King & Country · WWII U.S. Marines · USMC025
Four Marines carry a fifth on a stretcher in USMC025. The bearers occupy the corners, with their weapons and equipment still about them, while the casualty lies across the center of the group. The set’s scale comes from the number of people committed to a single wounded man, rather than from a large vehicle or weapon.
The work of evacuation
On an island battlefield, evacuation could mean a difficult journey from a forward position to a beach, followed by transfer to a craft and medical care afloat. Navy accounts of Iwo Jima describe corpsmen working in shell holes and stretcher parties exposed to fire. The route out could be dangerous long after the casualty had received initial treatment.
This is the transport stage of the story. The four carriers make it different from the urgent dragging movement in USMC016 and the individual shoulder carry in USMC043. King & Country’s release description explicitly identifies five figures, so the wounded man is part of the set rather than an extra figure added for the photograph.
Review
The coordinated carry is the strongest feature: the stretcher gives all five figures a shared purpose while their separate poses prevent the group from looking mechanically repeated. It is one of the range’s most substantial human subjects. The stillness of the casualty gives the moving bearers their emotional weight.
References: King & Country USMC025 release description and photographs; historical background. Review observations are based on the product reference photographs.
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