1 Twenty-five veterans of World War II's famed 'Merrill's Marauders' Wednesday completed a 10-day visit to their old combat zone.
2 The veterans, U. S. Army volunteers who took their nickname from their commander, Gen. Frank Merrill, served in the jungles of Burma as the only unit of regular American foot soldiers to fight on the Asian mainland during the war.
3 In five major and 30 minor battles against the Japanese army, Merrill's Marauders gained a reputation for toughness and bravery but suffered terrible losses, taking 2,394 casualties out of an original strength of 2,830 men.
4 The returning veterans, led by retired Brig. Gen. L. Robert Caster, 84, visited old battlegrounds during their stay, including Myitkyina, 990 kilometers (615 miles) north of Rangoon, which they once wrested from Japanese control.
5 'We expected to find Myitkyina as we left it -- flat -- but we find it to be a prosperous and huge city,' said retired Brig. David Quaid at a news conference before the group departed Burma. 'We are very happy with the wonderful hospitality of the local people.'
6 During their stay, the veterans were awarded medals for their wartime service by the current vice commander of the Burmese army, Gen. Maung Aye. They also paid calls on other senior government officials.
7 Asked to comment on Burma's current political situation, Caster told reporters that critical reporting the group had heard about the country before they came here was unfounded, and the result of misunderstanding or the bias of liberal media.
8 'We are pleased to see that the direction which the government is going is in the right direction for a free market economy,' he said.
9 Although it has liberalized the economy, Burma's ruling military junta has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments for abusing its citizens' human rights and failing to restore democracy. The junta took power in 1988 after violently suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations.
10 It has detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel peace prize, for more than five years without trial. Freedom of speech is severely curtailed and all media are under state control. At the same time, the junta has hired lobbyists in the United States to mount a public relations campaign to burnish its image.

In five major and 30 minor battles against the Japanese army , Merrill ' s Marauders gained a reputation for toughness and bravery but suffered terrible losses , taking 2 , 394 casualties out of an original strength of 2 , 830 men .
but suffered terrible losses ,
Why were so many casualties experienced by this group?