On Aug. 17, 1942, a party of 211 United States Marines landed on the Japanese-occupied Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

Their objectives, multiple: destroy local installations, take two or more prisoners for interrogation purposes; gather all the intelligence they could on the Gilberts; and divert enemy attention to their mini-invasion and away from battles then going on at Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Gavutu-Tanambogo.

The special unit involved, the famed 2nd Marine Raider Battalion under Lt. Col. Evans Carlson , arrived aboard the submarines Argonaut (SM-1) and Nautilus (SS-168) and slipped ashore aboard LCRLs (landing craft, rubber, large).

The men were exceptionally well trained, but in their ranks was a sergeant who proved more outstanding yet, even by Marine standards.

The Atlanta,

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