USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Page #7

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the sinking in the press

till I'm damn good and ready.

Jap surrender

we'll just mention in a news dump.

Bury it below

some positive news.

There will still be

an investigation.

Too many lives were lost.

With the Pearl Harbor

inquiry going on,

now ain't the time

to be raising questions

about military incompetence.

Or you just suggest

we indict the Big Blue Dick.

No, I'm saying the press

and the public

will want somebody's

head on a platter.

Then we'll give

'em someone.

MAN:

I want to go home!

I just want to go home!

Where's the doctor?!

I need a doctor!

WOMAN:

Just lie back, sir.

- Signalman.

- Yes, sir.

Did your friend make it?

The boy you jumped over with?

CHARLIE:
"Through some terrible

twist of fate,

it turns out that I am

one of the only officers

that survived.

Many of those that died

were our dear friends.

It will be a tremendous

burden for you

to have to tell their wives

that all their husbands

perished

while yours,

the Captain, lived."

MAN:

Anybody seen Cavanaugh?

Did Cavanaugh

make it?

What about Standish?

Garrison,

9:
00. 9:00.

Stick your hand out.

(LAUGHS)

It's Theodore, you dummy.

(LAUGHTER)

You little turd!

(LAUGHS)

We found your book

on a dead guy, man.

I gave it to a sailor

for comfort.

I ain't ready to go down

God's toilet bowl yet.

I missed you guys!

I found that...

in the gutter...

two weeks ago.

You believe that?

Thanks.

Don't... don't thank me.

I was going to come here.

I was going to tell you that

I didn't know whose it was.

But I knew.

I knew it was D'Antonio's.

I was gonna pawn it

to pay some debt.

I'm not just like some

everyday normal kind of a**hole, Bama.

I'm a special kind.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

(CROWD CHEERING)

MALE REPORTER:

The war is over.

Atomic bombs have been dropped

on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

and Japan has surrendered

to the Allied powers.

CHARLIE:

"The packages we delivered

worked

with devastating accuracy.

The men of the USS Indianapolis

returned home..."

MALE REPORTER:

A joyous day indeed.

Tickertape parades

are the order of the day

for all our brave

American GIs,

both those who came back

and those courageous boys

who have given their lives.

CHARLIE:
"Not all of them

with good news."

"For them,

the war was over."

Mom!

(GASPS)

"But for me, the battle

was just beginning."

I'm here.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

(TELEPHONE RINGS)

McWHORTER:

My boy. My baby boy.

I'll never get to see him!

(GRUNTING)

(MAN SCREAMING)

(THUNDER RUMBLES,

TELEPHONE RINGS)

McVay residence.

MAN:
I hope you burn in hell

for what you did.

Just hang up, Charlie.

Burn in hell!

We need you back, Charlie.

Me, your boy...

we need you.

A lot of boys needed me.

You did all you could.

CLARA:

I hear you got your promotion.

I turned it down.

I'm moving to Washington, DC,

going to law school.

Might even help my uncle

on his next campaign.

Well, I wish you

all the luck in the world, Brian.

You deserve it.

Clara, I, um...

I've been through

just about the scariest thing

that a man could face

out there on the ocean.

I don't know that

that's something

I'm ever

going to get over.

You see,

I've been afraid

to live my life

to the fullest.

I've been afraid a long time.

- (DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS)

- Afraid of what?

(MAN SPEAKING ON RADIO)

Just, well,

not being good enough.

Yeah.

About being rejected.

Rejected?

By who?

By you, Clara.

I have been in love with you

since the day that we met.

And I, um...

(GASPS)

Marriage?

Brian...

Mike and I are having...

A baby, yeah, I know.

But you see,

Mike was like a brother to me,

and that baby

is going to need a father.

And so I would be honored

if you would at least

consider being my wife.

You don't gotta love me back

or anything like that.

And we might never

be as rich as your folks.

But we could start

a fresh life in DC.

I know you already

got one ring,

but I thought maybe

two was better than one.

After all he's been through,

they're putting him on trial.

Sounds like they're

looking for a scapegoat.

Louise, it...

it's complicated.

What's complicated?

Admiral.

Captain.

Would you gentlemen

like some tea?

Thank you, Louise.

REPORTER ON RADIO:

Bumped into the submarine,

which had fired

the torpedoes.

Members of the

tanker's crew related...

(SIGHS)

The President

withheld immediate comment...

ADMIRAL:
Charlie, as far as

they were concerned,

you were on a secret mission

under the command

of the President.

(RADIO SWITCHES OFF)

And since their orders were

to never announce arrivals,

they'll argue that they

were not supposed to announce

non-arrivals either.

So what now?

I found outside counsel.

What I'm about

to tell you...

can't ever

leave this room.

Four days before your ship

was sunk by the Japanese...

there was another US ship

in those same waters.

The USS Underhill.

She was torpedoed...

and sunk.

Point being, you should

have had an escort.

You should have had sonar.

Charlie, I am so sorry.

The trial

will be in Washington.

(ALL CHEER)

This one right here, fellas,

is to being back

on solid ground.

- (ALL CHEER)

- To never seeing another shark again.

To wishing our Captain luck

in this bullshit trial.

To all the good men

we lost at sea.

- Amen.

- Amen.

(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)

Excuse me, boys.

See something

you like, Alvin?

Oh, no, yeah, no I...

I recognize

one of those rings.

But, uh, not the other one.

I got it

from my husband, Bama.

Your husband.

Oh.

You got something

you want to say, Alvin?

Isn't that D'Antonio's girl?

Yeah, she was. So?

I mean,

a fella married

his buddy's

pregnant girlfriend?

That's...

well, he's

a better man than me.

Yeah, I'll drink to that.

Hey, McVay's trial starts

at 0900.

Think we ought a be there

about an hour early.

(CROWD SHOUTING ANGRILY)

MAN:

Sir! Sir!

Are you expecting

to be court martialed?

Sir, answer the question!

MAN #2:
Do you feel

personally responsible

for the loss

of your men? Captain!

(CROWD CHANTING

"MCVAY MUST PAY" OUTSIDE)

Captain McVay,

you're being accused

of hazarding your ship

by failing to zigzag

as an evasive maneuver

and failing to abandon ship

in a timely manner.

For the benefit of the court,

how do you plead?

Not guilty.

(AUDIENCE MURMURS)

And when the ship was hit,

did you hear any directives

from your Captain?

I went to the bridge.

Commander Cavanaugh was there.

He told me

that Captain McVay

had given the order

to abandon ship.

But you never got the order

from Captain McVay.

- Not initially, but...

- Thank you, sir, that'll suffice.

No further questions,

your honor.

Why didn't you object?

That was military protocol.

(GAVEL BANGS)

Captain McVay,

what, pray tell,

is your theory

on zigzagging?

Not so effective

against kaitens,

It's a new Japanese weapon

a manned suicide torpedo,

like an underwater

kamikaze plane.

Hard to hit

what you can't see.

And on that night?

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