The 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines arrived on Okinawa on the 7th of November, 2025. They were meant to replace the elements of the 3rd Battalion on Taiwan, whose rotation was due in just a couple of weeks.
Corpsman Eric Briener, 19, was assigned to a platoon within the 3rd Marines. He completed his Medical Field training, and after being assigned assigned to his respective unit, developed a close bond with many of its people. "Coincidentally I already knew some of the guys before my assignment: Luka Ivanov and I were buddies back in high school. It was pretty weird, 'cause, though the Marines respect me, and vice versa, I was still sort of the outlier of the group; I was simply known as 'Doc'."
He, too, was still a 'virgin'. "I didn't really know how to feel about my first deployment. I saw a couple of Marines and soldiers walk past with bandages wrapped around their heads and bodies. I felt torn between being mad and anxious."
Taipei was their destination, and the brass made sure to inform the newcomers of their objective.
Lieutenant Damien Goldbrooke, 29, emphasized the importance of hearts and minds. "Win over the people, and you win the war," he said.
Most of the newcomers took this to mind; some took that extra step.
Eric Briener studied the Taiwanese culture extensively, with the aid of Marine Private Sugar.
He proclaimed himself as an asian aficionado, having extended family all over the continent; he himself came from Mongolia. "I found it pretty funny that his name was Sugar: it fit, 'cause he was such a sweetheart!" Eric complimented.
The two quickly became friends and chatted over their similarities: Eric Briener was a German immigrant; Sugar Ra was Mongolian; both were more introverted than others, and their enthusiasm for wildlife was readily apparent.
"Me, Sugar, and a couple of others would scour the woods and bird watch. I had a blast learning about them thanks to the locals."
When the virgin Marines weren't goofing off, they trained and studied. Japanese Defense Force (JDP) personnel would cross train with them; sometimes other nations would get involved, most prominently the UK and Australia. The Marine barracks had a sign plastered above the main building: "USMC - second to none!" The British Royal Marines had their barracks right beside them: "Royal Marines - none".
Exercises were conducted in the boonies. A platoon would be placed on either team. Blanks were used to simulate weapons fire, and a replica cityscape crafted with wood would set the foundation for the simulated battle. The Royal Marines usually came out victorious, and would often jest their "little brother" - the USMC - in good fashion sportsmanship.
The Royal Marines, however, had met their match with the US Army's 1st Special Forces Group.
Many of the Marines joyously looked on.
Lieutenant Damien Goldbrooke had been in the shit longer than anybody else in the 1st Battalion: with a pretty face and unassuming physique, all of the new guys were none the wiser. Damien's been in the Corps for 7 years and has been deployed 6 times, so it wasn't too surprising to find that he was a strict, if fair, man.
He told the new guys about the situation in Taiwan, how radicals would blend in with the civilian population to avoid detection, among other things.
"They looked just like any other person, with a tee and khakis and whatever else you would normally wear. One moment you could share a drink with a guy and the next you end up having to put a bullet in his head."
"-I ended up losing four guys to these bastards.
Irregardless of his human personal feelings, Damien emphasized the importance of cooperating with the locals, as per requirement. This wasn't a traditional war, but one of ideology.
The 1st Battalion boarded the C-130 VTOL (colloqially known as "Fat Albert") on the 20th. They were headed towards the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. It was a modern metropolis; a blend between new and old.
Taipei county was relatively stable. A few isolated skirmishes were reported in the forested area just south of Taipei City, with 2 injured, but for the most part, things were relative tame.
The culture was rich and the people were polite, however an air of suspicion always lingered. Katelyn Langrid, 24, was a civilian doctor from the States. She kept a 1911 pistol on her hip everywhere she went.If only she knew how to use it.
Patrols scoured the surrounding area on a daily basis. They were conspicuous in their approach, armed to the brim with bomb-sniffing dogs and accompanied by walking ammo bearers - four-legged robots that handled the brunt of the weight. Aborignes looked onward in curiosity, which didn't help put any of the Americans at ease. Private Jacob Hopkins was patrolling with several others; a misunderstanding almost costed a woman her life. "The
woman ran at me like a maniac waving her arms about. I tell you what, it scared me shitless! Apparently she came from the south and lost her husband from the fighting. Poor girl..."
Another scare came during the morning of November 29th.
Those on base were alarmed to find graffiti littering the walls and vehicles, in broken English, saying "Go hom gee eye!"
No one was reported missing, but those on guard duty were immediately sent in for questioning.
Doctor Langrid slept with her pistol in hand after that.
"They could've slit our throats - they could've killed us! I think the only reason they didn't was because they simply loved screwing with us.
Luka Ivanov was more pissed than anything. "Someone stole my porn stash! Guess it was convienient that they had the Tais to blame; probably better that way."
Security tightened; everybody kept a watchful eye on their buddies, sleeping in shifts. The COs and NCOs reviewed the footage and found that two people clad in black overalls and hockey masks dug their way through a narrow tunnel nestled between two vehicles.
"We checked the location and found the tunnel entrance: it was concealed by shrubbery and after using our drones to scan the interior we found that it had to run for at least a mile. My heart had practically stopped by that point," one NCO commented.
The Taiwanese communists were crafty: the forests and rural towns were littered with traps meant to maim - not kill - its victims.
Kill a person, and you take one person out of the fight (as the dead aren't a main priority in high intensive situations), but maim them and you can take 2 or more people out of the fight, including transport and a medic.
They controlled the southern half of the island, and there was no doubt that the fighting would be bloody. "Thing is that there are still a bunch of civies living there, so we can't bomb them into submission." Elements of the Army's 101st Airborne and the 3rd Marine Division would then spearhead the assault. Many of the virgin troops were a mixture of excited and anxious; everyone knew they weren't all going to make it out in one peace.
"God have mercy on our souls," Eric pleaded.