Flags of Our Fathers Page #7

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

with his unit

which was at least partially true, but

that isn't what got the headlines.

We're engaged.

Excuse me a minute, darling.

- Hey, Doc?

- Yeah?

- Got a minute?

- Yeah.

I'll see you at the car.

- You hear I'm getting married?

- I did, Rene. That's great.

Yeah, it's something she wants.

She waited for me all this time.

She's not used to all this,

but she's a good girl.

I'm sure you'll be very happy.

So, I was wondering

if you'd be my best man.

Me?

Don't you have somebody at home,

a buddy, you'd rather ask?

Well, I didn't really make many.

The ones who didn't go, it's...

Well, it's hard to even talk to them.

You know?

Yeah, I know.

I'd be proud to.

Thank you.

I better go drag her away from them

before she announces

I'm gonna be president

of General Motors or something.

All right.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you so much. Thank you.

Rene, you're a lucky man.

- Big smile, Mrs. Gagnon!

- Say cheese!

I couldn't complain

because the press loved them,

so they wrote more articles

and people bought more bonds.

The tour went on

with just Rene and your dad.

And the true heroes are the men

who didn't make it home from lwo Jima,

the men who died at lwo Jima

and in other campaigns.

We ask that you honor

the memory of those men

by buying the war bonds

and helping us to win this war.

Thank you.

City after city,

I thought the damn thing'd never end.

And this rumor kept going around

that the photograph had been staged.

I remember your dad telling them

that he wished he'd known

he was having his picture taken

because he would've ducked

the hell out of it.

Whose idea was it?

Who wanted to stage the thing?

Come on, it was you?

Was there truth to the rumor

that that picture was staged, Doc?

- Come on! Doc?

- Can you answer that?

I remember when your dad got shot.

All hell was busting loose.

People back home saw that picture

and thought it was over

when we took Suribachi.

We wished.

Anyways, we're pinned down.

Mortars, shells, machine guns.

Fire coming from

every which direction, right?

And we hear somebody call,

"Corpsman down."

Corpsman down!

Blood was spurting out of his throat,

and Doc was doing everything he could.

And the Corpsman looks up at him

and he knows what this means,

to be shot in the neck.

He knows he's dying, you can see that.

But still

in his eyes, he's pleading with Doc

to save his life.

And Doc can't.

- You okay, Doc?

- Yeah, I'm fine.

- Yeah, you look fine.

- I'm okay.

Keep down, all right?

I'm gonna go get a stretcher.

Okay.

Corpsman. Corpsman!

For God sake, Corpsman!

Corpsman?

Corpsman.

Incoming!

Let me see.

It's not that bad.

You're gonna be okay. All right?

Just stay with me. Look at me.

Took us a half-hour to find your dad.

He could've bled to death.

Coming down.

Thanks.

Vets'll tell you about being hit

but not wanting to leave their buddies.

Usually, they're lying.

You'll take any excuse

to get out of there.

But it happens.

You get the feeling

you're letting them down.

I could see that in your dad's face.

He wanted to go, he'd seen enough.

But he didn't want to leave us.

Now, he was a hell of a good man,

your dad.

Yeah.

While we were sitting there

on the beach, we heard this great roar.

And we looked up.

That was the first

of thousands of landings on lwo.

- Look at that.

- Yeah.

How about that.

I'm gonna head back, all right?

Good luck.

That island saved a lot of lives.

A lot of lives.

I don't know what else to tell you.

After the bond tour

my dad finally got his operation.

By the time he got home

the war was over.

First thing he did

was ask my mom to marry him.

Ira tried to get on with his life

and put it all behind him.

Thank you for having me here today.

It's an honor to be in front of

such a strong people.

Because of the war

white men will understand Indians

a lot better.

And it's going to be a better world.

But life had other plans for him.

You're... You're him, aren't you?

You're the hero, right?

Great. All right, kids,

go get your picture taken.

Oh, that's great. That's great.

All right, now say cheese.

Cheese!

That's great! Okay.

Hey, thanks a lot. Thanks.

- Come on.

- That's a hero, kids.

Hero, lift this basket, will you?

It's too heavy for me.

Rene tried to take advantage of those

offers he'd received on the bond tour.

Yes. G-A-G-N-O-N.

Right. Pronounced Rene. Rene, yes.

- Okay, I actually called last week.

- Yes. Okay, yes. Mr. Gagnon.

I gave Mr. Tennack your message.

I'm sure he'll call you.

Okay. All right.

Thank you.

But he was yesterday's hero.

He even applied for a job

at the local police station.

They said he wasn't qualified.

After working the factory with Pauline

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