The Marine Corps Features begin with From the Banks of the Euphrates to the Shores of the Severn - Two Marine combat veterans who are now U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen reflect vividly on the reality of war.

Plus! An Entirely Different Battlefield By Ed Darack - Marines headed to Afghanistan need mountain training as much as Iraq-bound troops need  desert-survival training.

Cover Story: Marines struggle past knocked-out landing vehicles onto Betio Island in Tarawa, 20 Nov. 1943, by Colonel Charles Waterhouse, USMCR (Ret.). Our package of articles and art commemorating the 65th anniversary of Tarawa begins with A Bloody Proving Ground by Colonel Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.).