Fightin' Marines #45

Marine Sergeant Tobey Halloran completes a dangerous mission to destroy an enemy ammunition dump on a Japanese-held island, but a chance encounter with a wounded enemy soldier forces him to confront his own convictions about mercy in wartime. When the soldier later appeals for help rescuing injured comrades from burning buildings, Halloran finds himself torn between survival and conscience, ultimately risking everything to aid the very enemy he's sworn to fight. His unexpected compassion sets off a chain of events that transforms the course of the entire campaign.

A tough sergeant drills his recruits relentlessly on one rule—keep your head down—and when a curious soldier finally asks why, he recalls a harrowing day on Pork Chop Hill in Korea where that lesson cost him and his squad dearly. Through flashback, we witness the sergeant's desperate bid to silence an enemy machine gun position that had pinned down his men, and learn firsthand just how costly it can be to ignore hard-won combat wisdom.

When Marine PFC Howard M. Elman is brutally mugged on the waterfront near his home town, his unit realizes he's the fifth serviceman targeted by the same gang of attackers. The sergeant devises a clever trap, using a younger Marine as bait to draw out the criminals and gather evidence that will finally stop the wave of violence plaguing the neighborhood.

A crack Marine squad on Iwo Jima finds itself cut off, depleted, and broken—until a fresh young Marine named Higgledon refuses to surrender when his exhausted, battle-worn mates decide to give up the fight. When Higgledon takes action against orders, his refusal to quit forces the rest of the squad to confront what they've become and what they're willing to accept.