Fightin' Army #18

Sergeant Tom Wells leads a patrol into the darkness of the Chienfu Front, but when the unit fails to return, Colonel Manning refuses to stay behind—he ventures out himself with Lieutenant Erraut to find his men. What unfolds is a test of loyalty that goes far beyond the battlefield, as an enemy major hatches a scheme to exploit the deep bond between the Colonel and his troops.

Caleb Joyce is a natural soldier and the best in his company—but he's stubbornly content as a Private First Class, repeatedly dodging promotions and officer training because he likes wearing just one stripe. When his unit heads to the frozen hills of Korea, Joyce's expertise and tactical brilliance become impossible to ignore, and Captain Walsh keeps calling on him for the toughest jobs, even as a lowly PFC. In "The Permanent P.F.C.," Joyce finally discovers that some responsibilities can't be refused, no matter how hard a soldier tries to stay off the ladder.

Sergeant John Running Deer leads a scouting patrol through the North African desert searching for an enemy supply dump, but an ambush leaves him as the sole survivor of his unit. Stranded behind enemy lines with nothing but his wits and resourcefulness, the Indian-American soldier draws on his heritage and combat skill to stay alive, locate the dump, and strike back against overwhelming odds. Using salvaged materials and unconventional tactics, he wages a one-man campaign to delay the enemy and expose their position to Allied forces.

A sentry without shoes catches the eye of the Captain during a rainy day, leading to a choice between the guard house and something far worse: a grueling thirty-mile hike. When the exhausted company finally reaches their destination, the Captain's challenge to separate the "real he-men" from the rest sets up one soldier for an ironic twist of fate. A brisk military comedy that finds the humor in following orders—or trying to dodge them.

Tightwad Tad's shoes make an irritating clacking noise, and when someone suggests he switch to rubber heels to quiet them down, his penny-pinching nature reveals an unexpected reason for his refusal. This 1956 humor story plays up the absurd logic of a man too stingy to embrace even the smallest comfort.