Original subtitles

And finally, by using narcotics prior to deployment, P .S .C. Boyer not only

dishonored the uniform of the United States Marine Corps, but she placed her

fellow unit members in jeopardy.

Therefore, the government recommends that she receive a punitive discharge

be sentenced to confinement at hard labor for one year.

Will the accused and counsel please rise?

Private First Class Michelle Boyer, United States Marine Corps.

This court is impressed with the matters in aggravation articulated by trial

counsel's arguments and agrees with the government's recommendation.

Accordingly, you are reduced to pay grade E1, sentenced to a bad conduct

discharge, and 12 months confinement at hard labor. This court is adjourned.

Thanks for ruining my life, ma 'am.

You managed to do that quite well on your own, Private. I'm not a drug user.

Enough, Private. You just made them think I am. Like I'm the only person

got sick on Liberty.

And that stuff that I have addictive personality because I smoke too past the

day? That's a lawyer's trick. Your blood tested positive for heroin.

If there were a sentence for denial, you'd get life.

Do you ever regret putting someone away, man? No.

With as long as the first time.

Colonel? Come on. Colonel, you all right?

Ma 'am?

Ma 'am?

In conclusion, by assaulting a field grade officer, the accused committed one

the most serious breaches of good order and discipline in the UCMJ.

Therefore, the government recommends that Private Michelle Boyer be sentenced

a dishonorable discharge and three years confinement to be served consecutively

to the first court martial sentence.

Accused and counsel rise.

Private Boyer.

Your assault on Colonel McKenzie is the single worst display of courtroom

behavior I've experienced in six years on the bench.

You are to be discharged dishonorably. And I'm extending the term of your

confinement to four years hard labor. That'll give you five to try to turn

life around.

My only regret is I can't apply this sentence to the recruiter who thought

make a good Marine.

We are adjourned.

Staff sergeant, secure the prisoner. Just wanted to say goodbye, Colonel.

Sorry, ma 'am.

She is a tough nut.

Five years in prison will crack anyone.

If they can get her there.

What do you mean?

Charleston is overcrowded. They're shipping her across country to the naval

consolidated brig at Miramar.

That bailiff is the one assigned to get her there.

Commander. How's your workload?

I have room on my plate, sir. I have something for you, Lieutenant Roberts.

An entree or a side dish? A whole other course.

Sounds appetizing.

Let's not do this.

Senior Chief Paul DeFina, Damage Control Fleet Training Center, Norfolk, has

filed an Article 138 complaint.

His commanding officer revealed that the senior chief was HIV positive.

This information is strictly need -to -know. Obviously, handle this

Well, I'll keep my hand on the tiller, sir.

And I believe I'll make this a metaphor -free day.

Colonel, I'm requesting you assign a new brig chaser to escort Private Boyer to

Miramar. Why?

Because the current one can't control her.

Were you expecting her to anticipate a sucker punch?

You didn't. She confronted me at both hearings, sir.

I'm not worried. The judge had to remind her of her responsibilities.

I can't spare anyone else. Colonel, as convening authority, I'm sure you're

aware of Private Boyer's military record.

Painfully. Her proficiency in conduct marks indicate a series of combative and

irrational outbursts. Which is why she's being incarcerated.

Sir, I can't help feeling you're not taking me seriously.

I take you seriously as an attorney, Colonel. The trial is over. Step away.

So the answer is no.

You did your job.

Sir, if a private escapes or does harm to... Colonel, I am busy and you are

dismissed.

Aye, aye, sir.

I was taking my students to a dewatering exercise with a P -100 portable pump. A

rupture on the discharge side caused the hose to whip back, which hit me in the

chest and knocked me down the ladder.

Were you bleeding?

On my hand, cut it on an edge.

How was Petty Officer McMichael involved?

He got my foot stuck in the ladder.

The Petty Officer helped me up.

The ankles are off.

That's not going to hold.

Was there blood transferred?

My CO, Commander Stotler, was observing at the time. He noticed a few drops on

Petty Officer McMichael's sleeve.

An hour later, the Commander called the Petty Officer into his office to inform

him that I was HIV positive and advised him to seek medical counsel.

If that had been the extent of it, I could have handled it.

The petty officer then told the rest of the unit, and the commander responded by

removing me from my position.

His explanation?

That my duties as an instructor had been compromised, and that he would have to

transfer me as soon as the slot opened up elsewhere.

Did Petty Officer McMichael have his blood tested?

Yes, sir. Currently no indication.

Do you think that Commander Stotler overreacted?

I do, Lieutenant.

And the consequences?

I've been rendered useless.

I'm unable to work on my own duty assignment.

There's no openings at other bases, so basically...

I stand around and watch.

My reward for 17 years of active duty.

This petty officer, McMichael, you may have a claim against him for disclosing

your medical history.

I have no beef against the kid, sir. He's young, didn't know any better. He's

apologized up and down. Would never have said anything if he'd been aware of the

consequences. What do you want, Senior Chief?

My job back, Commander.

I'm not a leper, after all.

Been living with the virus since 98.

I want to continue to serve in the capacity for which I've been trained.

In a city where I've made my home.

I call Colonel Okerman

as per your request.

He feels that you're badgering him.

Does that mean he refuses to replace Private Boyer's brig chaser, sir?

No, no. He has agreed to find someone else.

Thank you, Admiral.

Pack your gear.

Sir? He requested you for the assignment.

Admiral... He said he couldn't think of anyone that's more invested and vigilant

than yourself. Sir, he's punishing me for having an opinion.

Apparently.

What about my duties at JAG?

Well, you're between cases. It's on the Colonel's nickel. I can spare you for a

week. Sir, I've never done this before.

Well, he has confidence in your learning curve.

Admiral, I'm not exactly sure what just happened here.

Well, Colonel, you got aggressive with the senior officer.

Good luck.

Welcome, ma 'am.

Liberation Day, Private.

I'm being transferred to National Security.

I was referring to myself.

There's someone else's headache now.

Ma 'am?

You're my break chaser? There were no government flights available, so we'll

flying commercial.

This will be in a civilian space. I expect above average comportment. Any

behavior that I consider disrespectful or hostile will be handled with extreme

prejudice. That sounds like you, ma 'am. Let me remind you, private, that every

word you utter influences your chances for early release.

Just so you know, we'll be changing planes in Cleveland, my hometown.

We won't be leaving the airport. Oh, that's too bad. We could have checked

the downtown drug scene.

I need a cigarette.

22 minutes to make our connection.

I have to use the head.

Forget it.

It's right here.

Quickly.

What? Expecting an ambush, Colonel?

Excuse me.

60 seconds.

Here you go.

You're welcome.

How you doing in there?

Is the prisoner armed?

She wasn't once you disappeared. Potential for violence?

Likely. Why wasn't she restrained?

She said she had to go to the bathroom.

How much security training have you had, Colonel?

All right, let's shut it down. You're all exit.

Nice job. You just defeated and disabling a major metropolitan airport.

All stations, this is F1. We have a code 60. Hang on.

Give me a second.

Senior Chief DeFina was the best instructor in the unit.

Top drawer.

Dedicated. Cared deeply about his students.

Then why was he deactivated, Commander?

The moment his HIV status was revealed, the senior chief became, in their eyes,

an infectious agent.

This reduced his ability to communicate.

Sir, you were the one that revealed his condition.

Well, I respect the Navy's policy of an infected individual's right to privacy,

Lieutenant, but my hand was forced.

given that the senior chief's blood was passed on to Petty Officer McMichael.

Then why didn't you tell the Petty Officer to keep it to himself?

Never occurred to me he wouldn't. A bombshell like that, anyone possessing

information of that nature would have difficulty keeping a lid on it. I won't

argue that point, Commander, but at the time I was more focused on the Petty

Officer's safety.

Well, did you ask him if he had an open wound, Commander?

Yes. And what was his answer?

Negative.

Well, then there was little chance of bodily fluids being transferred. The

question made the revelation pretty much mandatory.

Well, I've told the HIV virus it has difficulty living outside the body.

I'm no more an expert than you are, Commander.

But under the circumstances, I thought a medical examination was prudent.

Well, this present class will be moving on soon. A new one coming in with no

knowledge of the senior chief's medical condition. At that point, are you

willing to reinstate him to full duty? No.

Too much water under the bridge.

The other instructors now know, members of my staff, Senior Chief Defina needs

to move on, start fresh, in a new command.

Which doesn't exist, sir, currently.

Well, that's where we stumble, Commander.

You acknowledge the Senior Chief's rights, yet your decisions were made

the support of concrete evidence.

They're based on a series of ifs.

It's an iffy world, gentlemen.

According to the board,

We've missed our flight.

That's unfortunate.

The next scheduled departure to San Diego is tomorrow, same time, 3 .03.

Put you on another airline, but given this breach, getting a new security

clearance would be unlikely.

I advise you to secure logic.

Closest hotel is a mile and a half away. I'm not authorized to leave the

premises with the prisoner. Your prisoner is a security risk, Colonel. So

see you tomorrow, one hour prior to departure.

We'll escort you out. I can take care of it from here. We're more than happy to

assist, ma 'am. Really, it's not necessary. No, actually, it really is.

Gentlemen, colonel.

Get comfortable. We're here till 1345 tomorrow.

I could have been gone.

Yeah,

this is Lieutenant Colonel McKenzie for Colonel Okerman.

When do you expect training to secure?

Please have him call me on my cell phone as soon as he's able. Thank you.

If I see so much of the finger move in the wrong direction, I'll restrain your

ankles as well. You can shuffle your way to Miramar.

Well, seeing as I've already blown any chance of shortening my time served,

you made it your business to get us a non -smoking room. Let me just say,

you, ma 'am.

Do I get to take a shower? In the brig.

Well, I won't be able to sleep with these on.

Oh, I will, especially after I shackle you to the bed.

Commander Stoddler has an obligation to protect his units from inspection.

However, by, uh...

Dismissing you under questionable circumstances and refusing to reinstate

he has negatively impacted your career.

That's what I've been trying to tell my wife, Commander.

This whole disclosure thing is too easy to violate. I think legal action can

make things worse for Paul. We're talking about privacy, but with every

forward, his medical condition becomes less of a secret.

That is something to consider, Senior Chief.

This is going to force everyone to have to deal with his HIV.

What's to stop them from resenting him? It's not like we can undo any of it.

I'm not going to crawl off just because I may make a colleague uncomfortable,

especially since I didn't do anything wrong in the first place.

What would be the next step?

We present your case to the chief of naval education and training and ask him

overturn command of God.

Sounds good.

There are a few points that we should go over prior to that that could cloud the

issue.

It would be helpful to understand how you were infected, senior chief.

If there was possible misconduct, well, that would be a different road.

I was on liberty in Dabu, Ivory Coast, Lieutenant.

Found myself in the middle of a rebel uprising.

I got shot in the crossfire.

Lost consciousness.

Woke up in the recovery unit of the city hospital.

Found out at my next physical.

Turns out Dabu Central had been performing transfusions with tainted

Would you be willing to provide for verification purposes only information

your treatment at Dabu, the name of the hospital, any records that they might

have, that sort of thing? If you can promise it will only travel an official

channel, sir.

We'll take every precaution.

Let's do it. No.

No.

This is madness.

I mean, now you're providing private information to a flag officer?

You see how this thing is expanding?

Honey, please, let's go somewhere else.

I'm not a fugitive, Adrian.

I don't want to allow anyone to make me feel like one.

Make your arguments, nurse.

President, what are you doing?

When we get to the airport early, you can have a cigarette before we board.

Private?

My daughter lives over there.

She's five.

I never married the father.

He's got custody.

I haven't seen her since I enlisted.

Maybe you could write her, and then when you get out... Do you have children,

Colonel?

No.

Do you want any?

I can't imagine how this is any of your business.

I mean, if you can relate.

You'd take me to see my girl.

You know that's not possible.

We got time.

It's against the regs, and you can't be trusted. We already broke the regs.

You can betray me.

Good night.

Private, when you took off, were you going to see her?

Don't disappoint me, Private. I need a cigarette.

Can you get the pack I bought, ma 'am?

Wait, no, no, no, no, no, never mind, never mind. I don't want to have

breath.

I'm ready, ma 'am.

I hope I don't regret this.

I won't make a move without asking you first.

Hi, Glenn.

Um... This is Lieutenant Colonel McKenzie. We were on our way to Miramar

had a stopover and so... You should have called.

It just... It kind of just happened.

Is, uh, Sharona here?

Uh -huh.

What's she doing?

Drawing.

When did that start?

When I bought her stuff to draw with.

It's a way of trying to get her to express herself.

Oh.

That's a surprise coming from Mr. Poker Face.

You know, we won't be taking too much of your time.

You won't be doing anything without my permission.

Thanks.

Sharona, your mom is here to see you.

Hi, baby.

Look how big you got.

So, what's up?

We're going ice skating today.

Oh, that's great.

You know how to do that?

I'm better than my daddy.

Yeah, so was I.

Did he do your hair?

You look all right, girl.

What is it?

The dragon.

Oh.

What's he doing?

Skating. Is he at the rink, or is he with his friends?

It's okay, honey.

She ain't gonna hurt you.

Go talk to her.

If I had time to prepare... It's been, um, two years,

I understand.

This could happen another time.

I'll be back through here again.

I could write. I could do the e -mail thing.

I'm sorry, Michelle.

No, no, no.

Okay, I mean, we got to go anyway.

Ma 'am, is it okay that I use the bathroom?

Leave the door ajar.

Why don't you get your fuzzy hat?

Thing okay with her?

Yeah.

Next time it'll be better.

Yeah, I'm sure.

Where's the hat?

Up there.

You're doing good, Glenn.

Gab is waiting.

I know.

If we don't leave right now, we're going to miss our flight.

Hold on.

Damn.

What are you doing?

Bloodseeds. Poor insomnia.

You got these out of his medicine cabinet. Were you going to kill

you take none i'm not suicidal i don't believe you're going to the emergency

room look get off me okay it was never gonna happen i was just feeling sorry

myself man i could never commit suicide man i just get too damn hungry wait a

minute i don't have to defend myself to you just back the hell up out my face

Signed to be in your face, private, and for good reason. You got your head so

far up your six, I could roll you to Miramar. Well, excuse me for my pain,

no one, especially no tight, white -ass lawyer, is going to tell me how to feel

or what to do about it. Right now, your pain belongs to the Marine Corps. You

can feel whatever you want once you've paid your debt to your country. My

country owns me.

I was falsely accused.

Well, then you should have appealed instead of flogging the trial counsel.

Well, I grew up. We don't appeal. See, that's your first mistake. You think you

grew up.

You know what? Stop...

Go me, all right? Come on, Colonel. Do what you're trained to do. Come on, you

want to mix it up? Let go. Make it right for yourself.

Why did you leave your daughter?

What? If you care about her so much, why did you abandon her?

You know, that shouldn't be too hard for you to understand, Colonel. Did you hit

her? No.

Almost.

How'd you get so angry?

I don't know how people make it through the day without being angry.

Is that why you do drugs? I don't do drugs.

You know, this behavior won't serve you in the brig.

I know you're wrong about that. You might be able to intimidate a few

here and there, but eventually your rage is going to destroy you.

Speak for yourself.

I am.

Now let's pick up those pills and flush them.

I'd like to keep my wife out of it, sir.

Why? She's still not comfortable with the level of attention my case is

attracting. I'm going to need to get a statement from her, Senior Chief.

I'm asking you to work without it, sir.

I don't understand why she's so anxious.

Commander, my wife is also HIV positive.

I infected her just after I returned from overseas duty. I didn't know at the

time. I'm sorry.

I was protecting her privacy.

That's what this is all about.

My wife doesn't want anyone to know.

She hasn't even told her family.

I'm telling you so you'll understand why I'm asking.

You know, I might be able to make this work in your favor.

The fact that Commander Stoddler made that decision has doubled the stakes.

I trust you can succeed without it.

Commander?

Meredith, hey, we've been wondering.

Ma 'am.

Jennifer, I realize it's your responsibility to keep me awake. I'll

this, ma 'am, but it's in the best interest.

Thank you.

Don't yell at her.

I forced my way in.

Look, I didn't come here to patch things up or to ask your forgiveness.

I just couldn't let us part without words.

Words.

Goodbye. Those are words.

And they're justified?

Oh, Meredith, please, don't fall on your sword. It's so embarrassing.

AJ, I know that I hurt you and I... No, no, no, no, no cliches. I'm not playing

out a scene from a bad movie with you. Okay, okay.

All right, give me a minute.

I can do better, okay?

Alessandro, the professor,

he's married.

Which is to say, I am not worthy of being with any man,

especially you.

I've done this four times.

Two were acts of unfaithfulness.

The other side just disappeared.

It's a pathology.

I'm sure at some point you must have wondered why an attractive 40 -something

.D. had never settled down.

I was so in love with you, I just thought I got incredibly lucky.

which makes me an even bigger fool.

So what are you saying? You're self -destructive?

Something like that.

Go see a therapist. Stop working it out on the unsuspecting.

It's my nature to try and overcome. Not this time.

Somewhere down the line, someone else.

You called, Admiral?

About three minutes ago.

And if I had entered then, sir?

You did the right thing.

Did you, sir?

Yeah.

Are you sure?

That'll be all, Petty Officer.

Yes, sir.

I could have waited one more minute.

I can't believe I have to stay in this room for another 24 hours. Bigger than

the one you'll have at Miramar. And what happened to military courtesy, Private?

Sharpen up.

Yes, ma 'am.

I don't know how I'm going to explain this. Well, just tell them the truth.

I'd probably leave out this Gabe that suspected suicide and that chest bump

stuff.

Oh.

Is that me?

You girl.

You look toe up from the floor.

My mama used to say that.

If I used to come in without washing up or braiding my hair, she used to say,

girl, you look like a big old bag of ugly.

She never said that.

She's gone now, so... Just left me waving in the wind.

I don't want to do that to my little girl. You know, I want to leave her with

something of value.

Well, you have to start by valuing yourself.

Sure, ma 'am.

Right away, I'm on it.

You have the resources.

They know where I can find them. You have to ask for help.

There's no one else in this room but you, ma 'am.

Go ahead.

What can you do for me, Colonel?

You ready?

I think.

I like it.

I can do things with this face.

You look very pretty.

And see how the peach under the brow line accentuates the brown in your eyes?

So, what are we taking home with us today?

Oh, nothing. Thank you very much.

Wow.

Kind of a Beyonce thing going on.

You look great, honey.

You should buy them all.

I will.

As soon as I get out the brig.

Sir,

I finished vetting Senior Chief Dufina's medical history.

I was able to reach the records department at the Dabu Central Hospital.

They claim that tainted blood had been administered to patients at that time

that they told Senior Chief Dufina that when he contacted them.

So we go forward.

Except I went the next step and I contacted BUMED for documentation.

All they had was a one -sheet medical report that had been translated in

by an administrative corpsman.

It was hard to read, and it really didn't specify the manner of treatment.

And? I looked up the physician that treated the senior chief that night, and

was able to locate him in Surrey, England, where he was on sabbatical. Am

going to be happy about the way this turns out, bud?

Confused, sir.

Dr. Offrata remembers the case, being that the senior chief was the only white

patient in the hospital that evening.

But he claims that he was able to get the loss of blood under control and

doesn't recall giving him a transfusion.

That's the third muffin, Private.

Are you going to be counting how much I eat in prison, Colonel? I would expect

portion control.

Well,

then I'm going to have me another.

You know, this is probably a good time to be talking about how you're going to

do your time.

Hard or easy?

You all right?

I haven't had a cigarette in

three days.

I think I've quit without even realizing it.

Oh, God.

Have it.

Okay.

Tell me how many times.

You've regurgitated.

Three.

Let me see your arms, please.

Head back.

May I ask what you're looking for, Doctor?

Maybe the private could help.

Have you used heroin in the last hour?

What did you ask me? Your blood tested positive for opiates.

Have you been using recently?

No. You've been with me, Colonel. Tell the man.

Come on, ma 'am.

How could I make that happen?

Well, let me think.

You could have scored at the airport, hidden it on your person, and saved it

when you felt you needed it. In three minutes, at the restaurant, I'll let you

go to the bathroom on your own. You got sick after that.

You're trying me twice, ma 'am. I'm only asking because I actually see no signs

of use.

I get a lot of drug cases here, and they're either needle marks or nasal

residue.

Let me ask you a question.

Did you eat poppy seeds at any time prior to getting sick?

The muffins. She had three poppy seed muffins.

Heroin is distilled from opium, which is a byproduct of poppy seeds.

Now, theoretically, it is possible to test positive if you've eaten a large

quantity. Now, the nanogram levels are supposedly set high enough to avoid

positives, but your system may just be very sensitive.

Have you ever had this kind of reaction before?

The night you were arrested, weren't you sick?

Yeah, I mean, I had two bagels at a deli.

Can you do an allergic test or something?

I can and will.

I accept your apology, ma 'am.

We appreciate you coming down, Mrs. DeFina. Like I said on the phone, we're

forcing you to cooperate in your hospital article 138. We just have a few

questions for clarification.

Of what?

How long have you been married to the senior chief?

Six years.

And did you wed him before or after his last deployment, ma 'am?

Before. Just before.

Long courtship?

No.

No, we'd only known each other a few months.

These next questions are going to be a little more personal, ma 'am.

Please don't.

Don't do that.

I'd rather not even be here.

It's in your husband's best interest.

What are they?

Have you ever used intravenous drugs?

For God's sake, no.

Prior to meeting your husband, did you have a sexual history?

This is so offensive.

Yes.

Can you account for your partners, ma 'am?

If you don't care, I'm leaving.

Are you going to force us to obtain your medical records, Mrs. Davina?

Colonel Ogerman.

So this is Lieutenant Colonel McKenzie. I've been trying to reach you.

This is Lieutenant from Maneuvers. Mission complete?

We're still en route, sir. You're joking.

We were way late in Cleveland. We're about to board now.

You've been to that airport for two days?

In a motel.

Colonel, you are not authorized to deviate from your route.

It wasn't my decision, sir.

Was airport security involved?

The prisoner achieved separation for three minutes.

Oh, for... Colonel, I've... I've uncovered evidence that suggests that

Boyer could be innocent as a drug charge.

You've been conducting an investigation?

No, sir, I stumbled upon it. I have an intern at Erie General who will testify

that an ingestion of poppy seeds... Get that prisoner to Miramar now, Colonel.

And when you're done, I want your six in my office.

Sir, I'm requesting that you reverse the guilty finding.

Absolutely not. I hope you're not punishing Private Boyer because of any

will you might have towards me, sir.

The UCMJ is punishing the Private Colonel.

And if she has a case, she can appeal it while she's serving her sentence.

Can I at least fax you a memo outlining my findings?

Doctor, he's behind bars. Good day.

No transfusions?

That's correct.

Are you sure about this, sir?

The doctor who treated you is senior chief.

He's saying I wasn't infected in Africa.

He's got to be wrong. It was six years ago.

You're probably just mixing me up with somebody else. We have corroboration.

Senior Chief, your wife admitted that she'd been infected with the HIV virus

prior to meeting you.

It wasn't until after you were married and away at sea that she found out, like

you, through a routine blood test.

She wanted to tell you when you returned, but she lost her nerve.

And then when your test turned out positive...

She chose to allow you to assume that you had infected her.

She should have said something at the time.

I would have forgiven her.

Well, that opportunity remains.

Not anymore, Lieutenant.

It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Admiral.

Well, Colonel, I think the pleasure for you will be discussing the Private Boyer

case with someone you don't resent.

You came down here just to... I thought you deserved a face -to -face, given the

fact that I expect you to reconsider the charges against the private.

You intend to force my hand? No, not at all. I expect you to comply willingly.

Colonel, there's more than enough evidence for this request.

Admiral. You assigned trial counsel to role of bridge chaser.

Now, as an attorney, she allowed new evidence to influence her previous

I'm asking you to rise to the same level of professionalism.

I will not set aside the charges.

Private Boyer can appeal.

Would you consider a retrial based on my presentation and new evidence?

Senior Chief.

Hey, Commander.

Care to visit?

Business. Commander Stoddard told me about your new assignment.

I requested it, sir. You need to find another duty station. Case management at

an AIDS ward seemed appropriate.

Well, it seems the commander would like to have you back, Senior Chief.

That's good to hear, sir.

Yeah, a recent deployment has drained the resources at the center, and while

this class is moving on, there'll be a new population there that is unaware of

your medical history.

Your right to privacy will, of course, be strictly upheld. Sir, I dropped my

complaint because issues of privacy and disclosure is not as clear -cut to me as

they once were.

And it's certainly not a problem here.

So you don't want to go back?

Well, sir, I've been able to put my crisis management duty to good use.

And in terms of these patients, they need me even more than the boys I

Well, I'll let them know, Senior Chief.

Tell him I can recommend a few people, sir.

I'll do that.

Listen, Senior Chief, on a personal note, Adrian and I separated.

I filed for divorce.

To allow your fear to control you, and that way... Senior Chief, I'm not trying

to excuse her actions, but... I've yet to meet anybody who could handle this

disease with your level of integrity.

Let me take you around, Commander. We have a ward full of them.

Now that Private Boyer's been acquitted...

I believe her assault sentence should also be revoked.

I've come to realize, Your Honor, that the private having to face punishment

a crime she did not commit was motivated by an uncommon sense of frustration.

I'm not sure in the same situation that I would be able to control my outrage.

I tend to think you would, Colonel, but thank you for your testimony.

You may step down.

Does Defense Counsel have anything to add? Yes, Your Honor.

We ask the court to consider these special circumstances and ask there be

confinement or reduction in rate.

Commander, the government has no recommendation, Your Honor.

Accused and counsel, please rise.

Private Michelle Boyer, your anger at having been unfairly accused is

understandable, but your response remains unacceptable.

I cannot in good conscience rule out confinement as a punishment, but I can

reduce the time you will serve from five years to one year.

the extent of your original sentence.

I will also return you to the rank of private first class and refrain from

imposing the punitive discharge.

We are adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma 'am. Back at the beginning.

Beyond that, private, I think you'll find anger therapy much more useful than

drug counseling.

Yeah.

Ma 'am, you asked me whether I was going to do my time hard or easy. Well...

I got that in the mail yesterday, and here's my answer.