Travis Reyes, a 21-year-old US marine, remembers feeling smug as he sat with his feet dangling out the door of a military aircraft, soaring high above a gulf in the Northern Territory.

Yes, dozens of military personnel had died in these hybrid aeroplane/helicopters over the years. But the take-off from Darwin had been smooth.

Today, senior reporter Grant McArthur on the 23 marines who crashed in the bush, shocking the globe. And the world-first medical experiments by quick-thinking Australian doctors aimed at helping Travis Reyes survive against all odds.

Background reading

• Grant McArthur's full story: 'A fiery air crash, a face-eating fungus and minutes from death in the Top End: How The Alfred’s doctors saved this US marine.'