Original subtitles

Your grandmother's grandfather

came out here in 1873 after the Civil War.

Family lore has it when he topped Johnson Mesa

and he looked down at this valley

and saw buffalo and antelope belly deep in a sea of grass,

with the Sangre de Christos behind him,

he knew this was it.

Your people have been here ever since.

Now me, I was born in Louisiana,

came out here after the war.

I was a wandering soul, looking for a North Star.

And I found it right here in this valley along this river.

To me, this is the Peace River.

I feel peace every time I look at it.

Casey, what you want to be when you grow up?

A cowboy, just like you, Pop.

Well, you come from a long line of cowboys.

The cowboy loves big sky and open range.

Works hard, is a man of his word.

Loyal to his friends and family.

Treats everyone with respect, especially women.

Is courageous, fearing God and no man.

Don't ever forget what's important.

Friendship with God. Family. Friends.

Meaningful work and one good horse.

Never make the mistake of measuring wealth by money.

You do that,

and you'll be a rich man and a good cowboy.

That's what I want to be.

I met your grandmother on the spring round-up.

I loved her from the first time I saw her.

The love of a good woman can save your life.

When I came back from the war,

I had shrapnel in places the doctors couldn't get to.

The doctor said I better live well

because I probably wouldn't live long.

Son, that was 40 years ago,

and I ain't dead yet.

Be thankful.

Always be thankful.

All right. No peeking. No peeking.

All right. You ready?

Yes, sir.

Well, what do you think?

He's beautiful.

Well, you know, at the end of the day,

cowboy in' is teamwork.

Cowboy is only as good as his horse.

So I've been looking for your one for a while.

I think this may be the one.

Now, listen, he got a lot of cow in him,

so don't you be trying to teach him anything.

If you pay attention, he'll teach you something.

Okay?

All right. Go see what you think.

His name is Pecos.

Hey, Pecos. I'm Casey.

And I'm gonna take good care of you.

Casey, slow it down, buddy.

Okay, that's it.

Hey, you kids stick together.

No running!

Those kids were born running.

That'll be two bits.

Drop it in Bo's jar on the way out.

Little Casey had a head start.

Two bits all the same.

- Hey, Casey. - Oh, no.

I guess you Shanes will take in any strays, even beaners.

You are so stupid.

That's funny, coming from a fence jumper.

Mr. Shane, I appreciate you coming in today.

Yesterday on the playground, there was an altercation

with your grandson.

We have a zero tolerance policy for fighting.

He needs to be suspended for a day.

I don't understand.

What did I do wrong?

Well, Case, you had good intentions

of defending Maria's dignity and honor.

But the problem is, you delivered the first blow.

There's only two blows a cowboy

ought to deliver for sure.

That's the second one and the last one.

You know, if everybody responded

to every verbal provocation in this world,

civilization would come unglued.

You okay?

Grandma, you reckon he's still mad at me?

Heck, no, he ain't mad at you.

Casey, that man loves you more than you can know.

He just wants you to be a kind and a strong man.

Hey, little buddy.

What you looking at there?

What was my daddy like?

Man, your daddy was something else.

Full of life and laughter.

As the cowboys would say, he was a man

to ride the river with.

What a cowboy.

That boy could ride the hair off a bull.

And you know, when I look at you,

I often think I'm looking at him.

Why did God let my daddy die?

Case, there are some things in this life that

it's hard to understand or explain.

We just have to...

trust in God.

I believe God is, and he's good in all that he does.

I believe there's a heaven.

And someday you and me and Grandma

and your mom will be with your dad in heaven.

So, Lord, I thank You for Casey.

I pray that You give him the dreams of God tonight.

We thank You for our loved ones

pray that You watch over them all.

- In Jesus name, Amen. - Amen.

All right, little man.

Get you some rest.

Morning comes early for cowboys.

Ooh! Not a bad ride there by Dakota Shaw.

Let's give him a round of applause, everybody,

and thank you for coming out today for Cimarron's Youth...

Who are these parents who let these kids ride bulls?

Up next in his debut ride,

Cimarron's own Casey Shane.

Did you do this?

I was just sitting over here wondering,

who are these parents who let these kids ride bulls?

Go, Casey!

Woo!

On his debut ride...

Casey Shane!

Out back.

Get lower.

I can't crawl as low as you.

Why not?

Do I need to draw you a picture, dummy?

One of these days, you'll be glad

I can't crawl as low as you.

Shoot the big buck on the right.

Shoot. I missed him.

No. No, you got him.

You shoot him, you skin him.

You are a cowgirl, aren't you?

I've loved you my whole life.

I could never love anyone other than you.

I love you forever.

You know, Pop...

been thinking a little more about it lately.

I think I might just join the Army after graduation.

Casey, this family's

done enough military service for several families.

You don't have to do that.

Pop, I know the family's done enough,

but I ain't done enough.

What about college and rodeo?

See, I figure this way,

get the service out of the way,

before I got me a wife.

Couple grandkids for you, huh?

You know, there's a little prerequisite

to that kid's deal. You got anybody in mind?

Ah, I figured Maria would do. Huh?

Boy, I sure do like that little lady.

Case, it's a profound and powerful thing

to stand on the wall for your country.

Not something to be entered into lightly.

The young men we send into battle

are riding point into the gates of hell.

You gotta be ready for it.

You gotta take Almighty God with you.

It's a serious decision,

something you need to be ready for.

Yes, sir.

You think you're ready?

Yes, sir.

I'm gonna tell you what:

I believe in you.

You know, you're a good man.

Whatever you decide, I'm gonna support it.

Thanks, Pop.

I know.

- You know. - I'm late.

Maria, I've been thinking.

Well, now, that's a scary thing.

No, it's about us and the future.

Are you trying to propose to me?

More like wanting to know if you're willing to wait for me.

Willing to wait for you to do what?

I'm joining the Army after graduation.

Maria, four generations of Shane men have served

and I can't break that chain.

Casey, God doesn't want you to do something for me.

He wants you to be the man that he created you to be.

Would I wait?

I wouldn't like it.

But yes.

- Yes? - I'd wait.

- You'll wait? - Yeah.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,

to the National High School Finals Rodeo.

All right, Casey.

All the big rodeo colleges are here

and they're talking about you, son.

PBR's here too sniffing around, looking for talent.

And you've drawn

a really good bull tonight for this go round.

I want you to stick your toes out, hang your spurs

in his hide and ride like Old Freckles Brown on Tornado.

How are you feeling, Maria?

Good. Little nervous.

There'd be something wrong

if you weren't just a little bit nervous.

And as we go to our barrel race

here this evening, the ladies barrel race

coming down the alley for you right now,

the young lady has had an outstanding year,

has been moving up in the rankings

and the standings each and every week.

We hope that it culminates right here this week,

the National Finals rodeo for these young men and women.

So, here we go, Maria Martinez,

the Mexico Cowgirl and this first barrel.

Looking good, six seconds right now.

We go to number two, still standing.

Around it we go,

and it's a horse race back to the house,

and in with... a 16:58.

Oh, look out, leader board, that might change.

And as we go to the bucking chutes for the next one,

it's gonna be Casey Shane,

the young man that we've been talking about all week long.

This kid has exploded here tonight.

Nods his head, and here we go.

Pulling it out. Attaboy.

Perfect moves...

Casey, go! Casey, go...

And here we go.

Look out, there's the horn...

Whoa!

So, what do you think, ladies and gentlemen?

High 80s, low 90s?

You tell me and the judges will tell us.

And let's go to that little Mexico Cowgirl...

Maria Martinez, through the first.

Looking good.

All right, to the bucking chutes we go for the young man

who had an outstanding ride in round number one.

Let's see if he can back it up here tonight.

Got a good bull, maybe not as good

as that first one he had, but a good bull nonetheless.

Nods his head.

Bald-faced bull.

Yeah, a lot of buck. A lot of buck.

Turning back right about there.

Into his hands. Oh, look out, look out, look out.

Into the well he goes.

Go get him, boys. Help him, help him.

Oh. All over him.

Let's see what happens.

We got to see what happened on him right here.

He's holding that arm a little bit.

I am getting confirmation, though,

it was an 8-second ride.

I think we're in business.

So he's two up, two down, two in the books.

But they got to check him out.

It's gonna be all right, Casey.

Hey, everybody.

Hey, Casey, got some bad news.

We got your results back.

You have a fracture of the radius.

It's not all the way through,

but it's structurally compromised.

You're not gonna be able to ride in the finals.

Sorry.

Hey, Doc, what's the lightest and strongest cast you got?

I know what you're thinking, son, it's not a good idea.

Man, if you rebreak this arm,

you could have some serious permanent damage.

No, but, look, hey.

I got another one that looks just like it.

You're not ambidextrous, are you?

Well, I wasn't until today.

So, come on, Doc, give me the best you got.

Okay, Maria, you've got your strategy

all worked out and settled in your mind?

Well, yeah, but I don't think I can take the lead

with a standard run.

I want to go for the win.

That's my girl.

All right, let's go to the young lady

that is still in the hunt for that aggregate title.

She came in close in the second round.

Here she comes for number three.

Maria Martinez through the first.

Around it, good.

Oh, this is looking good.

Headed to number two, tight, best barrel

of the performance so far, now the elusive number three,

it's the money barrel.

Oh, oh, oh no! She didn't need that.

No, no, no. It's a penalty of five seconds.

That's going to hurt her in that average

and take her completely out of this run.

Hey, girl.

Look, it's a sport of inches and microseconds.

You did the right thing.

Hold your head up.

I'm so proud of you.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, we just got

confirmation that Casey Shane

is the national High School champion bull rider.

But he is going to go ahead and get on this last bull.

So I guess it's true.

You can't keep a good cowboy down.

New Mexico's own Casey Shane glides up on the rope.

Nods his head, and here we go.

Looking good. No, no, no.

Get on him, on him, on him.

Reach, grab, no.

Still the champ. Still the champ.

...is still your

National High School bull riding champion.

How about it

for New Mexico Casey Shane?

Hey, we should go celebrate tonight, what do you say?

I just need to go the hotel and go to sleep.

You're not happy that I won?

Yes, for sure, but... I'm also processing my loss.

I'm exhausted and I feel upside-down inside.

And I don't know how to rejoice and grieve at the same time.

All right. But there is a ton of other girls

who would love to go out with the guy

who won this championship buckle.

Are you crazy?

That sounds like a threat.

Don't lose the best thing you ever had.

Whoa!

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Going to the Maverick club tonight.

You won the national championship, man.

Time to celebrate.

Hey, I don't drink, though, so...

- Never did or quit? - Never did.

Well, you got to try it once in your life.

- One more! One more! - Cowboy!

Maria.

Yeah?

There's been a lot of talk around town that...

Casey two-timed you.

Are you sure?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news,

but as your friend, I believe that you should know.

Thanks.

Nobody wants to be played for a fool.

I heard you went out after we parted

the last night of the rodeo.

Yeah, I went out with some of the guys.

You didn't have a late date? Huh?

No.

I don't like what I see behind those eyes.

Don't lie to me, Casey.

I'm not lying to you.

You don't think I can tell when you're lying?

This is your fault.

My fault? How is this...

You dirty two-faced faithless liar!

Juan said Maria went to Albuquerque this morning.

Is there something here I need to know?

We had a little fight. She'll get over it.

Well, that's comforting to know.

From the looks of that strawberry,

I would have thought it was more

than just a little squabble.

Take a seat.

So I want to be special ops.

What do I gotta do to be one of those guys?

Let's see if you can make it through basic training first.

There you are.

Well, Pop...

It's time for me to go.

Well, I've been saving something for you here.

This is the Bible I gave to your dad

when he left for the service.

Left you a little memento in there.

"Peace forever and never forget your way back home."

Memory is the bank into which we make deposits in good times

so that we can draw from it in tough times.

She's never gonna forgive me, Pop.

I don't know if I can forgive myself.

No bridge too far for the Lord.

Trust in Him. Pray.

Do the right thing.

It'll work out in the end.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May His light shine upon you,

and be gracious to you.

May He lift His countenance up and bring you peace.

The Lord God is a fortress and a shield.

And Lord, today may You be Casey's.

- Amen. - I love my people.

Please tell Maria I love her, too.

Attention!

Private, what are you wearing on your feet?

- Cowboy boots, sir. - Do I look like a sir to you?

Do not address me as sir, I work for a living.

You will address me as drill sergeant.

Yes, drill sergeant.

What are you gonna do with those roach killers?

Do you think you're Roy Rogers?

- No, drill sergeant! - Do you think

you're actually gonna ride a horse into combat?

I don't think so, drill sergeant.

You don't think so? You don't think so?

We have landed a man on the moon.

There hasn't been a cavalry charge in over 100 years.

And if you ride a horse into battle,

then I'm Peter Frikkin' Pan.

We're gonna get you some righteous boots, soldier.

'Cause those feet are gonna carry you into battle.

- Do you understand this? - Yes, drill sergeant!

Yeah, I know, but have you seen or heard from her?

We've not seen her since she left last week.

She came by the ranch and...

she didn't have much to say, but...

She cried like a baby when she left.

Casey, you gotta trust the Lord with these things.

You got to focus.

You're about to stand the wall.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

All right. We love you, son.

Bye bye.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I'm Sergeant Major Spencer.

Welcome you to the fifth Special Forces Group.

Congratulations.

You completed qualification training,

made it through our training pipeline.

A lot of people try it.

A lot of people don't pull it off.

So you got that one under your belt.

But let me tell you this:

you trained to get here.

You're gonna train to stay here,

every hour, every day.

We are training and we are learning,

or we're not doing our jobs.

- Roger? - Roger.

Here at Second Battalion, we're going to emphasize

foreign internal defense and unconventional warfare.

We are gonna become masters at infiltration,

link up operations

with guerillas and guerrilla chiefs,

learning from them, building rapport,

using what we learn to lead guerrilla forces

anywhere in our area of operations.

That is the goal.

Roll him, roll him!

- Roll him over! - Roll him!

Look to your left and your right.

That is our most important asset,

is the Special Forces soldier.

The man next to you.

You will be each other's savior...

and ally at all times.

So, Staff Sergeant Casey Shane...

meet your new guys.

Take care, gentlemen.

So, you mean to tell me you're a cowboy?

- Like, a real cowboy? - Yes, sir.

Boots, hat, horses... That type of cowboy?

Or you playing football in Dallas?

- No, I rode bulls. - Okay.

Ohh. How big is your ranch?

Uh, 50,000 acres.

50,000 acres?

Exactly how big is that?

It's twenty miles long, four miles wide.

Wow. Okay.

How many people live on your ranch?

We got seven.

Seven? Seven people?

Dude, that's almost like the size of Detroit,

and we got 700,000 people there.

Y'all got seven people on the ranch?

Dude, I know you get lonely.

No, man, it's...

it's paradise.

Just come out and see it some time

and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I just might have to take you up on that offer, man.

But first, is there any Black people out there?

- We ain't got no Black people. - What?

Man, you're telling me you want me to come

to a place where there's no Black folk,

a few white folk and a whole lot of empty space?

Yeah, a'ight.

Why are there no Black people out there, man?

You know, honestly, I have no idea.

It's kind of funny 'cause Black cowboys

were some of the first people to settle the West.

Well, look, man, I'm definitely interested.

And I just may have to take you up on that offer.

Maybe.

Gonna have to count us in.

What, they let the riffraff in here this morning?

In? You guys are supposed to be in 20 minutes ago, man.

Hey, government time. Government time.

Tu, what you say, next game?

So, since we're all here,

what made you join the military, Casey?

Oh, uh...

I don't know. Family tradition, I guess.

Four generations have served.

My dad died in the Beirut bombings.

Felt like something I needed to do.

What about you?

Mine is, um, it's pretty simple.

Actually, very simple.

But to make a long story short...

my daddy left my mom, me and my little brother

like 12 years ago.

And my mom, she was working two jobs back then.

And it was horrible to see my mom, you know,

hustling like that, trying to make ends meet.

My little brother was doing horrible in school.

It was just all around bad, bro.

But thank God for the military.

You know, it really changed our lives.

Now, my mom, she only works 40 hours a week.

You know, they don't hear gunshots anymore.

Unfortunately, I do.

But, you know, it's a blessing to have my family

out of that situation.

My little brother's following right behind my footsteps.

And I just got married, guys.

So, my life is good. I'm blessed.

Tu, what about you?

Well, um...

My parents made it out of Vietnam on a boat

and they were out on the South China Sea

when they were rescued by the US Navy.

They became commercial fishermen.

And they're the hardest working people I know.

Luckily, I had the good fortune of going to Harvard.

Some folks might say

you're wasting a high powered education.

Yeah. But the military is part of my master plan.

- Master plan, huh? - Now, listen,

seven out of 43 presidents have Harvard degrees.

31 out of 43 served in the military.

There's a method to my madness.

Okay.

My money's on the fisherman from the bayou.

Well, John, how about you?

I'm from Highland Park, Texas.

My dad's in the oil business up there.

You know, to tell you the truth,

he really wasn't excited about me signing up.

But my grandfather was a World War II hero,

and I admired him my whole life.

You can call it whatever you want... rich white guilt.

But I just wasn't gonna sit in the lap of luxury

- my whole life. - What?

That sounds like a comfortable lap to sit in.

So, Joe. What's your story, bro?

I'm Lakota Sioux.

Lakotas were great warriors for generations.

And at one time we were one of the greatest

light cavalry in the world.

Native Americans have the highest per cap it a

military service of any ethnic group in America.

There have been 29 Medal of Honor recipients

from the Native Americans.

These warrior ways, they run deep and die hard.

My man...

that's like you're working for the same institution...

that oppressed your people.

Yeah, some would say the same institution

that tried to enforce slavery.

But history is a river, guys.

You can't dam it up. You can't back it up.

We can't change the past.

You can only alter its downstream course, the future.

Because an eye for an eye

would leave this whole world blind.

No cross, no crown.

No pains, no gains.

You know, Joe...

Always wanted a brother.

Now I got four from all walks of life.

Leave it to the US military, huh?

De oppresso liber.

To free the oppressed.

Whoa!

What's up, man?

How we doing? Okay, boys.

We officially made it.

Graduation present.

We're going off to cowboy paradise, but here's the deal.

I can only adopt one of y'all,

so there might be a fight to death to earn that spot.

My bets are on John.

So Casey,

you're telling me in the age of the Internet,

fast cars and airplanes,

you are still talking about horses?

John, there's been five major advances in man's ability

to transcend space and time, okay,

and that has been the domestication of the horse,

the sailing vessel, the steam locomotive,

the car and the airplane, okay?

They all have a romantic culture surrounding them,

but only one has a dynamic relationship.

Oh, man.

You know, relationships, I don't know.

You're talking about an ignorant beast of burden.

What exactly do you mean, relationship?

Okay, you can ask millions of people,

millions of testimonies.

But there's a magical bond between a man and his horse.

Going to have to sell me, man.

It sounds a little crazy.

Hey, laugh all you want.

Just telling you what it is.

White dude speak with unified tongue.

Woo!

- Cowboy land, baby. - Woohoo!

Hey. Oh, wow.

All right, guys. This is mom.

This is grandma and grandpa. These are the guys.

Nice to meet you.

Oh, wow.

- Cowboy. - Oh, wow.

Don't believe anything she says, y'all.

Hey, boys. Jackpot. Bull riding tomorrow.

You ain't gotta ride unless you're feeling froggy.

But you're welcome to join. Come watch, cool?

All right, turn in early. You got a long day tomorrow.

Mr. Shane, this must be Casey's dad.

Yep. That's him.

He was a... he was a great, great man, served in Vietnam

and survived Vietnam and died in an age of peace.

Beirut '83. Casey told us about it.

Yeah.

Very sorry for your loss, Mr. Shane.

Well, I appreciate that.

Pain fades, but never goes away completely.

But Casey was a real blessing. He was a clone of his dad.

Every time I look at him, I...

thought I was looking at his dad.

But... he gave me a second shot at fatherhood,

and it's been a great ride.

This country never ceases to amaze me.

Right.

Greatness emerges from every corner.

Amen.

Good Lord, what a surprise.

Look at you, man.

- Still one piece, one piece. - All grown up, man.

- How's everything, man? - Still alive.

- Still breathing, kicking. - All right.

- Everything's good? - Yeah.

All right, come on in, man. Come on in.

Hey, Carla, you ain't gonna believe who's here.

Carla.

- Thank you. - Thanks, hon.

Sure is good to see you guys. Yeah.

How's everybody doing? Family, parents?

I heard Maria is still riding in school?

How is she?

Fair.

Casey, whatever happened...

you broke her heart.

I messed up.

And I know that.

I'd do anything to take it back, but I can't.

I just hope that you two are able to forgive me someday.

Please, I just need to talk to her.

Well, Casey...

she made me swear I would not do that.

Please, Juan.

Sorry. We can't.

Yes, sir.

Well, I got our guests waiting.

It's been a long day, I should probably head off.

Just wanted to stop by, say hello,

see how everyone's doing.

Yeah.

Thinking about you over there.

Praying for you.

Come by again to have some of those tortillas.

Yeah.

Could you give her this for me?

Just tell her I love her, please.

I will.

But I think she's ready to move on without you, Casey.

She sent all your letters back to me unread.

Casey...

Take care of yourself.

I will. Promise.

Oh-ho-ho.

All right, let's go, boys, come on, wake up, wake up, wake up!

Everybody, let's go, let's go, come on, come on.

Burning daylight, here we go.

Yeah, let's go. Good morning, how you doing?

Man, I'm from the hood,

you can't be barging in like that.

Five minutes, Tu, if you don't get

that scrawny butt of yours up, boy.

Let's go.

I'll meet y'all out there.

Hustle up, boys.

Ready, boys?

All right, Poppy is gonna show you how it's done.

You might want to listen up, 'cause I've seen you all

try and aim a rifle before, so...

Good morning.

Welcome to New Mexico.

Hold your hands up. How many fingers you got?

- Ten. - Ten?

The objective is to come away with ten

after you finish roping.

Roll that wrist.

All right, nothing to it.

All you gotta do is think it there.

So, who wants to try it first?

All right.

All right.

Oh!

Hey!

Woo-hoo-hoo.

I just wanna shortstop any cowboy and Indian jokes

from you chumps.

Maria. We got to have a girl talk.

That sounds kind of serious.

Maria, I've bit my tongue for months now,

and that's not fair or right to you.

I'm going to read the tea leaves for you.

Okay. 4.0 GPA, pre-vet, check.

Co-captain of the rodeo team. Check.

Unofficial New Mexico State record holder

for being asked out by good-looking guys,

but never having more than two dates with the same guy.

Now...

either Maria is highly motivated and ambitious...

and has super high standards or...

Maria is running from something.

Maria...

You might as well be wearing a shirt

that says "Trust issues. Beware."

Don't waste your time.

That obvious, huh?

Yes.

Yes.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I feel like I can't move forward

and... I can't go back.

Back to what?

You're still in love with Casey, aren't you?

Maybe.

Yeah, like maybe the sun will rise tomorrow.

Did he ever reach out to you after the breakup?

Yeah, he sent several letters to my parents.

Did you respond?

No.

Well, that's a creative way to catch a guy.

That's playing hard to get on steroids.

Well, I...

I didn't think I could ever get over the betrayal.

And then I got to the point where I thought

I'd take him back if he crawled on broken glass.

And then I got to the point where I'd...

take him back if he just walked in.

But... by then he was over 2,000 miles away.

You got to send him a smoke signal, girl.

- Like, how? - Like...

Like, how about the old-fashioned way?

Write him a letter. Express your true feelings.

Send it snail mail.

Spill some perfume on it.

I don't know if I could do that.

I haven't talked to him in two years.

Hmm.

Well, you better figure it out, and fairly soon.

Or you're gonna end up married

to that barrel horse of yours.

Well, at least we know

we wouldn't have any trust issues there.

Hey, you all right, Pop?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

You know, I think Doc may have picked up a rock.

Come on. I'll check him.

You take him on down to the spring and loop back.

Pick me up on the way back.

- You sure? - Yeah.

I'll be all right.

Oh, boy, lookie here. Lookie here.

That's a "Bonanza" shot if ever there was one.

Warrior spirit still lives.

All right, so tell me what you guys think?

- Beautiful. - Unbelievable.

Man, it's amazing.

Tell you what, you come out here...

imagination runs wild.

Dreams come true.

Worries don't even exist.

I'll tell you what, I'm a believer.

I'm definitely a believer.

I wouldn't have never dreamed it.

But I'm here and I can see it.

When I get out of the Army, bro,

I'm gonna come kick it with you, for sure.

And you know I'm gonna take you up on that, right,

put you to work?

Hey, man, just keep me out of that truck, and we good.

Hey, you come back any time.

Reclaim the ancestor's legacy, huh?

Thank you.

We saw Casey last week.

He came to the ranch with some of his soldier fellows.

How was he?

I'd say he was good and that he looked great.

He must have gained ten or 15 pounds,

- and all muscle. - Muscle.

I'd hate to tangle with the guy.

And he's got some great men in his special operations unit.

- Mm-hmm. - And I tell you,

those guys make me feel good about America.

What was the bad?

Well, Casey came to see your mother and me in private.

Never seen lover's remorse like that.

- Mm. - And I got to tell you, Maria,

I think this guy Casey

loves you more than he ever has.

He fessed up

that the breakup was all his fault.

He expressed his undying love for you.

And he said he was gonna come back for you.

So, you better be thinking about

what you're going to say when he shows up.

I don't know if I can go back there.

Maria...

most young men have to Fool's Hills

once or twice before they grow up.

And the Lord knows I was captain of the Fool's Brigade.

If there's no forgiveness...

there wouldn't be many men standing in the end.

Mama, what did you think?

I saw a heartbroken man

deeply in love with our daughter.

Would you trust him?

With my life.

So, what are you thinking?

Daddy, don't push me.

The heart has reasons the mind knows nothing of.

- Fair enough. - Mm-hmm.

Fair enough.

He asked me to give you this.

Dear Maria,

shame and grief have haunted me since my stupidity,

arrogance and sin caused the chasm in our relationship.

I think about you a hundred times a day.

I would understand if you choose to move on.

But if there's a glimmer of chance

to put us back together again,

I believe I can persuade you that I'm a changed man.

I love you as much as I ever have.

I hope to hear from you.

Love forever, Casey.

Dear Casey, thank you for your kind note.

I am not sure whether the pieces of our mutual life

can be put back together,

but I am willing to get together

to see where the trail may lead.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Love, Maria.

These are live pictures

for you right now, a tragic accident

apparently has just happened in New York City.

A plane has crashed right into the World Trade Center.

You can see the smoke and the flames

coming out of the shattered windows.

Woo!

Appeared to bank sharply,

and smash directly, perhaps purposefully into...

- Oh, my goodness. - Oh, God.

There's another one.

Oh, my goodness, there's another one.

This seems to be on purpose.

Oh, my goodness, now you...

- Is that a plane? - Now it's obvious, I think.

Do you know where Casey is?

No.

I think we have a terror attack.

Obviously a suicide terrorist attack

on the World Trade Center.

What we have been fearing...

What we have been fearing

for the longest time here apparently has come to pass.

A disastrous terrorist...

Let's strap it on, boys. We're going to war.

It's Casey.

Yeah, we're the first ones going in.

We ship out in 48 hours.

Where are you going?

I don't know.

How long will you be gone?

Can't say.

Well, Casey, I wish to God I could go in your place

or at least go with you.

There's nobody I would trust more in defending my family

and my country than you.

Know that we... love you,

and hold you in our hearts and pray for you every day.

We love you more than you can know.

Forever and always.

I love... I love my people, and...

I'll communicate as I'm able to.

Bye, Pop.

Got two minutes.

Contact alive, 50 meters.

Got a red chem light.

It's our guy, Case.

Ruck up.

All right, let's do this.

Hello.

Staff Sergeant Casey Shane.

All right, let's move.

This is General Daood.

Please.

Joe, Tu, take watch out front.

We are very grateful you are here.

More Americans come when the towers fall.

We prevail, we're very thankful.

The Taliban have ruined our country.

Our men are very valiant.

We will fight the ground.

We need your air support.

Do your men ride horses?

All experts, sir.

Cars cannot climb mountains.

Elevation. It is key in my country,

mobility for battle effectiveness.

Huddle up on me.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed by thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on Earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Blessed be the Lord.

My God, my rock, who prepareth my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle.

Lord have mercy on every soul...

we're about to send to you.

Hey, they look like they're about to make a cavalry charge.

They say anything about that?

Negative. Not that I heard.

Mm-mm.

21st century cavalry charge, Bo ain't gonna believe this.

Hey, I ain't missing this, fellas.

You're not going without me.

Well, come on, brother. What do you say, Chief?

Time to go kinetic.

Hey, guys, me and Tu will stay behind,

calling in our CAS.

We'll rendezvous from here

straight down the wadi.

Nobody goes through the pass. Nobody.

Guys, drop everything but your arms and ammo.

- Let's do this. - Hoi!

Ah!

Many Muslims say...

Americans are infidels.

It is strange you and I be fighting together.

Different countries. Different religions.

Many will cut my head if they could.

But... I fight for my people.

Why you say you here?

We're here to kill the people who attacked our country.

But we're also here to help you and your people...

experience liberty.

Because that's a basic human right.

See, God represents freedom, and without freedom,

you can't have love.

So, although you and me practice a different religion,

we're willing to risk our lives

to make sure it stays that way.

My country has been called the Graveyard of Empires.

Alexander the Great has been broken here.

The British, broken here.

Russians.

I pray to Allah...

that you not broken here.

I pray so, too.

We don't break.

We hear tales of cowboys in America.

I saw John Wayne movie once.

You Americans don't disappoint.

I am proud to fight with you.

Sleep well, my friend.

Hey, I need you 203 over here in this corner.

You, cover one to three o-clock.

Take a knee, take a knee.

How's he doing? How's he doing?

Okay, good work. I need another rifle up front.

I need another rifle up front.

All right, all right.

Hey. Griffin 99, this is Sabre two zero.

In contact, 50 hostiles.

We are taking small arms fire and heavy RPG.

I need immediate air support and medevac, over.

I got two wounded, one critical.

Viper 61.10 minutes out...

Griffin 99, Sabre two-zero.

Echo, tango, whiskey, zulu 379248.

I need immediate air support north of my position. Over.

Viper 61, tally target...

Hang in there.

All right, boys, all right, boys, hey,

air support is 10 mikes out.

Our boy's 10 mikes out, we gotta hold it, right?

Hold it down.

Put me in the fight!

All right, how are we doing, guys?

Heads in the fight. Heads in the fight.

Viper 61, roger that.

We are the only structure in this grid square.

I need 100 meters on every corner. Expedite.

That's too tight...

Viper 61, I need 100 meters. Danger close.

I repeat again, 100 meters.

Anybody see that girl?

Put me in the fight.

- I need cover. - What?

No, what are you doing?

No!

Come on!

Lord, watch over our boys.

Casey, Quan,

Joe, Tu, John.

As a mighty man of old, I pray, Lord,

that You'd protect them, You'd watch over them,

and that You bring them home.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Engage.

CAP one, Angel one, wheels up.

Twenty mikes out, standby, CAS evac...

We got five KIA, one crippled.

O positive, pushing blood now.

CAP one, angel one, casualty in cardiac arrest.

Popping de-fib and CPR now.

Hello, Sergeant Shane,

I'm Major Rogers, and this is Captain Jones.

We're so glad you're gonna be okay.

I will be doing the post-op on this mission.

How are my guys?

Casey, we regret to inform you

that all of your men have been killed.

The QRF team found a detonated suicide vest

in the house.

Little girl must have been wired with a suicide vest.

I killed my... I killed them.

No, Casey, you tried to save a little girl

in an awful firefight.

I killed them.

Casey, you did not kill those men.

You acted with great bravery and compassion.

But it looks like everything will heal up

except for your leg.

Casey, you need to get some rest.

Push number two on that telephone if you need me,

and I'll be checking up on you periodically.

Major, that soldier's world has just imploded.

I want a suicide watch placed on Sergeant Shane immediately.

There's something not right with that boy.

He hasn't left this ranch in six weeks.

None of us have had

a significant conversation with him.

He's isolated himself.

I smell liquor on him.

Only good thing is he started riding again.

Case.

Johnny called and said he and some of the buds

were getting together for a game of cards in town tonight.

They'd sure like you to join them.

Nah, I got some reading to do tonight.

They really want you to come. I think it'd be good for you.

Think about it.

Okay.

Hey, toots. Jager bomb.

You just back from the Middle East?

Good to see you, Casey.

How you guys been?

- Good. - Yeah?

- Explain to me. - Quench your thirst.

- Thank you, sir. - You think those camel jockeys

give a rip about us being over there?

Why would you join the military and fight their war?

You know, it's been said that patriotism...

is the last refuge of scoundrels.

Whoever that chump was,

he'd have a different idea if he knew my guys.

How much they pay you guys?

Enough.

Not to mention Uncle Sam's gonna pay

for my college education when I finish my tour.

Kind of makes you a mercenary, doesn't it?

Look, buddy, you need to watch your mouth.

Well, it does, doesn't it?

All right, ponytail, that's enough.

Just apologize to that soldier and call it a day, huh?

Hey, this ain't your affair.

- Yeah, I got it covered. - Yeah, stand down.

Actually, it is my affair, 'cause you see, this man,

yeah, he could definitely handle you,

but then he'd get court martialed.

And I'd get kind of sad. So, do the right thing.

Apologize. Go home.

What happens if I don't?

Well, they're gonna have to carry you out of here

horizontal and feet first.

Case, what are you doing?

Have you lost your mind?

We've been friends for life. Now I've got to take you in.

You're really putting me in a bind here.

D.A. may classify you as a lethal weapon,

and call this armed assault.

And you act like you don't even care.

Yeah, maybe I don't.

Hmm.

All right, let's go.

Hey, Marshall.

It's good to see you.

Well, nothing like a night in the slammer

to give you a whole new perspective.

Casey...

I've been knowing you

ever since you were just a glimmer

in your mama and daddy's eye.

I love you, son.

God knows I love you.

This whole community loves you.

But it's getting about past time

for you to tell somebody

what happened to you over there.

The only people I want to talk to about that are dead.

That old boy needed to be checked,

but you didn't need to beat him half to death.

What say you?

Case, I don't want to push too hard.

I realize some things take time.

But don't stay in the wilderness too long.

Sometimes bad things take root...

if you let them fester.

We'd love for you to go to church with us in the morning.

Mean a lot to your mother and grandmother.

So, Jesus' disciples came to him

with a very interesting question.

They said, "Lord, who sinned?

"This man or his parents, that he should be born blind?"

Jesus said neither.

It's what theologians call the mystery of evil.

How can good and evil coexist

to bring about the glory of God?

Pop... did you fight in the war like my daddy?

Yeah, it was called World War II.

We fought a great evil...

and we won.

Many good men did not return.

Casey, you need to always be thankful.

Thankful for the sacrifices

others have made for you.

Morning.

Where are you headed?

Gonna go see Maria.

Does she know you're coming?

No.

Don't you think you should give her

a little prior notice before just showing up?

See you when I'm back.

Hey, Maria.

Hello, Casey.

Was hoping we could talk for a bit.

I'm sorry for what I did.

I forgive you.

Leaving in the middle of the night

without telling me where you're going

and not responding to my letters

sure didn't feel like forgiveness.

You ignored my letter, too.

Never got a letter from you.

Well, I sent one eight months ago,

and I never heard anything back from you.

You know, forgiveness is one thing.

But growing up with another person

in a committed love relationship for a lifetime...

that's even bigger.

Ideals are prickly things.

Without them, life isn't worth much, and...

with them can come disappointment.

I grew up believing that cowboys were tried

and true to their word

and their people.

And especially their women.

I can fix it. We can put it back together.

What we had was so special.

So unique.

I thought it was a one in a million kind of thing.

I thought it was sacred.

But... you trashed it.

And if you would trash it in the best of times,

how could I ever trust you

to be there when the days go dark?

I... cannot.

And I will not live with a man I cannot trust.

Some awfully hard words.

Sometimes life is hard.

Sometimes we make them hard by our own actions.

Doesn't that tried and true go both ways?

I'm in a bad place, Maria,

I thought my oldest and best friend could help me out.

I know you're in a bad place, Casey.

And that something bad must have happened in Afghanistan.

But we have too much history.

We're too emotionally entangled.

And I'm trying to rebuild my shattered dreams

and find a way forward.

And with God's help, I'm gonna make it.

I know you're suffering.

And I want the Lord to heal you and to restore you.

You have no idea what happened to me over there.

You just throw me out?

And then you have the nerve to preach to me about God,

- you selfish, sanctimonious... - That's it.

Get out. Leave!

You have crushed every dream I ever had.

Don't ever come see me again unless God has changed you.

I can't go through another crushing.

Sorry.

Hi, Mom.

Casey, Pop is sick.

We're at a hospital in Albuquerque.

What's wrong with him?

That shrapnel from the war has moved

and caused some damage

and he's developed an infection.

It's... it's not responding to the antibiotics.

Casey, it's not good.

You need to get here as soon as you can.

He's asking for you.

Yeah, I'm on my way.

Just tell him I'm on my way, all right?

Okay.

Well, did you get the girl?

Uh... I'm working on that.

How are you doing?

I feel about like I look, which ain't too good.

You look pretty amazing to me.

Well...

I believe the old thumper's about to quit on me.

Man, I... I robbed the Angel of Death

for several decades longer

than the doctors thought I'd have.

So I got no complaints.

You ladies, give me and Casey a little time alone

for a few minutes?

We'll be outside if you need us.

I know you're in trouble.

I know you know you're in trouble.

The trouble you're in, I've been there.

Casey, I don't know what happened over there.

It's a world that'll break a man in a thousand pieces.

And when it does,

there's only one architect in the universe

that can put it together.

That's our Heavenly Father.

Case, he did it for me.

He can do it for you.

Pop, I killed my men.

I don't believe that, Case.

We were ambushed by about 50 Taliban.

Went down the mountain, Alamoed in an abandoned house.

Two wounded, but we were fighting.

Called in CAS and evac.

And a little girl ran out into the middle of the firefight.

So I went and got her.

Brought her back.

She was wired with explosives and blew us all up.

If it wasn't for me, my men would still be alive.

No, Case. No, Case.

No, Case.

You've got this thing all twisted up in your mind.

That was heroism in its purest form.

That was self-sacrificing love.

No, Pop.

Those men were my best friends.

The best men I've ever known.

And I don't even have the courage

to go talk to their families.

I can't even tell them what happened.

Can't face 'em.

You can do this.

You've got to do this.

Those families, they deserve to know how their sons died.

They deserve to know how brave and valiant they were.

And you can relay that to them, Case.

The cowboy way.

I lost Maria too, Pop.

She was supposed to be my love of my life,

but I... betrayed her.

Broke her trust.

She told me she never wanted to see me again.

Case...

I see you.

I see you through the eyes...

of our heavenly Father.

And I know what He has planned for you.

And I know how He feels about you.

Come talk with Him.

With me.

Oh, Lord God.

I thank You for Casey.

I thank You for the man he is.

I thank You for the man he's gonna be.

I pray that You would bring and put the pieces of

his life, his soul, his spirit,

that You put it back together again.

Father, I know this man. I know this man.

I know what he's made of.

I pray that You would open the eyes of his heart.

The power of Your Holy Spirit would come upon him,

You to heal him.

You'd put the pieces of his soul,

of his spirit back together again.

I pray, Lord, that You'd give him the courage

to go see those families.

Lord, I pray that You'll bring him the woman

of Your design.

And Lord, if it's okay with You,

I pray that it be Maria.

I thank You for Casey.

I love him with all that I am

and all that I have.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

I thought you might slip in a little late.

Maria.

You were one of Bo's favorite people

in the whole wide world.

I feel like an orphan.

I've abandoned those most dear to me, and...

now, I have no opportunity to make it right.

Some of the most ominous words in the Bible

are "forgive us our sins

as we forgive others."

I think I know a couple of young people

that are gonna have to deal with that.

Bye, boy.

God!

Where are you?

You have taken everything that I've dreamed and loved.

Jesus... Jesus... Jesus.

Please.

Please, please, please.

Please.

Case, don't ever forget what's important in life.

Friendship with God. Family. Friends.

Meaningful work.

One good horse.

Casey.

I know. I saw.

All your loved ones are with me.

Someday, you will understand.

But for now, you must trust me.

It's time to come out of the darkness.

And walk with me.

God, is that you?

Casey...

We were worried sick about you.

I'm gonna be okay, Mom.

Well, that went all right.

Hey, Kel.

Is she here?

No.

Do you know where she's at?

Casey...

I know she loves you in a profound and inescapable way.

Now I need to know...

are you gonna cowboy up?

With all my heart.

She's at her grandparents' house in Lordsburg.

Go get her.

I'm pulling for you.

Kel...

Thank you.

Thank you, hon.

Oh, and that one, that sunset.

Isn't it beautiful?

Daddy, no.

I'll take care of this.

What are you doing here, Casey?

I don't want to lose you, Maria.

I've loved you my whole life.

I knew as a little boy that I wanted to marry you.

Casey, that's mighty bold.

Do you think I can just take your word for it?

How could I ever trust you?

Look into my eyes, Maria.

As God is my witness, I'll be true to you.

God is healing me and delivering me

from the darkness, and I will not drag you down into it.

There's a lot of water passed under the bridge, Casey.

A broken heart is a complex thing.

I'll always love you, Maria.

I know with sin comes consequences,

and I'll have to live with that.

I just want you to know you're such a beautiful,

extraordinary woman, truly Godly woman.

I just want the best for you...

even if that's not with me.

You deserve better than me.

You're gonna buck off that easy?

Never again.

What can I do for you?

- Mr. Shane? - Yeah.

Isaiah Smith, Kwan's little brother.

Man.

You got to be kidding me.

I didn't recognize you all grown up.

What are you doing all the way out here, huh?

A man you knew well, and the best man I ever knew.

My best friend.

He told me about a place where the wind blows free

and the sky meets the horizon.

A place my ancestors helped settle.

He said he would bring me here one day,

but in chance that he couldn't,

I was to come here alone and meet you,

and you would give me a job in his place.

Yeah, well, he wasn't lying to you.

Oh, and he also said

you have a shortage of Black folks out here.

Man, he wasn't lying about that, either.

Welcome home. Welcome home.

All right, hop in.

You rode a horse before?

- No. - Okay.

- You fix things? - No.

All right.

- Got any boots? - No.

No? We'll figure it out.

All right, Bo.

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Cowboy, just like you, Pop.

We come from a long line of cowboys.

We love big sky, open range.

We work hard.

Man of our word.

Loyal to our friends and family.

Treat everyone with respect,

especially our women.

Courageous.

Fearing God and no man.

Don't forget the important things in life, Bo.

Friendship with God.

Family, friends.

And a good horse.

If you do that, you'll be a rich man...

and a good cowboy.

That's what I want to be.