The Christian Science Monitor

'On Desperate Ground' chronicles the amazing voyage of the US Marines during the Korean War

Troops and weapons may seem like all you need to win a war. But even the biggest and most well-equipped armies can crumble in the face of two powerful forces that can't be quantified. One is hubris. The other is winter.

Tens of thousands of US Marines had to tangle with both during the Korean War. First, oblivious generals sent them on a hopeless mission deep into the heart of Korea. Then they had to fight their way out of a spectacularly

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