USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Page #5

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Keep playing.

(MUSIC RESUMES)

Theo, What in the hell you

writing in that book now, boy?

"Dear Mama, I should've

learned how to swim.

But now my black ass

gonna drown."

(LAUGHTER)

What are you all laughing at,

huh?

(GRUNTS) We're all gonna die,

you know?

You know that, right?

I mean, the funny part is

you mess hall boys are dying for a country

that doesn't give a sh*t

about you or your people.

Yeah, well,

I ain't waiting for no white folks

or anybody else

to care for me.

I just knew the streets

of Detroit wouldn't.

I'm telling you, man,

I'd have died out there.

Same here.

The streets of Galveston

killed my pa and my little brother.

Plus I wanted to get out

and see the world,

chase some foreign tail.

(LAUGHTER)

I second that.

Hey, you take notes.

Adventure, sex...

you put that in your book,

it'll sell like hot cakes.

We might even have

a new New Testament!

(LAUGHTER)

(SCREAMS)

(ALL SHOUTING)

What's going on

over there!

Get in the raft!

Get in the raft!

Get the men out of the water!

Get on the raft!

Everybody out of the water!

Get out of the water!

You men, out of the water!

What are you doing?

You stop swimming,

you get out of the water!

Where in the hell's

he going?

What happened?

(SONAR PINGING)

(SPEAKING JAPANESE)

May the Lord bless you

and keep you.

May he shine

his face upon you.

Amen.

(QUIETLY)

Dear God, take my soul...

Thank you, God.

(SCREAMS)

Agh! Get off me,

God damn it!

- There's something out there!

- Sharks!

Theodore, Theodore,

have you see any other group?

I was in a big group,

100 or more of us.

- Which direction?

- That way!

(SCREAMS)

Son of a b*tch!

(WHIMPERING)

Peel that open

and inject him.

I'll just head out

a little ways.

I won't be gone long.

See if I can find them.

No, wait, Captain!

Don't leave us!

- Talk to him, distract him!

- (SCREAMS)

- Keep him calm!

- Wait, sir!

Sir! Captain!

Help me.

(CRYING)

MEN:

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved

A wretch

Like me

I once was lost...

(MAN SCREAMING)

(WHIMPERING)

It's okay...

(SHOUTS)

Oh, Christ have mercy on me!

"He wandered into the mess hall

gleam in his eyes,

rolled the dice, and said,

'Lady luck is a friend of mine.

Open up and let it shine.'"

- What are you doing?

- I'm reading.

- What?

- Reading!

You're gonna have to do better than that.

I'm f***ing dying!

Okay, okay!

- Do better than that.

- I'm sorry!

"The first time I saw her,

it was on Market Street

in San Francisco.

You could spot

her red dress a mile away."

Was it a tight dress or what?

Sure, sure,

tight dress.

So tight, leaving little

to the imagination.

Did you write that?

Yeah, it's my book.

That's good.

Read it again.

(GROANS SOFTLY)

"The first time I saw..."

Sir, please, stay with me.

I'm going to read you,

I'm going to read you, okay?

Okay?

"She was so...

She was safe.

She knew.

I will not be

defined by what I face,

but how I face it."

"It was as if she was

a fallen angel,"

CHIEF McWHORTER:

Angel in the skies?

THEODORE:

"sent to watch over him.

'Kiss me with your eyes, '

she teased.

Every molecule in this sailor's

body ached for her touch."

Tie us together!

Found more men

and supplies.

These two say

they drifted away

from the same group

as you, Theodore.

How you men doing?

This young man

is telling a story,

making this old sailor blush,

McVay.

(MEN LAUGH)

So go on, man,

does he take her or what?

Carry on.

"'I'll give you all the love

this life allows, '

she whispered,

and with that,

she spread herself beneath him,

finally guiding him home."

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

CHARLIE:

"Dearest Louise,

it's been two days at sea

and no sign of rescue.

I fear I have

let the men down.

I try to find little things

to give them hope."

- Spam.

- "But even that is in short supply."

House specialty.

God damn.

This...

baboon ass...

tastes like

a two-inch steak.

We'll open one can a day.

Splash some seawater

on your head,

let the breeze

cool you down.

Don't drink it.

It'll make you crazy.

"It is bordering on impossible

that a plane would spot us.

But still,

at the slightest sound,

I look up to the sky."

MAN ON FILM:

Shut up a minute.

(LAUGHING)

MAN #2:

Why, that old tightwad!

He'd steal flies

from a blind spider!

MAN:
Yeah, well,

he just died

and left you

$500,000 bucks.

MAN #2:

$500,000?

I taught her

a couple of dance moves.

Man...

she sure can dance.

Clara's the cutest

thing, man.

Do you know what she

used to call me, Bama?

No.

I don't want to hear it.

(GRUNTS)

I told you,

not in the raft,

shitbird!

What the hell?

Stop! Stop!

You ain't scaring 'em off!

You're ringing

the dinner bell.

CHARLIE:
I couldn't use my Annapolis

ring as a fishing lure

because we need it

for good luck,

but I could use

my wedding ring,

because my wife

would understand.

You see,

she likes to fish.

Might even like it

more than I do.

How'd you guys meet?

You aren't going

to use this

for one of your creative

stories, are you?

(CHUCKLES)

No, sir.

At the Chevy Chase Club

outside of Washington, DC.

The band was playing

"Pennies From Heaven,"

and I saw her.

(CHUCKLES)

She was singing to herself.

She's everything to me.

Well, I'm sure you miss

your family, too.

Have you ever told her?

How you just told me?

Told her what?

How you feel about her.

I try to write to her.

Words don't come

even easily for me...

Not yet! God!

I got a little boy I never seen!

No! No angels!

No, no angels!

Please, please, God!

Hold it tight.

Hold it tight.

Don't let me die here

without seeing him!

- Hold my hand.

- (SOBBING) I don't wanna die!

Don't let me die

without letting me see my...

(SONAR PINGS)

(SPEAKING JAPANESE)

(SOBBING)

Captain. Captain?

It's okay.

The fleet is coming.

Get some rest.

(MAN SPEAKING JAPANESE)

Attention!

If anyone

was coming to save us,

they would've

been here by now.

An island has been spotted

a few miles away.

That's impossible.

We're somewhere

in the Philippine Sea.

You don't know

where we are.

We're going to catch

a current,

and we're gonna ride it over

to that island.

The captain would want us

to stay together.

The Captain is dead,

you understand?

I am in charge now.

I need a few good men

who are tired of being

shark bait to join me now!

You, come on over.

You, come on over.

Obviously, we can't take

anyone who's bleeding.

I'm sorry, chap.

I promised my mama

I'd come home safe.

Come on, men,

swim on over.

And, Waxman, I'm going to leave you

in charge of the wounded.

And those two

troublemakers over there

you seem to have such

an affinity for.

What about leaving us

some supplies? Sir.

Oh, we'll leave you

with that extra raft,

Don't you worry.

We'll send help.

What about you, Marine?

I'm will stay

with the padre.

Very well, then.

Everybody grab an oar.

Let's paddle.

All in unison now, let's go.

I know we're tired.

The island's over there.

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