Flags of Our Fathers Page #7

But your dad and the others

knew what they had done

and what they had not done.

All your friends dying,

it's hard not to be called a hero

for saving somebody's life.

But for putting up a pole?

You gotta be kidding.

Hey! It took a lot of talented folks

a long time to make that thing.

Just wait till tonight when it's lit properly

and there's thousands

of cheering people in the stands.

It's gonna look a lot better.

So, stadium lights come down,

spotlight comes up

and you get your cue.

You charge up this thing with the flag,

you plant it at the top.

You smile, you wave. You know the drill.

You want us to plant the flag

on a pile of papier-mch.

Hey, that's show biz.

And try and stand how you stood

the first time you planted it.

Just, you know, pretend

the other three guys are with you.

The dead guys.

Yeah. Yeah.

Okay, not a problem.

Good.

But where do we imagine

Hank is standing?

Sorry?

Well, seeing that he wasn't there,

it'll be kind of hard for us

to leave a space for him.

I think you know exactly where he was.

You pointed him out to his mother.

This is bullshit.

I planted that damn thing once,

and I'm not doing it again.

- Hayes!

- Oh, for Christ's sake.

Hayes. Hayes, get your ass back here

or you're going on report.

Hayes!

You wanna do your damn job?

Let go of me! Let go of me!

Come on!

He's with me!

Hey, he's with me!

- Back off!

- Sir, he's with me. Okay? He's with me.

Ira, put the goddamn chair down!

- Put the chair down, son!

- Put the chair down, Ira!

Tell them drop their sticks!

Ira, they're cops,

they're supposed to have nightsticks.

You're not supposed to be in the street

swinging a chair.

- Calm down, son.

- Sir, turn around, please.

That poster right there?

The one on the end, that's him.

- That's him?

- Yes, sir. You read the papers?

Christ.

We got another f***ing hero.

Get him out of here.

- Can you do that?

- Yes, sir.

Put the goddamn chair down.

And let's go.

Did you start this?

He didn't serve me!

I don't make the rules.

We don't serve Indians.

He needs to go sleep it off.

Soldier Field.

You hear that?

What the hell is that?

I can't figure it out.

Keep an eye out.

It sounds like it's coming from up there.

They're using grenades.

They're killing themselves.

Ira, let's go.

Come on.

Let's go, Ira. Come on.

Thank God. Jesus. Look at you, Chief.

You found him.

Holy sh*t. You would have to pick today.

Vandegrift is here with enough brass

to start a f***ing band.

Come on, let's go. Can you walk?

- Yes, sir.

- By yourself?

All right, look.

I don't care if you have to carry him

get him to the top, plant that flag,

and don't f***ing fall off.

Get him in his stuff. I'll stall these guys

for as long as I can. Hurry up.

Jesus Christ.

And now, the heroes of lwo Jima!

Cover!

Harlon!

Harlon! Get your fire team

up in that position!

O'Hare!

First Fire Team!

Work around!

BAR, you, on the side of the ridge!

Covering fire, boys, go, go, go!

Jackson, work your team

around to the left!

Cover!

Left flank! Left flank!

Franklin, Gust, go check it out!

Hustle up, boys!

We got them!

Clear!

One hell of an experience.

Move out!

Cease fire! They're my men!

You're targeting our men!

You're targeting our...

Get me another radio!

Sergeant? Sergeant!

Mike!

Mike, Mike, Mike.

Mike? Mike.

Hey, where's Doc?

Corpsman!

Oh, sh*t.

How's his breathing?

Harlon, move, buddy.

Hey, Mike. Mike, Mike, can you hear us?

It's okay.

It's okay.

Come on, Mike.

Mike? Mike, can you hear us?

All right, let's go!

Move out!

I'm gonna get a stretcher.

Let's take him down,

move him off the beach.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the heroes of lwo Jima!

Corpsman!

Hank!

Hank!

Doc, they killed me.

Harlon!

Doc,

they killed me.

Come on, Harlon. Harlon, stay with me.

Franklin!

I'm fine, Ira.

Corpsman!

Corpsman!

- Where'd he go?

- Who?

The guy who was right here, Ignatowski.

Where did he go?

- I think you jumped in the wrong hole.

- I didn't jump in the wrong hole!

He was right here,

now where the hell is he?

Lggy!

Lggy!

You shut up. You want every Jap

on the island shooting at us?

Lggy!

Does it open?

Lggy!

Lggy!

Lggy, are you down there?

Lggy!

Can't tell who it is, but he's one of ours.

I had to go outside to throw up.

Look what they did

to the poor son-of-a-b*tch.

You okay, Chief?

Just let it go.

If that doesn't pry open their wallets,

nothing will.

Jesus Christ, he's drunk.

Goddamn Indians.

Come on, Chief. Let's get you home.

That's not what I hear.

I called around, I'm not stupid.

He's been drunk

since he started this damn tour,

making a spectacle of himself.

Just about choked that poor woman

at the reception, blubbering.

Jesus Christ, you're supposed to be

watching these men.

Yes, sir.

Well, he's making us

look like regular asses.

Well, with all due respect, sir,

he never wanted to come on this trip

in the first place.

We had to pull him,

kicking and screaming, off that boat.

He wants to be with his unit.

What unit? They're all f***ing dead.

This is how he honors those men?

By drinking and throwing up, and...

You know what?

He wants it, great, we'll send him back.

Get him packed and on a train today.

He's an embarrassment to the uniform.

Yes, sir.

I'll do it.

Yeah, no, that's...

That's good. That's what I want.

I know it's a good thing,

raising the money and that,

'cause we need it.

But,

I can't take them calling me a hero.

All I did was try not to get shot.

Some of the things I saw done,

things I did,

they weren't things to be proud of,

you know?

Mike...

Mike was a hero.

You ever meet him?

No.

Best Marine I ever met.

You know, Chief, I think

if Mike was sitting here instead of you

he'd be saying the same thing

about himself,

not being a hero.

Maybe.

He was a good guy.

But I think that

he would be ashamed of me,

seeing me the way I am.

Think I could see my ma

before they ship me off?

Think they'd do that? See my ma?

I'm sorry, Ira.

We got stories now to tell our kids,

I guess.

Keep your head down.

All aboard.

Good luck, Chief.

I think I saw him once after that.

It was maybe six or seven years

after the war.

I was working as a salesman,

doing a lot of driving.

I was driving west across Texas.

I was just trying to get where

I was going so I could get home.

And I saw this guy

hitchhiking on the side of the road.

And, for a second,

I thought it might've been him.

I always regret that I didn't stop,

but I was in a hurry.

And he was an Indian.

We always told the press

that Ira insisted

that he was going back to fight

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