Battalion 3/5 suffered the highest number of casualties in the war in Afghanistan. This is the story of one platoon in that distinguished battalion. Aware of U.S. plans to withdraw from the country, knowing their efforts were only a footprint in the sand, the fifty Marines of 3rd Platoon fought in Sangin, the most dangerous district in all of Afghanistan. So heavy were the casualties that the Secretary of Defense offered to pull the Marines out. Instead, they pushed forward. Each Marine in 3rd Platoon patrolled two and a half miles a day for six months--a total of one million steps--in search of a ghostlike enemy that struck without warning. Every day brought a new skirmish. Each footfall might trigger an IED. Half the Marines in 3rd Platoon didn't make it intact to the end of the tour. Here, Bing West tells the story of the fifty brave men who faced these grim odds and refused to back down.--From publisher description.

Includes index.

Shock -- Leader lost -- With the old breed -- Leaders found -- Toe to toe -- Thanksgiving -- Gone -- Enemy respite -- Midway to home -- The routine -- End of tour -- The endless grunt -- Who will fight for us?