In August of 1943, a call went out for American soldiers willing to embark on a “hazardous and dangerous mission” behind enemy lines in Burma. The war department wanted 3,000 volunteers, and it didn’t care who they were; they would be expendable, with an expected casualty rate of eighty-five percent. The men who took up the challenge were, in the words of one, “bums and cast-offs” with rap sheets and reputations for trouble. One war reporter described them as “Dead End Kids,” but by the end of their five-month mission, those that remained had become the legendary “Merrill’s Marauders.”

Wanted: men for a dangerous and hazardous mission -- Destination unknown -- India -- Teaching, training, teamwork -- Merrill and his Marauders -- Down the Ledo Road to Burma -- "I fear no son-of-a-bitch" -- Death on the trail -- "Like shooting fish in a barrel" -- South to Shaduzup -- The deadly jungle -- Sixteen banzai attacks -- Merrill goes down -- Besieged and bombarded at Nhpum Ga -- "This war is hell" -- End run to Myitkyina -- Blazing the mountain trail -- A force of will -- "Will this burn up the limeys!" -- Broken promises -- The end of the road.