Faith of My Fathers Page #4

Candies? What candies, McCain?

They came with the letter.

Some of them shaped like hearts.

You misjudge the situation, McCain.

I want my candies.

Confess to your war crimes.

Express gratitude to Vietnamese people

for saving your life.

I want my candies.

You will confess your war crimes.

You'll express gratitude

to Vietnamese people for saving...

I want my candies!

I'm not interested

in recording your scream, McCain.

You talk now, McCain?

Up, McCain!

Good, McCain.

Read it.

Out loud, McCain.

"I am a black criminal,

and I have performed deeds of an air pirate.

"I have bombed schools.

"I almost died,

and the Vietnamese people saved my life...

"and the doctors gave me an operation

that I did not deserve. "

Good. Now write it and sign it.

Yes, sir.

"I am a black criminal,

and I have performed deeds of an air pirate.

"I have bombed schools. "

Read it.

No.

"I am a black criminal

who has performed deeds of an air pirate.

"I have bombed schools. "

If I become a prisoner of war...

I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners.

When questioned...

I am required to give name, rank,

service number, and date of birth.

Did you make any propaganda statement?

I will evade answering

any further questions.

Questions?

Did you say anything

that you would regret later?

Your grandfather was a man of principles.

Have a seat, soldier.

Principles and honor.

To the utmost of my ability.

It looks like you could use a break

from the routine around here.

What do you say?

Your grandfather was a man of principles.

I will make no oral or written statements.

Did you make any propaganda statement?

He always told me.

Disloyal to my country...

Or say anything that you would regret later?

A man without honor is nothing.

Nothing.

I am a black criminal...

and I have performed deeds of an air pirate.

I have bombed schools.

I almost died,

and the Vietnamese people saved my life...

and the doctors gave me an operation

that I did not deserve.

I am a black criminal...

and I have performed deeds of an air pirate.

Your buckets!

Let's go!

He turned it down, sir.

I heard at least three times.

I'm sure it was a tough thing to do.

They offered him a ticket out of there,

and he turned it down.

He was very respected.

How was his health?

He was pretty banged up in the beginning.

But by the time they let me go,

he was doing okay.

It says here you fell overboard

in the Gulf of Tonkin...

and picked up by fishermen

in international waters.

Turned over to the North Vietnamese.

Sir, that's correct.

- Welcome back, sailor.

- Thank you, sir. It's good to be back.

- Carry on.

- Thank you, sir.

I am...

I am a black criminal...

and I have performed deeds of an air pirate.

I have bombed schools.

It has been revealed that secret peace talks

have been taking place on and off...

between the United States

and North Vietnam since 1970.

Formal negotiations are now underway.

Pressure from the anti-war movement

at home...

and heavy casualties on the battlefield...

have resulted in a commitment

by the administration...

to bring an end to the conflict.

Humane treatment of the American POWs

is of utmost priority.

POWs and the missing-in-action personnel

are believed to number well over 3,000.

Bob?

How long have you been in solitary?

I went down in the sewer

about a year-and-a-half ago.

It makes this place seem like a vacation.

Bob?

McCain.

You're a lot uglier than I imagined.

There's been something

I've been meaning to tell you all these years.

Stan Musial...

is the greatest ballplayer

ever to play the game.

Hell of a sight.

You think we're out of here?

I'm not packing my bags.

Me, neither.

You know, you could have been

out of here a long time ago.

You had the go-ahead from all of us.

Sure as hell would have tempted me.

I don't know.

I guess I was getting used to the company.

It's the best way I can think of...

to get the North Vietnamese

back to the bargaining table...

and keep them there

till a deal's hammered out.

The last two months,

they've walked away four times.

B-52s from 35,000 feet

aren't very discriminate, sir.

That's the whole point.

Carpet-bombing the hell out of Hanoi

ought to be a pretty effective wake-up call.

I'm thinking about our personnel

on the ground.

You mean the POWs?

They're dead square

in the middle of the city.

Johnny'd be all over my ass

if I didn't do it.

- Attention on deck!

- Carry on.

"The Vietnamese people's

fundamental national rights.

"Article One:

The United States and all other countries...

"respect the independence,

sovereignty, unity...

"and territorial integrity of Vietnam...

"as recognized by

the 1954 Geneva agreement on Vietnam.

"Article Two:
The United States of America

pledges to cease hostilities.

"Total withdrawal is to be completed

in 60 days.

"A four-power joint military commission

will oversea ceasefire and troop...

"and advisory withdrawal to be completed

within 60 days.

"Return of all captured military personnel

and foreign civilians...

"will be within 60 days

beginning immediately.

"Lt. Everett Alvarez,

United States Navy. August 5, 1964.

"Rear Admiral James B. Stockdale,

United States Navy...

"September 9, 1965.

"Capt. Murphy N. Jones,

United States Air Force...

"June 29, 1966.

"Maj. George E. Day, August 26, 1967.

"Lt. Cmdr. John S. McCain,

October 26, 1967.

"Maj. Robert R. Craner,

United States Air Force, December 12...

"1967.

"Maj. Jim Kessler, United States Air Force...

"August 8, 1966.

"Maj. Robinson Risner,

United States Air Force, September, 1965.

"Capt. Orson Swindle,

United States Marine Corps...

"November 11, 1965.

"Capt. George McKnight,

United States Air Force, November 6, 1965.

"Cmdr. Howard Rutledge,

United States Navy, November 28, 1965.

"Cmdr. Jeremiah Denton,

United States Navy, July 18, 1965."

Let's give them a minute together.

I forgot what you looked like, Daddy.

Hi.

Hi, again.

- May I have this dance?

- Yes, you may.

Do you always keep such a distance

between you and your partner?

Or is that a military thing, too?

Willing to make the adjustment, miss.

I'm real glad one of our boys didn't drop

a 500-pounder in your compound up there.

Me, too.

Sure had the guards nervous, though.

Dad, I'm sorry about...

the statement.

I guess I didn't want to believe I did it.

I tried thinking back...

and maybe in some ways

I didn't want to know.

And I didn't know

until Bob Craner told me on the plane.

- I'm really sorry.

- What was his opinion of your actions?

He said, "Everyone is broken eventually...

"but in other ways, no one is broken.

"We all fought in our own ways.

"We all walked out of there

with our heads high. "

There you have it.

Son, look at me.

I was on the bottom of the ocean

for 18 hours.

You were in your hellhole for 1,968 days.

You didn't leave anything back there

you have to regret.

Slew would be proud of you.

And I am, too.

And it's just about the best damn feeling

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