G.I. Joe #15

In the rice paddies of Korea, Private Joe Burch and the men of Baker Company endure weeks of pursuit with one shared misery: perpetually soggy feet and the promise of dry socks that never seem to arrive. When Private Carpenter begins acting strangely—hoarding something precious and avoiding his buddies—the squad's morale fractures over what should be a minor comfort, until combat forces each man to confront what really matters.

Sergeant Mulvaney's cynical views on marriage get put to the test when Private Cummings asks him to be best man at his wedding to Elsie, a WAC stationed at the hospital—and the reluctant sergeant finds himself caught between his stubborn principles and the honor of his company. When enemy forces attack during the rehearsal, Mulvaney must lead his platoon into battle, setting off a chain of events that forces him to confront what really matters. A wartime tale that proves sometimes the greatest duty is the one we least expect to accept.

Wendy Wilco, a young WAF, is assigned to record mileage readings while wearing an unflattering new uniform that draws ridicule from the flyboys at the airfield—but when she's called to model the outfit for high-ranking officials at an auditorium, the reception takes a surprising turn. This humorous 1952 tale plays with expectations about military fashion and admiration, letting Wendy have the last laugh.

After months of brutal combat, Private Joe Burch's platoon finally catches a break—or so they think—when they're assigned guard duty at a railhead in Podang instead of joining the rest of Baker Company at rest camp. When Canadian soldiers challenge the Americans to a friendly lacrosse match to celebrate their national holiday, the competitive spirits flare, but the real danger comes from Red guerrillas who've been waiting for their chance to infiltrate the compound and sabotage a shipment of high-octane fuel.

Army gunnery experts have developed a curved-barrel modification for the M-3 Tommy gun that lets soldiers fire around corners—a practical solution born from battlefield needs in Korea and refined improvements over earlier, less successful designs. The innovative attachment fits to the standard submachine gun in under a minute and can be angled to fire in multiple directions, giving American tank crews a decisive tactical edge against enemy forces attempting to scale their vehicles.

Brewster Swenson, a would-be novelist drafted into the Army, channels his literary ambitions into a scathing manuscript that paints his fellow soldiers of Baker Company as mindless killers—including the man who leads them, Sergeant Mulvaney. When combat erupts and his platoon faces enemy fire, Swenson discovers firsthand what his bunkmates are truly made of, forcing him to reckon with the lies he's committed to paper.