1
[bright music]
[General Eisenhower voiceover]
Soldiers, sailors, and airmen
of the Allied
Expeditionary Force.
You are about to embark
upon the Great Crusade
toward which we have
striven these many months.
The eyes of the
world are upon you.
The hopes and prayers of
liberty-loving people everywhere
march with you.
In company with our brave
allies and brothers-in-arms
on other Fronts, you will
bring about the destruction
of the German war machine, the
elimination of Nazi tyranny
over the oppressed
peoples of Europe,
and security for
ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not
be an easy one.
Your enemy is will
trained, well equipped,
and battle-hardened.
He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944.
Much has happened since the
Nazi triumphs of 1940, '41.
The United Nations have
inflicted upon the Germans
great defeats, in open
battle, man-to-man.
Our air offensive
has seriously reduced
their strength in the air
and their capacity to
wage war on the ground.
Our home fronts have given us
an overwhelming superiority
in weapons and munitions of war,
and placed at our
disposal great reserves
of trained fighting men.
The tide has turned.
The free men of the world are
marching together to victory.
I have full confidence in your
courage, devotion to duty,
and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing
less than full victory.
Good luck, and let us
all beseech the blessing
of Almighty God upon this
great and noble undertaking.
["After You've Gone"
by Ruth Etting]
After you've gone
And left me crying
After you've gone
There's no denying
You'll feel blue
You'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest
pal you ever had
There'll come a time
Now don't forget it
There'll come a time
When you'll regret it
Someday when
you'll grow lonely
Your heart will break like
mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone
After you've gone away
Chris.
Chris.
Chris.
[shouts]
Jesus Christ, Dad.
What's wrong with you, man?
It's afternoon,
what are you doing?
School's finished.
So what, you're just
gonna lie in bed all day?
Give me a break, Jesus Christ.
Get up, now!
Oh, thanks.
Real mature.
Fucking asshole.
Hey, sweetheart.
Do you want something to eat?
[Chris] No, I'm good, thanks.
All right, what?
[scoffs]
It's almost one o'clock.
You okay with him
sleeping in so late?
Richard, just don't start.
Don't start, mm-hmm.
He's been out of
school over a week now.
All he does is hang around
the house, play video games,
and hang out with his friends.
I thought you were gonna go down
to the recruitment
office and enlist.
Can I take some time to
think about it first?
What's there to think about?
I thought you wanted
to join the Army.
He's right, you know, okay?
There's no rush.
You taking his side now?
Why do there have
to be any sides?
He's only just
gotten out of school.
Just let him have a break.
So, what's your plan, Chris?
Step up and take
some responsibility.
Help your mom and I out.
Go get a part time job, start
paying some bills around here.
I've been looking.
Yeah, not hard enough.
Dad, give me a break.
You're too soft on him.
Oh great.
You're gonna start on me now.
[Richard] Hey, I just
want what's best for him.
And you think the
Army would be best.
Don't you?
Sending our son off
to risk his life?
No, can't say that's
something that I want for him.
He's always wanted
to join the Army.
He's talked about
since he was a kid.
Because you always talked
about how you wanted to enlist.
But you couldn't,
because of the injury.
Look, all boys grow up wanting
to please their father.
He's trying to make you proud,
by doing something that you
didn't get the chance to do.
Well it sure doesn't
seem like that anymore.
Maybe he just wants to let
you know he's a grownup.
Look, don't you remember what
it was like to be that age?
Hmm?
Yeah, I was dumb
as a box of rocks.
[chuckles] You were.
God, Karen, you know,
it's an important time
in his life, you know.
I feel like if we don't
give him some kind of nudge,
he's just gonna spend
years being a bum.
It's a weird time right now.
I mean, the average
person lives to what,
70 or 80 years old?
Yet here we are, 18.
How the hell can one
false move at this age
mean that the next 50 or 60
years are gonna be a total bust?
It's a load of
crap, if you ask me.
You know, in the Army, they
say you gotta start young.
You're really gonna enlist?
I'm not so sure.
Well, if you want to talk
to someone who really served
to get an insight,
there's an old who lives on
the same street as my aunt.
He was in the Army.
- Oh yeah?
- Hmm.
They say he was there on D-Day.
I think he won a Medal
of Honor or something.
Everyone calls him Hawkeye.
[melancholy music]
[Hood] Hey old timer,
what's in the bag?
None of your fucking
business, that's what.
Hey, no need to be rude.
We're just here to help
you carry that home.
Couple of Boy Scouts,
eh? [laughing]
There's me thinking
you were two rent boys
out hustling for business.
Hey, fuck you, old man.
Look, before we
go down this road,
there's something you
two ought to know.
Oh yeah, what's that?
I'm mean, nasty, too
old to take your shit.
Check out the mouth on gramps.
Yeah, you've been fun.
Almost a pity to
have to rob your ass.
Give me your fucking wallet.
Afraid not, son.
Oh really, I really
didn't quite...
Yeah, you did.
Now do yourselves a favor
and go back to the Scout Hut
before someone gets hurt.
[Boy] Only one who's
getting hurt is you.
[suspenseful music]
Hand over the fucking wallet...
[grunts]
Thanks.
Is that your wife?
Sure is.
Married almost 50 years.
She pass away?
Yes, almost two years ago.
Sorry to hear that.
[Hawkeye] Thank you.
That your son?
Yeah.
He lives in Connecticut.
[Chris] So are you
gonna call the cops?
Why?
Those two guys, they
should be in jail.
Cops don't give a shit
about what happens
in this neighborhood,
and they sure as hell
don't give a shit
about a broken-down
old fuck like me.
So tell me something, kid,
what are you doing here today?
I think I could
learn a lot from you.
And what do I get
out of the deal?
What do you want?
[Hawkeye] Did you see that yard?
Sure.
Real shit hole, isn't it?
I guess.
0800 tomorrow, I want you
to start mowing that lawn.
When you're done with that,
I'll tell you what
you wanna know.
I don't think
that's... I don't know.
Oh, guns don't scare
you, but hard labor does.
It doesn't scare
me, sir, it's just...
Well good, I'll see
you in the morning.
When did you first
join the Army?
I was drafted April 25th, 1941.
My first assignment was to
the 175th Infantry Regiment,
Company C, of the 29th
Infantry Division.
Early in 1943, we were sent
to Glen Spean, Scotland,
for five weeks of training
under battle-conditioned
British commandos.
I completed that training
and officially
became a 29th Ranger,
and returned to England.
But I wanted to be reassigned
to a more elite unit.
So I volunteered to
become a paratrooper
with the 101st
Airborne Division.
The buck sergeant of the
First Demolitions Section
had heard that I'd
trained as a commando
and had been a member
of the 29th Rangers,
so he arranged to have
me assigned to them.
[chuckles] Together we became
known as the Filthy 13.
Our journey began when we were
stationed at a training camp
in Essex, England in the
weeks leading up to D-Day.
[melancholy guitar music]
[Hawkeye voiceover]
McNasty was our buck sergeant.
He wasn't a big guy in stature,
but he was one of the
toughest men I've ever known.
From day one, I knew I
wanted to be like this guy.
Nothing fazed him.
Agnew was second in command.
He was a real bull.
He was the best qualified
combat man I'd ever seen.
He could fly a plane or
run any kind of boat.
Frenchy was married, and had
a son before he signed up,
so he had a sentimental side,
but he was one tough cookie.
Chuck was a young kid, but
he was very hot-tempered.
He was sent to our unit
because he was far too quick
with his fists and no one
else could handle him.
Piccadilly Willy, he
was a real ladies man.
At that time, Piccadilly
Circus was a red light district
in London, and he spent
all his spare time
cruising for whores. [chuckles]
Ragsman got his nickname
because he never took
care of his clothes.
I don't think he washed
his fatigues even once
while we were in England.
Goo-Goo was from
Joliet, Illinois.
We were going out
through a pasture
when Goo-Goo tripped and
fell onto a fresh cow patty.
After he got up,
he led the rest of the
column off at an angle.
Later he said, "If you'd have
found that goo-goo like I did,
"ain't no telling which
way you would have went."
Dinty was a pretty quiet guy.
But he surprised everyone
when he took McNasty to task
for throwing a towel
of his in a stove.
He never had much to say,
but he earned the respect
of the men after that.
Loulip was a big man,
about six foot one
and real intelligent.
He was so flat-footed
he walked like a duck.
But boy, was he ahead
of everybody else
on all things physical.
Peepnuts had a voice
that was a bit squeaky.
Just like a chicken,
peep peep peep.
He was a little short, so the
other units didn't want him,
but he had brass balls.
Joey was a guy of
Polish descent.
If you said you were gonna
charge into a building,
he was right with you
every step of the way.
Max was as tough as a boot,
and one of the best football
players we had in the regiment.
He would fight anything
that showed up,
but he was never the instigator.
Then of course, there was me.
I was only 20, but once I
got something in my sights,
I never missed.
They used to say I had
the eyes of a hawk.
I think you should
be getting home.
Okay, sure.
But we can talk again, right?
Sure.
How about tomorrow?
Alright.
Bring a set of shears.
Shears?
[Karen] How you doing?
Good, thanks.
Thought you might
like some cookies.
Thank you.
So had you had any more thoughts
about what you wanna do
now that school's over?
I'm still mulling
things over, you know?
Yeah.
Look, I know it must seem
like there's a lot of pressure
right now to make a decision,
but just remember this.
Some of the most
successful people,
they didn't know what
they wanted to do
when they were your age.
And some people, they
don't figure it out
until much later in life.
I don't think Dad would
agree with you on that one.
Yeah.
But Dad, he's worried.
He sees a lot of kids lose
focus after they leave school.
It's hard to find a job.
Some become disillusioned,
and they get into trouble.
You know he doesn't want
that to happen to you.
It won't.
I know.
But you know, if
you wanna find out
what the best path in life is,
there's really only one
thing you need to figure out.
And what's that?
It's that one thing you feel
the most passionate about.
The one thing that just
means the most to you.
'Cause once you know that,
everything becomes clear.
I'm sure I'll figure
it out eventually.
Yeah, you will.
Don't worry.
See you later.
- Thanks, Mom.
- Yep.
[phone rings]
Hello.
[Man on phone] Hey Dad.
Anthony, is that you?
[Anthony] Yeah.
I haven't heard
from you in a while.
Yeah, sorry
about that, I've been busy.
What do you want?
I'm just calling
to see how you are.
Oh cut the crap, Anthony,
I didn't come down with
yesterday's fall of shit.
Dad?
They're gonna kill me.
How much is it this time?
Twenty thousand.
Jesus.
Fucking college basketball,
some seven foot
motherfucker throws it in
right in the buzzer, took my
fucking heart out of my chest.
What do you plan to do about it?
That's why I'm calling.
Can you help me out at all?
You think I'd be living
in this shit hole
if I had 20,000
under the mattress?
Get real, son.
What about your medal?
My medal?
Bet we could get
a lot of money for that.
[solemn piano music]
Dad?
Hello?
[birds chirping]
[solemn piano music]
Hey kid.
Take a load off, have a drink.
So what do you
remember about D-Day?
The silences.
Silences?
Yeah.
Always in battle, there
are moments of silence.
Guns and bombs going off,
the goddamn noise makes
your goddamn ears bleed.
But there are quiet
moments between all that.
Everything would
suddenly fall silent.
When the chaos rages,
you don't have to think.
You're running on adrenaline
and survival instinct.
But in those silent moments,
all you can hear is
your own heartbeat.
[tense music]
Your own breath.
It's in those moments
when you have time
to think about
what's really at stake.
Before we parachuted
into Normandy,
we all painted our
faces with warpaint,
like Native Americans.
It was McNasty's idea.
He had Native American blood
running through his veins.
[distant explosion]
[ominous music]
[McNasty] Take cover,
boys, krauts are coming.
[percussive heart beats]
[yelling in foreign language]
Alright, alright,
calm down, calm down!
We're Americans,
you speak English?
Yes, yes.
Where'd you come from?
The Nazi, they
destroy our village.
They kill my wife,
don't hurt my daughter!
We're not gonna hurt anyone.
At ease, boys!
Aggie!
Any krauts follow you?
I don't think so, but we've
been running for some time.
Alright, alright.
Come with us, you'll be safe.
[gun fires]
- No, no!
- Take cover!
[gun fires]
What the fuck, where the fuck is
that fire coming from?
Ambush!
He's up there!
[McNasty] Stupid
fucker, he's up there!
Frenchy, around
the fucking tree!
[girl screams]
- Come on, run, come on!
Taking fire!
Motherfucker!
[gun fires]
Up in the tree, take him out!
[gun fires]
Take him out!
[shouts]
[guns fire]
Max!
Fuck! Fuck you!
[gun fires]
Max, get up here!
- Max, come up!
- Fuck you, fucking...!
Fuck, oh fuck.
- You okay?
- I'm fine.
[Dinty] Sorry, I'm jammed!
[McNasty] Keep firing,
kill that motherfucker!
Fuck you, fuck you!
[gun fires]
I'm gonna kill you!
[Girl] No!
God damn it, I'm
trying to help you!
Papa, Papa, no.
[speaks French]
Alright, it's your
moment, Hawkeye.
[speaks French]
[suspenseful music]
[gun fires]
[Girl speaking French]
[Girl] Can anybody help, please?
He's gone, honey.
- He's gone.
- Papa.
Can anybody help, please?
[solemn piano music]
Can anybody help?
[Agnew] You gotta let him go.
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no!
- You gotta let him go.
- No!
Let him go.
Gotta let him go, come on.
Let him go, there's
nothing you can do for him.
No!
[sobs]
That's what it's like
on the battlefield.
Everything can
change in a moment.
On the one hand, you're
relieved to have survived.
But sometimes, you wish
you didn't have to live on
with those memories.
I feel like an idiot.
Why?
I shouldn't be asking
you to relive all this.
Well, at least someone still
cares about what we did,
'cause I gotta tell you, kid,
it doesn't take long
to be forgotten.
Hell, we were forgotten when
the war was still going on.
We'd lost contact with
our commanding officers.
They assumed we were all dead.
We were stranded in rural
Normandy without any support.
Was the girl still with you?
No.
We dropped her off at a
hospital in a nearby town
the day after her father died.
The day after that,
we took a wrong turn.
Later that week, we lost contact
with our commanding officers
and walked around
for a couple of days.
We kept our wits
about us, but hell,
even the Germans
weren't out that far.
All we ran into were
fields and woodlands.
And then one day, we
happened upon this cabin
in the middle of nowhere.
[ominous music]
[inaudible counting]
[McNasty] Go, go,
go, go, go, go!
- Don't move!
- Get the fuck in there!
- Get the fuck in there!
- Clear!
- Don't move!
- You hear?
I don't give a fuck
what you are!
Clear!
I'll blow your fucking head off!
I don't give a fuck!
Alright.
You speak English?
Yes, yes.
[McNasty] What's your name?
[Arthur] Arthur.
This is my wife, Andrea,
and these are my children,
Raphael and Marianne.
[McNasty] Family name?
[Arthur] Dubois.
You all French, born and bred?
Yes.
I was born in Paris, and
my wife in Strasbourg.
We settled here in
Normandy after marrying.
Our children were born here.
Alright.
Frenchy, do a sweep upstairs,
make sure there's no
unwanted house guests here.
You got it.
I think all the unwanted
guests are right here.
Hey!
Let's keep it friendly here.
We're not gonna hurt anyone.
We're Americans, here to
fight the Nazi bastards
occupying your country.
We're on the same side.
I understand, but
please, this is my home.
It would be disrespectful
to go searching through
my family's belongings.
They won't be doing that.
It's standard procedure
to check the premises.
[speaks French]
[Arthur] Oui.
Aggie, Hawkeye, do
another sweep around here.
- Yes, sir.
- Yep, we're on it.
[Andrea speaks French]
You wouldn't have any
tobacco, would you?
[scoffs]
No.
I do not smoke, no.
[classic ballad music]
I can assure you, Mrs. Dubois,
that the last thing we wanna
do is frighten your family.
Me and my boys have been
walking here for days,
and we haven't had
any food or water,
so this meal is very
much appreciated.
And then after the
meal, you will leave?
Yeah, of course.
Always checking that
time, Hawkeye, huh?
This is the best damn
food I ever tasted.
You fucking moron.
You know, apart from some
gone-off half of a can of
cheese, this is the only fucking
food that we've had in a week.
Of course it's the best fucking
thing you've ever eaten.
Fuck you, Willy.
No, fuck you, you fuck.
You should relax,
we'll be gone soon.
[Arthur] I'm sorry, but
we are not used to visitors.
We haven't had house
guests for many months now.
Hey Arthur, see
that guy over there?
His name is Frenchy.
You speak French?
No, no sir.
I was born in Quebec,
it's in Canada.
They speak French over there,
but my folks moved back
to the States when I was
like two weeks old, so...
So not the most appropriate
of nicknames, no?
[laughs] No, I suppose not.
Still, could be worse.
Could be called
Piccadilly Willy.
Why do they call you that?
[laughs] I'll tell you, alright?
You know Piccadilly train
station, you got these trains,
they going in every fucking
half an hour, all the time.
Now my own particular
love carriage.
- Willy, that's enough!
- It's the biggest
fucking thing you've
ever seen in your life!
I'm telling you, I mean...
Willy, that's enough.
What the fuck are
you saying to me?
What, you trying to tell
me that this kid here,
he doesn't understand what
the fuck we're talking about?
I lost my virginity
when I was fucking nine!
What?
I know what you're
talking about. [laughs]
You like the whore, yes?
[laughs]
[group laughs]
Smart kid you got there, Arthur.
He should mind his manners.
[Hawkeye] Give him a
break, he's just a kid.
[McNasty] That's
a nice painting.
[Arthur] No, It's a copy,
so not worth much.
It's called "The
Lady in the Field."
Not very imaginative.
Just looks like a
say-what-you-see title.
If it was an original, it
would be worth a lot of money.
Monet is a very famous artist.
I never heard of him.
Someone said the same
thing to me yesterday.
I guess not everyone
has an eye for art.
You had a visitor yesterday?
What?
You said you had a
visitor yesterday.
Yes, a friend of mine visited.
That's odd.
What?
You said you hadn't had
visitors for months.
[ominous music]
[Arthur] So what of it?
[McNasty] It's no big thing.
Just seems strange to say
you didn't have house
guests for months,
and then say someone visited
your house yesterday.
I am just nervous, okay?
It's not every day you have
armed men burst into your home.
Why you getting
so worked up, Art?
What's the problem?
Is there a problem?
I don't understand what
the relevance of this is.
Well in our line of work,
someone lies about
a little thing,
you begin to wonder, can they
lie about a bigger thing, too?
[Arthur] What do you mean?
[McNasty]
Well, I'm beginning to wonder
if all this fear and nervousness
your family is showing is...
Is it only about us?
What, you think a
bunch of Americans
with guns isn't scary enough?
Well, some people think
being a soldier
is all about force
and endurance.
It ain't.
It's about having
the instinct to know
when something ain't right.
That way, you can
spot an ambush.
We are just a
normal family here.
We don't support the Germans.
I'm not saying you do.
But do I know all there
is to know here, Arthur?
[suspenseful music]
[gun fires]
- What the...
- Get into the walls!
- What the fuck!
- All in the walls!
[gun fires]
- Open up, open up, boys!
[group shouts]
- Open up, open up, open up!
- [guns firing]
[shouts]
[rapid gunfire]
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
[gun fires repeatedly]
- Fuck you, fuck you!
- [gun fires repeatedly]
[ominous music]
Mother fucker.
[suspenseful music]
[gun fires]
- Ow!
Good shot.
Let's finish him off.
Fick dich Amerikaner!
[laughs] What'd he say?
Something about dick.
Yeah, I think he wants
to play with our dicks
if we let him go.
[German accent]
Fucking American perverts.
[chuckles] So you
Sprechen English, huh?
[McNasty] You wouldn't
happen to have any tobacco,
by any chance?
[speaks German]
Nah, didn't think
you'd understand that.
Let's see if you
understand this.
[gun fires]
[yells in German]
You know, I don't think
that got the point across.
Let's try this.
[gun fires]
[shouts in pain]
Want me to put him
out of his misery?
Nah, let him take
the long way out.
Fucking bastards, kill me.
Kill me now.
When you get to Hell, tell
them the Filthy 13 sent you.
[dramatic orchestral music]
[speaks German]
[whimpers]
You lost so many.
Yeah.
A lot of our men were killed.
We killed a lot of men, too.
What's it like?
To kill a man?
[Chris] Yeah.
It's goddamn awful,
that's what it is.
The only thing worse is to
be given a medal for it.
It doesn't matter that the enemy
has a different
ideology from you.
If you've got any kind of
soul, it's gonna affect you.
Truth is, we're not
all that different.
Doesn't matter what country
you're fighting for,
we were all just
following orders,
trying to put food on the table
for our families back home.
This is the first time
I've talked about this
in quite a while.
But there isn't a day goes
by I don't think about it.
[solemn piano music]
Sometimes at night,
I close my eyes.
I relive those moments
on the battlefield.
They haunt me.
[News Anchor on TV] All the
news have been pouring in
from Berlin, claiming
that D-Day is here.
It's an outrage
there's no support
for these guys after the war.
Time marches on.
The world changes,
people forget.
It's a tragedy, is what it is.
You know, someone
should write a book
about what those guys did.
Why don't you?
English lit was
never my speciality.
Don't put yourself down.
I read some of those stories
you wrote when you were a kid,
they were really descriptive.
That was years ago, how the
hell did you read those?
Your mother showed me.
She kept them all.
She's got a whole box of short
stories you scribbled down.
I never even know
she kept those.
Maybe you should read them
again, might inspire you.
They might remind
you of who you were
before the world told
you who you should be.
That's pretty deep.
You're wondering about
what you're gonna do
with your life.
That's a deep question,
it needs a deep answer.
True.
You know, if you think about
the reasons we cross paths
with people, maybe that's why
Hawkeye's come into your life.
Not because you're
meant to be a soldier,
but because you're meant
to write about one,
make sure he's remembered.
Do you wanna meet him?
So there's me
thinking peewee here
has no direction in his
life, and he brings you here.
[chuckles] I guess he's
made at least one decision.
I guess so. [chuckles]
So how did you manage to
snag a classy girl like this?
I have my moments.
What was your first
date like, hon?
I'm guessing you wouldn't
have been too impressed
with cheeseburgers at
the local bowling alley.
It was actually pretty amazing.
I love stars, but in the city,
bright ones are hard to find.
Chris knew there'd be load
shedding in his friend's area.
You know, where the
government cuts electricity
in scheduled districts
to conserve energy.
Right.
So Chris set up a date
on his friend's roof
in one of those areas.
He laid blankets,
bought champagne and
my favorite flowers. After about
10 minutes, the power was cut
and the sky lit up,
and we spent the whole night
drinking champagne
and stargazing.
He knew my brother Alan
had died the year before,
and I also told him I
believe people become stars
when they die.
And at the end of the date,
Chris pointed out a star
and told me he'd registered
it online as Alan.
Named after my brother.
He gave me a certificate
and everything,
it was all official.
Pretty thoughtful of you
there, kid, I'll give you that.
I'm sorry to hear
about your brother.
Thank you.
I lost my wife Theresa
a couple years back.
Our first date was not
as spectacular as that.
I just took her to a dance,
that's how people courted
each other back in '41.
The setting wasn't spectacular,
but boy, was she a
spectacular woman.
All Theresa had to
do was smile at me,
and everything in
life made sense.
She wrote to me every
day while I was away.
Throughout the training,
throughout the war.
I didn't get all the
letters, of course,
but still, she wrote.
Did you marry before
the war or after?
After, '49.
Best decision I ever made.
I bet she didn't want
you to fight, did she?
No, she didn't.
But she knew it was
something I had to do,
it's the way I was made.
So she accepted it.
Chris said you received a medal
for what you did during war.
Medal of Honor.
It's the highest award
the United States can give
its military personnel.
Would you like to see it?
Of course.
Wow, it's beautiful.
Did you get this for
taking out the sniper,
or the Nazi at the cabin?
No, that was for something else.
["After You've Gone"
by Ruth Etting]
[birds chirping]
After you've gone
And left me crying
After you've gone
There's no denying
You'll feel blue
You'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest
pal you've ever had
There'll come a time
Now don't forget it
There'll come a time
When you'll regret it
Someday when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like
mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone
After you've gone away
[Hawkeye voiceover] After
D-Day, McNasty, Agnew, and I
ended up in a hospital on
the outskirts of Normandy.
We'd finally been
found by Allied forces
after over a week
in the wilderness.
It had pretty much been turned
into a military hospital.
They were mainly treating
US and British soldiers
who were wounded or ill.
[Hawkeye] You know
what I could go for
right about now, boys?
What's that, man?
American-style hotdog.
Stuck here with all these
lazies talking about sausage.
[laughs]
Who you writing a letter
to, your boyfriend?
Touch.
What's his name?
Marlene.
Marlene.
[guffaws] Marlene.
Yeah, he sounds real pretty.
Hey man, I like a bit
of hair, you know?
I bet you do.
Well don't worry, boys.
We get back to England,
I'll take you to my cabin.
Jake's Bar and Grill.
I'll get you deer
and rabbit, fish.
I remember a story, I
went fishing one night.
Came back, threw the
fish underneath the bed.
Lord Willis' estate.
Had just come in the door, and
who's knocking at the door?
Only Leach.
Fucking hate that guy.
Major asshole.
He went from sergeant
to Major Asshole.
'Cause they always
promote the assholes.
- Yeah.
- Damn right, damn right.
Anyway, Leach is shouting at me,
and he say, "McNise, McNise,
have you been stealing fish?"
I says oh, no sir, no sir.
Meantime, all the
fish are flopping
and flapping underneath the
bed, having a goddamn orgy.
And I'm standing
there "no sir, no way,
I ain't got all them fish out."
-Did he catch you?
No, he just left.
Said the place smelled
like a city dump.
[Hawkeye laughs]
- Hell.
Beer and deer, boys.
Beer and deer, man, amen.
That sounds good.
[birds chirping]
One American soldier positioned
at the entrance, armed.
That must mean there are
other American soldiers
recovering inside.
Possibly British and
other Allied forces, too.
Should we call in a air strike?
There has been no
radio response,
we will have to
take them ourselves.
How do you propose we proceed?
[ominous music]
With stealth.
Our first target will be
the soldier positioned
at the entrance.
But we need to ensure we
don't alert those inside
to our presence.
Guns are out of the
question at this stage.
We need to employ other means.
Understood.
[foreign language over
PA system]
[indistinct chatter]
Excuse me, Doctor, I'm
really sorry to disturb you,
but I need to move the beds
from ward two to ward four,
and I also need to
administer the penicillin,
so I'd really like...
Nobody needs to move anywhere,
there's a complete backlog
of prescriptions here.
I understand what you're
saying, but I could really...
Not at the moment, Nurse.
Nurse.
Can you take this
down to ward six?
That'll be all.
[ominous music]
[groans]
[woman screams in distance]
[suspenseful music]
[fist thuds]
- Kill them!
- Aggie!
[shouts]
[fists thudding]
[grunts]
[growls]
[chokes]
[growls]
[laughs]
[neck cracks]
[shouts]
Say goodnight, you
son of a bitch.
[gun fires]
[panting]
Shit.
I forgot to ask him
if he has any tobacco.
[woman screams]
[suspenseful music]
Put the gun down.
[Hawkeye] Fancy your
chances of killing us both?
Are you really that fast?
Fuck you.
Even if you were fast
enough to take us both out,
how far could you really get?
The allies are all
over this town,
you're not gonna get far without
running into one of them.
Put that gun down
or I will kill her!
Let the girl go.
This isn't her
war, this is ours.
So let's settle it, you and me.
Drop the fucking gun,
I will kill her dead.
Come on, let her go.
I'm going to count to three.
If you don't throw
your gun to the floor,
I'll fucking kill her!
One.
Two.
Three.
[gun fires]
[nurse yelps]
[solemn piano music]
[laughs]
[chuckles]
Yeah.
Beer and deer, boys?
Beer and deer.
Yeah, beer and deer.
[birds chirping]
Some soldiers only feel alive
when they're on the battlefield.
I never got a buzz
from the things I did.
Even when they gave
me a medal for it,
I felt no sense of satisfaction.
This is the truth.
The only time I ever felt alive
was when Theresa was by my side.
Every moment with
her was a gift.
Thank you for sharing with us.
I know it must be so difficult.
I'm so honored you've
told me all this, sir.
It really means a lot to me.
Well if you only
remember one thing
from the things I've
told you, let it be this.
No one ever laid
on their deathbed
wishing they'd spent more
time on the battlefield.
The only thing a man on
his deathbed thinks about
are those he loved and
those who loved him back.
[children chattering]
[Richard] Hey.
Hey.
Heard you went down to
the recruitment office.
Yeah.
How'd it go?
Not so good, actually.
Yeah, that's kinda
what I figured.
Listen, Dad, I'm sorry,
okay, but...
I don't wanna
go in the Army.
It's okay to be scared.
It's not that.
There's another reason
I don't wanna do it.
Which is?
It's Jessica, Dad.
I love her.
Every moment we have together
is like a gift, you know?
There's something I
never really told anyone,
not even your mom
for a long time.
And what's that?
You know how I
couldn't join the Army
because I had hurt my
leg playing football?
Sure.
I kinda faked it.
You faked it?
Kinda, not really, I
just, it's complicated.
I really did wanna
join the Army.
But the week I was supposed
to go and do my medical,
I found out your
mom was pregnant.
So I had a choice.
And after thinking about it,
there really wasn't a choice.
Family was gonna win
out, no matter what.
There's no way I was
gonna leave her here
to raise you by herself,
and the thought of leaving
you alone for months on end?
Just knew I couldn't do it.
Really?
Yeah.
Sorry.
I've been a total jerk, man,
I shouldn't have been pushing
you so hard to join the Army.
It's alright, Dad.
No, no, it's not.
I've just been scared that
you'd turn into some gangbanger,
or become one of those kids
with no direction in their life.
I know you're too
smart for that.
But still, you know, your mom,
she helped me see
that I was just
really projecting my
own fears onto you,
and so I'm sorry for that.
You never have to
apologize for caring.
Take one small piece of
advice from me, though?
Of course.
Being in love is great.
You and Jessica, you're
really meant to be together.
Whatever hopes and
dreams you have
should really fit into your
lives as a couple, you know?
You know, I didn't really know
what I wanted to do.
But this, these past few weeks,
it's become clear to
me what I have to do.
[sorrowful piano music]
Hawkeye?
Hawkeye?
Wake up, sir.
[uplifting music]
Death.
Death is the road.
Life is the path.
The soul is the guide.
Now the brain thinks of death,
the heart thinks of life.
But the soul?
The soul thinks of eternity.
[Lawyer] You should know,
he adjusted his will in
the final week of his life.
This next and final reading
contains that very amendment.
"I leave my Medal of Honor
"to my friend,
Christopher Summerbee."
"I leave this medal to him,
"because he knows the
true meaning of bravery."
"Not just because
he saved my life,
"but because he is brave enough
to take his own path in life,
"and be true to himself."
I'll give you a
moment, Mr. Summerbee.
Thank you.
[sniffles]
[solemn piano music]
[President Truman] I wish
that Franklin D. Roosevelt
had lived to see this day.
General Eisenhower informs me
that the forces of
Germany have surrendered
to the United Nations.
The flags of freedom
fly all over Europe.
For this victory, we join
in offering our thanks
to the providence which
has guided and sustained us
through the dark days of
adversity, and into light.
[uplifting music]
[dramatic orchestral music]