Courage Under Fire Page #5

I mean, next time I see Lieutenant Boylar's

parents, I'd like to tell them the whole truth.

You know how many grieving parents

I had to deal with during Vietnam?

This is not Vietnam.

Lieutenant Boylar's tank

was hit by uranium-depleted shells.

We're the only country

in the world that uses them.

We got reporters from the Washington Post

looking for the truth,...

..and the only person that knows it

can't say it...

..because these investigators

are dragging their backsides!

Someone has got to be

accountable for this,... sir.

Take a seat.

Nat, I'm going to give you

all the rope in the world.

First you imply I'm not interested...

..in an accurate report on Captain Walden.

Now you're suggesting there must be

some cover-up going on about AI Bathra.

So how do you want me to respond?

As your commanding officer,...

..or as your friend

who nursed you, pushed promotions,...

..and f***ing burped your kids

at their baptisms?

Just how should I respond?

I'm sorry, sir.

I should hope by God you would be.

Now,...

..losing a man like your friend Boylar,...

..I've been there.

Well, this...

..whole mess...

It's my ass on the line

right there beside yours.

I can feel the chilling the air

as well as you can.

Yes, sir.

And I know about the drinking.

And if I have to write you up,...

..itll just be one more bite out of your record.

Clean it up.

Get yourself in a programme.

Ill be looking for that report.

Soon.

- (Nat) Yes, this is the Serling residence.

- (Mer) Were nothing right now...

- But at the tone, leave a message and...

- (kids) Well call you when we get home.

(laughter)

(beep)

(gunfire)

You better get your head into this!

I'm going to drop you

from this programme like a hot rock!

You better hurry up!

Morning, sir. Monfriez is over there.

Ill get him for you.

Thank you.

What the f*** are you doing, soldier?

Where are your men?

- There, sir.

- Yeah? What do you call that?

You see that man?

You and he are brothers.

He depends on you. You depend on him.

You never leave a man behind.

- Yes, Drill Sergeant!

- Now get the f*** out of here.

(Nat) You were in Panama?

Yes, sir.

Were you there, sir?

Yes, I was.

And you were also in Desert Storm?

Roger that, sir.

How'd you come to be

on Captain Walden's chopper?

I used to hang around the medivac unit.

Wanted to be a medic?

Wanted to hump a nurse once.

That count, sir?

See, I play poker.

Those medivac folks, between missions,

had a lot of time on their hands.

Want to know a poker secret, sir?

Always.

The people you play against,

find out what they're interested in.

Pretend you're interested.

They start running off at the mouth,

don't pay attention to their cards.

Medevac folks,

they Love to talk about their choppers.

Paid for this baby.

So, talk to me about, um,...

..25 February.

I had some phys rehab time.

Got into boxing.

Want a soda pop?

No, sir. No, I'm good.

So, 25 February...

Major, uh, what's his butt? Garden party...

Teegarden. Major Teegarden.

Right. Asked me to go with Walden,

said she might need guns,...

..so I said, you know, OK, why not?

Grabbed me a saw, bungeed one of

the Huey doorways and away we went.

Yeah.

And, uh...

..the captain was a big hero...

She died tragically in the desert,

and Major...

- Teegarden.

- Teegarden...

..wants her to get the Medal of Honour,

so shell get it.

When did the M-16 ammo run out?

What?

M-16 ammo?

Blackhawk crew said

they heard M-16 fire during the rescue.

When did it run out?

I wouldn't know anything about that, sir.

You wouldn't?

As... as I recall, and, uh...

..I'm not really sure,...

..but the M-16 ammo

ran out first thing in the morning.

First thing in the morning.

But you're not really sure?

Now I'm confused.

- You were there, weren't you?

- Affirmative, sir.

But I was on the saw.

AItameyer would know, sir.

AItameyer?

- Yes, sir. He was manning the M-16.

- Oh, I see. OK.

OK, let's back up, then.

Um,...

..when that tank fired on your chopper,...

..you said that, uh...

..''You should go for altitude

and call for support'', right?

Sir?

You knew this wasn't Panama.

Men were going to die,

so you wanted to get out, right?

Wh... who told you that, sir?

Tea Party? llario?

It doesn't matter who told me that.

You tell me.

You don't want to know

what happened out there, sir.

Yes, I do.

You just want me to sign off on the story...

..so you can finish your job

and the lady can get her medal.

Are you refusing to tell me?

Colonel, you know

what to do if you get a hang fire...

..when you pull the trigger

and the round doesn't go off?

You wait, with your weapon pointed in

a safe direction, cos the primer burns slow.

You open your weapon

and take the round out,...

..it blows up in your face.

Leave this round in the chamber, Colonel.

I work at the Pentagon, Sergeant,...

..so I admit I'm a Little slow on the uptake.

Otherwise I'd say you just threatened me.

Did you just threaten me, soldier?

Because, if you did, let me respond to you.

Let me respond to you this way.

I'm an officer, and therefore,

by proclamation, a gentleman,...

..but don't abuse that, son.

Don't get in my cross hairs,

because Ill have no compunction...

..about getting up to my neck in your ass,

understand?

She was afraid, Colonel.

That's the bottom line on Captain Walden.

She was a f***ing coward, sir.

Get me around so I can fire!

- Go back. Let me have another shot!

- I don't know.

I'm going for altitude, call for support.

There's no time!

All right, one more!

But then I'm calling for support.

Unhook the aux fuel cells!

Prepare to toss them overboard.

llario, get me the flare gun.

So it was your idea to use the fuel cell?

Yeah.

Me, Rady, somebody.

Adrenaline was pumping. You can't

expect me to remember everything.

Try.

Now!

- Yay!

- Whoo!

So what happened during the night?

Walden and llario,...

..they wouldn't shut up about being rescued.

Like the Army had nothing else to do.

Dust is blowing hard out there.

- Think theyll find us tonight?

- AWACS lost us when the ADT got hit.

SOP is for search and rescue

to begin looking...

Christ, Captain, are you crying?

It's OK. It's just tension.

Hey, you're going to be OK, OK?

Theyll find us. Itll be OK.

I can hear the rag heads moving,

as soon as you girls stop gabbing.

They're going away.

It was just a probe.

- Sh*t!

- I'm OK.

- (Monfriez) I took one.

- How's Rady?

Hanging in. Captain?

Ah! Oh!

So the rest of the night

went without incident?

Yeah.

Wasn't that enough for one night?

You want to continue this tomorrow?

I don't get emotional about this sh*t.

I've been there, you know?

OK. Go on.

Well, after the firefight, we argued mainly.

llario was freaked out by the dark, and

Walden wanted to surrender at first light.

She was a wreck, kept asking about

the ammo, worrying we didn't have enough.

I knew they'd attack at dawn.

So what happened during the evacuation?

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