In 1945 U.S. Navy photographer Nick Scutti found himself in the Florida Keys on the set of the classic World War II drama They Were Expendable, taking candid shots of director John Ford, stars Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and the supporting cast and crew. Scutti's never before published collection of fully captioned photos provides a unique chronicle of the 30-day location shoot, revealing details of the making of the film and in some instances disproving certain statements made by MGM publicity and Ford himself. Brief biographies are included of the stars of the film and of the men the film was based upon.