Cigarette Soup Page #6

What about your mom?

She left when we were kids.

And you're not married?

I hear the divorce rate

for servicemen is higher

than any other profession.

Is there any truth to that?

I think that

if you're gonna make a career

out of the military,

you are at a higher risk.

Why do you think?

Well, the military is--

you know, it's funny,

when you sign up,

that becomes your priority.

Everything else falls

in line behind that.

Maybe it's not fair,

but that's just part

of the sacrifices

we make in service

to our country.

But family shouldn't

take a back seat.

A wife and kids,

they shouldn't have

to come second.

But truth is for me,

these guys have become

my family.

What's the toughest part

about being a leader?

Living with the consequences

of your decisions.

Have you ever made a decision,

you look back in retrospect

and realize

it was the wrong one?

Oh, sure.

I mean, we all have.

Maybe one that sticks out

a little more than the others?

Look, I think it's important

that my audience knows

the difficulties

of being a leader,

that not everybody

is cut out for it.

What is that supposed to mean?

I think you need to tell me

what that decision was.

A while back I was

with a different unit.

A whole different group of guys,

different personalities,

and we were going

into the city of marjah,

and at the time there was

no real threat there,

so it was pretty

standard stuff.

I was the squad leader,

and we encountered these--

this group, it was,

like, a 60-year-old man

and a woman in her twenties.

She was crying,

she was screaming.

And there was a little boy,

and you could tell

from 50 meters out

he was covered in blood,

and so they need help.

So I turn to

the soldier next to me,

private Kelly, and i--

we called him fozz,

after fozzie bear

on "the muppet show",

because, man,

he told the worst

f***ing jokes.

In fact, he just walked

right up to me and he said--

he tipped his helmet back

like he did when he talked,

he said, "what happens

when a pepper gets mad?"

It gets 'jalap-eno' face."

Right? Like that.

"Jalap-eno". Terrible.

That's what he said.

That was the last

thing he said.

I mean, you see an old man

and a woman crying

and a little kid

who needs help.

You send over--

we're supposed to be winning

the hearts and minds

of these people.

We're supposed to be helping

the civilian population.

That's what

we're doing here, right?

So, fozz goes over there,

he drops to one knee,

and he tips his helmet back

like he's gonna

tell them a joke,

it's gonna be all better.

Old man takes a gun and

shoots him right in the face.

You asked me

what I'm afraid of.

It's not the chance

that I'm gonna get killed,

it's the certainty

that I'm gonna lose

one of my men.

So, how do you tell

somebody's mother that?

You trusted me

with your boy,

and I made a bad

f***ing call,

and he's not coming home.

You told me that these guys

have become your family.

Does that make you feel

like you're all brothers?

Oh, yes, for me, it does.

Even if you wanna kill

some of them sometimes.

I mean, these guys--

but the thing is,

even the ones you hate,

you love.

You see, that's what

i don't understand.

How is it that

sometimes you guys

hate each other so much,

but yet, when the sh*t

hits the fan,

you have each others backs?

I mean,

it's drilled into us.

I guess you don't know

they do.

You hope they do.

-Well, I think they do.

-You think so?

That's good.

What are you gonna

do with her?

-Hold on.

-Butch! Butch!

Hey! Hey!

-Sh*t!

-Jesus Christ.

We got you. We got you.

Oh, my god.

What the f***?

-Here comes Nolan.

-Back! Move! Back! Move! Back!

Put pressure on it.

Yeah, we gotta

get pressure on it.

What the f***

happened to Nolan?

-He didn't f***ing make it.

-Goddamn it.

Come on, man!

Sarge, get with it!

Sarge!

Breathe.

You're gonna be fine,

sergeant!

Sarge, you are fine.

We're gonna get you

out of here.

You're gonna be fine.

It's not that bad.

It's not that bad.

Keep your eyes open,

sergeant.

Keep your eyes open, sergeant.

You're gonna be fine.

-That's it, in and out.

-You're gonna be fine, okay?

You're good, you're good.

Sarge, come on, look at me.

-No, no, no!

-Sarge!

-No!

-Come on, come on!

Sh*t.

He's breathing, right?

-F***.

-Sh*t.

Come on, sarge.

Sarge.

What the f***, man?

We should get the f***

out of here

is what we should be doing.

I told you,

shut the f*** up.

All right, men,

here's what we're gonna do.

We are leaving this bunker

immediately.

We're low in food and water,

and more importantly,

we've still got two

of our brothers out there.

So we're leaving in 5 minutes,

and that includes you, Geraldo.

It's a madhouse

out there, butch.

-I'm sure it is.

-You have no f***ing idea.

You remember ziraj?

Multiply that by five.

It's way too f***ing

dangerous out there

for a reporter.

-He will not--

-i can't leave him here

by himself.

You have to, butch.

It is no place

for a non-combatant.

He will only be a liability.

All right, we have to

leave somebody with him.

No, you can't.

We're red on ammo.

Everybody needs

to go out there.

Well, I can't f***ing

leave him here, Skinner.

You have to

if you want him to live.

Goddamn it! F***!

-All right, here I go.

-Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t.

All right, Geraldo,

- you're staying here.

- What?

-No questions.

-We had an agreement, okay?

I stay with you guys.

I document this war.

-I said no questions.

-I'm not asking any

f***ing questions.

What part of goddamn

no questions

don't you understand?

I said no questions!

I thought you journalists

were supposed to be smart!

All right, okay!

He f***ing stays, all right?

It's done.

Let's go get our sh*t.

Come on. Come on.

We're leaving in 5 minutes

as soon as that fighting

out there dies down,

so everybody

get f***ing ready.

F*** this.

I'm going with you guys.

You listen to me now.

You get a free pass right now

because you haven't

been doing this sh*t

as long as we have.

But when you're in a war,

i don't care

if you're a soldier

or a lonely f***ing reporter,

you listen to the one

who's in command,

and this one

is f***ing telling you

you are staying here.

We're coming back

for you, okay?

Just f***ing

hold your ground.

This decision

is such bullshit.

I stay here,

they go out there--

leaving me all by myself?

Geraldo?

Yeah, um...

I wanna get a second chance

at my interview now.

Yeah, sure, okay.

I mean, a little bit

more privacy...

-And no camera.

-But I have to document this.

Look, I don't care

who you're filming,

but I'm saying I just

don't wanna be seen saying it.

Okay, why now?

Why all of a sudden

this change of heart?

What are you

feeling right now?

-I'm f***ing pissed.

-I can see that.

Look, we got some

f***ed up r.O.E.'S., man.

Rules of engagement?

I mean, who would have

ever thought that there

would be rules

to who you can and cannot

shoot in a f***ing war?

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