Sands of Iwo Jima

This is the story of a squad of marines,

a rifle squad.

I'm Corporal Robert Dunne,

a member of that squad.

We were at Guadalcanal,

and when it was secure

we were pulled out for rest, refitting,

replacements and retraining.

The Marine Corps is long on training

and retraining...

Let that go.

After the canal, we were sent to

Camp Paekakariki in New Zealand.

Here we received our replacements,

marines from Stateside,

a long way from Stateside, 8,000 miles.

I can see you're a man

who knows how to live.

- Solid comfort.

- Solid malaria.

- Malaria, huh? Contagious?

- No, not this week. You can stay.

Nice place you got here.

Regazzi's my name, Benny Regazzi.

Bob Dunne. I'm duty NCO today.

Great. Meet my friends. This big guy

is "Handsome" Dan Shipley.

- Hi.

- What a physique!

The girls see him and faint. He comes

through this, I'll make him a movie star!

Those two guys, Flynns.

That's Eddie and that's Frank.

- Hi, Eddie.

- Hello, Bob.

They don't drink. I got their beer ration.

- And Georgie Hellenopolis, an Irishman.

- Hello, sport.

- Where did you get those cards?

- Off your sack on the ship. Why?

- They're mine, that's why.

- I've seen lots in those bags that aren't.

- Come on, give me.

- "Semper fi", Mac.

- Hey!

- Leave them. It happens 20 times a day.

You know where those guys come from?

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

- By the way, who's the squad leader?

- Sergeant Stryker.

- What's he like?

- You'll find out.

I've been in New Zealand two hours

and already they're clamming up on me.

- I hope he knows his stuff.

- Maybe we'll get liberty.

- We ain't replacements any more.

- Where is he? Where's the sergeant?

He's here.

- Well, what do you know? Stryker.

- Hello, Thomas.

- Thought you were in the First.

- I was. Sit down.

Just sit down, Thomas, anywhere.

My name is Stryker,

Sergeant John M Stryker.

You're gonna be my squad, a rifle squad.

Three of us have seen action: Corporal

Dunne, Charlie Bass and myself.

You'll learn from us. In boot camp

you learned out of a book.

Here you gotta remember the book and

learn things that haven't been printed.

You gotta learn right and fast.

Any man that doesn't want to cooperate,

I'll make him wish he hadn't been born.

Before I'm through with you, you're

gonna move and think like one man.

If you don't, you'll be dead.

You guys have had a nice easy day.

I hope you enjoyed it because

it's the last one you'll get for a long time.

You joined the Marines to fight and

you'll get your chance. I'll show you how.

If I can't teach you one way, I'll teach you

another. But I'll get the job done.

The skipper of this outfit

is Captain Joyce.

Platoon leader is Lieutenant Baker.

Platoon sergeant is Sergeant Wright.

Any questions?

That's all.

10,000 sergeants in this corps

and I draw Stryker!

You knew this guy before?

Yeah. We were stationed

together in China.

Twice he kept me from promotion.

Turned me in once.

30 days I got.

He was a sergeant major then.

Must have done something to get busted

to three stripes.

What did he turn you in for?

For... That's not important!

What's important is that he turned me in!

Maybe he didn't write the manual, but

you can bet he can recite it backwards!

- It's probably tattooed on his chest.

- Front and back, Mac.

- Say, isn't your name Al Thomas?

- Yeah.

- Weren't you a fighter?

- Just in the Marines.

- Runner-up in the heavyweight division.

- Tell him who you were runner-up to.

Stryker. Lucky punch.

Meet your new manager.

Tell him why you lost your stripes.

My natural dislike for you is

gradually developing into a great hate.

Don't let this guy do your thinking.

You'll get a square deal from Stryker.

You bet. Square deal.

I'm looking forward to the first time

he and I come head to head off duty.

Hey, take it easy

with that hand, champ!

Saddle up!

- All right, take a break.

- Take a break.

- How does your squad look?

- See me in about six months. Conway!

I was checking the records.

Your father was Colonel Sam Conway.

- What if he was?

- I was with him ten months ago.

He was my CO before he got killed.

One of the best officers and finest men

I ever served under.

- I thought if you...

- Thanks. I'll keep it in mind.

- For that, you sleep with your rifle.

- It was an accident.

- Nobody in this outfit drops their rifle.

- Fall in!

All right, saddle up. Pick it up.

Sometimes I don't know

which I hate worse, him or the Nips.

- Your father was a good marine.

- Until ten months ago.

- You shipped in when he was killed.

- I shipped in because I was expected to.

In war the men of my family

join the Marines.

I'm the last Conway, so here I am.

He'd be proud that

you're carrying on the tradition.

Not my father. He'd have expected me

to find some soft duty somewhere.

- In fact, he told me so.

- I don't get it.

I embarrassed my father. I wasn't

tough enough for him. Too soft.

"No guts" was the phrase he used.

He wanted me to be like Stryker.

"The finest man I ever served under."

I bet they got along just fine.

Both with ramrods strapped on their

backs. I'm a civilian, not a marine.

They're not going to strap one on mine.

I'm in here strictly for tradition.

- That the only reason?

- Yeah. Why?

Nothing... Stryker knows his business.

So did Jack the Ripper.

Knock off the skylarking.

You're in the wrong column.

Left foot close in there.

Look alive!

Choynski, you're all left feet!

Choynski! What do you think

you're doing?

- Running the bayonet course, sir.

- Not in this league.

Yes, sir.

Your men are pretty ragged, Stryker.

Yes, sir.

That ought to take some starch

out of Stryker. His boys didn't do so well.

Hanging him up between those poles,

we'd do a lot better.

Choynski!

OK, so I'm left-handed.

- On guard. Give me your rifle.

- What is this?

You can't learn the easy way, you'll learn

the hard way. Make a thrust.

- Without a scabbard?

- You heard me.

- You mean this way?

- Yeah, like this!

You get the idea? Corpsman!

All right, saddle up.

We'll do it again. Pick it up.

You're the only unkissable guy in camp.

This thing hurts. It ain't funny. No dame's

going to come near a mouth like this.

Don't worry, I got the scoop.

No liberty for three months. You got time.

- Three months? How did you get that?

- I got spies everywhere.

They ought to throw the book at Stryker

for doing this.

They won't. They'll give him a citation

for teaching us to be good marines.

Choynski!

They tell me you're going to live.

You were lucky today.

Someone had been instructing you that

didn't like you, you might not have been.

You better put in a little homework

on that bayonet course.

Somebody who didn't like me? I wonder

what he does to the guys he hates.

365 days in a year and

I gotta pick this one to nick myself!

You need a blow torch on your stubble.

Look who's putting out the scuttlebutt.

No liberty, he says!

Somebody made a mistake.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes