Original subtitles

Three Communist PT boats attacked an American destroyer

off the coast of Vietnam yesterday.

And today, President Johnson's response was hard and tough.

He has ordered the US Navy to continue patrolling there

and if they are attacked, to destroy their attackers.

I Understand the feelings of those who regret

that we must undertake air attacks.

I share those feelings.

Some nights, you're the only airplane going up... going up info the north.

When you think you're the only Americans over North Vietnam,

it kind of makes you wonder Just a little bit, you know.

"What am I doing here?"”

We have carefully limited those raids.

They have been directed at concrete and steel,

and not human lives.

There are at least 850 antiaircraft and missile sites

around Hanoi and Haiphong.

These figures make Hanoi's air defense

the toughest in the world.

If you can get between... A ridge between you and that radar site,

they can't guide a missile at you.

Its just when you get down in the gulf in the flatlands,

that 30-mile ring around the city of Hanoi is...

Is a bear.

Representatives of Hanoi simply returned our message

in a plain envelope.

Residents of North Vietnam's capital felt confident in the knowledge

that their city was off-limits to US war planes.

With American sons in the field far away,

I shall not seek and I will not accept

the nomination of my party for another term as your president.

The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.

- Do you think it's worth it? - Yeah, I don't know.

They say we're fighting for something. I don't know.

Through a long and bitter struggle in Vietnam,

American fighting men have served the cause of freedom magnificently.

You're pretty scared when you have to roll in on something up there,

especially when you look down and you see nothing but a black cloud

or a white cloud down below you.

Its a... It's about as scary a mission as I've ever done. I don't know.

I think it tries you to just about the maximum on the missions.

Hey, Morg.

Did you ever notice how...

How some nights you can see more stars than other nights?

You ever notice that?

The stars.

Oh, yeah.

I've got an update. I'm cycling to the coast-in point.

You're getting in a rut.

You're getting in a rut.

Did you ever stop to think you're taking your job a little bit too seriously?

Look at me. I enjoy my work.

- Yeah, I'll bet. - See, I'm happy. See, look.

Enemy search radar. Looking for company.

Okay.

Time to get on down. Here we go.

Black Eagle, Devil 505. Feet dry.

That's a roger, 505.

Look at that small-arms fire down there, Morg.

Every peasant with a rifle, huh?

Jesus, you call that a rifle?

- Lost them. - Yeah, you hope.

You got that river bend ahead?

Just picked it up.

One more minute, heading to the turn point.

Twenty-three Mike-Mike, I see him.

Go active on ECM. Jam them up.

ECM active. We're jamming.

- Where is it? You got it? You see it? - No, not yet.

SAM, 10:00.

Jam!

Jesus.

That was a piece of cake.

This is it.

- Stepping in to attack. - Arm up.

Your pickle is hot. Get us up to 500 feet, partner,

unless you wanna frag your ass.

Nag, nag, nag.

Ground lock.

Steady.

They're off!

Partner, if you got the time, we got the beer.

How about it? See anything down there? Any secondary explosions?

- Nothing. - Well, that's real nice.

- Suspected truck park. Nothing. - Nothing.

Goddamn it.

Man, there was nothing there. There never was.

Well, we're really raising hell with the jungle tonight, aren't we?

What is it? What the hell is it? What is it?

Oh, God.

- Oh, God Almighty. - You've gotta help me.

- Let go of it for a minute. - I don't...

Black Eagle, this is Devil 505. I'm declaring emergency.

My bombardier's been hit. I repeat, my bombardiers been hit.

Request a ready deck upon arrival.

I'll be on the bridge outside.

This is the enforcer. Make a ready deck.

We have an emergency inbound.

505, switch to button three for approach.

Roger that. Button three, Devil 505. Gear is down.

I gotta let go just for a second.

- Okay. I can do it. - Now, hang on.

I'm okay, Jakey.

Hang in there, shipmate. We're gonna make it.

- Keep the faith. - I'll make it.

Nose straight, partner.

505, call your ball, call your ball.

Intruder ball, 6.0.

Ride your ball. Looking 22 knots. You're high.

We're gonna make it. Now, hang in there.

- Steady your line. - Oh, Jesus.

Shit, he's still too high!

Jakey.

You're too high!

Morg.

Steady your line. Steady your line.

Come left, Jake.

I'm coming in.

He's too high! Wave him off!

505, wave off, wave off!

Tie it down, tie it down.

I told you we'd make it, Morg. I told you we'd make it.

It's okay, Jake. Everything's cool.

- Morg, I told you we'd make it. - I got him, sir. I got him.

Just let go, for christ sake.

- Let go! I got him! - Let go of him, sir.

Come on, goddamn it! Let go of him, for christ sake.

- Let me out, corpsman, come on. - I need some pressure in here.

- Get him out of here, goddamn it! - Damn it! Come on!

Watch it. Watch the head.

Stand by. Bring it in, bring it in, bring it in. Move it!

- Morg! - Go, go, go!

He's gone, man.

- Bring him down. - Come on, Jake. Come on.

Oh, Jesus Christ, man.

Gonna be all right, Jake.

Gonna be all right, man.

Jake, we don't want any more of this if we can help it.

What altitude were you at when McPherson got hit?

Three hundred, 500, something like that.

I'd just taken a gun out with a snake eye.

Three hundred or 500? It makes a difference.

I don't know. I'm a little shaken up right now.

You're what?

I said I'm shaken up, sir. I've got Morg's blood all over me.

Maybe we could stop the war till things get better then.

Nobody asked you to stop the war, did they?

Put McPherson's death behind you, Mr. Grafton.

Right here, right now.

Yes, sir.

Now, what altitude were you flying at?

Two hundred.

Two hundred, maybe, AGL.

I pushed the nose over,

started a shallow dive in on the gun and leveled out.

Some SAMs had tried us when we come in

and I wanted to get out of there low and fast.

You came out by a different route?

Yeah. Yes, sir, about 30 miles, I guess.

Just lucky small-arms fire.

All right, it was bad luck, that's all.

Just ran out of luck.

Take Mr. Grafton off the flight schedule.

You got liberty in Subic in a couple days.

You need the rest.

What was your target?

Suspected truck park.

- You hit it? - Oh, yeah, we hit it.

Trees, a bunch of trees.

There was nothing there again.

What's your problem? Spit it out.

Well, I don't think trees in a suspected truck park

is worth a man's life.

The targets are picked for political consideration, Mr. Grafton,

with the best intelligence we have available.

You have any trouble with that?

Well, I don't think losing Morg is a political consideration, sir.

Look...

I know losing McPherson is lousy.

I don't like the targets either, I hate them.

But I don't want any blood feuds going on.

Half the time, it isn't the mission that kills you,

it's the one before. Do you read me?

- Yes, sir. - Okay.

I want you to write a letter to Morg's wife.

I'll mail it in a couple of days along with one from me.

Help put this thing behind you, okay?

- Thanks, Skipper. - For what?

You die, son, and I'll piss on your grave.

Come on, Jake!

Down here, down here!

- Hey, Jake. - Jake.

What the hell? You're not thinking about jumping, are you?

- Not yet. - You need any help, Mr. Grafton?

- We thought you might wanna talk. - No, I'm fine. Thanks, Chief.

So, Jake, how'd you guys do? I mean, you know, before it happened.

- Trees. - Yeah, trees?

- Yeah, again. - Right, again.

Hey, Jack, you were with Marine Detachment.

You ever get used to it?

Yeah, I got used to it. I'm a doc, that's what I do.

Nobody gets used to it. You can put your job in front of it

like the skipper or joke about it, but nobody gets used to it.

- That's right. - How about the old man?

Has he always been like he is now?

When he chews you out?

Maybe he figures he might not get another chance.

Hey, guys, come on. We got a squad room meeting, okay, Jake?

All right, all right, all right, I got all night too.

I wanna introduce a new replacement pilot.

Mr. Barlow?

Up front, let's hear about your life. Come on.

- Yeah. - Up front, up front, up front!

Up front, up front, up front!

All right, all right, all right, shut up!

I'm Lieutenant JG Jack Barlow.

- Sit down! - Get out of here!

How old are you, son?

Twenty-four, sir.

You look 12. Did they teach you how to shave at the Naval Academy?

I didn't think so.

Razor.

That's your new name from now on, Razor.

Excellent name, Skipper.

All right, Walter.

Thank you.

All right, at...

Tomorrow at 1000 on the flight deck,

there will be a memorial service for McPherson.

The uniform is tropical white, long.

Oh, yeah, one other thing.

Somebody close that door back there, will you? Frank?

Now, this matter of the phantom shitter.

Now, I know it's a phenomenon that occurs on a carrier in combat

that goes back to World War II,

but this has gotten out of hand.

Last night, the phantom left a note saying he would strike

and this morning, a turd was found in the XO's ashtray.

That only means one thing, gentlemen.

It's no fighter jock or recon puke who is doing this thing.

It is an A-6 driver because no one else on this ship can hit the XO's ashtray.

- Yeah! - All right, boss, yeah!

Right, right, right.

Someone...

in this room right here is the phantom shitter.

Now, it could be your roommate, pilot, bombardier.

Think about it.

- Movie officer? - Yes, sir?

What's the film for tonight?

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, sir.

- It's Jane Fonda, sir. - Any skin?

- No, sir. - Cancel it.

- Yeah. - Okay.

Dear Sharon,

by now you've been notified that Morgan is gone.

He was killed over Vietnam flying a night strike,

and I wish I could say that his death was necessary, but...

it wasn't.

The target we were bombing was nonexistent

and the mission was useless.

Too many good men have died like Morgan these past two years.

I guess I knew him as well as any man could know another.

He was... He was my best friend.

I know how heavy a burden his loss is to you and little Bobby,

and I know how much he loved you.

Somehow I wish there was something,

Just one thing I could do to make up for such a loss as Morgan.

“I go on,"” as Tennyson said,

“and the world darkens around me,

among new men, strange faces and other minds."

You have my deepest and most sincere sympathy. Jake.

- What's wrong? - You're late. Let's go.

Real sorry about Mr. McPherson, sir.

What's this?

- Thought he was single. - He was.

He was four days ago.

You know this girl, Chief?

Yeah, she's a looker.

Probably the first piece of ass he's ever had.

When did you get married, son?

Last time at port, sir.

You know you gotta have Navy permission to marry a foreign national?

- Your folks know? - No, sir.

Do you love her?

Well, yes, sir. Of course I do, sir.

- I got a picture of her here in my wallet. - That's all right. That's all right.

You violated a major regulation, Hardesty,

but I'm gonna sign your chit.

You realize that you're legally and morally obligated to this girl,

- do you know that? - Yes, sir.

You understand what that means? You gotta support her.

Yes, sir.

This aircraft has not been cleaned!

Why hasn't this aircraft been cleaned?

I'll clean it myself, sir. I'll see that it's done.

You do that, you get it done. Get it clean.

- I'm sorry, sir. - No, don't explain, son.

Just get it done.

Mr. Grafton won't hold it against you. He's just upset.

It's just that nobody's ever come back dead like that, sir.

Whole ship knows about it. A lot of them come down just to take a look at it.

I don't know why we didn't clean it. When people die, they're just gone.

- Not like this, sir. - All right, all right.

That's all right, son. That's all right.

This is the enforcer. Stand by to recover the call.

Mr. Cole, how you doing? I'm Chief Poole. You come this way.

Commander Camparelli's waiting for you

- down in the ready room. - Hold on, Chief.

All right, sir.

Move it, go!

I wanna smell it.

I've been away for a while.

- All right. - All right, sir.

Mr. Cole.

Have a seat.

I'm fine, sir.

I was on the Coral Sea when you were on the Ranger.

Is that so?

Knew a lot of guys in VA-35.

Knew Jim Becker.

Flew A-4s with him.

You went down with him, didn't you?

That's right, sir.

And he didn't make it.

No, sir, he didn't.

I know the whole story...

before and after.

I know a lot about you.

Well, I'm glad, sir, because I know a lot about you too.

Everybody in the Navy knows about you, sir.

Yeah? What about me?

That you're a legend, sir.

Then that makes two of us.

Sometimes that can be a bad influence on others.

I'll try and fit in, sir.

That's my job.

Make sure you do that.

Good evening, Mr. Cole.

Mr. Grafton, I'm sorry about Mr. McPherson, sir.

Is Guffy around. You seen him?

Yes, sir, he's... He's right there.

You wanted to see me, Guffy?

Yeah, just a minute.

Let me ask you something, Guffy. You suppose there's anything...

Anything valuable here?

If they had something, it'd be up north, wouldn't it?

That's right, Mr. Grafton.

You see this?

This is Haiphong harbor.

It's loaded with munitions.

They take them out of here,

and they stick them here in Hanoi,

but it's not for you. It's restricted.

They didn't do it in '65.

We haven't flown over it since '69, so don't even think about it.

But I do have something here that's gonna brighten your day.

You know that strike you flew in the south last week?

Yeah, we refueled at Da Nang. That one?

Yeah, Army Bomb Damage Assessment says you killed 37.

That's some body count, eh, buddy?

You think I wanna know that, huh?

If you did what I did, would you wanna know?

For all you know, those people were farmers.

You get that information, you keep it to yourself.

I don't wanna know about it. Just keep it to yourself.

Do you even know who I am?

Yes, sir. I do, sir.

You're Commander Camparelli, sir. The CO.

What kind of name is Camparelli?

It is an Italian-American name.

Have you ever met a black man with a name like that?

No, you haven't.

I got that name because somewhere in my past

there was a wop in the woodpile.

Do I detect a smile on your disgusting face,

Lieutenant Razor?

I thought not.

So it turns out that my family are third-generation Mafia.

They were forced to make a living in gambling, extortion and murder

so that their boy could fly a jet aircraft for the US Navy,

so I take what I do serious. Do you understand me, son?

Yes, sir. I do, sir.

Now get out of my sight.

Lieutenant Razor, dismissed!

Don't laugh. He's your new wingman.

Just take one. I'll hand it to you.

That's the one I want you to have.

There's a pair of A-6s going to Subic tomorrow.

I want you to take one with the doc.

I'll put Grafton and maybe Boxman in the other one.

Soon as you get Jake off the deck, you fly him dizzy, get him drunk,

anything to wind him down before he goes up in flames.

Yeah.

All that guy needs is a...

strike on the match.

All right, now listen, Doc. Don't touch anything.

Keep your hands in your lap.

The only exception is if you have to eject.

You got a yellow and black handle here and one here. You pull it.

Command will be, "Eject, eject, eject.” Three times, you got it?

Yes, "Eject, eject, eject.” Do I say "roger" or just do it or what?

You even say "hi," you'll be talking to yourself,

because I'll be gone.

Jake!

Give me 15 degrees left.

Should make Luzon in about 15 minutes.

You're pretty good at this, aren't you?

I watch my BN a lot, you know?

I sort of picked it up.

If I'm wrong, I don't know.

China. What do you think?

Swell.

That's good food, man. Good food.

You're my favorite pilot, Jake. Did you know that?

I thought you were your favorite pilot.

Hey, Sammy, how you doing out there, man?

You enjoying yourself? How's the doc?

- I think Mad Jack's asleep. - No, I'm not.

Hey, follow the leader.

- How much? - Talk to the man.

Oh, I don't know. What do you say? Five bucks hard cash?

You're on, Cool Hand.

This is gonna be the most exciting thing

you've ever done with your clothes on, Doc.

Oh, Jesus.

Oh, no.

Come on, Jake, you can do better than this.

Now we're gonna have some fun.

Come on, Jake, Doc's falling asleep here.

- I'm getting a little embarrassed. - Sammy, you're a dick.

You can fly a plane, Jake.

Hey, Cool Hand, where are you guys?

Here, Doc, take some oxygen. You'll feel better.

Keep both hands on the wheel!

Not funny!

Yeah! We're having some fun now, aren't we, Morg?

It's not Morg, Cool Hand, okay?

It's me.

Will you take it easy?

You okay, huh?

Where are you guys?

That's all you get for five dollars, okay, man? We're gonna bring it in.

But are the girls clean?

Clean?

You afraid of a few bugs, son?

You afraid of disease?

What kind of aviator are you, Razor, huh?

So who's on for Po City?

- Checklist. - Yeah, preflight, kid. Money.

- Yeah, yeah, I'm cool. - Prophylactics.

- I got two. - Oh, yeah?

I always carry 26, myself.

That's not a joke.

No shit, Razor.

It is the biggest cathouse east of Port Said, man.

The whole town is dedicated.

Know what I mean?

You coming, Jake?

Cold beer, hot women.

Put the war in perspective.

Tell you what, I think I'm gonna catch you guys later.

I've got something to take care of.

Perspective.

Yeah.

Mr. Lieutenant?

- Oh, excuse me. - Thank you.

I was looking for Miss McPherson.

Sharon's gone.

Her husband was killed.

I know.

You're here on a duty call.

They send you here to stroke the widow?

Who are you?

Callie Joy.

I'm helping pack their stuff.

The Navy pays me to help people like Sharon.

What can I tell you, Mr. Lieutenant?

They were here but now they're gone,

like a lot of people these days.

When you get in your airplane and fly away alone,

sometimes you don't come back.

He wasn't alone,

and he did come back.

I was with him.

Hi, sailor.

- Come on. - Hey.

Commander Cole here decided to join our posse, Jake.

This is Lieutenant Jake Grafton. Cool Hand.

Glad to meet you, Jake.

How do you wanna be called, Commander?

Cole. Virgil Cole.

It's his third tour, man.

He really knows his shit.

You got the DFC and a silver star, don't you?

Does it matter?

Hell, no, it doesn't matter, Cole, Virgil Cole.

Here we are, home sweet home.

We're on your wing, Jake.

You wanna relax?

Hey, Jake.

Let's relax.

Ain't it great to be home, Jake?

Some things never change, right?

Thanks, Joe. Hope you don't get the clap.

Give this man another beer immediately.

- Boxman! Boxman! How are you? - Hey.

- All right. - When did you get back?

Hey, Carrie, how's the baby?

Looks just like you.

Carmen!

You didn't think I was coming back, did you?

April, oh, my goodness, you sweet thing.

You've been working out. I can tell.

Come up here.

Some of them are real dogs, Boxman.

They're all beautiful after being with you chumps for 57 days, right?

Hi.

Peace, peace, peace!

Peace, peace, peace!

Peace, peace, peace!

Peace, peace, peace!

Get a fighter pilot to do it!

Are you a fighter pilot?

Don't ask a man if he's a fighter pilot.

If he is, he'll let you know.

If he isn't, don't embarrass him.

Asshole.

Fighter pukes make movies.

Bomber pilots make history.

Prove it, asshole.

Nice carrier landing!

I don't hear your engines running!

I don't see your salute!

Launch the Intruder!

Yeah! Yeah!

How you doing?

Hey, fly boy.

I think you were lucky and I lost money.

Do it again, boy.

You boys got a problem?

- What's it to you? - What's it to you, nigger?

Hey, watch your mouth, mister.

You gonna stop me?

Yeah! Let's join!

I gotta go, man.

Watch out, Razor.

Nature calls.

Now repeat after me.

Say "black is beautiful."

Hey, Jake, this place is a drag, man, huh?

Let's go, come on.

Come on, you got my hat?

I don't know. I don't know.

Black is beautiful.

I'm gonna throw you in, anyway.

Mess call!

Mess call!

Got room in here for a six-pack and a pizza?

Sure, sailor, okay.

Oh, man.

Shit. I mean, shit, Morg.

Hey, Jake. Hey, man.

It's the Boxman, okay?

Come on, Jake, come on.

Come on, man, come on!

Oh, shore patrol.

Saved, man.

We're saved, Jake.

Emergency egress, gentlemen.

Cole, Virgil Cole, let's go, man.

Box.

I...

I appreciate you getting me out of there, man.

-I know I- -Hey, Jake.

Put it down, man, okay?

Morg's gone.

Let him go.

Okay?

Have some coffee.

You going back?

Hey, my wingman Razor is still out there.

Alone, you know?

Hey...

- Adios, compadre. - Thanks.

- Cole. - Hold on, Box.

You'll be all right, Mr. Grafton.

I'm tactical.

I know this is foolish of me...

but I'm a little tipsy and I am...

I made a fool of myself earlier. I was a real...

Slow down, slow down.

And I guess I owe you one.

Owe me one?

Yeah, I wanna make it right by you. What can I do?

Okay.

Dance?

All right.

I Wanna jump but I'm afraid I'll fall.

I wanna holler but the joint's foo small

I make up all my own moves.

Seems like it.

I got the rocking pneumonia.

And the boogie-woogie flu.

Yeah, I learned this when I was a hippie.

I Wanna kiss her but she's way too tall.

Young man rhythm's got a hold of me too

I got the rocking pneumonia...

Tonight you're mine, completely.

You give your love so sweetly...

Tonight the light of love

is in your eyes.

Will you still love me tomorrow?

Thank you.

Is... Is that your daughter?

It's all right.

Where's her father?

He's scattered all over North Vietnam.

He went out one day alone and the SAMs got him.

Since no one was with him and his body was never found,

they have him listed as MIA.

Of course, it isn't true.

You knew I was a pilot.

I married a pilot.

Didn't it make you remember?

Maybe I wanted to remember.

Hardesty.

How's your wife?

She's fine. She's fine, sir.

I really appreciate everything you've done for me, sir.

Nice to meet you, Mrs. Grafton.

Got a beautiful child, sir. Beautiful wife, beautiful family.

Wanna thank you again for everything you've done.

It's no trouble, Hardesty. No trouble.

Nice to meet you, Mrs. Grafton.

Beautiful family.

Callie, I know we don't want to complicate things any more

than we have to, but I...

I'd like to write to you, if that'd be all right.

I'd like that.

It would be fine.

I'd like it very much.

Have you always been this stupid?

How did a person like you, as stupid as you are,

become an aviator? Can you read?

Are you that illiterate?

This is no kindergarten!

This is no... no preschool!

Grafton!

Get in here.

You were part of this too.

Sit down, both of you.

What's this crap about you attempting to feed a merchant seaman

to some alligators?

- They were crocodiles, sir. - I don't give a damn.

Now, go on.

Well, I attempted to throw the aforementioned puke to the crocodiles,

when his belt caught on the railing and I failed.

- An altercation then ensued, sir. - Seven hundred bucks damage,

30 men in the brig, and an alligator injured,

and you got away.

Using escape and evasion techniques, sir,

I was able to avoid being captured.

And, sir, we didn't hurt that crocodile.

- He was fine when we left. - He was okay, Skipper.

Damn it, stand up.

Who gave you permission to sit down?

- Who was with you? - I'd rather not say, sir.

That's the same thing he said.

Mr. Cole.

I couldn't help but overhear the conversation

and I thought I might add something, sir.

Go ahead, mister.

These men were victimized, sir.

- Victimized? - Exactly, sir.

They were victimized.

We were lucky to escape. I saw the whole thing.

Yes, and I'm sure you'd let me know if these gentlemen were at fault.

That's affirmative, sir.

That will be all, Mr. Cole.

Yes, sir.

All right.

All right, I'll cover your asses, both of you...

because you told the truth and kept the faith.

But if I catch either one of you shitting in some vital area on my ship,

you'll be keelhauled,

and that's serious on an aircraft carrier.

Get out of here, Cool Hand.

Yes, sir.

As for you, Razor...

running with known psychopaths now, huh?

- Who am I, Razor? - You're third-generation Mafia, sir.

Wrong, you rodent! I was built with this ship.

I am a weapons system and there was a cost overrun.

Dismissed!

Come on in.

- Commander Cole. - Mr. Grafton.

Have you recovered yet?

Oh, yeah.

I saw the duty roster out here and they've got us paired up.

Looks like you're gonna be my new BN.

I thought we may have a chance to visit for a minute.

What do you got on your mind?

Well, actually, sir,

I got the word that this is your third tour

and I was... I was curious.

What makes a man come back for the third time?

I like to fight.

You had a lot of pilots?

Oh, four or five.

I'm kind of hard on pilots.

Have...

you ever been up north?

For sure.

In the old days, that's where the war was.

Well, I bet... I bet there was something up there

that really made the trip worthwhile back then, huh?

I mean, I figure a guy like you ought to know.

There was a lot up there worth it. You know that.

SAMs are the scene here, man.

SAM sites are the most righteous targets we got.

You ever fly Iron Hand?

No. No. No, not me. I...

I don't let them shoot rockets at me for sport.

You get to kill them. It's gratifying.

Yeah, but I bet it's not as gratifying as what was up north, huh?

I get your drift.

Don't even think about it.

Well, I just know it's gonna be a pleasure to fly with you, Mr. Cole.

Hot dog.

Well, today's your lucky day.

The only A-6 B-qualified crew,

Jackson and Greeves were scrubbed because they didn't have a day trap.

So your BN volunteered you for SAM suppression.

Ever pull Iron Hand duty? You fly the B?

No. Wait a minute.

I'm not B-qualified. I've never even sat in the damn thing.

Well, it's a good thing Mr. Cole has.

Besides, you're all we got.

You know something I don't know?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Look, just relax.

I'll talk you through it. I used to be an instructor on the B.

The only difference is a couple of black boxes, and they're all mine.

So just follow steering and flow with it.

You see, Iron Hand's my thing.

It's simple. We're the decoys.

We get them to turn their radar on and shoot at us,

but then again, we get to shoot back and kill them with our missiles.

That way, the bombers can have a pleasant, SAM-free evening

dropping their bombs.

When you shoot the shrike, just remember not to look at it.

It'll blind you.

Otherwise, it's a simple deal.

When the SAM's radar goes on, that's your target. You shoot.

They either have to shut off and lose the missile or eat the shrike.

Even if they do shut off,

sometimes the shrike remembers where they're at.

Mean bastards, eh?

You know something?

I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at one time.

Look, man. I hate SAMs.

I get all worked up just thinking about them.

When I tell you to do something, just make sure you do it.

Well...

I can tell this is gonna be a real love affair.

Break left.

All right, that's enough.

That's enough.

Just checking.

Devil 520, feet dry.

Roger, 520, we copy. Feet dry. Good hunting, Cool Hand.

Let's let them know we're here.

Put your mask on. It's gonna be a gunfight.

Man, we've been made.

Give me 15 degrees nose up.

A SAM just lifted off. One o'clock.

Oh, Jesus, there's another one!

It's not even fun until they send up three at once,

then we give the gomers our first bracket while you dive under.

Oh, I do, do I? Where do you get all this confidence in my ability?

Now, that's four. You happy now?

- Aim at the strobe. - Come on, come on!

They're going into high PRM.

Just a second.

Shoot, shoot!

Spread out, spread out left.

I told you not to look.

Hang a left and hit the shaft, goddamn it.

Two more dead ahead. Down!

Get your nose down!

- Just another flight-controlled radar. - Bullshit, look at the direction,

- it's coming up behind us. - Maybe a conical missile scan.

That's no missile scan, that's a MiG, baby.

Black Eagle, this is Devil 520. We got a bandit crawling up our ass.

Get those F4s over here. Expedite!

And I do mean expedite. Now, let's get out of here.

- Give me 20 degrees nose up. - What, are you crazy, man?

That's a MiG. We don't even have a gun.

No, but we got a shrike, and that'll take care of the radar site

that's guiding the sucker.

Come on, you crazy bastard. Goddamn it, I wanna shoot

- before he gets us. - Not yet, not yet.

That's it, right there.

- Close your eyes. - Shoot!

Righteous.

Drop your flares and cut your heat signature.

Hard right!

Oh, God, we got a flameout. Engine just shut down.

We gotta get power for a restart.

Emergency generator on.

Okay, throttle up.

- Here goes nothing. - A thousand feet and dropping.

- You're decelerating. - Come on, come on.

Airspeed, 200 knots. We're gonna drop like a rock at 180.

Then why don't you eject?

Screw it, I came along for the ride.

Come on, you sucker, light up.

Three hundred.

- Come on, baby. - Two-fifty.

- Please. - Two hundred.

Things are coming alive. Yeah, we got restart.

Yeah, you beautiful, wonderful little aerodynamic wonder, you! Yeah!

Flow with it, yeah!

This is X-Ray 201 and 2. We have your bandit in tow.

He's ours, gentlemen.

Cavalry's on its way.

I've had enough fun. Let's go home.

Wash the windows, check the oil.

Hey, what happened to you guys?

For a couple minutes back there, you didn't answer my calls.

Oh, that. We had a MiG after us.

We did an engine shutdown to throw him off.

In the middle of combat?

Cool move.

Cool as a jewel.

That's bullshit. Pulled back on the throttles too much.

That was a major screw-up, and you know it.

Well, don't worry. It won't affect my decision.

- Your what? - If you were a candy-ass,

I'd ask for a new pilot, but I figure you'll do.

Hi, Jake.

- Hey, man. - Hey.

What you doing up here?

It's a good place to think.

Oh, yeah? Me too.

I like the noise. It's good, it's good.

What do you got there, Box?

It's just some mail. You know, outgoing.

Is that all yours?

Well, yeah, I got a lot of people to write to, man.

This is the only post city, actually.

These are my favorites. These I like too.

Now wait a minute. You had time for this and for evaluation?

I got a lot of responsibilities, man, you know?

I'm a...

I'm a patriarch.

- No, really. - A patriarch?

Yeah.

Wanna hear something?

- What do you got? - Hold on.

Wait till you hear this. It's something else.

Listen to this.

- Ready? - Yeah.

You hear that?

"Daddy."

No, no, he said "daddy," man. That's my son.

That's my son. It's beautiful, huh?

That's your son? How do you know?

I don't know, and I don't give a shit, either.

- He can be my son if he wants to be. - Why not? Sure he can.

Right? I mean, she wants him to be.

So do I.

- That's what's important, right? - That's what's important.

- Right, right. - What's she like?

She's butt-ugly.

I mean, she's ugly, but she's got a great body, man.

Well...

You know, Jake, I think I could love an ugly woman.

I mean, you can trust her more. The pretty ones...

- they only care about themselves, right? - Yeah.

- Right? You know what I mean. - Yeah, sure.

That's nice.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Thanks a lot, Jake.

- Yeah. Thanks a lot, man. - All right.

- I'll see you around. - All right.

Mr. Grafton.

Wouldn't happen to have anything on North Vietnam, would you?

Like what?

Oh, I don't know. Anything with...

maybe some maps.

Try this geographic.

The map's in the back.

Keep it quiet. It's not supposed to circulate.

All right, thanks.

You want to bomb Hanoi.

You realize I could have you court-martialed

- for even making the suggestion? - That's right.

- You took a big risk. - Yes, I did.

- Why do you wanna do this? - I think you know why.

There's guys like Morgan.

They're dying every day, every single day.

This war? This war's not gonna end.

You think it would matter? One plane?

Yes, I do.

It would matter to me. I think it would matter to Morgan.

It would matter to all the other guys.

It would matter to you, and you know it.

So you think putting a couple of snake eyes

in the middle of party headquarters is the answer?

Well, I don't know, but I'll tell you what,

it's gonna get their attention, isn't it?

You'd be going right downtown.

It'll be no piece of cake.

Yeah, but it would be worth it,

and this time, it's not gonna be a bunch of trees.

It's not gonna be a road junction.

It's gonna be a mission, a real mission.

You think it would change anything at the peace table?

I don't know. It might.

No dice.

I've been in this war too long to listen to this idealistic bullshit.

Let me tell you, friend. There's nothing up there worth dying for.

No, let me tell you something.

You risk your life...

You risk your life every mission, every stinking mission.

I do my job.

I do my job.

Don't worry.

I'm gonna forget we even talked about this.

Dear Callie.

Last night, I talked to my new bombardier

about an idea I had, but he told me...

He fold me it was crazy.

Now, I'm very confused.

I know that I have to do something about Morg's death,

but I don't know what.

Tonight, we go out again to bomb another useless target.

I miss you and little Sallie.

I'll write again soon. Jake.

All right, Jakey.

Bring it up a little tighter.

Here we go again.

Another important road junction.

Probably a couple of goat paths.

Locking down. Ground lock on target.

Okay, drop and try it, Jake.

- Hack. - Bombs away!

All right, they're off.

Anybody see any secondaries?

Anybody see any secondaries?

I didn't think so.

Okay.

Give me some altitude. Let's level off at 3,000.

Right with you, Boxman.

Oh, shit. We got SAMs at 1:00.

They launched. Anybody see anything?

I think I saw two.

They're under that cloud bank. You see it, Jake?

- Jake! - Break hard right, hard right!

Okay, there's one left.

Just shut the radar down.

Where is the sucker? Jesus!

- They're starting again. - Right, listen to me, Box, turn into it.

Where? I can't see it! I can't see it!

I'm hit! Jake, I'm hit!

Oh, my God, Jake!

- Get out! Eject! - Punch out! Punch out!

He's gone.

Grafton?

Grafton?

You still with us?

We all miss Boxman,

but he's gone, okay?

Gentlemen,

I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Young and Mr. Reynolds.

They're the replacement crew from Subic.

So why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourselves?

- I'm Lieutenant Larry Young. - Shut up, asshole.

Well, we gotta name them.

Why don't we just call them "new guys"?

We used up all the good names.

Let's just call them "new guys."

New One, New Two?

Very good, Razor.

You just have such a vivid imagination.

Movie officer, what's the film tonight?

There's no movie, sir, just news.

Okay, news in the ready room.

There will be a memorial service for Box and Letto at 1000 tomorrow.

Dress is tropical white, long.

That'll be all.

A Swiss camera crew in Hanoi, North Vietnam,

took this footage of a celebration of sorts,

commemorating the defeat of American air pirates.

Here in People's Resistance Park,

they've set up trophies of their victories,

grim reminders of the losses taken in this seven-year-old war

over the north.

I'll do it.

I'll go downtown with you.

But first, I want you to know something about me.

I had a pilot by the name of Jim Becker.

He was a good man.

We made an agreement that if we ever went down

and one of us got hurt,

that the other guy would go on.

A SAM took us out.

We were down on the ground for days,

sneaking around, eating bugs,

living in holes that we dug.

On the sixth day, Becker stepped on a mine,

blew half his leg off.

I tied it off and he told me to go on.

I got about a half mile away...

and I couldn't do it.

But by the time I got back to him,

they had already found him and killed him.

I saw it happen.

I just thought you ought to know that...

the skipper and a lot of guys think I just left him there.

I don't think you left him there.

All right.

All right.

Forget your party headquarters.

Did you see those trucks,

those fins behind the display on the news?

Oh, yeah, I think I did.

Did you ever hear of SAM City?

Well, I'll tell you, I've heard a lot of stories about SAM City, but...

They're true.

You just saw it.

It's no story, it's real.

The Air Force photographs them every day.

You're shitting me.

No.

Well, then, there's gotta be data on it somewhere.

Honey, we aren't in the Air Force.

I saw a picture of People's Resistance Park in here,

but there's no reference to it on the map.

- It's there. It's there, Jake. - How can it be? I haven't seen it...

I was there. I've seen it. SAM City.

They take them out of there and they fire them at us.

Now, if we could get a couple of bombs in there...

set off some of those warheads...

the whole place would blow.

A lot of guys' names on those missiles.

You tell me you're interested in payback.

That might be worth a court-martial.

What do you think?

I think we should have another look at that tape.

Hey, man, what are you doing up?

You should be in the sack. You got an alpha strike tomorrow.

Oh, I couldn't sleep. I'm walking it off.

Watch out. Skipper's on the prowl.

Shitter posted a strike,

said he was gonna piss and that doubles his capabilities.

It's getting very dangerous. He could hit anywhere.

Steam irons, aftershave bottles.

Just think of the targets available.

What are you doing up?

Don't lose sleep over it, Grafton.

The price of peace is eternal vigilance.

That's it.

God, look at those mothers.

Rows and rows of them.

Now if we just knew where that was. People's Resistance Park.

Park of the people. It's there somewhere.

So that's the Land of Oz.

- Need some help? - No.

Red River. Paul Doumer Bridge.

Then you follow the main boulevard, you go right to it.

People's Resistance Park.

It's right across the square from the national assembly.

SAM City, man.

You guys must be nuts.

The Air Force won't give me any pictures of downtown.

I'd have to send for them.

That would be like robbing a bank

and using your own car for the getaway.

But you follow the boulevard, you go right to I,

but I did not tell you.

I did not tell you, man.

You know what this is?

It's the Yellow Brick Road.

In three nights, we hit the power plant at Bac Giang.

We'll be carrying a thousand-pound snake eyes instead of 500s.

That's right. When we drop them, we'll drop them retarded.

I'll bet we can get really low, maybe even 200 feet.

We can use two on the power plant...

and that leaves us eight for SAM City.

We're never gonna get another chance like this.

You guys are crazy, man.

You're never gonna freaking make it.

Yeah.

I get good vibes.

Well, looks like we got Indian country ahead.

We are coasting.

Black Eagle, Devil 505, feet dry.

Roger, 505. Good hunting, gentlemen.

Initial point...

new heading, 287.

As soon as we come out of this,

keep your eyes peeled for that power plant.

Four hundred feet.

Okay, I see it.

On target, and into attack.

Here she comes. Five miles out.

Ground lock, ten seconds.

Hold it. Your pickle's hot.

- Hack. - Bombs away.

Your new vector is 020 degrees, heading north.

Zero-two-zero.

You don't have anybody you wanna say goodbye to?

Oh, maybe just a girl and her kid.

But they hardly knew me.

How about you?

I used up my goodbyes.

Let's do it. Two hundred feet.

Level at 200.

Hot dog.

Five miles to target.

Okay. There she is, I see it.

It's too quiet.

- Where's the goddamn flak? - Don't worry about it.

Gomers can't get us now.

Nothing's gonna get us now.

- Jesus Christ! - Flow with it.

Damn, we're gonna have to go right through this crap.

Into attack. Pickle's hot.

Velocities have gone bananas.

It's either the navigational system or the computer.

The manual says to kick the son of a bitch,

get the rotors going.

State-of-the-art.

It's gone.

We're gonna have to bomb by hand.

I think I got it.

Left five!

We're at the initial point. Come hard left.

Okay, I've got the Yellow Brick Road in sight.

Jesus, what a great target.

Steady now.

God, a SAM just lifted off.

Ahead right.

- Hold it. - Come on, do it, do it!

- Hack! - Bombs away, breaking left.

Oh, shit. Get it out, get it out!

You're in the clear. You all right? Did we hit it?

I don't think so.

- But you had a lock on it, didn't you? - Affirmative.

- And the bombs fused? - Absolutely.

Well, then, why not?

- Because they didn't drop. - You're kidding me.

All that jinking around must've thrown off the ACU.

They'd never expect us to come back.

Nobody'd go through that again.

Tell you what, I came here to bomb.

Come hard left, heading 180.

One-eight-zero, one more time.

Check the ACU circuit breakers.

Armament circuit breakers back in.

- Maintain 300 feet. - Three hundred feet.

We're at the IP. Hard left. Get it on.

Though I walk through the valley...

Three miles to target.

- Right, two degrees. - ...I shall fear no evil...

Get it on.

...for thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy staff...

Pickle's hot.

- Stand by. - ...they comfort me.

One mile, keep on trucking.

Stand by. Hack!

They're off! Breaking left, breaking left!

Payback, you mother...

- Get down! - Roger!

Listen to the music Of the traffic in the city.

Linger on the sidewalks Where the neon lights are pretty.

How could you lose?

The lights are much brighter there.

You can forget all your troubles.

Forget all your cares.

And go downtown.

This further dramatizes the reasons for withdrawal

from the peace negotiations in Paris.

The only damage was a direct hit to a children's hospital,

leaving hundreds of innocent infants dead.

French journalist from Hanoi about an hour ago.

You were over Hanoi, weren't you?

It was a good mission, sir.

Sir, we blew the shit out of them, but we didn't come near any hospital.

You think I don't know that?

I know what you hit.

The Air Force knows what you hit,

so does CTF-77,

so does General Giap and the entire World Communist Union,

but no one's gonna admit it.

As far as this Navy is concerned, you didn't kill a rat.

Face forward, mister.

I'm just starting.

Where do you get off, mister?

Are you special?

You're just a sensitive fellow here.

I'd like to take you home to my mama.

And as for you, you can lead the Manson family

now that Charlie's in jail.

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

You're a maniac.

They ought to study you, Cole.

Are there times when you have the moral obligation

not to follow orders?

Of course there are.

The Navy didn't tell you to strafe women and children

or do anything that violated your conscience.

But you heroes,

you do not have the right to make up your own orders.

You have abused my trust

and the trust of every officer in this squadron.

You'll be confined to your quarters until tomorrow morning,

when you will accompany me on the cod to Subic Bay

for inquiry into court-martial charges.

Get out of my sight. Dismissed.

Be seated.

I hope you realize that now is the time to come to Jesus.

Anyone giving me less than 100% truth will find himself

in a place like Adak, Alaska or Diego Garcia.

You will be there awaiting court-martial or resignation process.

It will take three to four years to process a resignation.

Do I make myself clear?

All right, what about it, Mr. Grafton?

There was only one mission, sir.

That right, Mr. Cole?

That's about the size of it.

We did it ourselves.

Normally, I'm blabby, but I sat on this one.

You took an oath, Mr. Cole.

You too, Mr. Grafton.

You took an oath to defend the constitution

and obey the orders of the officers appointed over you.

It's the same oath that every officer in the Navy has taken

for damn near 200 years.

And during all that time, the military has obeyed the civilians

who were the elected government.

Now, they might not have always been right

or wise or even smart,

but they were elected.

Any other way, and the United States would be nothing more

than another two-bit military dictatorship.

Why did you do this, Cole?

An officer with your fine record.

Did you think you were gonna win the war?

Frankly, sir, I think we're gonna lose this one.

But I do love the work.

Mr. Cole, you may find that amusing, but we don't.

Gentlemen, this is our country you're messing with.

Well, Mr. Grafton, you have an attentive audience here.

Perhaps you can explain to us

why you thought a one-plane war was the way to go?

Well, sir, we bomb worthless targets night after night.

I mean, three tents under a tree?

Sampan repair yards that have been hit ten times already?

Sir, you know the list better than I do.

My first bombardier and 50,000 other Americans are dead and...

can anyone tell me why?

I realize that I'm Lieutenant Nobody.

I'm not really sure about anything anymore.

This war's become very confusing.

Nobody...

Nobody wants to fight in it, nobody seems to wanna win it.

Maybe it never should've happened, but people do die in it.

Maybe for me, it...

got personal because I do know the difference

between dying for something and dying for nothing.

I know that's no excuse. I...

I know that.

I broke the faith, and for that, I am truly wrong.

Perhaps I should hang.

Hanging, Mr. Grafton, is no longer a punishment much in use.

But a prison term in Leavenworth is,

or a dishonorable discharge if the court-martial should so decide.

Whatever happens, I think it's safe to say that your career in the Navy is over.

Only question is how.

Well, hell, I guess...

I guess I got you into this, didn't I?

I don't see it that way.

It was my fight.

My fault.

It was just your idea. It was my choice.

Nobody tells me what to do.

That's part of the reason these human Dobermans are watching me.

Look, Jake, I've never trusted anybody.

I've never counted on anybody but myself.

But I'll tell you, nobody has a chance alone.

I'm glad we did this together.

We never broke the faith, amigo.

If we hang or go to jail, we do it together.

Hell, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

What we're gonna tell you, Commander, may come as a surprise.

It must be held in the utmost secrecy

and its importance will become obvious.

I think you'll understand.

All charges against your boys have been dropped.

Sir?

They're gone, dropped, never happened.

What do you want me to do, Captain?

Cover it up, sweep it under the rug.

Take your men back to your carrier, keep their mouths shut.

You can do what you want to with them, but this affair is over.

May I ask the Captain why?

Because the President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon,

is quite irritated at the opposition for leaving the peace table.

He has just ordered Operation Linebacker II...

the unrestricted bombing of all military targets in North Vietnam.

We'd look like real idiots court-martialing an A-6 crew

for doing what the President of the United States just told us to do.

If a rumor got back to the press, you can understand the ramifications.

Yes.

Yes, sir.

I want you out of my squadron.

You'll be transferred out at my convenience.

Wait a minute!

Good men die and all we care about is following the rules, huh?

What are you looking for, Grafton?

Revenge?

Now, this is not the place for it.

You're gonna shake your fist at God and say, "Give me revenge"?

Well, he ain't listening.

You know what's going on back home.

Bombs, riots,

people spitting on soldiers in airports.

The whole country's tearing itself apart.

Is there anything in this pissant war worth that?

Christ, all we really got is each other.

I want you to think about that

while we're out there this morning, Mr. Grafton.

This is a daylight raid, gentlemen.

Air Force, Marines, Navy... Everything we got.

They've had three years to get ready for us,

the most formidable air defenses in the history of warfare.

Our job, the task of the Intruder, is to kill SAMs.

Make no mistake about it, gentlemen.

The SAMs are where your ordnance goes,

otherwise, those B-52s will be dead meat.

We can expect a forest of SAMs and flak you can lay down on.

We've got to cut a path through for the Air Force.

We'll be going in broad daylight with nothing to hide behind.

We'll be easy targets up there, gentlemen,

but they're counting on us.

Lean info it.

Let's go downtown!

- Yeah! - Yeah, come on!

- Yeah! - All right!

This is Nomad, leader on the mail. Give me the coordinates.

Three-wheel painted mustang, suggest you orbit at 8,000.

You'll be good bait.

Devil 511, stay close and move when I tell you.

That's a roger, Devil Leader.

Devil Leader, this is 503. We're five miles behind you.

Skipper, you ever been afraid of dying?

Son, you gotta have permission to die,

and I'll tell you when that is.

Got that one site.

There's a gun down there, ZSU-23. He's got me painted.

I'm bracketed.

Okay, break right.

Oh, shit, I'm hit.

I'm hit.

511 to Devil Leader.

You're smoking, Devil Leader. Get out, sir.

My BN is dead. I'm getting out of here.

My canopy's stuck.

Damn it. I can't eject.

Get out, sir! Get out!

I'm taking her down.

I've got a clearing ahead and a road.

I think I can make it.

Level your wings. Easy, boss.

I'm right behind you. You can do it, sir.

Devil Leader off the screen. Do you have a visual?

He's down. Devil Leader down on the road.

I see the aircraft. It's smoking.

We need a rescue team.

I've got a Jolly Green standing by but he's unarmed.

We need prop-driven planes in here.

Send in the Sandies.

They can get in low under that ZSU.

I'm right behind you, 511. Going down for a look.

There's a gun down there, 503.

How else are we gonna find it?

I found it, 511.

This place is crawling with NVA.

- We've been hit. We've been hit. - Call it in, Sammy.

Black Eagle, Black Eagle, this is Devil 503.

My primary hydraulics are gone. I'm losing fuel.

I think I can make feet wet easy.

Skipper, do you read me?

Skipper, come in.

Skipper, do you read me?

Do you read me?

Black Eagle, I can't raise the skipper.

This is 511, going down to take a look.

Devil Leader, this is 511. Come in, Skipper.

Stay high, 511.

Those guns are still out there, just waiting for more game.

They must think I've got a missile because they won't turn on their radar.

Chickenshits.

- We're bingo fuel. - Can it. We're staying.

I'm not leaving the skipper out here alone.

I heard that, Razor.

You'll do nothing of the kind.

You're gonna be naked out here without us, sir.

You get your young ass back and rearm.

No way, sir. We're staying.

That's an order.

You hear me?

Yes, sir.

We have a bingo refuel. Make a ready deck.

Make a ready deck.

Zero-three-five...

Hey, one more thing...

I'm changing your name to Straight Razor.

You've become a real weapon, son.

Yes, sir.

It's Grafton and Cole, sir. Aren't they supposed to be grounded?

I see a strike preparing to launch.

Yeah!

Hang in there, Devil Leader. We got you covered.

Listen up, you criminals.

That gun is still down here and there may be more.

Okay, here he is. I see him.

Going into bombs.

I'm gonna shove it down his throat.

They're off!

- You ever eject? - Not my trip, man.

I didn't like it. Keep on rolling the dice.

Shit, we're on fire.

- We're gonna have to bail out. - Not yet.

God, I was hoping I was never gonna have to do this.

This is the end of Devil 505. Say goodbye, asshole.

- Eject, eject, eject. - Goodbye, asshole.

Hi.

Damn! It's broken.

Watch your big feet.

You think this changes anything?

You hoodlum.

You disobeyed orders again.

I grounded you.

Hey, I am on the ground.

Oh, you're funny, cute.

Virgil, Virgil, do you copy?

Virgil, this is Jake. Do you read me?

Cole, where are you, buddy?

Son of a bitch. I'm gonna get him.

What can we do, huh? What can you do?

- I gotta do something! - And just what can you do, huh?

You don't know if he's dead. You don't know where he is.

- Let me go. - Sit still!

Virgil, where are you, buddy?

Virgil, Virgil, do you copy?

Virgil, this is Jake. Do you read me?

Virgil?

Tell me where you are, man. I'll come get you.

Calm down, buddy.

I had to split, man.

It was a bad scene for a while, but everything's cool now.

How's the skipper?

He's with me.

Now, listen up, tell me where you are.

Tell me where you are. All right, buddy?

Don't worry about me, man.

I got my face painted and bushes tied all around me.

The mothers are gonna have to step on me to know where I am.

I don't believe him.

Get down.

Cole, you listen to me.

They're gonna bomb your ass if you don't come out, goddamn it!

I'm out of here, man. They'll never catch me.

Sandy lead, this is Cole, 505.

Strafe where you can see and expedite.

Right away, man.

Virgil, I'm gonna come in and get you, you asshole.

Grafton, get back here! Grafton!

See, Cool Hand, you stupid ass?

I told you to stay down.

They got you pinned, man. You wanna get killed?

Now, crawl back to the skipper.

Now. Do it.

Sandy low lead, Sandy low lead. This is Cole, 505.

Go ahead, 505.

I'm done, Sandy.

I'm all screwed up.

My back's broken.

They're everywhere.

I'm sitting on a ZSU. They're using me for bait.

Don't do it! Don't you do this to me!

Don't give up on me! We're not going anywhere without you!

Do it, Sandy.

Lay it in on me, man.

I'm puffing smoke.

Virgil!

Virgil!

Do it, Sandy.

Do it now.

I'd do it for you.

That's a rag, 505.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot.

No. No. Virgil!

Virgil.

Come on.

I know you didn't wanna lose another one.

Now, come on, I didn't either. It hurts.

Come on, we gotta go.

Get out of there, 505. We're marking with Willy Pete for napalm run.

Come on, let's get out of here. Come on.

Come on.

This is Devil 505. Does anyone read?

Devil 505, this is Rover. What's your Charlie Sierra? Over.

Jesus!

Sandy, clear out this ground fire!

Devil 505, this is Rover. Do you read?

You're all right.

Oh, shit.

Leave me here.

Shit. You've got a chance alone.

Get going, Grafton, now.

Devil 505, this is Rover. If you read, pop smoke.

Rover, this is Grafton 505.

I'm popping smoke. I want you to drop the penetrator in.

It's over, goddamn it. What do you think you're doing, huh?

I'm taking you out of here, sir.

Wasn't it you who told me it takes more to live?

Well, you're gonna live!

All right, asshole.

Hey, we both go or nobody goes.

Hey, there's a guy out there and he's looking for a target.

He's gonna have to show himself.

I gotta get him, or you're never gonna make admiral.

Who do you think you are? Wyatt Earp?

- Flow with it, sir. - What?

He's still down there. Send it down.

Put it down.

We're getting low on fuel.

Rover, this is Sandy. Clear out of there. Clear out.

Up, up.

Up. Get him up.

Yeah!

- Yeah! - All right!

Yeah!

Okay, Sandy, we're getting out of here. Cover us.

That's a rog, Rover.

That hand better, Mr. Grafton?

Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir.

- A letter from home? - Yeah, sort of.

This is your home, Mr. Grafton.

You're a lifer, like me, Cole and the others.

When I was young, I didn't even have a home, just a ship.

So now when we go back, it's just like I'm only visiting.

Well, sir, they tell me that you've been selected early for captain.

They're gonna give you a ship like this, sir.

They're gonna give you a carrier.

You know something, sir,

I wouldn't be surprised if you make admiral.

You ever seen a black man who's an admiral?

Third-generation Mafia, sir.

That's right, Grafton.

That's right.

I hope I'm on that ship, sir.

I do too, Mr. Grafton.

I wouldn't have it any other way.