The film begins with a tough Greek Lieutenant (J. Carroll Naish) announcing that the United States Marine Corps is seeking volunteers for a hazardous mission and special unit. Sergeant "Transport" Anderof (Sam Levene) meets the commander of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel Thorwald (Randolph Scott) who he has served with in the China Marines. Thorwald explains that he left the Corps to serve with the Chinese guerrillas fighting the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War to learn their methods and has decided to form a unit using the qualities of Gung Ho or "work together".