The film begins with a tough Greek lieutenant (J. Carrol Naish) announcing that the United States Marine Corps is seeking volunteers for a hazardous mission and special unit. Sergeant#United States "Transport" Anderof (Sam Levene) meets the commander of the unit, Lieutenant colonel (United States) Thorwald (Randolph Scott), with whom he has served while stationed in China. 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".