Rules Of Engagement Page #3

No, you don't understand

what I'm asking.

I want you

to be my lawyer.

I'm a good enough lawyer to know

you need a better lawyer than me.

'Sides that, I'm short.

Two-nine plus one wake-up,

and I'm gone.

You need one of those

Washington cats.

I don't want some Starbucks

drinker who's never seen combat.

- I need somebody who's been shot at.

- Yeah, I've been shot at.

That's what I am...

a shot-up marine.

As a matter of fact,

that's all the hell I am.

No, wait a minute.

I'm also a weak lawyer.

I'm a very weak lawyer...

and the government is gonna come

at you with everything they've got.

Major, Bill Sokal. It's a pleasure

to meet you. Come on in.

Let me introduce you.

Gentlemen, this

is Major Mark Biggs.

He'll be prosecuting

the Childers court-martial.

The marines put the major

through Stanford Law,

and he owes them a couple of years

before he takes over the world.

You know General Lowry.

I'd like you to meet the general

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

General West, and the secretary

of Defense, Mr. Wyatt.

Have a seat.

Make yourself comfortable.

What I gather from our esteemed NSC

advisor and secretary of state...

is that we've got a trial

in two weeks.

- Seems awfully damned fast.

- Everyone in this room will agree...

it's in the national interest that

this trial be moved along quickly.

The Article 32 investigation

was complete and comprehensive.

It all seems to point

in one direction.

Has he got a lawyer yet?

He's requested a military

attorney, Colonel Hayes Hodges.

Second Marine Division, Lejeune.

Any relation to

General H. Lawrence Hodges?

His son.

Larry Hodges was one of this country's

most distinguished officers.

What do we know about

Colonel Hayes Hodges?

He's a guy who got

blown apart in Vietnam,

then went to Georgetown Law

and became a cynic.

Is that about right, Major?

He was 67th in his class

at Georgetown, sir.

He doesn't take too many cases,

doesn't win too many.

He apparently went through an ugly

divorce, had a drinking problem,

retiring in two weeks.

- Can we guarantee we get this guy?

Sir, if I may

say something?

I am not a hired gun.

I accepted this assignment...

'cause I believe in the merits

ofthe government's case.

I am not gonna stack the deck

against this guy.

I will try this case

on good evidence only.

I'm glad to hear it.

Hold your fire.

Set that weapon down over here.

We need

a couple of canteens up here.

Party incoming!

- You can go.

You can go, goddamn it!

Go on! Dee dee!

Get the f*** out of here

before I change my mind!

Looks like you're going back

to the world, baby.

- Doc!

- Twenty meters out. Left!

- Right there.

- Anybody else?

I got you now!

- Hey, buddy!

- Hi, Mom.

He looks fabulous.

- Happy anniversary, Mom.

- Oh, thank you. So good to see you.

I wasn't sure you'd make it.

- You look wonderful.

- Thank you.

- How's it feel to be retired?

- Um, crazy.

Good. Oh, you look great.

- Thank you.

- Well, come see Dad...

- There he is.

...and all the family.

Hello, sir.

- Glad you could make it.

- Yes, sir.

Good to see you, Hayes.

- How are you doing?

Hey, kid. Hey, you.

Remember me?

- The old guy who looks like you.

- Do I know you?

- Yeah.

- Your voice sounds really familiar.

Here's a clue. I was married

to your mom for about five minutes.

- Really? You sure? 'Cause I don't...

- Yeah.

- Well, is he guilty?

- Sir?

Your friend

Colonel Childers.

- Guilty of what, sir?

- Come on, Hayes.

You served with him. Is he the rabid

dog we've all been hearing about?

I don't think

I should comment, sir.

Come on, Dad. This is family.

You can lighten up a little.

You know what we said

at the naval academy.

Even if you thought

you weren't responsible,

it went wrong

and you were there.

Since when have you

not had a comment?

Since Childers asked me

to defend him.

No. Oh, Hayes.

- What?

- Excuse me.

- Are you kidding me?

- No.

Why would you do that?

Huh!

- Because he asked me, and I owe him.

- That's great.

That represents everything

that's wrong with the military.

Wisdom from the one person

in this family...

who has not elected

to serve his country.

Childers must have snapped.

It happens in combat.

I've seen it.

I'm sure you have too.

Thank you for reminding me...

why we have the presumption

of innocence in America.

What are you, Abraham

Lincoln? You can't hide behind that.

The guy murdered innocent women

and children.

- You hear that on television?

- And newspapers.

- It's all over the place.

- It's Mom and Dad's anniversary.

Don't take this case, son.

This man has trashed

the reputation of the Corps.

He's put us back 20 years.

Is this how you want

to be remembered?

I don't see how I can

turn him down. He saved my life.

Well, I understand that

as well as anyone.

But you don't repay him by

falling senselessly on a grenade.

The way I see it,

this man should find himself...

the best laywer in the country.

- Somebody better than me?

The guy's

a real marine, Dad.

I mean, if they

can do this to him...

just hang him out to dry...

they can do it to anybody.

Forget that he's my friend.

They can do it to anybody.

That means your medals

and your citations...

won't mean jack sh*t

when they come afte ryou.

At least two of his own guys

are gonna testify...

that he didn't have

to open fire, sir.

Nobody reports seeing any

weapons among the demonstrators.

- His psych eval was a disaster.

- What about embassy footage?

Cameras, film, videotape,

home movies, sh*t like that?

No, I've subpoenaed everything.

The embassy got hit pretty good.

Most of it was destroyed.

Terry, you know Tom Chandler.

He's gonna help us prepare your case.

Colonel Childers, good to see

you again, sir. Um, all right.

First, we've subpoenaed all

the Article 32 investigator's notes,

the State Department's

notes on Yemen.

Major Biggs has already had

your head checked by their doctor.

I've got you an appointment

with ours.

- No.

- What?

No more multiple choice

questions about self-esteem.

We got the combat fitness reports.

He can forget the psych eval here.

That's a mistake, Colonel.

Listen, when I turned 18

I joined the Marine Corps.

I asked to be in the infantry.

- I asked to go to Vietnam.

- Terry.

I live for the privilege

of commanding troops.

I think it's the greatest honor

an American can have.

You know how many birthdays

and Christmases I missed,

spent rotting in jungles

or in the desert,

just so you could play

war at ROTC?

Childers! You gotta keep

your sh*t together here, man.

Your court-martial board

is gonna be made up of people...

who might've spent one day in

Grenada, maybe two days in Kuwait.

They're gonna be beach boys who've

never been anywhere near combat.

They're gonna be people

like Tom Chandler...

sitting right here in front of you.

That's who you're

making your case to.

We don't have anybody

to back up your case.

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