Fightin' Marines #25

When Chinese forces break through Marine lines, Captain Burso—a Chicago lawyer attached to the medics—and PFC. Clay Bantry, an Oklahoma-born rifleman hungry for action, must work together to evacuate the wounded to safety. With Russian tanks, enemy aircraft, and relentless infantry closing in, the two men discover they're far more effective as a team than either expected, holding the line against impossible odds while their unit makes its escape.

Cuzz Tompkins has endured Sergeant Tiny Price's relentless drills and tough talk from Parris Island all the way through combat in Korea, where the cold, hunger, and enemy fire test everything he learned. When Cuzz and the Sarge manage to capture a high-ranking Chinese officer, the ensuing chaos forces them to fight their way back through a brutal mortar barrage. As the chaos settles and hot chow finally arrives, Cuzz discovers that the hardships—and the Sarge's constant ribbing—have made him a real Marine after all.

PFC. Bud Taylor, an eighteen-year-old Marine, struggles with fear during the Korean War fighting in a frozen foxhole, and when his platoon charges toward a village objective, he freezes under fire. S/SGT. Kazak refuses to let the young soldier give up, pushing him back into combat and demanding he face his terror head-on. When enemy artillery strikes and the lieutenant goes down, Taylor discovers something unexpected within himself that changes everything about how he sees his own courage.

On Guadalcanal in October 1942, Marine Signal Corporal Widdy and his buddy Private Stan Koslak fight alongside Captain Stang's platoon as they're pinned down by Japanese forces with nowhere to retreat but the beach. When the situation turns desperate and a destroyer appears offshore, Widdy improvises a pair of semaphore flags from captured enemy gear to call in naval gunfire—using himself and Stan as the target markers. It's a tense gamble that tests whether Widdy's flagwork skills can turn the tide when everything else has failed.

PFC Frank Cotter arrives in Korea a bitter loner—betrayed in civilian life, he's sworn off trusting anyone and fights his battles alone. But when he volunteers to hold a narrow mountain pass against overwhelming enemy forces, he discovers that the friends he'd rejected have refused to abandon him, forcing him to confront the very idea of brotherhood he'd spent years rejecting.

This single-page story celebrates the storied history of the French Foreign Legion, ranging far beyond their famous desert campaigns to reveal their battles across continents—from Europe to Asia—while sharing the wry humor soldiers use to bond over their shared experience. It's a fascinating glimpse into the Legion's global legacy, punctuated by the poignant reminder that even celebrated writers like Alan Seeger answered the call to serve, whatever the cost.

Sergeant Turk Bennett has spent nearly a decade on honor guard duty, longing for combat while proving himself an exceptional Marine—from disarming a bomb at an arsenal in 1945 to capturing infiltrators in Korea. When he finally gets his chance to join the fighting lines alongside Major Durkee, Bennett discovers what real combat demands, and learns a hard lesson about the value of the duty he's been itching to escape.

A lone Marine on reconnaissance discovers the enemy's plan to blow the dam and flood the valley where his outfit is advancing—but getting that warning back to Captain Brito means facing down a Red tank in the canyon. Sgt. Diskin has to use every trick he's got to survive the encounter and reach his commander in time.

During the Civil War, Union Corporal John Wiley encounters a Confederate soldier while on pass in Northern Virginia—only to find themselves forced into an uneasy alliance when a ruthless guerilla gang led by Captain Bush Corbett threatens to loot a nearby house. The two enemies must work together to stop men who fight for neither North nor South, using cunning and muscle to outmaneuver a band of deserters who respect no rules of war.

A legionnaire of the French Foreign Legion grapples with the brutal demands of service—mandatory oaths, years of commitment, and the harsh consequences for those who dare to desert. Through the eyes of soldiers facing extraordinary hardship, this story reveals what it truly costs to wear the Legion's uniform.

When Lt. Marino's detail is supposed to conduct a surprise raid on Chin Chin Island, Pvt. Red Webley suspects things won't go as smoothly as the officer claims—and he's proven right when Japanese searchlights turn the operation into a desperate fight for survival. Separated from the rest of the platoon and stripped down to just two men, Webley and Lt. Marino must find a way to complete their mission against impossible odds. Armed with nothing but grit and an old farm machine, these two Marines improvise a daring plan to reach their target and make it back alive.

When PFC Dale Beardsley stumbles upon young Jose Dejar in the mountains of Luzon during the Japanese occupation, he finds himself training a ragtag group of Filipino boys into a disciplined fighting force—and Jose, determined to drive out the invaders, will stop at nothing to arm his growing army of child soldiers. Over months of jungle raids and daring attacks, Beardsley transforms these kids into seasoned guerrilla fighters, teaching them Marine tactics and building their arsenal one stolen weapon at a time. As 1945 approaches and American forces prepare to retake the Philippines, Beardsley's "Army of Generals" becomes an unstoppable force on the ground, striking Japanese supply lines and fortifications in support of the coming invasion.