A Bright Shining Lie Page #8

but you are, Mr Vann, while US forces

go out the back door.

- No one is going out the back door.

- (Journalists clamour)

- Will any American soldiers go home?

- Certainly, as the Vietnamese people

assume greater responsibility there will

be some reassignment of US personnel.

John, did you and President Nixon

discuss Vietnamisation?

- I met the president, yes.

- So was it his policy or your policy?

It's the policy of the United States government.

(Ambassador) US policy

has not changed from day one

in terms of our involvement in helping

the people of the Republic of Vietnam.

(Burnett) Nixon ordered all American combat

troops out of Vietnam by June of 1972.

The South Vietnamese, although backed

by American air support and advisors,

would have to fight the war themselves.

Ten years down the road

we were back to where we started,

but this time John Paul Vann was in charge.

Intelligence says the enemy's moved large

numbers of troops, maybe five divisions,

down the Ho Chi Minh trail to here.

We also know that there's heavy artillery,

even tanks, further north.

I see what they're after.

If they can break through the line here

and head for the sea,

they'll have cut our forces in half

and have a clear shot at Saigon.

If the South Vietnamese troops

can't hold the line, it's over.

The South Vietnamese are good soldiers,

they just need some leadership.

Oh, they'll hold the line.

We'll do one better.

We might turn this whole

goddamn thing around.

I think old General Giap's about to make

the mistake we've been making all along.

He's gonna try to fight this

in a conventional fashion.

If we can persuade him to send his troops

out of these hills around Kontum,

he'll be vulnerable,

and that's where we could crush him.

- I don't know, John.

- I do, Fred, I do.

I've never seen anything so clear.

I've been waiting for a moment

like this all my life.

- Yeah. What can I do for you?

- I'd like to have a word with Vann, please.

- General?

- It's OK, let him through.

- I'd like an interview, John.

- I don't have time.

Yeah, I'll make it quick. You intend

to carpet-bomb around Kontum with B-52s.

That's operational information.

What a line of bullshit you fed us about the

peasants and the revolution, and I bought it.

- I still believe it.

- But you're gonna bomb with B-52s?

- How can you say that? It's wrong, John.

- Wrong?

It's the same war it was back in '62.

You were there.

Why didn't you say it was wrong then?

Sh*t, you and the f***ing Kennedys,

the good old boys who sent us here,

now you all want to change your minds

because there's blood and guts on TV.

Well, I don't have that luxury.

I've got 50,000 people in Kontum

whose lives are on the line because of us.

They can't change their minds, can they?

I gave those people my word

and I'm gonna do everything

I can to save them.

Let's go.

- Colonel Ba.

- Welcome, sir.

- Frank Drummond, I thought they retired you.

- Retirement sits good with you.

- Thanks for requesting me, buddy.

- My pleasure.

- Major Darryl Jones, sir.

- Major Jones.

Finally, I got a fighting team I can be proud of.

- Well, gentlemen, let's get to work.

- This way.

(Typewriter clicks)

Ten hut. Gentlemen, senior advisor.

At ease, men.

All right, listen up, everyone.

We are gonna hold the line here at Tan Canh,

then mount a staged retreat

back to where we are, Kontum.

That will pull these North Vietnamese

divisions out of the hills

and when they do,

we are gonna call in the B-52s

and carpet-bomb each of these squares.

We are gonna wipe out the second, third,

and fifth division

of the North Vietnamese army.

My old colleague, Colonel Ba,

will conduct a forward command

defence and withdrawal.

This is General Giap, commander of the NVA.

He's a genius. He's never been beaten...

till now.

I've studied this man for ten years and we

are gonna whip his ass. You know why?

Because he wastes his men.

Pours them away like piss in the wind.

There's not a man in this room, not a man

on that line out there I wouldn't die for.

No matter what we've done with our lives,

you and I can be proud today

because we have the noblest

of all professions. We are soldiers.

The good Lord said it all about us.

He said no greater love has a man

than he lay down his life for another.

And by God this day will not end

but I will see you all safely through it

and we will hold this ground.

- Redirect that fire.

- Sustained mortar and small-arms fire. Over.

- Get me a sitrep at forward command.

- Forward command, sitrep. Over.

Enemy still 500 yards to my immediate front.

We're holding them here.

Roger that, Major, good work.

Tell Colonel Ba we will withdraw

in one hour. Over.

(Shouting in Vietnamese)

(Speaks Vietnamese)

- Ba, why aren't you at your post?

- I have been replaced, sir.

- Who's in charge of the ARVN?

- Who's the general?

- It's General Dinh, sir.

- Tell him I'm on my way.

Sir, Kontum Four, en route to you. Out.

Kontum says Vann's on the way out.

(John) Let's go, forward command. Step on it.

Cover that right flank. Lay it out, boys.

(Panicked shouts)

- What the f*** was that?

- OK. We got an enemy tank here.

There's a tank. There's a f***ing tank.

- Got an enemy tank here.

- There are no enemy tanks reported.

F*** you, son. I'm telling you

there's a goddamn tank up here.

- How long to the LZ?

- (Pilot) We're two minutes out.

Let's go. Get a move on.

They'll be cut off up there, God damn it.

(Shouting)

(Frank) Hey, get back here.

(Panicked shouts)

- Frank, how long can you hold it there?

- Dinh's running like a son of a b*tch.

- Get out, Frank. Go.

- Yep, we're fixing to do that.

God damn that a**hole. God damn.

Go, everybody back, go on, fall back.

- Let's go. Go.

- (Frank) Blow this f***in' place.

- Move.

- Go. Go.

(Pilot) My God, they've blown it, sir.

- (John) There. There.

- Jesus Christ, it's a minefield.

(Shouting in Vietnamese)

(Screams)

- (Pilot) Jesus Christ.

- Take her down.

- But, sir...

- I said take her down.

- Right here, put her down.

- Coming around. Coming around.

- Frank.

- (Pilot) Going down into a minefield.

Enemy 300 yards, we need support, over.

Frank, come on, get up here, son.

Come on, get him in.

Come on. Come on.

Frank!

- Frank, hold on. Grab his arms.

- Frank, it's me.

Let's get him up.

- OK, got him?

- OK. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

- Damn it. Hold on. Hold on, Frank.

- It's a tank.

(Pilot) It's coming around, damn it. Come on.

Come on, let's move it. We gotta go.

- OK.

- Hold on.

Ba, get these men back to their posts.

- What's this?

- Sir, we're ordered to withdraw.

Withdraw nothing,

get Bomber Command on the horn.

Sir, the enemy have passed the coordinates.

- Give them new coordinates.

- Stand by.

- 1580.

- Sir, that's us.

- Call it in.

- One-five-eight-six, one-five-eight-zero.

- Soldier, let me have a look.

- That's correct. Yes, we know.

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