26u.s. Marines of the firstMarine Divisionstand by the corpsesoftwo of their comrades, who were killedbyJapanese soldiers on a beachon Peleliuisland, Republicof Palau, in Septemberof 1944.
"There's stress and worry all year, but then you add that it's Christmas time, which is all about being with family, and everyone is coming home, but your spouse is still out there pulling triggers and shooting bullets, " said Bill Durdin, who heads the family liaison program for the FirstMarineDivision at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.