accordance with at least two component codes, to include a first component code (CC 1 ) and a second component code (CC 2 ), comprising: receiving a communication signal representative of the coded signal, and decoding the communication signal to determine an initial CC 1 decoded sequence and a corresponding initially inherently assumed CC 2 decoded sequence that is inherently assumed in accordance with a sequence of minimum CC 1 branch metrics that identify corresponding elements of the initially inherently assumed CC 2 decoded sequence; performing an iteration thread starting with the initial CC 1 decoded sequence and the initially inherently assumed CC 2 decoded sequence and stopping the iteration thread when: (i) an inherently-assumed CC 2 decoded sequence is substantially equal to a first-computed CC 2 decoded sequence, (ii) a previously-computed CC 1 decoded sequence is substantially equal to a next-computed CC 1 decoded sequence, and (iii) when a previously-computed CC 2 decoded sequence is substantially equal to a next-computed CC 2 decoded sequence; making available a decoder output sequence that includes at least a CC 1 decoded sequence and a CC 2 decoded sequence that are substantially equal to a most-recently-computed CC 1 decoded sequence and a most-recently-computed CC 2 decoded sequence as computed just prior to the stopping condition being met.