[prologue] This is a story of men in war, not men at war. And the two are not the same. Hence, this film is dedicated not to any army, navy, air or other military force, but to those who are the lowest common denominator of all military forces...and the highest...the individual man. For in the brief and quiet intervals between the loud and terrible noises of war, he is capable of great and revealing moments of nobility. This story is about such a moment in the lives of three men and although it could have happened in any time or any war, we have chosen Korea...1953...