Courage Under Fire Page #6

Evacuation.

(gunfire)

All right, let's go.

There's the rescue.

AItameyer, give me a hand with Rady.

- Come on, Captain!

- Ow!

Come on!

- No! Don't move me!

- Get away!

Suck it up!

I got you covered! Ready?

Go! Go! Go!

- llario, move!

- Not without the Captain!

Ill get her.

No! I'm not leaving!

I'm not leaving! It's not safe!

They're taking fire!

The choppers are waiting!

No! No! No!

Get the f*** outta here!

Come on!

She fired at you?

Near us, yeah.

Then why did you lie to the investigators

about how she performed?

They'd already put together

their own bullshit version of the story...

..before they talked to me. I told them

what they wanted to hear. We all did.

But that's the truth, so forget about the

medal, or leave it as it is. I don't give a f***.

So nobody from your Huey crew

fired an M-16 any time during the rescue?

That's affirmed, sir.

Monfriez, you ready?

You sure about that?

That's affirmative, sir.

We had no ammo.

So how about it, Colonel?

Want to go a few rounds?

Are you threatening me, soldier?

- Where's your brain bucket?

- I don't need it.

Don't step in here without one.

I have to tell you again,

you won't have a head to stick it on.

Come on, Jersey. Right here.

Let's see what you got.

You got nothing, man.

Come on!

(ringing tone)

- (Meredith) Hello.

- Hello? Baby?

How're you doing?

Hi.

How',s it going?

Outstanding.

Outstanding.

I was calling, I wondered...

What... what kind of...

What size T-shirts the kids wear?

I want to get the kids some T-shirts.

You know their sizes as well as I do.

Are you OK?

Nat?

I got a pint of, um...

..Scotch here in a paper bag.

I don't want to drink any of it.

Can you tell me why you need it?

Want me to prattle on for a minute?

I can do that.

(Nat) Please.

OK. Um...

The new refrigerator doesn't work.

The light doesn't come on

when you open the door.

I had to drive all the way

over to Wagner, 12 blocks,...

..just so that Brian could practice

riding his bike.

He's afraid of falling in front of his friends.

He refuses to let anyone

see him riding with training wheels.

They've both taken to sleeping in our bed

since you left.

It's like sleeping between two tornadoes.

I better go, baby.

Don Boylar called.

Jesus.

I better go.

- Nat, talk to me.

- I can't.

- Why not?

- I can't!

Bullshit. Bull! Talk to me!

(dialing tone)

Oh, Christ.

Colonel?

Colonel?

Can we get some coffee, please?

You're not a happy man.

A woman? The Army?

AI Bathra?

Talk to me.

Off the record, if you want.

Way, way off the record.

Rangers' honour.

Serling,...

How long you been back?

Six months.

And you...

you've been in the service how long?

Ah, they got me running this inquiry...

..on this girl pilot.

Captain Karen Walden.

Shell be the first woman

to get the Medal of Honour for combat.

Oh, boy.

And everybody in the beltway

wants a piece of this one, right?

I just want to get something clear.

This time, just want somebody to be a hero.

I want to get something right.

Yeah.

Cos AI Bathra, you know...

AI Bathra.

You talked to Boylar's parents?

Yeah.

Do they know?

They heard from a few of his friends.

Aw, Jesus...

You know...

They told Boylar's parents

he died from enemy fire.

I told them that.

I carried the message,

went to the funeral,...

..watched his mother cry her eyes out.

I stood there

and looked his father in the eye...

..and told him

his son died brave under fire.

And I was the one

who gave the order to fire.

I did it.

Then the Army gave me a medal...

..for bravery and valour.

Then they buried me...

..in medals.

Got a sense of humour, don't they?

Yeah.

Can't remember anything else

except being in the Army.

Either being in it or wanting to be in it.

It's all I know.

Look, you need to sleep.

You call me any time.

Anything you want to say about anything,

on or off the record.

I'm going to leave you alone for a while.

llario. Are you saying you can't find him,

or that he's absent without leave?

(man) Sir, thats an l... l...

That's right, specialist llario.

Well, we contacted the MPs, sir...

Roger.

Roger that.

Thank you.

Did she display fear when she had

to make these life-and-death decisions?

(llario) No, never.

Karen,... the captain... she had this quality.

The heavier the pressure,

the calmer she got.

And she... you know, she put up

with a lot of sh*t to become an officer.

Had to work twice as hard

as everybody else, be twice as good.

Shed never let the guard down,

show any sign of weakness.

But she was tough. She could handle it.

So, ladies and gentlemen,

what I have to say to you in closing...

..is to go forth,...

..to command wisely,...

..to advise prudently,...

..to protect with vigilance...

..and to judge with care.

And above all,...

..to defend with all your heart,

all your soul...

..and all your courage...

..the lives of the men and women

under your command,...

..and the United States of America.

Are you now saying

youll report against her getting the medal?

As I explained to the White House,

there should be a further investigation...

..before we move forward.

The discrepancies...

Another matter completely.

Write up a second report.

That's my point, sir!

llario's disappeared. Altameyer's missing.

- Who?

- AItameyer, sir. Walden's crew chief.

VA hospital's transferred him out

three weeks ago.

Paperwork's missing.

Doesn't he have any family?

Negative.

F***ing VA. We can't wait, Nat.

You cannot imagine

the kind of heat I'm getting on this.

Everybody wants it.

Senators, congressmen, one shiny

piece of something for people to believe in.

Whole episode.

Walden or AI Bathra?

Both, damn it, both.

Submit your report today.

I'm sorry, sir.

I won't put my name

on an incomplete report.

May I remind you who recommended you

for this when no-one else 'd touch you?

You saying you chose me

because I wouldn't rock the boat?

Dereliction of duty,

drunk and disorderly, conduct unbecoming.

At best, a dishonorable discharge.

At worst, AI Bathra gives us

plenty of grounds, if we want 'em.

At least somebody has finally said it.

Nat, don't do this. I could give you

a direct order to submit your report.

Yes, you could.

Put Hillerman back on the Walden file!

I handed this to you, Nat, as a way back.

You could've had one hell of a career.

And you give Meredith my best.

Tell her I didn't have any choice.

I'm going to finish this report.

On my own, if I have to.

I'm going to get this one right.

You want one?

No, thank you.

Why is it people never want to eat

when they got something important to say?

I always want to eat.

Need you to help me find somebody.

You want my help?

Yeah.

Name's AItameyer. Steven AItameyer.

He was the crew chief on the medevac

chopper, piloted by Karen Walden.

- One supposed to get a Medal of Honour?

- The very one.

- The Army's usually tidy about its people.

- Yeah, usually, but not this time.

First he demobbed,

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