The Thin Red Line

They are the men of C-for-Charlie company-"Mad" 1st Sgt. Eddie Welsh, Pvt. 1st Class Don Doll, Pvt. John Bell, Capt. James Stein, Cpl. Fife, and dozens more just like them-infantrymen who are about to land, grim and white-faced, on an atoll in the Pacific called Guadalcanal. This is their story, a shatteringly realistic walk into hell and back.

In the days ahead, some will earn medals, others will do anything they can dream up to get evacuated before they land in a muddy grave. But they wi...