Go Tell the Spartans Page #3

---

the rear guard with Courcey.

Courcey,

you're rear guard advisor.

Wait a minute. How am I

supposed to advise them?

Stay a hundred yards behind us.

Keep looking over your shoulder.

Anything moves back there,

zap it.

Cowboy, set the point.

This way.

Sergeant Nguyen,

give the order to move out.

OK, uh, uh...

Let's... let's go, men.

That goddamn roadblock

wasn't there...

yesterday afternoon at 5:00.

The scout plane cased that route

for seventy-five klicks.

Maybe they just accidentally

decided to block that route.

Sh*t, the V.C. Doesn't do

anything accidentally.

They knew that convoy

was coming.

They know everything

we're gonna do.

And we don't know

a damn thing they're gonna do.

Hey, major.

A distribution package

from Saigon just came in.

Well, let me have it, eh?

- It's got a lieutenant with it.

- What lieutenant?

I think that'd be...

our psychological warfare

specialist...

from General Harnitz.

Table of organization

requires one.

It's a new directive.

You read it, sir.

Oh, yes, yes.

All right, Toffee, bring him in.

And, Toffee, try not to say

"Hey" to the lieutenant...

if you can help it.

Right, major.

Hey, lieutenant!

Major Barker.

Wattsberg, Finley, sir.

We've been expecting you,

lieutenant. Captain Olivetti.

- How do you do, sir?

- OK.

Oh, your distribution packet,

sir.

So, you're the new

psycho specialist, huh?

Covert warfare psychological

specialist, yes, sir.

What are you gonna do

for us, lieutenant?

Post the incident flow

priority indicator, sir.

Great. What's that?

Allow me, sir.

This, sir, is the indicator.

A computer in Saigon will

sift all intelligence reports...

and reduce the information...

to parables, ratios,

and mean averages...

whereby we shall be able

to assign defense priorities.

That is, sir,

the incident flow indicator...

will indicate

which of your outposts...

is the most endangered.

I'll enter that name

on the indicator here...

condition red.

Number two

will be condition orange.

Number three... condition yellow.

You mean...

you are going to tell us

where the V.C. Will attack...

before they do it?

With reasonable accuracy, sir.

That'll be the goddamn day.

I assure you, sir,

it works remarkably well.

Toffee!

Where shall I hang it, sir?

Stick it over the door.

Excellent.

Very... prominent, sir.

I'll make the first entries

tomorrow, sir.

I can't wait.

Toffee. See the lieutenant

has quarters...

and a place out there to work.

- Sure.

- Thank you, sir.

Where are we, Al?

I mean geographically,

where are we?

Vietnam. Penang, sir.

You sure

we're not in a loony bin?

Sometimes I get the feeling

we're in a goddamn loony bin.

Sergeant.

Lieutenant.

Muc Wa.

It's almost time for

the helicopter. Let's move out.

Lieutenant,

hold on just a minute.

Cowboy, VARs.

OK, lieutenant, we go in fast...

and lay some smoke

for the choppers.

Move out!

OK, I got it.

Keep it moving.

All right, let's get cracking.

Cowboy, get that bunker

over there cleaned up...

for the lieutenant's

command post.

- Ackley!

- Behind you!

Set your commo shack

up in there next to him.

Lincoln! Find yourself

a hospital somewhere.

- Courcey!

- Yo!

Have all three points

in the triangle...

manned and ready

in fifteen minutes.

Excuse me for taking over

like this, sir...

but we got to get this garrison

shaped up before Charlie time.

Night. That's Charlie time.

Fine, Sergeant,

but what can I do?

You make yourself comfortable,

sir. You're the officer.

- Cowboy!

- Yes, sir.

Assign every man

a place on the wall.

I want all the underbrush

cut down.

Nobody sleeps tonight,

not till we find out...

what kind of a**hole situation

we got here.

Now let's move it along!

Come on, boys, chop it up,

chop it up! Let's go, let's go!

Night's comin', baby!

Move it out!

You read French, corporal?

Fairly well, sir.

I think it refers

to the battle of Thermopylae...

where the 300 Spartans died

trying to hold the pass...

if you remember

your Greek history, sir.

Yeah.

It says, roughly...

"Stranger...

"when you find us lying here...

go tell the Spartans

we obeyed their orders."

You think there's three hundred

French buried here?

I'll count 'em

first chance I get, sir.

Hey, major?

Hey, major, we got communication

established with Muc Wa.

Well, read it to me, hey.

"Operation Blaze

to blah, blah, blah...

"French fortifications

in usable condition.

"Team morale excellent.

No enemy contact.

"Standing operating procedures

in effect.

"We shall do our duty.

Lieutenant Hamilton,

Commander, Operation Blaze."

Let me have it. OK, Toffee.

"We shall do our duty."

Jesus Christ.

We better get some aerial

photographs of this place...

have 'em brought up in detail.

I wanna know how it lies like

I know the wrinkles on my face.

OK, major.

- Sergeant?

- Sir.

Now, why are you leaving

three gates in the walls?

You're giving the enemy

too many ways to break in.

Sir, them gates

is for us to break out of...

if and when the time comes.

Don't worry about Charlie

breaking in.

He'll come over these walls

like a forest fire.

Over the barbed wire?

Well, sir, the dinks

don't feel any pain.

The barbed wire just makes 'em

itch a little.

Well, that's hard to believe,

sergeant.

Well, sir, I hope you don't

have to see it to believe it.

Well, three gates. That's fine.

Excuse me.

Lieutenant's got the quick-step.

Yeah, well, he'll get over it.

Some do, and some don't.

Me, I think the lieutenant's

on the don't side.

What is it?

What is it?

Nuoc mam.

Somebody used fish sauce.

I don't smell anything.

We smell.

Well...

let's get off this trail.

Cong. We attack.

Well, let's make damn sure

before you start shootin'.

- No. Shoot first.

- Wait a minute.

We'll take a look first.

Some Cong.

Hello!

No! I'm an American!

Uh, tell your men

to lower their rifles.

Tell 'em.

Wrong, sir.

They communist people.

We'll see. Hold my rifle.

I'm... I am your friend.

Tell 'em. Interpret.

I'm... I'm not going to hurt you.

Interpret!

L... I have some chocolate.

I have some chocolate.

It's good.

Chocolat.

It's good.

It's all right.

Mmm. That's good.

Try a piece, hmm? Please?

It's good.

Yeah.

It's good.

Here's a piece for you.

And here's a piece for you.

They Cong, sir.

Who cares? They're hungry.

Here you go.

- She's nice.

- What are you, the Pied Piper?

God damn it, Courcey,

I send you out...

to map

the f***in' jungle trails...

you come back with

a bunch of sick-Iookin' dinks!

What the hell am I supposed

to do with them?

- They Cong.

- They're refugees.

- Ahh.

- It's a goddamn lie.

- They Cong family.

- No, they're not.

What is it, sergeant?

Who are these people?

Courcey dragged them

out of the pocket bush.

Cowboy,

give 'em rice and run 'em off.

Now, just a moment. Now, your

attitude is wrong, sergeant.

It is part of our job here...

to win the hearts and minds

of the people.

- Sir...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes