During the battle of Tarawa, the marines managed to get a few tanks ashore, but they refused to roll over and crush the wounded and opted for infantry to destroy Japanese strong points by hand.
Mike Edson explains the conduct of the Japanese during the Pacific War, where they would fight to the last man. A lieutenant colonel estimated that they had one battalion of about 450 men on the Tulagi island.
Author Sebastian Junger describes the distinction between the heroism soldiers exhibit during combat and the bravery they demonstrate when attempting to reestablish a normal life after returning home from war.
The Marines had to face difficult situations such as poorly loaded transports and dugouts with machine gunfire. They worked through terrain with the utmost caution to avoid the enemy.
In this episode, the speakers recount the intensity and emotion of their experience during the battle for Fallujah in 2004, which was a major turning point in the Iraq War.