G.I. Joe #22

When Private Joe Burch spots a cardboard cutout of a starlet in a bombed-out Korean village, he becomes so enamored that he fashions a telescope to admire her from afar—and before long, his unusual obsession spreads through the ranks like wildfire. As Sergeant Mulvaney watches his men's morale skyrocket over the mysterious "lady," he soon discovers the source of their newfound enthusiasm and realizes that sometimes the most unlikely things can inspire soldiers to fight harder than any official order ever could. It's a wry, touching look at what keeps a soldier's spirit alive in wartime.

When a tough sergeant suspects a fast-talking private of dodging his duties, he devises a "routine patrol" deep into enemy territory—and Pvt. Ricky Jordan's preference for angles over honest work suddenly collides with the real stakes of combat. As the mission unfolds and bullets start flying, Jordan learns that the shortcuts and schemes that worked as a civilian don't mean much when lives depend on the man next to you.

A pair of resourceful sergeants stationed in Normandy during the June 1944 landings each devise practical solutions to the formidable obstacles posed by the enemy's fortified hedgerow defenses. From a simple aluminum spoon comes an ingenious timing device for grenades, while another soldier tackles the tactical challenges that threaten to stall the Allied advance. These true accounts of battlefield ingenuity show how quick thinking and improvisation turned the tide in one of history's most pivotal campaigns.

When Pvt. Windy Bragg and Pvt. Whitey Hicks encounter an alluring woman at a military dance, they're too charmed to notice she's actually a spy after classified information about the new radar stations and tank technology. As she coaxes them toward the restricted area with promises of romance and photographs, the soldiers find themselves caught between their own gullibility and the arrival of Colonel Stone and Sgt. Gruff on her trail. What starts as a humorous game of flirtation becomes a race to see who outfoxes whom when the cameras start clicking.

When a seasoned soldier warns fresh recruits that volunteering in the Army always leads to trouble, Pvt. Bragg decides to heed the advice—until his bunkmates jump at the chance to volunteer for what sound like cushy assignments. By the time Bragg realizes his mistake and finally throws his hand up, he's the only one left for the job nobody wants. A classic 1953 humor tale about the folly of following the crowd into the Army's most unwanted duties.

A soldier's attempt to score new shoes from the supply room sets off a comical chain of events in this quick-fire humor tale. What starts as a simple request spirals into an unexpected situation involving a lengthy list of names that leaves our serviceman thoroughly satisfied with the chaos that ensues. It's a breezy slice of barracks life that proves sometimes the best entertainment comes from the simplest mix-ups.

Pvt. Joe Burch and his fellow soldiers in Baker Company are ordered to take Dirty Ridge, a heavily fortified Korean position held by communist forces—a brutal uphill battle that tests the men's endurance through night attacks, artillery fire, and mounting casualties. As the exhausted troops push toward the summit, they cope with the grinding horror of war by spinning a running joke about claiming real estate on the ridge, turning their grim surroundings into imaginary property plots. When reinforcements arrive to finish the job, the men dig deep for one final assault, only to learn that victory on Dirty Ridge means nothing—they're already being sent to take the next ridge.