"Kitchen's done." "Done it ditto." "Living room... check." "Negatory on Junior's room." "We're making babies alright." "Come on, Dog." "Ain't no time to waste." "Today's the day." "You think they're gonna leave without you, boy?" "No, Dog." "Don't call me "boy"." "I don't have to call you nothing but regular army." "Now you're a damn sucker just like me." "You think this is about you?" "Yes!" "Yes, I think this is about me." "You think they started the goddamn war so you'd have to have the goddamn baby all alone?" "Yes, I don't wanna have this goddamn baby all alone, is what I think!" "I think you're just as crazy as you were the day I married you." "Bye, Franck." "Mind your mom Eddie." "Shit, I know I'll be killed." "I've seen those faces on "Nightline"." "I said "Goddamn, girl, that's me."" "Everyone of them's me." "We're here by the milk, see?" "And Grandma lives over by the Jell-O." "He don't know what you're saying." "I'm trying to tell him where Irak's at." "Yeah, but he doesn't understand the words you're saying." "Mommy is gonna be way over there in the garbage, okay Spooky?" "I'll be back, some time next year." "Meet you in hell, huh?" "Over There." "Get the hell down." "I think somebody maybe got shot out there, Sir." "That's their problem and don't call me "Sir"." "I'm not some faggot officer." "I fight for a living and my problem is you." "Now stay down." "Shouldn't we go get him?" "Some soldiers will go get him." "We should try to stay alive for the next 15 minutes." "Maybe we could do something useful after that." "They got him." "They'll hold him back to the medics." "I was going home today." "I was going home after a year of this shit-hole." "And yesterday, they told me I'm staying 90 more days." "And taking on this squad of virgins." "'Cause what?" "The Sergeant you trained with had to have his tonsils out." " His appendix." " Shut up, private!" "I guaran-goddamn-tee you that one of you fools is gonna do something stupid and get yourself killed within the week." "Within the week, goddamn it!" "This is the guy we're going to war with, Dog?" "This is the guy who's leading us in the battle?" "Shut up and stay alive Dim, okay?" "That's a job, okay?" "Nothing else." "What do you want us to do?" "Nothing!" "We were told to dig in." "We dug in." "What do we do about the women?" "The driver and the mechanic?" "Nothing I said." "Shouldn't we get them back..." "Don't contradict me, fool," "I'm your goddamn squad leader, I'm here to keep you alive." "Okay, Sergeant." "Good." "We are waiting orders." "We're taking fire outside a mosque." "Looks like a goddamn storage unit in Tijuana." "And instead of being able to go in and blast the shit out of the bastards," "We're dug in awaiting orders." "You know why?" "Why?" "Because they got a goddamn Arab TV journalist in there." "Al-Jazeera's got us on the goddamn TV News right now." "Understand?" "You have any idea what that means?" "It means we're gonna wait, taking fire for some General" "75 miles away to make a decision about goddamn public relations, about how it would look if we did this or how it would look if we did that." "That sound like war to you?" ""Don't contradict me, fool, I'm your goddamn squad leader."" ""I'm here to keep you scared shitless."" "Hold your fire!" "Let's see what's happening." "Sorry, Sir." "It's alright, Sergeant." "It's good to see you ready to defend your position." "Yes, Sir." "Sergeant, you're moving up at midnight." "50 meters dead on." "We're tightening the noose, you got me?" "Yes, Sir." "Any air support?" "Negative, Sergeant." "Air is dedicated to another area." "Yes, Sir." "How did these women end up here?" "The motor transport, they were dropping my new guys when the vehicule went down under small arms fire." "That's what started this whole mess." "I'am gonna go behind you and get to the next squad, okay?" "Don't let the crazy Texan shoot me." "Yes, Sir." "Sorry, Sergeant." "Sorry?" "I've got guys who'd give a month pay to lay hands on the Mad Cow." "Mad Cow?" "Yup." "These are gangsta." "I love my NVGs." "Shut up you, moron." "Are you stone?" "!" "This is a combat zone." "I grew up in a goddamn combat zone." "You think you're bad, fool?" "Mortier lands on your head, we won't find enough of you to fill a condom." "Now shut up!" "Let's move!" "We're at the last prom, Lieutenant." "For here on out, it's open desert all the way to the mosque." "Over." "Did you move up the 50 meters?" "Over." "We moved up 25 but I'm telling you this is the last cover there is." "Over." "My orders were to move up 50 meters, that means 50 meters." "Over." "Rodger." "Out." "Disease is that eats men's brains." "Come again?" "You were wondering why they call him Mad Cow..." "That's why." "Jesus, I can't do this." "Head down, Mrs B." "Don't call me that." "Shut up both of you!" "Hey, Dim, let's give her a hand." "I can do it myself." "If you say so..." "You're deaf soldier?" "Don't provoke her fool." "Get down!" "I said I can do it myself!" "Take cover!" "I said take cover, goddamn it!" "Get down!" "I'm gonna shoot the other light." "Cease fire!" "We're not clear to fire!" "We've not been cleared to return fire!" "Goddamn it!" "I ordered them to move up 50 meters 'cause I was ordered to move up 50 meters." "But I didn't tell them to return fire." "That, they did on their own, Captain." "Something you wanna add, Sergeant?" "No, Sir." "How about you tell me what you think about what would've happened anyway, Sergeant?" "How about that?" "I think my men were exposed to enemy fire and returned it in accordance with both the rules of engagement and common sense." "What about our deployment strategies, Sergeant?" "What do you think of that?" "I didn't think that was in accordance with the rules of common sense but this being the goddamn army I followed my goddamn orders, Sir." "I agree with him, Lieutenant." "I think he might wanna be a little more flexible interpreting your orders next time." "Still want me to write up an incident report?" "Because in everybody's record no matter how it's disposed of." "No, Sir." "Good." "Anything else?" "What do we do about the women?" "Right now, it's probably more dangerous to move them than to leave them where they are." "There is negotiations going on with the people inside the mosque." "That's why the satcom trucks are here." "But they may take a while." "We could be here a week for all I know." "Now I understand your people are new." "You think they can handle it?" " I hope so." " Absolutely." "I understand they call you Sergeant Scream, Sergeant." "Why is that?" "I HAVE NO GODDAMN IDEA, SIR." "It's a good name for a Sergeant." "Thank you, Sir." "As you were." "Do something useful or nobody shoot again!" "Eat!" "So the pink-ass Sergeant tried to get the brother in trouble, huh?" "Say what?" "I said the pink-ass Sergeant tried to get the brother in trouble, don't you agree?" "No." "Why do you wanna say that?" "All you gotta say is no?" "Lieutenant's a fool." "He's a brother making his way in a white men's world is what he is." "Can't you see that?" "Or they got you so turned around, you go against your own?" "We gotta stick together, bro'!" "We?" "You mean we the niggers or we the fools?" "'Cause if you're looking for another nigger to pack you up no questions asked, don't look at me." "But if you're looking for another fool, to risk getting shot to cover your fool behind," "I'm right here beside you, boy." "I'm right here beside you." "Yo Dim, you awake?" "Yeah." "I never asked... why they call you Dim?" "Because I'm stupid, Dog." "That's why." "No, you're not." "Yeah, I know I'm not." "But back in boot when they heard I went to Cornell, they figured I had to be stupid to end up in the army anyway." "So... that's why." "I'm going to college." " Oh yeah?" " Yeah." "I got me a scholarship to play football, Texas AM, but huh..." "I couldn't afford it so I signed up." "You got a scholarship but you can't afford it?" "Yeah, it wasn't a full ride." "I ain't that big." "22 titties my senior year though." "Yeah, I finish my hitch, I'm going back to school." "They gotta hold the scholarship for me 'cause I signed up." "GI bill will cover the rest." "I must see if I can play on the kick-off coverage team at least." "You know, they let walk-ons play on it." "It's a worthy goal." "Yes, it is." "You married?" "Don't go ruin a beautiful evening, Dog." "I already told you I'm stupid." "Maintain your positions, they're still at it." "Over." "Roger, out." "Negotiations continue!" "Keep your eyes peeled anyway." "I got a funny feeling about this." "Hey, Sergeant!" "Yep!" "Where's a fellow supposed to take a shit at?" "You want privacy?" "Go where we can't see you." "You want to stay alive?" "Go where we can." "Is that simple enough?" "There's land mines too." "Don't forget those." "You're sure you gotta go?" "They've sent out all their Suleimans for their treatment." "If the brass agrees, they'll come out under a white flag." "Pass it on." "Now?" "Yeah, now." "They get what they want, they'll come out under a white flag, got it?" "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you..." "How come they call you Angel?" "I sing in a choir." "Thought I was gonna sing for a living." "Went up to New York City to trial for a choir that competes all over the world." "Still can't believe I didn't make the cut." "Couldn't bring myself to go back to Arkansas so..." "I signed up." "Don't ever do nothing out of anger, boy." "Take it from me." "I love the army." "No shit." "Ain't Mrs B supposed to be on watch too?" "Where she at?" "Got me." "She asked me where you could take a dump before." "I told her they let you use the john at McDonald's but you gotta buy something first." "You tell her they sent out a list of demands, okay?" "Things work out, they'll surrender, okay?" "If she comes back with French fries," "I'll kiss her ass." "You can try, she'll stick a bayonet up your heiny." "Thinks you're the devil." "This is the army, you remember?" "No good deed goes unpunished." "You ain't gonna ask me how come they call me Doublewide?" "No, Ma'am." "Shots fired!" "What's going on up there, gentlemen?" "Over." "We're hot 6." "I got multiple contacts and most of them are trying to sneak past us." "I guess the offer of surrender was bullshit." "Over." "Either that or there're different groups in the mosque." "What are you facing up there, Sergeant?" "Over." "I got small arms and others covering up too." "Do you copy?" "Over." "Copy that, Sergeant." "I'm gonna get on with the Captain." "Over." "Peace." "I've got mortars landing directly on my position." "Do you copy?" "Do you copy?" "Over." "Copy that, Sergeant." "Hang on, Dim." "Keep firing." "I could use some heavy guns up here, Lieutenant." "Over." "Copy that." "Hold your position and sound off." "You first, Texas." "I'm good." "Dim ?" "I'm good." "Smoke ?" "Yeah, yeah !" "Angel." "I'm here." "Doublewide." "I'm okay." "Mrs B." "Mrs B, goddamn it, answer me!" "No Mrs B." "Ain't no Mrs B." "Mrs B is gone." "Everybody but Mrs B, Sergeant." "Mrs B?" "The female driver." "We'll look for her as soon as we can." "Right now, the best we can do is lay down more fire in case she's trying to get back to us." "Okay?" "Let's go!" "What the hell is this shit?" "Sandstorm." "Keep your eyes peeled." "Get your head down." "You see that, Sergeant?" "Where's our 50 shots, damn it!" "They try to play this to our right." "That's where Mrs B is." "Come on!" "Get the hell down!" "Goddamn it!" "We gotta find her before they do." "I got your back." " I see her." " Where?" "Over here." "She's alive." "Come on, let's go!" "Let's go!" "Keep your head down." "Son of a bitch!" "Son of a bitch!" "Those are our mortars, Sergeant." "Say it again." "Over." "You may follow this Mirage right to the mosque, Sergeant." "Those are ours." "It's time to get some instead of taking." "Doublewide, you stay in that hole with Mrs B, understand?" "No matter what." "Check, Sergeant." "Bo, you stay right here besides me, right here!" "You run off again, I'll kick your ass, understand?" "Yes, Sir." "And don't call me Sir, goddamn it!" "Let's go!" "Let's get some!" "Let's get some goddamn brownies for GIs." "Sing something Angel." "I don't know no killer songs, Sergeant." "Well, you better make one up 'cause this is why we came to this party, goddamn it!" "We didn't come for your oil!" "We came to kick your ass!" "I capped this dude right here." "I remember I was right over there when I capped him." "Nice shooting." "Smaller than I thought." "Mrs B!" "What?" "Hey, they're bringing up the leader!" "Now we will taste your freedom!" "Freedom we do not know!" "Freedom you forced upon us!" "Now we will taste your American freedom!" "Now you'll go take me to Abou Ghraïb?" "You have a bag for my hijab?" "Do you want me to take my clothes off now?" "God is great!" "There's no God but God!" "There's no God but God!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "I must go with him, it is part of the agreement!" "That was part of the agreement for his surrender." "Yes!" "But he didn't surrender, Mr. Fazal." "Remember?" "He attacked." "Costing the lives of dozen of his men." "Sergeant." "Your people come through alright?" "Yes, Sir." "Listen up." "There's video e-mail back by the satcom trucks." "Wait is usually 2, 3 days but I pulled some strings and get your men and women a chance to send some messages home." "So you just go on back there, identify your unit, and take your right to the front of the line ok ?" "Thank you, Sir." "Spooky honey, this is mommy." "Are you doing what daddy says, honey?" "Are you being a good boy?" "Mommy's at work and everything's fine." "Everybody's okay and mommy's doing a good job so far." "She's dirty and she smells bad and she's been eating food that tastes like silly putty, sweetheart." "But in every other way, she's fine." "And she misses you and your daddy real bad." "You heard that, Spooky?" "Silly putty." "Yo baby!" "What up man?" "Get around and checking your e-mail again." "You see me, I'm here in the middle of goddamn downtown Shitville." "Sorry, soldier." "You can't say where you are." "I ain't said where I was at." "I said I was in Shitville." "You see any signs for downtown Shitville around here?" "You can't say anything at all about where you are." "And if you can't follow the rules you can't send the message, okay?" "Alright, look." "Just start me up again, alright?" "Hey, baby!" "Oh this is dumb, I'm no talker." "I'm thinking of you though." "We're getting by." "We've made it through our first week anyways." "Which not everybody thought was gonna happen, let me tell you." "Just that right there is a victory." "Vanessa..." "I don't know if I can explain to you in words what's happening to me." "And I don't..." "I don't mean shooting at men and being shot at." "I mean inside." "Someone said" ""tragedy was the inevitable working out of things."" "And the tragedy here is... we're savages." "We're thrilled to kill each other." "We're monsters." "And war is what unmasks us." "But there's a kind of honor in it too." "Kind of grace." "I guess if I'm a monster, it's my privilege to be one." "I'm starting to see that it's also my privilege to be your husband" "and the father of your child." "I don't know why that seems to make so much sense to me today." "It hasn't for a long time." "But it does today." "Bye!" "A loved one is trying to reach you courtesy of the USO and WorldCom." "Wanna hear my song?" "Say what?" "Wanna hear my song?" "What song?" "Sergeant told me to make up a song, I'm making one up." "Sure." "It's not a killer song." "Okay, sing it." "Alright." "The day is coming." "The drums are drumming." "If you know one, say a prayer." "There's mothers crying." "And fathers sighing." "War is in the air." "The trains are filling up with boys who've left behind their favorite toys." "They're going over there." "Where someone has to die." "That's all I got." "Shit!" "Thanks." "You got a minute?" "You could be my best soldier, Bo, or you could be my worst." "And the only difference is you going off on your own." "Understand?" "You got something you wanna do so bad, you'd risk your life you tell me, we'll do it, my way, on my time or we're gonna have a problem." "And I don't solve my problems with goddamn incident reports." "You take my meaning, private?" "You risk the life of one of my men again," "I'll shoot you myself." "Yo, Bo!" "My source is telling me they got" "Listerine bottles filled with kava seeds by the road." " Really?" " Yeah." "Down Echo company." "Just a camp like a mile away." "You wanna go in with us?" "On what?" "On a beer run." "I got a dude that cocked us up." "Sure." "Why not." "Alright, cool." "We all put in 20 bucks, we get what we need." "There are supply trucks going back and forth all the time." "So, you wanna go?" "Where?" "On the truck." "Get the shit." "Goddamn, soldier!" "I'll go with you." "Okay." "Alright." "Snorestop?" "Goddamn, why the hell they call you Snorestop?" "We were sneaking up on a weapons cache we heard about." "4 o'clock in the morning." "I had to kill a kid sentry who was asleep on the job." "Cut his throat." "Why always asking everybody why they're called what they're called?" "'Cause everybody's got a nickname but me." "Can't figure it out." "Bo's your real name?" "There's your problem right there." "Where?" "Everybody thinks Bo is already your nickname." "You kidding?" "No." "Where I come from, no one's named Bo." "Not at birth." "Really?" "What?" "Nothing, I'm just..." "You're a natural leader, Bo." "I'm just trying to figure out why that is." "You play quarterback?" "People always followed you?" "When I was going where they wanted to go too." "Did you see that kid, there?" "Where?" "Right there." "He dropped something by the side of the road." "I see him." "Well, he dropped something by the side of the road." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." "I saw something." "Pull over!" "Pull over where?" "Pull over here, goddamn it!" "Give him the morphine!" "Give him the goddamn morphine!" "I can't!" "He's gonna be loose..." "Get him something!" "Who's asking how?" "What should I do now?" "The day is coming." "The drums are drumming." "If you know one, say a prayer." "There's mothers crying." "And fathers sighing." "War is in the air." "The trains are filling up with boys" "who've left behind their favorite toys." "They're going over there."