Transcript: (3x7) Cloud Nine

From Bravo 3/44th

Directed by: George Kaczender

Written by: Robert Bielak

See the Episode Guide

[01.40] Searching for Danny

TAYLOR: Hey brother. I’m lookin’ for a white GI, about this high.  ??? by the name of Percell.  ???

JOHNSON: Hey—hey. I’m lookin’ for a friend of mine, guy named Percell. He’s about this tall ---??? You hear me---hey

RUIZ: Excuse me…’scuse me….

[03.13] Danny's den

LEANDER: Di-di mau. Percell. Wake up man. Percell—man, snap out of it. Wake up.

PERCELL: Leander. What’s happenin’?

LEANDER: Susie ripping you off is what’s happenin’ man. I just told you that whore was number ten.-------- Some party, huh. Looks like you an’ Cholon was made for each other.

[04.35] Snack break

JOHNSON: Three days we’ve been carrying the guy. If we don’t find him soon LT’s gonna have to report him AWOL.

TAYLOR: Roo look, you sure this is where Danny said he was headed?

RUIZ: Where else is a deserter gonna go Marcus? He’s in Cholon. I know it.

TAYLOR: Then how come nobody knows nothin’. All day we’ve been down here an’ nobody knows nothin’?

JOHNSON: Oh they know. They just ain’t tellin’ us. C-Y-A brother.

RUIZ: I should've never let him go.

JOHNSON: Wasn’t your fault Roo. The man was determined.

TAYLOR: This place is scary. No wonder the MP’s are afraid to come down here.

RUIZ: Look I say we head back to the base an’ try an’ get a line on this Leander guy.

TAYLOR: I saw you’re right.

JOHNSON: Let’s do it.

[05.16] Curious people

BLACK DESERTER: Yo blood

COOL BREEZE: I heard you guys’ been up an’ down our block askin’ a lot of questions.

TAYLOR: Yeah, well we’re curious people. We like to ask questions.

COOL BREEZE: Not on our turf bro. You needs permission. Ours.

JOHNSON: Hey look brother, we’re just lookin’ for a friend of ours. A guy named Percell.

COOL BREEZE: Maybe. Maybe you guys are C-I-D.

RUIZ: Come on man. Do we look like narcs to you?

COOL BREEZE: He don’t---you do.

JOHNSON: Hey brother. Percell. Where can we find him? How about it?

COOL BREEZE: What do you want that red neck for.

TAYLOR: That red neck’s our friend man. We just wanna help him.

COOL BREEZE: Help youselves. Forget about this white man’s war. Come join us.

TAYLOR: We can talk the political jive later. Where’s Percell?

COOL BREEZE: Tryin’ to hide. We his friends now.

RUIZ: We’d like to hear that from him.

[06.12] Coming home Danny?

COOL BREEZE: Di-di. Don’t look like the boy wants to leave to me.

RUIZ: Percell. Percell.

TAYLOR: Danny. Danny, you alright man?

PERCELL: Taylor? Hey—Roo? We---great. We—we got extra room.

RUIZ: Danny, we’ve come to take you home.

PERCELL: Home? This is my home.

JOHNSON: Hey Danny, come on. Let’s just get outta here.

PERCELL: Hey. I said I got a home.

COOL BREEZE: I say the dude is happy where he’s at.

TAYLOR: Brother. Stay out of this okay. This is one of our guys.

COOL BREEZE: He’s in our unit now blood.

BLACK DESERTER: And we protect our own.

COOL BREEZE: You want him. You gonna have to take him.

JOHNSON: Hey—hey—hey. It’s cool—it’s cool—it’s cool. Danny if you wanna stay here with your new friends – cool. We—we just came by to see how you were doin.

PERCELL: I ain’t never been better.

JOHNSON: Come on.

[07.36] Searching for VC trail

NVA:  ???

GOLDMAN: We’ve been over this whole sector. I haven’t seen any road.

ANDERSON: What about the noise sensors the fly-boys have been droppin’? They outta be registering somethin’.

GOLDMAN: Naa. Wouldn’t be the first time modern technology or S-2 screwed up. I say we get the hell out of here.

ANDERSON: I say “yes sir”.

[08.52] River trail

GOLDMAN: (whispering) It's the river

GOLDMAN: This is it. This is the supply road.

ANDERSON: The river?

GOLDMAN: It’s shallow all the way across and where it isn’t they’ve got it built up with perforated steel.

ANDERSON: The little people. They always ??? think of somethin’.

GOLDMAN: I’m gonna call it in.

[10.04] Back at base

???: Three minute turn around. Let’s go. On the double.

BREWSTER: Well done. Do you think they know you found the river road?

GOLDMAN: No sir. We got away clean.

BREWSTER: Outstanding. I’ll let you gentlemen get debriefed. Then we talk about going back in there and really kicking some butt.

ANDERSON: Sir. Excuse me. With your permission, I have some other matters to take care of. I’ll catch you after the briefing LT.

BREWSTER: Okay.

BREWSTER: Percell?

GOLDMAN: Yes Sir.

BREWSTER: So you’re still carrying him, huh?

GOLDMAN: Yes Sir. Colonel ….

BREWSTER: I know what you’re gonna say Liieutenant. “He’s a damn good soldier”. Well you’ve got a lot of damn good soldiers on your team.

GOLDMAN: Well what are you saying? I should cut him loose?

BREWSTER: I’m sayin’ that’s your decision. Just make sure you keep your perspective.

BREWSTER: Is there something else Lieutenant?

GOLDMAN: Yes Sir, there is. I haven’t been questioned by one person yet about the Phu An incident.

BREWSTER: So?

GOLDMAN: So you told me the army was gonna handle it an’ I don’t see anything being done Sir.

BREWSTER: I’m handling it Lieutenant. They’ll be no cover up of any massacre. You just worry about Percell.

[11.25] LT's decision

GOLDMAN: Come in.

ANDERSON: LT. I talked to the men about Percell.

GOLDMAN: I’ve made a decision about Percell.

ANDERSON: Sir?

GOLDMAN: We can’t carry him any longer. He’s gone AWOL an’ he’s on drugs. We can’t wait.

ANDERSON: Sir, it’s not like he’s an habitual offender here. I mean he deserves a second chance.

GOLDMAN: Sergeant. There’s a lot of good men on this team that don’t go AWOL an’ their not on drugs an’ they’re my responsibility too. An’ I’m not just gonna stand by and watch their morale undermined because of somebody out there getting high while they’re risking their lives. Hell, we don’t even know where he is.

ANDERSON: We do now. Cholon.

GOLDMAN: Anybody spoken to him?

ANDERSON: Yes Sir. Johnson, Taylor an’ Ruiz.

GOLDMAN: Does he wanna come back?

ANDERSON: They say he’s too drugged up to know what he wants to do.

GOLDMAN: Well that’s it. He’s on report.

ANDERSON: Sir. We can go an’ get him. Drag him back here, sober him up an’ give him a chance to decide what he wants to do.

GOLDMAN: An how you gonna do that? Cholon’s like an armed camp. It’s full of deserters, it’s full of mercenaries, it’s full of Viet Cong. You’d have to have a commando squad to get him out of there.

ANDERSON: Yes Sir.

GOLDMAN: You gotta be kidding. No way.

ANDERSON: Sir…

GOLDMAN: No way. Sergeant --- if you think I don’t care about Percell, you’re wrong. But I just can’t do this.

[13.06] Keeping fit

ELLIOTT: What in Sam Hill do you think you’re doing?

BREWSTER: Just trying to stay in shape Sir.

ELLIOTT: You know what I’m talking about. You filed a complaint with the IG didn’t you? After I asked you not to.

BREWSTER: Sir, I though complaints filed with the Inspector General were confidential.

ELLIOTT: Don’t get smart with me. Oh dammit man, can’t you see I’m just trying to save your dumb hide.

BREWSTER: Sorry Sir, but the army left me no choice.

ELLIOTT: I promised you the matter would be taken care of through the proper channels.

BREWSTER: You ought to spend more time in the jungle Jack, it develops the senses. My nose picked up the smell of corrupt a long way off.

ELLIOTT: You just crossed over the line Carl. Push any more and Command will bring the hammer down so hard on you, nobody will even bother to look for the pieces. You understand me?

BREWSTER: Yes Sir.

ELLIOTT: Let’s go.

[14.42] Operation Rescue Danny

WHITE DESERTER: Hey. Where d’ya think you’re going?

ANDERSON: Johnson, nobody comes through the door.

ANDERSON: Leave. Now.

???: Oh man

ANDERSON: Percell.

PERCELL: Sarge. Join the party. I’m—er—not very good at this but—I am working on it.

ANDERSON: Yeah, I can see you are. Alright Percell, get up outts there, we’re goin’ back.

PERCELL: Back to what? The war? You can fight that one all on your own.

ANDERSON: Oh boy what it that you’re doin’ to yourself there Percell?

PERCELL: That’s good stuff.

ANDERSON: That’s heroin, ain’t it? Ain’t it?

PERCELL: So what? I smoke it, I don’t shoot it.

ANDERSON: Look at yourself—look at yourself Percell. What are you doin’? What are you doin’?

PERCELL: Stop it Sarge.

ANDERSON: Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you just tell me?

PERCELL: Leave me alone. Sarge

ANDERSON: Give me a reason. Why? Why?

JOHNSON: Sarge, (get outta here???)

ANDERSON: On the door. On the door Johnson.

ANDERSON: Come on—come on. I’m sorry—I’m sorry. I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to -----I’m here now an’ I’m gonna get you out of here now. You hear me? You hear me? Put your arm round me

[16.27] Got company sarge

???: …got a problem…

JOHNSON: …alright just stay back…

ANDERSON: Johnson, comin’ out.

JOHNSON: Hey Sarge, we’ve got company. You’d better watch yourself.

COOL BREEZE: Goin’ somewhere?

ANDERSON: Alright look, we don’t want any trouble, we just wanna get our man back home.

COOL BREEZE: He’s not your man lifer. Not anymore.

ANDERSON: Now everybody just be real still here. You have to ask yourself whether or not this boy here is worth dyin’ for. Because he is to us. See, he’s a friend of mine an’ all I wanna do it get him back home where he belongs. An’ if anybody gets in my way, honest to God, I’ll kill you. Johnson, go get the jeep an’ I’ll be right behind you. Ain’t nobody gonna kill nobody here now.

[17.19] At the orphanage

KIDS:  ???

HOCKENBURY: Now I told you that wasn’t gonna hurt, right?

MCKAY: Morning Sister.

SISTER BERNADETTE: Morning.

MCKAY: Hey Doc, they need you back at the base.

HOCKENBURY: What’s up?

MCKAY: Percell’s goin’ through withdrawals.

HOCKENBURY: Give me—give me a few minutes to finish this up.

MCKAY: Okay.

MCKAY: You’re really great with these kids sister. You ever regret not having any of your own?

SISTER BERNADETTE: These are all my children.

MCKAY: Right, I—I--I’m sorry, I only meant that…

SISTER BERNADETTE: I wasn’t a child when I took my vows Lieutenant. I knew what sacrifices I would be making by devoting my life to God.

HOCKENBURY: Okay, I’m ready.

MCKAY: Okay, I’ll be right with ya. Er—okay, well I’ll see ya.

SISTER BERNADETTE/KIDS: Bye

MCKAY: Hey Doc, were you raised Catholic?

HOCKENBURY: Presbyterian.

MCKAY: Guess you wouldn’t know anything about nun’s then would you?

HOCKENBURY: Limited wardrobe. Why do you ask?

MCKAY: No particular reason. We’re outta here.

[18.52] Danny's back

PERCELL: Doc, tell these guys to untie me, I’m not gonna hurt anyone.

HOCKENBURY: No, only yourself man. If we untied you right now, you’d be on your way back to Cholon lookin’ for more skag.

PERCELL: I don’t have a habit Doc. I only do it if I want—when I want.

HOCKENBURY: Right, which is all day, every day.

PERCELL: Go to hell.

HOCKENBURY: Look you guys, I’m—I’m really—I’m not really sure about this. I mean, I’m not a doctor.

JOHNSON: Well you know more about it than we do.

HOCKENBURY: Yeah well. I do know that the next few days are not gonna be much fun—for him or us.

RUIZ: Yeah well a dishonorable discharge ain’t gonna be fun either Doc. An’ that’s what he gets if we turn him over to the army.

TAYLOR: Are you sure we’re doin’ the right thing? I mean I know guys back on the block die goin’ through withdrawals.

HOCKENBURY: It’s okay. I mean he’s—he’s not been an addict that long an’ he’s young, he’s healthy. An’ I’m sure at some point he’s gonna think he’s gonna die, he’s probably even gonna wanna die. But if we watch him close, he should come through okay. One more thing, if his vital signs start goin’ south, I will pull the plug on this.

JOHNSON: You got it. You got it. Now what do we do?

HOCKENBURY: Well you just wait, watch him and we talk.

RUIZ: Talk?

HOCKENBURY: Talk—about anything. Just try to keep his mind off his pain.

TAYLOR: Danny. I ever tell you about my Grandma Taylor?

PERCELL: Marcus….

TAYLOR: She used to always take me down to Belle Isle, an’ I used to sit an’ I used to watch those oil freighters an’ I used to say to myself “one day I’m gonna go to a far away place”. Well, I guess I did.

[20.34] Play it my way

BOYLE: I was just suggesting…..

BREWSTER: Well don’t Mr Boyle. Either we play it my way or we don’t play it at all.

BOYLE: Information from an unnamed source just does not have the same impact. Why not save us all some time? Go public with this now.

BREWSTER: You really don’t get it do you?

BOYLE: I think I do Colonel. You’re worried that hanging a lantern on this massacre will cost you your General’s star.

BREWSTER: Don’t insult me. If I gave a damn about a star I wouldn’t be here. How long you been a journalist Mr Boyle?

BOYLE: Almost twenty years.

BREWSTER: About as long as I’ve been in the army. Does it pay well?

BOYLE: Not really.

BREWSTER: Then you do it for the glory then “byline Sid Boyle”

BOYLE: Not these days, no. It’s just—I guess I enjoy digging out a story more than just about anything else.

BREWSTER: Would you do it for free?

BOYLE: Well, it’s more than just a career, it’s my……

BREWSTER: Life. Life. Now you’re beginning to understand.

BOYLE: You really don’t care about your star but you care about your army.

[21.43] Monopoly

RUIZ: Come on Percell, it’s just like monopoly. Doc made it up.

PERCELL: I don’t wanna play any games.

RUIZ: Look man, we’re just tryin’ to help you know.

HOCKENBURY: Yeah

PERCELL: You wanna help, get my stuff

HOCKENBURY: No—not a very good idea compadre.

PERCELL: Oh come on Doc. I ain’t about to get hooked. Hell I just want a little—enough to ease the pain.

HOCKENBURY: No. Your roll. I’ll do it for ya------seven.

RUIZ: One—two—three—four—five—six—seven

HOCKENBURY: Excellent. Groovy. One week R ‘n’ R in Hong Kong. Very good. Your turn.

RUIZ: Come on, baby needs a new pair of jungle boots----three

HOCKENBURY: This you?

RUIZ: That one

HOCKENBURY: No dude. Busted for sellin’ drugs. Uhu, no good. Gotta go directly to Long Binh jail, for the duration.

PERCELL: What do you get if you win?

HOCKENBURY: You—er--you get to go home in one piece.

PERCELL: What if—what if I win, you--you get my stuff:

RUIZ & HOCKENBURY: Nah

PERCELL: Doc

HOCKENBURY: What—alright, untie him

PERCELL: I think I’m gonna be sick

HOCKENBURY: Alright—alright. Hold on—hold on. C'mon--c'mon

[22.56] Daddy's home

BREWSTER: Guess who

LI AN: Daddy’s home

BREWSTER: Jac=Nho. What are you doin’ up?

LI AN: When he found out you were coming, he insisted.

BREWSTER: So your mother let you stay up, I’m glad. I always love to see my little boy, but now it’s time for you to go to bed okay. Go to bed your mama and I gotta talk.

LI AN: Is something wrong?

BREWSTER:  ??? I may have committed career hari-kari today. I went to the press.

LI AN: About the massacre at Phu An. Your Generals, they did not approve of this? When will they find out?

BREWSTER: It’s still off the record, but it’s only a matter of time. I had to do it Li An, you do understand?

LI AN: Now because you do this you’re army will send you away. Your son will never see you again.

BREWSTER: No—no—no—no—no. I’ll never let that happen, you know that.

[24.42] Worse than latrine duty

TAYLOR: Oooh, ooh this vile. Latrine duty wasn’t even this bad.

PERCELL: You gotta help me Johnson. I’m not gonna make it. You gotta help me, you gotta get me somethin’.

JOHNSON: Hey—just hold on. Coupla hours, you’ll be alright. I promise.

PERCELL: No, later don’t matter Johnson. I need somethin’ now. D’ya understand me? Now. Oh my legs. My legs Johnson they’re crampin’ up.

TAYLOR: Hey—hey Roo—Roo—Doc—Doc—Roo

JOHNSON: Doc, get sarge right now.

TAYLOR: Get sarge.

HOCKENBURY: Alright—alright—alright

RUIZ(?): Alright

TAYLOR: The rope

[25.44] Sent for sarge

ANDERSON: How’s he doin’?

TAYLOR: Soon as we got him back in his rack, he went out like a light.

RUIZ: First time he’s slept since we got back. If you can call that sleep.

ANDERSON: How much longer’s he gonna be like this Doc?

HOCKENBURY: With any luck maybe—er—twenty four, thirty six more hours.

RUIZ: Sarge. What happens if we get called out on a mission?

TAYLOR: Yeah, who’s gonna watch him then?

ANDERSON: We got a mission. Tomorrow.

ANDERSON: Percell—Percell. Can you hear me?

PERCELL: Sarge.

ANDERSON: Yeah. How you feelin’?

PERCELL: Like—like a whole NVA division just went through my body.

ANDERSON: I heard that. But listen, I’ve talked to Doc. He says maybe you’ve got another day of this. The worst is over though.

PERCELL: Sarge.

ANDERSON: Yeah

PERCELL: You know—I always thought you were the—the best. Even when times got real bad, Sarge I knew I could count on you.

ANDERSON: You can count on me Percell. I’m right here buddy.

PERCELL: You gotta get me somethin’ Sarge, just a –just a little somethin’—just a little somethin’ to tide me over.

ANDERSON: Percell, now I cannot do that.

PERCELL: Sarge, please I’m beggin’ you. I’m beggin’ you Sarge. You can’t leave me—you can’t leave me like this –I’ll die

ANDERSON: Percell, listen to me now. That ain’t gonna work an’ you know it ain’t gonna work.

PERCELL: You lifer bastard. Sarge, I’m dyin’ dammit. Do somethin’ for me—do something

TAYLOR: Sarge, we can’t leave him here like this.

JOHNSON: Not with the mission tomorrow.

[27.53] Deaf & dumb

RUIZ:  ???

BREWSTER: What’s goin’ on here?

HOCKENBURY: Here Sir?

BREWSTER: No the DMZ. Where do you think I’m talking about?

BREWSTER: Percell

PERCELL: What

BREWSTER: Is this from his narcotics withdrawal? What are you all deaf and dumb? I asked if Percell was going through withdrawal.

JOHNSON: Yes Sir

BREWSTER: An’ where are you takin’ him?

JOHNSON: To the orphanage Sir.

TAYLOR: It’s the only place he can go cold turkey while we’re on a mission Sir.

BREWSTER: You men do know that the army has a drug rehab program?

HOCKENBURY: Yes Sir. We’re also aware that if he admits he’s using, he’s gonna get a discharge.

BREWSTER: Make sure he’s tied in good.

JOHNSON: Yes Sir

TAYLOR: Yes Sir

[29.26] Briefing

DUNCAN: Thanks to Team Viking’s recon, we’ve been able to nearly pinpoint the location of the NVA truck park. It’s over the fence—Cambodia. Surprisingly, it’s a lot closer to the border than we expected.

BREWSTER: So insertion will be at last light. We’ll send in Teams Mars and Jupiter here and here. If the park is vacant, we’ll know they’re convoyed and on the move. Team Viking will be set up here to try an ambush the following morning.

GOLDMAN: If the weather holds can we expect air support?

DUNCAN: Air strikes into Cambodia are strictly forbidden. However, the Air Force will be standing by for anything on this side of the border.

BREWSTER: And as we all know, maps in this sector are notoriously unreliable. So it’ll be up to you to give an accurate judgment as to where you are at any given time. Any questions?

???: No---no

BREWSTER: Okay, good hunting fellers.

[30.12] Counting the trucks

NVA:  ???

[31.33] Thirteen trucks

GOLDMAN: Thirteen?

GOLDMAN: Is everyone in place?

ANDERSON: Yeah

GOLDMAN: Alright. The scouts should be coming through any minute. They’ll be thirteen trucks and maybe fifty troops.

ANDERSON: That’s more than we counted on.

GOLDMAN: I know. We’ll let the scouts go through, then we’ll blow the first truck. That’ll be a marker for the fly-boys to come in an’ finish ‘em off. Let’s do it.

[32.24] Lessons at the orphanage

SISTER BERNADETTE: G—H—E—J—Q—R—

KIDS: G—H—E—J—Q—R—

PERCELL: Aaaagghhh ---- aaaaaggggh

SISTER BERNADETTE:  ???(French?)

[32.54] Don't know you

SISTER BERNADETTE: Sshhh. Calm down. It is alright. T’is alright. T’is alright.

PERCELL: I don’t know you.

SISTER BERNADETTE: I am Sister Bernadette. Your friends brought you here. Please—you are hurting yourself. I will loosen these ropes, but you must give me your word you will try not to leave this room.

PERCELL: What kind of place is this? A hospital?

SISTER BERNADETTE: Is is an orphanage.

PERCELL: Do you have medicine?

SISTER BERNADETTE: For the children yes.

PERCELL: I’m a sick man. I need medicine. Drugs.

SISTER BERNADETTE: What I have will not help you.

PERCELL: You don’t understand, I’m hurtin’. I could break you in half.

SISTER BERNADETTE: Perhaps. But I do not believe so or you would have already.

PERCELL: I’m sorry. Maybe you should tie me back up. I’m not that strong.

SISTER BERNADETTE: Perhaps if I just lock you in, alright.

[35.52] Meanwhile on the mission

NVA:  ???

[36.39] Put their clothes on

GOLDMAN: You two, put their uniforms on and wave the column on. Come on, put their clothes on.

NVA:

[38.02] Let's go

GOLDMAN: Radio! Come here.

ANDERSON: Let’s go—let’s go—let’s go

GOLDMAN: Delta four two niner. Your target is the river bed – three zero zero mikes November of the burning truck.

RADIO: Roger Viking six, we copy.

GOLDMAN: The target is yours. We’re outta here. Let’s go. Come on.

GOLDMAN: Get as many of ‘em at you can.  ????? pop those claymore and di-di

[39.05] 35 days and a wake-up

JOHNSON: Nice to be on the other side of an ambush for a change.

TAYLOR: You said it

HOCKENBURY: Sarge. Picked this up by the barracks ??? gonna go lookin’ for ya. Left you one of these.

JOHNSON: Not again. Holy----I almost forgot. I got thirty five days an’ a wake-up.

HOCKENBURY: Short-timer man.

TAYLOR: You’re so short you gotta reach up to tie you’re shoes. You’re goin’ home brother.

JOHNSON: Hey I could—I could be home for Christmas.

HOCKENBURY: Absolutely

TAYLOR: That’s right. Say “Hi” to Santa.

RUIZ: Congratulations

HOCKENBURY: Alright—alright--alright

[39.37] Welcome home

ANDERSON: Well Percell. Welcome home. I’m here for ya an’ everybody else is here for ya too. You just gotta keep on movin’ forward, one step at a time an’ drive on.

PERCELL: Yeah right.

ANDERSON: Percell. If you take a shower an’ shave you’ll feel better about yourself. I promise ya. You’ll feel like a soldier again.

BREWSTER: How’s he doin’?

ANDERSON: Not good. He’s pretty much over the physical withdrawal but—er—he feels lower than snail spit right now.

[40.37] Feeling sorry for yourself?

BREWSTER: So you’re feeling sorry for yourself---------As you were.

BREWSTER: Well?

PERCELL: Well how am I supposed to feel Sir? Low life junkie cryin’ out for more dope. Hell, I even hit a nun.

BREWSTER: An’ you think that gives you an excuse to corner the self-loathing market. I watched a friend of mine die once an’ I didn’t do a think to help him. An’ I was glad when he died ‘cos it meant I could go to sleep.

PERCELL: Sir?

BREWSTER: Korea, POW Camp. I was a prisoner for two years.

PERCELL: I’m sorry Sir, but don’t you think that’s apples an’ oranges. You weren’t hooked on dope. You were a war hero.

BREWSTER: I broke Percell. A lot of us did. Sure we had our reasons. They beat us every day. They stood us in the snow so long, we couldn’t feel our feet. Kept us awake for, man so long we would have killed our mothers for a few hours’ sleep.

PERCELL: Sir, it’s not the same.

BREWSTER: My buddy Temple, he never broke. He spat it back in their faces day after day. Guy had more courage than anybody I’d ever seen.

PERCELL: What happened?

BREWSTER: They beat him to death. Right in front of me and a guy named O’Brien an’ we just stood there and watched him ‘cos if we hadn’t, they’d have kept us up even longer. We traded our buddy Temple’s life for a few stinkin’ hours sleep. Only O’Brien, he never woke up.

PERCELL: They killed him too?

BREWSTER: No. They never laid a finger on him. He just turned to the wall and died. Just gave up. I suppose he just couldn’t go on livin’ with himself after that.

PERCELL: Do you think he took the easy way out?

BREWSTER: I think he died for nothing. He didn’t help Temple an’ he never helped anybody after that.

PERCELL: I appreciate the story Sir, but you had your reasons. They tortured you for God’s sake.

BREWSTER: You don’t think this war is torturing you? You’re in pain Percell. I mean you’re in pain because you care so much. As long as I live, I know I’ll never cut out the filth I feel very standing there an’ watching Temple die but man I use it. An’ you better learn to use it too. Whatever it is, your pain, your guilt. Do something positive with it Percell. ‘Cos if you don’t, you can take that face an’ turn it to that wall an’ you can die too.

[44.36] Heading for the shower

End

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