Rules Of Engagement Page #4

That's because

all my witnesses are dead.

- Okay. So what happened?

- He lost it. He snapped.

That's good.

We can snap him on the stand.

This doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Let's get a complete history

of Colonel Childers.

Talk to every marine

he ever served with.

My guess is

this has happened before.

We have to be careful here.

This guy is

the warrior's warrior.

A Navy Cross, two Silver Stars

for composure in battle.

He has no wife, no kids,

just the Corps.

He was our best.

That's why he was sent.

He's not on trial for the

good service he gave the country,

but for what he did

on the wallin Yemen, period.

Major, nobody wants to say it,

but it occurs to me we're trying

to set an example here.

So let's set it and show

the world we mean business.

The first charge supports the death

penalty, and I say we go for it.

No more death.

I'll see that he never gets another

command and I'll put him in jail,

but I will not seek death for a man

who served his country honorably.

I don't want it

brought up again.

We gotta show

Childers' state of mind.

We gotta prove he went out

with intent to kill,

and that is not going to be easy.

Whether a man is charged

with murder or hailed as a hero...

is sometimes a very thin line.

Our case is this. Childers receives

orders that a regularly scheduled,

I awful protest outside

our embassy in Yemen is unruly.

He is to secure

or evacuate the premises.

There has been no violence

prior to his arrival.

Once there, Ambassador Mourain...

does not feel the situation

warrants evacuation.

- Childers ignores him.

- There was sniper fire.

They draw fire from snipers

across the street.

Childers retaliates into an unarmed

crowd in front of the embassy.

A crowd of women and children.

He shot the wrong people.

All right, here's what this means.

Murder... Obviously, he could get

up to the death penalty.

Conduct unbecoming an officer.

Max is dismissal

with a dishonorable discharge,

for feature of all pay and allowances

and confinement for one year.

What about breach

of peace? What is that?

Breaching the peace is minor.

That means participating in an act

of violent or turbulent nature...

that deprives the community of the

peace and tranquility it deserves.

It's sort of the military equivalent

of the civilian misdemeanor.

No big deal.

There he is!

You goddamn baby killer!

Baby killer!

You're disgusting!

I'm not answering any questions,

all right? Get out of here. Go away.

You f***ing baby killer!

F*** you!

Who the f*** are you

to spit on this uniform? Huh?

You ever play blackjack, Colonel?

Not really.

There are no intangibles.

It's all odds, sir.

You know them, you'll beat

the guy next to you.

You know what cards have been

played, you'll beat the house.

Sometimes you just can't win

no matter what you do.

I saw your man on television

knockin' some zit-faced kid around.

You have to understand the kind of

pressure Childers has been under.

A man with that kind of service...

No, no thanks.

This was a rescue mission

that went bad. Nothing more.

You're aware, Colonel,

we could ask for the death penalty.

You're not serious.

Oh, I'm very serious.

In fact, it's been suggested.

What do you think would happen

ifa Yemeni killed 83 Americans?

He'd have a trial

that would last for one day,

and they'd take off his head.

Have a seat, Colonel.

Please.

So here it is.

You plead him out. Guilty.

He throws himself at the mercy.

- We'll help him out at sentencing.

- How much help?

I'm not about to promise you

anything, but I'd say...

in the neighborhood of ten

to fifteen, out in seven.

Major,

do you know what the life expectancy

was for a second lieutenant...

dropped into a combat zone

in Vietnam in 1968?

I don't have time

for 20 questions, sir.

Then what's all this sh*t about

the odds of winning at blackjack?

You got time.

Take a guess.

My guess is your man's going down

'cause he deserves to go down.

I got a question for you, Colonel.

What happened at Ca Lu?

The battle of Ca Lu,

Vietnam.

You were there with Childers.

Something happened. What was it?

F*** you is what happened

at Ca Lu, Biggs.

Two weeks.

Life expectancy of

a second lieutenant...

in combat in Vietnam

was two weeks.

Sir, I need more time

to prepare this case.

I need your permission

to go to Yemen...

It's all here, Hodge. We did an

exhaustive Article 32 investigation.

This thing happened

Colonel, it's all here.

We had it brought from Yemen,

and it's not unusual to convene...

a court-martial

on short notice.

There could be witnesses, something

the investigators overlooked, sir.

Don't you think Colonel Childers

is entitled all consideration?

Colonel Hodges, I don't care

ifyougo to China.

We have our marching orders,

and this court-martial...

will convene

at 0900 a week Monday.

- Now, is that clear?

- Yes, sir.

One! Two!

...contact the sergeant?

- He's off-base, sir.

Terry?

Terry?

Childers?

Ohh.

Oh, sh*t.

It's okay.

It's okay.

- I wasn't...

- No, no. I know.

It's okay. It's all right.

I know. Believe me, I know.

Can I leave you alone

with that thing in the house?

Yeah. I ain't goin' six

on you, Hodge.

I'm goin' to Yemen.

If I have to stick your ass

in a hospital till I get back,

that is what I will do.

- You don't have to do that.

Got your word on that?

Oh, sh*t.

They take my uniform away,

they may as well shoot me.

You can live with it, bud.

Believe me.

I'm not gonna sh*t you.

They offered us a deal.

You plead guilty, it's

ten to fifteen. You're out in seven.

- What do you think?

- I think they're out to crucify you.

For a whole lot of reasons,

I say we take it and call it a day.

I did what they

asked me to do, Hodge.

I lost marines over there.

If I'm guilty of this,

I'm guilty of everything I've done

in combat for the last 30 years.

I don't know.

Colonel Hodges?

Captain Hustings.

I'm not in uniform and I'm not

saluting because of the snipers.

Please know that I'm saluting

on the inside.

I've got some Kevlar back there

with your name on it.

We're not the most popular team

in town right now, sir.

Hustings, are you a wiseass?

My mother prefers to

think of me as glib, sir.

Very well then. You will most glibly

belay all bullshit and drive on.

Roger that, sir.

I've lined up some people who were

at the scene, as you requested, sir.

- We can start tomorrow.

- Good.

- All right. Here we are.

- Oh. 07:
00.

Roger that, sir.

The old embassy was

a fifth century palace.

Got pretty shot up.

We're moving the newone

to a bunker outside the city...

behind about a mile

of barbed wire, sir.

- You want me to come with you, sir?

- Negative.

Stay with the vehicle.

Meet me at the hotel.

Yes, sir.

Armed American marines,

they were shooting at his people.

They were just trying

to defend themselves.

Is he saying

the marines shot first?

Why were your police officers

ordered to abandon the embassy...

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