... believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth.
But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail,
whether there be tongues,
they shall cease,
whether there be knowledge,
it shall vanish away.
For we know in part
and we prophesy in part,
but when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child,
I understood as a child, I thought as a child.
But when I became a man,
I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass darkly,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then shall I know
even as also I am known.
And now abideth
faith, hope, charity, these three,
but the greatest of these is charity.
No call to arms has ever gone unheeded
by a graduate of Bunker Hill Academy.
In defence of our country and her principles,
many of our brothers
have nobly and selflessly
made the ultimate sacrifice.
To honour them, we will close
this baccalaureate service
as we close all services here,
by reading from the book of remembrance.
This will be the last reading
of the book for this year.
Williams, Robert S. Class of '60. Plei Ku.
Taps November 19, 1967.
Yancey, Scott A. Class of '45. Pork Chop Hill.
Taps April 26, 1953.
Young, Henry R. Class of '38. Omaha Beach.
Taps June 6, 1944.
Youngman, Clarence M. Class of '64. Plei Me.
Taps November 22, 1967.
Zimmerman, James J.
Class of '12. The Argonne.
Taps September 27, 1918.
Hey, yo, Jackie! Wait up!
McGonigle, Harry the Horse, class of '22.
Sing Sing Prison.
Give it a rest.
- Ferrilli, Rocky, class of '42.
- Give it a rest.
Lefty's Bar and Grill.
- Brian, Dungeons and Dragons tonight?
- Not tonight, Shawn.
Nice of you to ask.
Have a good day.
Billy, who are you
rooming with next summer?
Attention!
- Carry on.
- Thank you, sir.
Larry, what troop are you in next year, D or F?
- Keep it down!
- I'm in F.
All right! I got into Company A!
Attention!
Boy, I'm not gonna miss your socks...
- How's the T-shirt, Pigpen?
- Turn it out, Pigpen.
Outstanding.
As you were, gentlemen.
Phew!
Oh, God, thank you!
- Hey, Brian. You seen Shovel?
- Not since morning.
He got this summer care package
from his mother. One-way douche bag hid it.
The thing's the size of a Volkswagen.
Home-made fudge,
carrot cake, date nut bread.
I'm hot on the trail of that sucker.
When I see him, I'll...
Hey, Shovel!
Come here with that food!
Sorry, Hulk.
Want me to touch up your shoes, sir?
I mean, you won't want to go to the general's
with your shoes all grungy.
You know what
I'm gonna hate next year, Charlie?
- Breaking in a new plebe.
- Yeah.
Yes, sir.
Zen is no laughing matter.
- Yes, sir.
- Carry on.
Thank you, sir.
Four, five, six.
I can never hear that sequence of numbers
without feeling a rush in my blood.
The siege itself
was almost as bad as the assaults,
and the assaults were out of this world.
They kept coming at us, wave after wave.
Totally indifferent to casualties. The Chinese
always had plenty of bodies to spare.
They seemed to be fascinated
with our Springfield 1903.
The rifle our snipers used.
They called it the weapon of the silent death.
I wish I could remember that phrase
in Chinese. It was rather beautiful.
In battle, sir,
how do you keep from being scared?
You don't. My God, was I scared!
I must have lost about 20 pounds,
all of it brown!
But fear has a way
of providing you with a little bonus.
It gives you... the wolf.
The wolf?
It's a quotation from Theodore Roosevelt.
Let me see.
"All men who have felt the power
of the joy of battle
know what it's like
when the wolf rises in the heart."
He knew and I know
that man was meant to be a warrior.
We're all sons of our Viking fathers.
Try to eat a little something,
just to keep up appearances.
Otherwise I'll get an earache from Mrs Malloy.
It's delicious, sir.
I don't imagine I had much appetite
when I was appointed cadet major.
My God. Can't be 45 years ago.
Nobody's that old.
Wasn't General Black commander then, sir?
- General Black?
- Yes. Yes, General Black.
We cadets used to say
that his name described his heart.
But we respected the hell out of him.
He went the whole nine yards.
It didn't matter whether it was war
or growing roses or making men.
You know that picture of him
in the admin building?
When I was a plebe
it used to scare me walking under it.
That's why they hung it there.
The truth is you would have loved him
like a father. I know I did.
Speaking of fathers, Mr Moreland,
is your dad still at Fort Benning?
No, sir, he's at Fort Polk now.
Well, a good top sergeant
is worth his weight in gold.
I know many a colonel who's had
his ass saved by a clever sergeant.
Excuse me, Mrs Malloy.
I'm sure he's very proud of you, son.
- I hope he is, sir.
- Oh, thank you.
My doctor allows me one of these a day.
This is my third.
I wish I could tell you that there are more old
generals than old doctors, but it's not true.
Mrs Malloy, my officers and I
will have coffee and brandy in the study.
Gentlemen?
I'm afraid I can't vouch for the vintage,
but ultimately
it is the company that counts, isn't it?
So, what shall we drink to?
I tell you what. Let's drink
to the one thing that never changes.
To the one permanent part of a man's life.
- What's that, sir?
- Honour.
Honour, indeed.
Burglarproof, foolproof, weatherproof.
Everything else
is subject to the powers that be,
dependent upon the caprices
of often inferior men.
But your honour is your own, inviolate.
So, then. To honour.
- To honour.
- To honour.
Well, drink up. We have things to do.
Bunker Hill is rich in ceremony,
but this is an occasion
I always like to keep rather private,
when I say goodbye to one major
and appoint another in his place.
The cadet major
is outranked militarily only by me,
so that makes it a position
of some responsibility.
- You'll attest to that, won't you, Cooper?
- I'm afraid I can.
Captain Moreland, like your predecessor
you've distinguished yourself for a number
of years here as an underclassman.
And in recognition
of your scholarship and leadership,
your exemplary character,
I take pleasure in conferring upon you
the rank of cadet major
with all the responsibilities
and privileges of that rank.
Now, they'll respect the rank.
But God knows they won't
respect the man unless he earns it.
And the loyalty of men is always hard-earned.
- I'll do my best, sir.
- I have every confidence in you.
- Thank you, sir.
- Congratulations, Brian.
- Don't make me look too bad in comparison.
- Don't worry.
John, if you do half as well at West Point as
you have here, you'll make a splendid officer.
Thank you, sir. The credit would go to you.
If you wouldn't mind accompanying me
to the administration building,
I have my annual battle of the paperclips
with the board of trustees.
Entirely adequate.
Don't ask me what we had for dinner.
Can't remember.
- We had this stuff in some green liquid.
- We had brandy. Brandy with the general.
- Incredible.
- Do you even like brandy?
That's beside the point. Can't stand it.
They're beautiful, roomie. You earned them.
Yeah. You deserve them as much as I do.
No way, Jos. I'm half-civilian,
you know, on my mother's side.
Even if I did get you through math, science,
- Military science...
- True. Very true.
Did you get 'em?
Whatever happened to good manners?
The simple custom of knocking...
The gold.
I'd give my right nut for those oak leaves.
Does a major live at this address?
Can I touch 'em? Please?
- Man, I can't believe it!
- Don't cream on 'em. They'll tarnish.
You should have been there.
We talked about battles he'd been in.
- No shit!
- Drank brandy.
- No shit!
- Toasted honour.
You can tell your grandchildren about it.
Listen. We are gonna have such a great year.
The best year yet.
We are gonna command the best regiment
this school has ever seen.
Damn well said!
In honour of this auspicious occasion,
Major Moreland,
your presence is requested in the hallway.
Dismissed!
Major Moreland, he's our man.
Major Moreland, he's our man.
He's the baddest in the land.
- He's the baddest in the land.
- Thank you, Dave.
Thank you. Thanks.
That was a nice thing to do, Shawn.
I mean it.
Thanks.
The corps of cadets
is commanded by Major John Cooper.
The incoming corps commander
is Major Brian Moreland.
B Company is led by
Cadet Captain David Shawn.
Eyes right!
Eyes right!
A Company is led by Cadet Captain JC Pierce.
Company, turn!
C Company is led by
Cadet Captain Robert Harris.
Eyes right!
- D Troop is led by Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer.
- Eyes right!
Present arms!
Staff, present arms.
Stand at ease!
Staff, stand at ease.
Ladies and gentlemen,
for 141 years, old soldiers like myself
have stood here on this day
and told the finest of America's young men
the meaning of the word "commencement".
It is a beginning, we told them.
But today,
this day,
it has another meaning, an end.
An end to nearly
a century and a half of tradition
and an end to the heart of us.
I have been informed
that Bunker Hill Academy is to be closed,
all of its buildings torn down,
nothing to be left...
but memories.
It is the decision of the board of trustees
in their wisdom that this institution be sold
and the land developed
for its real estate potential.
In order to allow
the incoming seniors to graduate
and the underclassmen
to seek enrolment elsewhere,
the board has graciously extended
the date of termination for one year.
One year.
I stand here today with you
and look out over these young men
and of course I am reminded of other
commencement days and other young men,
men of courage and conviction,
men who have given everything.
In Mexico.
In the great catastrophe of the Civil War.
In Flanders and the Argonne.
In the jungles of the Philippines
and on Omaha Beach.
In the snows of Bastogne,
in the Mekong Delta
and at the siege of Khe Sanh.
How, then,
can others say this land is for sale?
It has been purchased and paid for
with the blood of our graduates.
I am a veteran of many terrible battles.
But no battle is more important than this one,
and this final battle I intend to win.
We have a year.
Entire wars have been won in less time.
Men of the corps,
so long as breath and spirit remain,
we must fight to preserve this academy
so that the traditions that were born here
may endure here.
We must pledge ourselves to that mission.
Yes, come in.
Major Moreland
requesting permission to speak.
Go ahead, Major.
Sir, those of us staying summer session
were wondering... We wondered if...
Stand at ease, Major.
Sir, how can they do this?
With the stroke of a pen, sir.
Their field of honour was a desk top.
They didn't consult me.
Never hinted at what their plans were.
They just papered it and pencilled it
and went ahead and did it
because that's what the numbers said.
Sir, all they want is money.
Let them raise the tuition. We'll pay it.
I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, son.
There's a feeling on the outside
that schools like this are anachronistic
and leaders of men
like you and me are dinosaurs.
Sir?
Well, you go to the movies, you read books.
A military leader is always portrayed
as slightly insane.
Very often more than slightly.
That's because it is insane to cling to honour
in a world where honour is held in contempt.
Sir, I don't know
if I really deserve the rank of major.
My first thought was for myself.
I didn't think about the others or the school...
- Sit down, Mr Moreland.
- Sir.
Never be ashamed of being human.
Without humanity, a leader becomes a tyrant.
I was relieved. I figured I had another year.
I could graduate and go on to West Point.
So you will. And the others too.
I haven't spent a lifetime fighting
just to turn over and play dead now.
I came to Bunker Hill when I was 12 years old.
Just like you.
With the exception of those 12 years,
I've been in uniform all my life.
I know men younger than myself
who take their pensions
and put on stupid little white shirts
with cut-off sleeves,
alligator on the tit,
and spend the rest of their days
beating the hell out of a little white ball
with an iron club.
My God!
The thought of it makes me want to puke.
They like it like that, civilians.
Well, the one thing civilians know
is their rights.
And they're within their rights
to push us out
to make way
for their goddamned condominiums.
But we have one little advantage on them.
- What's that, sir?
- We're here.
And the condos aren't.
We have a foothold.
You boys are my purpose. You're my family.
And I'm not going to let them
take you away from me.
We won't either, sir. We won't let them.
- I knew something like this would happen.
- Sure.
I figured after one whole year of being
shit on, I'd get hit by a bus or something
and never get a chance
to shit on the next bunch.
So you didn't get hit by a bus. So what?
Thank you, sir.
They'll find me another school for next year.
It'll be another year of getting shit on.
Will your folks
let you come back here for one year?
Maybe. I don't know.
- Snow White and the two dwarves.
- I'm not in any mood for your shit, Dwyer.
- Just trying to be friendly.
- Yeah.
So... what's Moreland say about all this?
He says it'll never happen.
Bache'll come in and save the day.
- I think he's right.
- That makes two of you.
So what do you think, Dwyer?
I think your mother never gave you any toys
when you were a baby.
Neither did Dwyer's,
so he had to play with his sister's.
Let's go!
Can I use your comb?
Jesus! I feel like a big fat hairy hand reached
inside of me and yanked something out.
Don't sweat it, West. It ain't over.
- Great. We still get our year.
- Forget about that one year business.
This place will be here after
the pencil pushers are in the boneyard.
Don't forget that we're here
and the condos aren't. We've got a foothold.
Jesus Christ, it's the Bug again.
Every boy needs a hero.
With the Bug, it's Jim Morrison.
Sir, may I present Miss Lori Cable?
Lori, this is General Bache, our commander.
- How do you do?
- I'm very pleased to meet you, sir.
And I you. Dean Ferris, this is Miss Lori
Cable. A guest of Major Cooper tonight.
- Well done, John.
- Thank you, sir.
Hello. I know that lovely face
but I've forgotten your name.
- Cindy Morris.
- Cindy, yes. Dean Ferris, Cindy Morris.
Well done. It was touch and go there
for a while, wasn't it? I'm proud of you.
All right, all right!
All right, all right!
How would you like to see a real stud?
My man Mikey's in love!
Have fun, JC.
Let me show you how a stud works.
Come on, come on!
- You want us to call the cops?
- Call 'em, asshole!
You gonna ask me out now or what?
What are you looking at, huh?
Hey, come here.
What do you guys do with each other?
- Keep the area clear. Stay away from the gate.
- Yes, sir!
Keep this area clear!
Stay away from the gate!
- Sieg heil!
- We'll keep this area clear, sir!
- Why don't you make us leave, fag?
- Yeah!
Chicken!
What did I tell you, huh?
- Don't do that.
- Hit him!
Knock it off! Break it up!
Break it up!
Call an ambulance! Move it!
It was an accident, sir.
There was a round in the chamber. I forgot.
You killed him.
I'm sorry.
Attention!
General, don't worry.
Everything's gonna be all right.
Look, pipe down.
- Come on, Bug. Get the shit out of it!
- If you can do better, go ahead.
- Come on, keep it down!
- What is the problem here?
Sure looks like one to me.
Chest pain, shortness of breath. Over.
Take the general to Valley Community.
Call once he's checked over.
Roger. Out.
Hello?
Where are you?
Oh. So when will you get here?
I'm all right. I wasn't part of anything.
No, that's OK. I can stay here.
There'll be guys here.
I said it's OK.
I don't know what you expect me to say.
I'm sorry I raised my voice.
It's just that I thought you'd be here.
I'd rather stay here.
Really.
I love you too. Bye.
- You let me know what happens, OK?
- All right.
- You take care.
- OK.
- Good summer.
- You too.
Hand grenades, fragmentation M-26,
Machine guns, M-2, one per crate, 36 crates.
four per case, we have 20 cases.
- Got it.
- M-16s, ten full racks.
All right, that's 20 to a rack.
four racks, 24 to a rack.
Six crates of M-16 bayonets.
Six 81mm mortars.
Bache has enough armament here
to start World War III.
- So glad they're going.
- I didn't want them here in the first place.
That was the general's notion
of national defence, stock...
- How did you get in here?
- The door was open.
Wonderful.
- What do you say we lock it?
- What's going on?
We're taking inventory.
We're no longer to be trusted with weapons.
What are we gonna drill with?
- After last night?
- That was an accident.
That's not for you to decide
and I don't care to discuss it.
Look, I came to ask about the general.
- He's in intensive care.
- How is he?
They say the next 24 hours
will be the critical stage.
He's a strong man. He'll be all right.
- You can ask for yourself.
- I called. They wouldn't let me talk to him.
- You know as much as I do.
- Well, who...
Who's gonna be in charge
of the summer session?
I'm not sure there'll be a summer session.
What?
Goodbye, Mr Moreland.
They're worthwhile only if there is
a reasonable chance for success.
- How much time has elapsed since...
- 18 hours and 12 minutes.
Dr McCoy must have told you...
- Why doesn't he use his phaser?
- He can't.
How come?
The brain's protected
by a phaser-proof electromagnetic shield.
- You seen this one before?
- I've seen all of them before.
- Turn on the news!
- You're not supposed to be here!
We're watching this!
Shut up!
... shattered overnight by
the still-unexplained shooting of a local boy.
Donald Andrews, 17, of Foxhaven,
died late last night
as a result of a gunshot wound...
- God, the kid bought it, huh?
- ... between local boys and cadets.
The shot was allegedly fiired
by General Harlan Bache,
superintendent
of the Bunker Hill Military Academy.
In response, police have ordered all weapons
on academy grounds to be confiiscated.
What are we supposed to train with?
... an armoury on the school grounds,
which cadets have used for training purposes.
Meanwhile, General Bache lies in very critical
condition at Valley Community Hospital,
suffering from a heart attack which occurred
immediately following the tragic events.
The school, which had planned
to cease operations next June,
has been ordered closed immediately
by its proprietors.
- What?
- Son of a bitch!
Anderson's father's a big lawyer.
Maybe he can write something.
Shovel,
stop your goddamn feeding your face!
I'd like to grab a grenade
and ram it right up their asses!
That's not fair.
- Stop feeding!
- They don't even give a shit!
Leave me alone!
Hey!
Here's today's closing fiigure.
The lady said the proprietors
ordered the school closed.
Now, as I see it, we are the proprietors.
- What does that mean to us?
- Get the door.
All right, now listen up.
Mr Stewart?
Captain Dwyer, sir, Bunker Hill Academy.
- What can I do for you?
- Provision list, sir.
- I heard they were closing.
- Mopping-up battalion has to eat.
Took 150 years to build it.
Gonna take time to put it to bed.
Usually they want me
to deliver the stuff myself.
SOP undergoing change
because of all the unpleasantness.
- SOP?
- Standard operating procedure.
Call the academy for verification.
- Oh, no. That's OK.
- Thank you, sir. Let's go.
Come on, let's go. Move it!
Forward post to Lee One.
They're coming through the gate. Over.
Command post to Lee One.
Vehicle on the way. Over.
Wait a minute.
What is this?
They were all right here just hours ago.
I... I don't understand.
See those racks? They were filled.
What's going on here, Dean?
- Moreland?
- Who is this boy?
He's the ranking cadet. Moreland.
Do you have any explanation for this?
My God. Where are all the weapons?
- The weapons are secured, sir.
- What do you mean secured?
- You mean you stole them?
- No, sir. We confiscated them.
- Dean, where's the phone?
- There's one in the office.
- Afraid not, sir. We've cut the lines.
- Oh, my God.
If you don't turn those weapons over
immediately, you're going to jail.
The right to bear arms
is guaranteed in the Constitution.
Tell us where the weapons are
or this'll be the sorriest day of your life.
We have three demands.
When they're met, we'll return every weapon.
- Who else...?
- Number one. I want a meeting with Bache...
- Hands behind your back!
- Stay where you are.
Number two. I want a commission
to look into the selling of this academy
to real estate interests.
Number three. I want a meeting between
my officers, myself, and the board of trustees
to discuss alternatives
to the closing of this academy.
That's it. That's all we want.
- What's the problem?
- Green light, Pierce. Come on. Let's go.
- Oh, shit.
- Want me to check under the hood?
- For what?
- I'll know when I get there, won't I?
- Hey, what's it look like?
- Try it now.
Why's Dwyer checking the hood?
Are you seeing what I'm seeing?
JC?
JC!
Wake up, Pierce. Are you reading me?
Dwyer, this is starting to be a real emergency.
JC, are you catching that action?
- You guys having some problems?
- Yeah, I see 'em.
- I'm talking to you!
- Dwyer, for Christ's sake hurry up!
Let's go. You guys having a problem?
- Dwyer!
- Yeah, yeah.
- Dammit, Pierce, come on!
- Dwyer, get back in the truck.
Shit.
- You cretins lose something?
- Just a mechanical...
You're the bastard who killed Don.
Move over here, quick!
Move, move, move, move!
Come on! Move out!
Come on! Let's go!
Watch those rifles and stay to the right!
Keep it moving! Keep it moving!
Come on! Keep it moving!
- Heads up! Look alive!
- Put that ammunition down right there.
Let's go!
- Move it!
- Move it!
Hustle up!
Soldier, bring that around over there!
Come on, soldier! Hurry!
- You hear from them yet in town?
- They're coming home.
Here they come!
We got it!
What the hell were you doing back there?
Pulling your lame ass
outta the grinder, shithead.
- I could kick your ass from here to Albany.
- You try!
- What's going on?
- He rammed a sheriffs car.
- What's the problem?
- This asshole just shot up the town.
- I didn't buy into this to blow people away.
- We're here!
- We're not sitting in jail, we're here!
- Did you get the food?
- Half of it.
- Half is better than nothing.
The guy's a maniac. He rammed a sheriff.
Damn right. Saw my duty and I did it!
Everybody, quiet down!
- Hulk! Escort the bus beyond the gate.
- You're gonna let them go?
We're supposed to be soldiers.
We're not taking hostages.
I want the officers
in the administration building.
Let's move out and move the food!
Attention!
I don't ever want to see what I just saw.
We didn't train
to go spastic at the first sign of trouble.
Goddamn! I'm glad the general didn't see that.
These cadets will follow you
only if they respect you.
All right. Sit down. At ease.
- How did we lose the truck?
- It stalled. We were in a hard place.
Shawn grabbed the chance
to use his weapon.
We were in an explosive situation
which jeopardised the mission. I defused it.
- Beautiful. You really have a way with words.
- He did get us out of it, Alex.
You'd still be getting thrown around by those
townies if he hadn't cut loose a few rounds.
I don't like the idea of gunplay,
but the mission was successful.
That's my whole point! I don't call
what happened a successful mission.
- Naturally.
- We have to show we're serious.
- And we don't want to hurt anyone.
- What are we asking?
That the school be kept open. That's all.
Other kids are vandalising their school.
We want ours to stay open.
If we behave like soldiers
and not kids in a riot, we can win this.
- It's gotta be done by the book.
- That's all I ask.
It'll be done by the book. We stick together,
we go the whole nine yards.
- Agreed?
- Agreed.
Sound the general alarm.
Boys, this is Lieutenant Hanson
of the state police.
Before things get out of hand, put down your
weapons and open the gates. You hear me?
We have conditions first.
Let's have an answer on those.
You have illegally seized private property.
Under the state penal code
you have committed grand larceny.
You have threatened the life
of a federal officer.
Nobody's life was threatened.
You fired upon citizens and a deputy sheriff.
You boys are in very serious trouble.
- Put down your weapons or we'll use force.
- What about the demands?
You have one minute to comply.
Get down!
- 35 seconds.
- Can we speak to General Bache?
- Prepare to assault!
- Prepare to repel!
- Don't shoot me!
- Hold your fire!
- Hold your fire!
- Hold your fire!
Don't shoot me!
Pull it back!
Would you describe the situation
at Bunker Hill as stalemate?
I would not call it a stalemate.
We're trying to ascertain how many cadets
are rebellious and how many are hostages.
- We hadn't heard there were hostages.
- We have reason to believe there are.
Are the police prepared to use force
to end the situation?
We will protect the lives and the property of
the people of the state. If it means resorting...
Even if that means...
They won't interview us.
The police won't let 'em.
Why do I get the feeling that that guy
would get pleasure blowing our brains out?
- Do you see any way out of this?
- Depends on Bache.
I'm wondering about that heart attack.
What if General Bache
never even had a heart attack?
- What if they're just keeping him from us?
- Why would they do that?
I don't know. To rattle us, make more
of the whole thing than we ever wanted.
We never wanted any goddamn war.
- Order!
- Order!
Arms!
Company commanders, take your posts.
Prepare for inspection.
Major! Hey! Hey!
Something's going on! The head cop's
on the box and he wants to talk to you.
All right! We got it!
Shawn, take over!
Battalion dismissed!
Yaw!
This is Major Moreland. Over.
- This is Sergeant Briggs.
- Yes, sir.
I have a delegation here
that wants to meet with you.
Tell the board
we'll be honoured to meet with them.
It's a delegation of parents.
- Parents?
- Six of them.
The man in charge
is Master Sergeant Kevin Moreland.
Will you talk to them?
Yes, sir. Send them in at 0930 hours.
Affiirmative.
So it's your father. So what?
Damn near everybody here has got
a mother or father hanging around outside.
- You don't.
- Yeah, well, I'm a hard case.
- Sorry.
- Forget it.
Look, at least your old man has got
a nodding acquaintance with the real world.
Hell, I like him.
Everybody likes my old man.
You do too, Brian. Admit it.
That's why you're so scared.
No, I ain't scared.
I don't know if I like him.
I'm still thinking about it.
Yeah, well, don't rush into anything.
When my mother died I was sitting
in the hallway in the army hospital.
I was worried as hell. I knew she was
real sick. She had this bad kidney thing.
So I'm sitting there
and my father comes out of the room
and tells me that she's dead.
He led me to this little chapel they had there
and he sat me down
and he told me I could cry for 15 minutes.
He gave me 15 minutes to cry
and after that I wasn't supposed to cry again.
So he left me alone in the chapel
and came back...
he came back 15 minutes later.
- Jesus. What did you do?
- Well, I did what I was told.
I cried for 15 minutes.
She was a beautiful woman...
my mother.
She was crazy about the old man.
I don't know, I guess he loved her too.
You never told me that story.
Yeah, I was 12. That's when I came here.
Brian.
Hey, Brian, they're down at the gate.
Better get going.
All right.
When this is over,
you and me are gonna go round and round.
Yeah. But first
you're gonna move your goddamn arm.
- Hello, Brian.
- Hello, sir.
You look like
you might have grown an inch or two.
- You've put on a couple of pounds too.
- A couple.
- Sorry you had to come all the way up here.
- Nah.
- How you doing, Alex?
- Hello, Sergeant Moreland.
- The old place looks different...
- Get to the bottom line.
Hold your water.
Bottom line.
The truth is
these folks are worried about their kids.
They think some of them
are being held against their will.
Everyone's here
because they want to be here.
Our son would not be involved
in something like this.
Lady, if my son can be involved in it, your
son can be. Let's not get holier-than-thou.
- Let us hear it from our children.
- Yes.
I can't call my soldiers away from their posts
to calm down their parents.
- You're only children!
- They'll try to add kidnapping to the rest of it.
- We want to see our kid.
- I'll try.
- Good.
- Under my terms.
I hope you're proud, Sergeant Moreland.
You have fathered a son of a bitch.
You people shut up!
I can't think through all your static.
We aren't in the army, Sergeant.
No apologies necessary.
Just keep the hell quiet
and let me take care of this.
Frigging feather merchants.
I don't blame them, sir.
It's a little hard to understand.
- Ever get in the habit?
- Oh. No, sir. No, thanks.
Smart. Damn things will kill you.
- What am I gonna tell those people?
- I never thought this would involve you.
Let me tell 'em it was growing pains.
The wrong execution of the right idea.
- The wrong execution of the right idea?
- Yeah. They'll understand that.
Look, Brian, all the men in our family
have been soldiers.
- I know.
- Plain dogfaces with a knack for surviving.
- I hoped somebody would break into brass.
- I have my command.
You're not thinking straight. You have
a bad way to lose a pretty bright future, kid.
Stop calling me kid.
You expect me to call you Major?
You can forget it.
Look at this operation. You got your strength
nose to nose with the cops.
Eventually even they'll figure out you've got
a vulnerable rear flank and they'll sneak in.
There, by the field, behind the trees,
and they'll throw a net over your asses.
You can say that...
The first canister of tear gas,
half your troops'll wet their pants and run.
And how bright was it
to let this delegation in here?
Look at me. I could break your neck and
you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
You'd be shot.
My next in command would take over.
I read that book too.
We could take you all as hostages,
but we won't. We have a code of honour.
Sweet Jesus! Is that what this is all about?
Somebody's lofty shit about honour? Yours?
Yes, mine, and I learned it here.
General Bache lives it...
- He's here because there's no place...
- He is the example we follow!
Bache has been passed over so many times,
he's got a stiff neck from the draught.
Bache! Bache is living proof
that horses' asses outnumber horses!
Captain Shawn, escort my...
the sergeant off the base!
- Muster the men in the quad.
- Yes, sir.
- We've pulled together well, haven't we?
- Yes, sir!
General Bache would be proud of us.
If he were here, I know he'd tell us to hold out.
To finish what we've started
and not to be halfway about anything.
They're saying some of you are being held
against your will, you don't want to be here.
Either they're right or we're right.
Nobody's gonna cut you down
if you don't believe in what we're doing,
or if you're afraid of parents or the cops.
Anybody who isn't 100 per cent sure
of why we're here and what we're doing,
take one step forward.
- Battalion!
- Company!
Attention!
- Left!
- Left!
Face!
- Forward!
- Forward!
March!
- Major Moreland, he's our man.
- Major Moreland, he's our man.
- Bunker Hill we make our stand.
- Bunker Hill we make our stand.
- Sound off.
- One, two.
- Sound off.
- Three, four.
- One, two, three, four.
- One, two, three, four.
Sir? You got any grenades?
Thank you, sir.
- You got any grenades?
- Sure.
- Can I have one?
- Here you go.
- Thanks.
- Oh, and, Shovel?
- Don't eat it.
- Cute.
- Carry on.
- Thank you, sir.
- Any news from the outside?
- Attention.
- Carry on.
- No news, sir.
His batteries are down.
We can't even pick up the shitkickers.
We can see them from here.
They've got their thumbs up their asses.
- They don't scare us, do they, Charlie?
- No, sir.
Me either, sir. They don't scare me.
- Good night, guys.
- Good night, sir.
Charlie.
That's what I call grace under pressure.
Why not? Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
- That wasn't grace, that was crazy.
- Depends on your point of view.
That's Peru.
- Meaning?
- Meaning maybe this is just as crazy.
Alex, you've been picking at this
from the beginning.
What's wrong with you?
Things are going beautifully.
We're in better shape now.
Now we're a corps. General Bache
used to talk about men under pressure.
- How they act as one. We're seeing it.
- Thus spake Saint Bache.
- OK.
- He's only a man, Brian.
Like your father, my father. Just a man.
Not every word out of his mouth
is some holy nugget.
Right. Whatever you say.
Don't let that display of loyalty
go to your head.
It won't mean beans to anybody out there.
They'll say it was brainwashing.
Maybe they're right.
I half expected you to be the one to break
ranks. Head for the comforts of home.
- The thought crossed my mind.
- What stopped you?
My sense of honour may be a little ragged,
but I don't walk out on a friend.
If you want to argue about this,
we'll argue in the morning.
I've got to get some sleep.
All right. It can wait till morning.
What do you think they put
in those flakjackets? Is it lead or what?
No. Lead's too heavy.
They wouldn't be able to move.
They probably use some super-plastic.
I read that it's got
something to do with the configuration...
Wanna try and spell that, bonehead?
He couldn't even spell his own name.
- What are you laughing at?
- Keep it down.
Shit. Down. Berets off.
Forward observation to command post.
Convoy approaching. Looks like heavy stuff.
Have C Squad cover the rooftops.
C Squad, rear of the building!
A Squad, behind the trees!
How's it going, Brian?
They had to call in the heavyweights.
- Get more power on the rooftops.
- I already have.
- Reinforce the rear and left flanks.
- Yes, sir.
- No one fires unless I give the order.
- Yes, sir.
Too much! There must be
Don't sweat it.
Stephen Miller?
Stephen Miller?
It's Mom, honey.
Will you listen to me, please?
It's still not too late to come out of there
and forget it ever happened.
We have such a wonderful summer
planned for you.
Don't go and get involved
in something like this.
Please.
Don't spoil everything, now.
Please.
Come out and at least talk to us.
Five minutes. Just let us know you're all right.
Charlie Auden! This is Dad, Charlie.
Your mother and I are pretty scared out here.
She's crying all the time. I can't stop her.
You were never that crazy about this school.
You've been complaining all year.
We can't fiigure out
why you're in there somewhere with a gun.
I mean, we just can't believe it.
Come on home, Charlie.
Look, you can go to any kind of school
you want to. Just come out of there.
Please come out.
Don't hurt yourself.
Come on out.
Billy. Billy, I hope you can hear me.
You've always gone along with the crowd,
and I know kids are like that.
But this is one thing
you've got to do for yourself.
Sometimes being accepted by your friends
isn't worth the price.
- Your real friends...
- Who goes there?
- Lieutenant West.
- Advance and be recognised.
Stand easy.
- Everything OK?
- Yes, sir.
What are your orders?
Shoot anything that comes over,
under or around the wall.
- On whose orders?
- Captain Shawn's, sir.
- Carry on.
- Yes, sir.
Just a minute.
- Would you?
- Yes, sir. No problem, sir.
- Carry on.
- Yes, sir.
Any contact?
No. Nothing.
Maybe they just plan on,
you know, just coming in.
They would have done that
if that's what they came for.
I was hoping to get some word
on the general, see how he's doing.
Bug, go to the mess hall
and get us a pot of hot coffee.
Yes, sir.
Sit down.
Do you really expect them
to negotiate with us?
Yeah. They're not gonna stay out there
forever. We'll hear from them.
I don't know, Brian.
- Things might escalate.
- Escalate? How?
For one thing,
Shawn's Red Berets are really pumped up.
There's a sentry out there
ready to shoot to kill.
That's a sentry's job. What good is he
if he's not prepared to shoot?
Maybe he's a little more than ready.
And it's coming from Shawn, Brian.
I think he's running private little pep rallies
out there for them or something.
- A natural-born leader.
- He's got me a little worried, is all.
He's too much into this. He's at a pitch, man.
He's always been like that, Eddie.
After the Hulk, who would you want
on your side if you were in a fight?
- Well... Shawn.
- Right.
- First I'd want to talk my way out of the fight.
- Who wouldn't?
Now, listen. Nobody here wants to get killed.
They know we're right
and they're not gonna come in here shooting.
Trust me, Eddie.
- Order!
- Order arms!
- Parade!
- Parade rest!
Company commanders, front and centre.
- Status?
- D Troop, two men missing, sir.
- Alpha Company, four men missing, sir.
- Charlie Company, five men missing, sir.
- Bravo Company, all present, sir.
- Very well.
- 11 goddamn scumbags!
- Hold it down!
- The next yellow puke that goes...
- Shawn!
I want a full report from the roommates
of the 11 that are missing. And I want...
Major Moreland. Major Moreland.
Contact Colonel Kerby.
- You're the fellow who started all this.
- Major Moreland, sir, the ranking cadet.
Yes. I understand you're quite a leader,
Major Moreland.
Sir, we were all well trained
here at Bunker Hill.
- That's part of why we won't give it up.
- I can understand that.
What's another 100 condominiums,
more or less?
Condominiums are more easily built
than leaders.
Yeah. Exactly.
Only... you and I don't have
the last word on that subject.
But I do have something to say about it.
Mr Moreland, you know and I know
that it's never gonna go your way.
You do know that, don't you?
- You got something to tell me, Colonel?
- I'm telling you.
Brian, I'm no fancy negotiator
with a PhD in psychology.
That's not what I do for a living.
I'm the governor's muscle.
I get called when he gets nervous.
Don't try to scare us.
The police already tried that.
I know,
and your parents didn't fare any better.
But I've got to let you know
what's going on out there.
They don't see you guys
as rebels with a good cause.
They think you're home-grown terrorists
and it's got 'em scared shitless.
- Nice American boys don't act like this.
- We have a home here.
Something we think is worth defending.
Why is that so tough to understand?
Sure, and you have the right to defend it,
in all the accepted ways. Hell, I'll help you.
But you can't start
by stealing government property.
I've seen what happens
when you go the other way.
We'd get up to bat
and the game would be over.
At least you would all be alive,
which is all I give a damn about.
Don't worry about us.
How many kids do you have here?
Come on, for Christ's sake.
It's not classified information.
I've seen ten create a fearful momentum
and you have over 100 here. With weapons.
- And some really don't want to be here...
- You saw the muster yesterday.
- They had a chance to leave, they stayed.
- 11 kids did leave.
Sounds like 11 boys
who weren't much good to us anyway.
I don't care what happened here.
I don't wanna see scared kids crawling
over the wall in the middle of the night.
You won't.
Escort the colonel back to the gate.
Yes, sir.
- You don't have a whole lot of time, Brian.
- Colonel Kerby, sir.
As you were, soldier.
Jesus Christ! They're either soggy or stale!
It's good training for a young captain,
Mr Pierce.
Those guys
are probably sending out for pizza.
Weekend warriors!
One big difference between those guys
and us. They're used to shooting at people.
Are you kidding?
On a Monday morning, these guys
don't know a muzzle from a rat's ass.
- Bet we could find a witness to say different.
- Yeah, but they couldn't shoot back.
- Captain Shawn.
- Yes, sir.
- Call the corps to formation.
- Everyone?
- Yes, everyone.
- Yes, sir.
Corps all present and accounted for, sir.
Stand at ease!
Gentlemen, when we started this,
we agreed it would be done by the book.
A military operation.
Someday we'll be respected
for what we've done.
Last night 11 cadets jumped the wall.
And today they're saying, outside,
that the rest of you must be hostages.
A decision has to be made and it has to stick!
We can't tolerate any more desertions.
If you don't have the guts
for what we've taken on,
walk out now in the light of day.
If you're as committed as I am, stay.
We'll win this battle.
We'll win it with honour.
Otherwise step forward,
lay down your weapons, walk out.
Take off that beret.
Lieutenant West
requesting permission to be dismissed, sir.
Brian.
- Look, Brian...
- Dismissed.
Detail, right face!
Forward march!
I don't know what's going on.
I can't believe you love the school so much
to sit there and want to die for it.
Maybe I underestimated those damn tapes.
Kids I can understand,
Hulk was always marginal, but West.
It was a big mistake, Brian,
if you don't mind me saying.
Bache would have never played it that way.
Yeah. I wish I could talk to him.
He'd tell us to hold out.
Yeah, I know he would.
Why don't you go grab some sleep? Go on.
Sleep. Can you sleep?
Me? Slept like a baby this afternoon.
Two whole hours.
Go on, lie down, Brian. You'll feel better.
- Wake me if something happens.
- Will do.
Hey! Hey! What the hell's going on here?
- Hey! Where's the water?
- Who turned off the goddamn...
- How does it look?
- It's OK right now.
- We should guard the other water heaters.
- Let's make thirst a capital offence.
He's right. We run out of water, we've had it.
If we can't trust our own guys,
what's the point?
We couldn't trust them to stay with us.
How can we trust them to save water?
- West cut our strength in half.
- Wait a minute, dammit.
- He is our friend.
- With friends like that...
Hey! I don't wanna hear anyone
bad-mouth West.
He did what he felt was right.
- Put guards on the water supplies.
- Yes, sir.
Brian!
MASH!
Any news?
You want the news? I'll give you the news.
We take you now to reporter Alex Dwyer
on the scene of the uprising.
I'm outside the gates of Bunker Hill Academy
talking to a National Guardsman,
a young man not much older than the infants
who have taken over this old institution.
Let's see what the grunt on the street says.
Trooper, how do you feel about the
possibility of taking this school by force?
- Give me those!
- I'd like to frag the freaks!
Sir, what's your opinion of this crisis?
I feel sorry for the little cherubs. It's
society's fault. We failed to meet the needs...
Thank you, Private Bleeding Heart.
We take you now to a press meeting,
live in progress,
with Colonel Adolf Kerby
of the National Guard.
- Can you hear me?
- You're an ass, Dwyer.
It's the governor's fervent hope that force
will not be necessary in retaking the school.
However, the governor will not stand by
indefinitely and allow this to continue.
Let's have an interview with Major Moreland.
What's going on here?
What's going on here?
- I'm here inside the walls of Bunker Hill...
- On your feet! Let's go!
... with Major Brian Moreland,
commander of the rebellious youths.
Correction. Defending cadets.
Let's go. Come on.
- There seems to be some dissension...
- No, this is a military operation.
A military operation. I see.
- No dissension, no desertion and no...
- Knock it off!
- Those of you not on station should sleep.
- You can't escape the press that easily.
Knock it off! It's not funny any more!
It's getting to be a real pain in the ass! Drop it!
Back to you, Walter.
The major's getting pissed off.
- Come on. Move out.
- And we don't want to piss off the major.
Piss off the major, you find yourself escorted
out between two of Shawn's Red Berets.
You just keep going and going,
don't know when to stop.
Think with your brain,
you'll piss off the major.
Piss off the major and you find yourself
escorted outjust like the major's father.
Leave my father out of this.
- Reason with the major, out you go.
- Let's go.
Pretty soon there'll be nobody left
but one pissed-off major.
Knock it off! We've had enough!
You don't wanna save this school
for posterity.
You wanna wear it like your own cocoon!
Just you and Bache,
snug as two bugs queer for each other.
Stay back.
- Come on, Brian!
- Get him!
Hold it down! Hold it down!
- They turned off the power.
- Turn 'em on!
- Hold it down!
- What's that noise?
Listen up! Get your weapons
and man your battle stations!
Check the 50s and 60s.
Make sure they're prepared and ready.
- Come on!
- Move, move, move!
- Don't let friendship keep you here any more.
- Don't worry.
Get down.
Give me a wire brush, Charlie.
Looks like it hasn't been run
since World War I.
Yeah, if then.
OK, that ought to do it. Hold your breath.
All right, hit the switch.
Got it.
Go on, get somebody.
Major Moreland.
- You know you're responsible for that boy?
- It was an accident.
I've gone to the mat with the civil authorities.
I'm urging them to take into consideration
your youth and the strain...
Cut the bullshit.
Nobody in here's young any more.
Excuse me if I don't shed tears
over your lost youth.
You've had your chances to toss it in.
You've got this chance.
The governor is this close
to ordering us to take you in by force.
When that order comes, I'll do it
and you won't ever be that unhappy again.
I'll have to do it.
They want us to be good little boys now so
we can fight some war for them in the future.
Some war they'll decide on.
We'd rather fight our own war right now.
Brian, we're talking about boys so young
they haven't got hair one between their legs.
That's never been
any qualification for a soldier.
Good Christ!
The final stage of any mobilisation
is the children, the seed corn.
What in God's name did they teach you
in here? What did they turn you into?
A soldier. The only thing I ever wanted to be.
A soldier? No, goddammit, I'm a soldier,
with the career goal of all soldiers.
I wanna stay alive in situations where it ain't
easy, but you, my friend, you're a death lover.
I know the species.
has put you in love with death.
Somebody sold you on the idea
that dying for a cause is romantic.
Well, that is the worst kind
of all the kinds of bullshit there is!
Dying is only one thing. Bad.
Don't find that out. Please.
We'll reduce our demands to just one.
I'm listening.
A meeting with General Bache.
Let the order come directly from him.
We'll obey.
General Bache died last night at six o'clock.
You son of a bitch.
You and I have nothing more to talk about.
Company, halt!
Left face!
Firing detail, ready!
Take aim! Fire!
Take aim! Fire!
Take aim! Fire!
General Bache... prized this sword.
It was given to him by General MacArthur
in appreciation of his service.
And he used to say
it was forged in the furnace of honour.
What I know of honour I learned from him
and what I know of dignity I learned from him.
He taught us
there are things worse than death.
Defeat, dishonour.
General Bache,
we commit your spirit to eternity,
to the company of great soldiers...
and great souls.
Company, left face!
Forward march!
How come they
knocked off the tapes, Charlie?
I don't know.
Probably just to keep us wondering.
It's working.
Yeah.
Charlie?
I'm scared.
I mean it. I'm really scared.
We're all gonna get killed. I know it.
No, we're not, Derek.
Try to think of something else.
I can't.
Please, let's just give up, OK?
I mean, we'll leave, OK? Please?
- It'll be all right.
- No, it won't.
- Close your eyes.
- I can't.
Get low, Derek. Come on.
- Derek! Derek, don't run!
- I don't wanna die!
Derek! Don't run!
- Derek!
- Hold your fire!
Stop!
You boys in here, this is the end of it.
Right now, right here.
You're coming out.
Someone finally had to die.
Kerby, hold it right there!
You will talk to our men through us.
I want all of you boys to know
that at dawn we will take this campus.
My men, our tanks, our helicopters,
we will take this campus.
I don't want to see any more of you boys die.
Men, stand fast and listen up.
You are soldiers. You will continue
to follow the orders of your superior officers.
- You will continue...
- Those who don't want this to happen,
at dawn throw down your weapons
and run to the nearest National Guardsman.
We will do our best to protect you
and to see that you get out safely.
Like they did Charlie! The bastards killed him!
Mr Moreland!
Dawn.
I got a tank up here, Billy.
Where's Moreland?
- Bug, where's Moreland?
- I don't know.
Not here.
- Have you seen Shawn?
- No.
They've all disappeared.
I don't know where anybody is.
... honour, country.
These are the virtues
instilled in a cadet at Bunker Hill.
They form the backbone of a curriculum
which has produced a long and illustrious line
of soldiers and statesmen
who have served the United States
with distinction since before the Civil War.
At Bunker Hill
our goal is not only to educate the boy,
it is to develop the man, to plumb potential,
to nurture it in an atmosphere
of strict discipline and intensive training.
Those boys who are dedicated
often fiind acceptance to West Point,
Annapolis or the Air Force Academy, where...
I was thinking about Charlie.
You know, he came in here
scared of his own shadow, homesick.
Used to cry himself to sleep.
I was betting he wouldn't last
the first week of orientation.
You'd call "Right face"
and he'd go in the other direction.
And by Thanksgiving he was calling cadence.
Never got a hit in inspection.
He turned out to be a tough little kid.
Always so eager to please.
It's getting close to dawn.
That plebe year, it's a tough time.
Yeah, it is.
Some of them, like Charlie, thrive on it.
I did. I... I thrived on it.
I can't remember why any more.
I was thinking about that basketball game
we played, one on one, last winter.
It was so cold,
hurt to breathe, and your fingers
could barely feel the ball, you know.
There was no net on the hoop.
We were always arguing the other's shot
didn't go in. Laughing and acting crazy
It was so dark you couldn't see the ball
against the backboard. I love that feeling.
We'll have a rematch, one on one.
It's gonna hurt like hell to leave it all behind.
No one leaves it all behind, Brian.
We're gonna take it with us.
Were they just words?
Honour, duty, country?
I loved that man.
Being in his presence
made me feel privileged.
But there had to be something missing
in all that he taught us,
or this wouldn't have happened.
I... I've done a terrible thing here.
You weren't alone. We were all in it together.
It was my command and I was in charge.
When I knelt next to Charlie,
I tried to find some justification.
But honour doesn't count for shit
when you're looking at a dead little boy.
You don't think of the book of remembrance
or bugles or flags or 21-gun salutes.
All you think about
is what a neat little kid he was...
and how you're gonna miss him.
Declare a victory, Brian.
Let's say we won the war.
Let's go home.
Fall in! Fall in! It's over!
Fall in.
Fall in! It's over!
Fall in! Let's go!
Fall in! It's over!
Let's go! Fall in!
Fall in!
- Let's go, Lyle. Fall in.
- Bring them up from the parade field.
Fall in.
It's over.
Let's go, Frank. Fall in.
- Tell 'em to fall in.
- Fall in, guys.
Bring it down.
Rusty!
- Fall in.
- Yes, sir!
Fall in! Fall in down in the quad. It's over.
Fall in! It's over! It's over!
Fall in!
Hold your fire!
Hold your fire!
Shawn!
Calling chopper two. Lay down the smoke!
Shawn! Dammit!
Move out! Let's go!
Stay inside! Keep clear!
- Shit!
- Shawn!
It's beautiful, man! Beautiful!
Eyes right!
Eyes right!
Eyes right!
Company, turn!
Eyes right!
Eyes right!
Eyes right!