"Know where we're supposed to go, man?" "No, not at all." "Man, this base is packed." " Oh, come on." " It's paradise." "Hey, how you guys doing?" "Want to give me a smile there?" "I want my duffel bag." "Oh yeah, smile for Mom." "Come on." "Peace, man." "Great." "How are you?" "You happy to be here?" "Hold it, hold it, hold it." "Great." "Real nice." "Ooh." "Man, look at all these newbies." "I thought the war was supposed to be winding down." "Huh." "Yeah, right." "And Ho Chi Minh just surrendered." "Yeah." "You get the idea they're sending us a different breed these days?" "Huh." "Yeah, they're all starting to look like you." "So how you guys feel?" "New president's been sworn in." "Peace talks are starting up again." "Yeah, they've been talking about peace since last May." "Only thing they decided on was the shape of the table." "Yeah, but what about Nixon's "peace with honor" pledge?" "You boys think you'll be going home soon?" "I sure hope so." "My girlfriend ain't the kind to wait." "You ain't going nowhere but the boonies." "You don't think there'll be any troop pullouts?" "Can't see how." "We don't win this thing, a lot of good men died for nothing." "Yeah, but what about all the protesters back home?" "Well, what about them?" "I used to be one." "Then what are you doing over here?" "What do you think?" "We got drafted." "What, a platoon full of replacements?" "Well, it's not like we've never been out with new guys before." "L.T., we've never had that many before." "Mm." "Does that mean we go back to the same old-type mission?" "Patrols, sweep, search and destroy?" "Oh, no." "The colonel informs me there's a new terminology." ""Reconnaissance and force."" "I guess "search and destroy"" "sounds too much like war." "Well, it's gonna be tough on the men." "Once they joined SOG, they got used to accomplishing something out there." "Now we go back to the same old..." "Sergeant, there's nothing I can do about it." "That's just the way it is." "We're gonna have to live with it." "Did you talk to Ruiz's girl?" "No, not yet." "She just got back from Japan from some sort of training." "She doesn't know?" "My turn." "Beaucoup." "What?" "Beaucoup cherries." "That's real good." "You're learning French, Griner." "That's gonna come in real handy over here." "No, I was just saying there's a lot." "I heard we're building up so we can invade North Vietnam." "Kuslits, you hear the damnedest rumors." "It's what I hear." "Also that we're going back to being a platoon." "Kuslits, put a lid on it, will you?" "I heard that, too." "Topkick in the ninth." "Guy I used to run with in the Philippines." "Said his whole battalion's gonna become a part of a search and destroy." "This place is full of more rumors than whores." "Well, that's just great." "Back to humping the boonies, watching your buddies get blown away by ambushes and booby traps." "We'll burn a few villes, lie about the body count, have a beer, and get up and do it all again the next day." "I don't know about you boys, but I can't wait." "Hi, Judy." "Hi, Judy." "One more." "Looks great." "Thanks a lot, guys." "Oh, cool it." "It's the first pig." "Well, no, actually, I'm a platoon sergeant, not a first sergeant." "Tell me something." "Aren't you a little far away from Haight-Ashbury?" "Might be a little closer than you think, sergeant." "Most of these boys don't seem too happy about coming over here and fighting someone else's civil war." "Is that a fact?" "Oh, that's right." "You know more about this than our President does, don't you?" "Well, do me a favor." "Move on." "Let me take care of my job here." "You really think you can turn this group into a bunch of lean, mean killing machines?" "No, but I could teach them something to keep them alive." "Do you mind?" "You don't like journalists." "I don't care one way or another about 'em." "I just don't like instigators." "I report stories." "I don't instigate 'em." "It's hard to tell the difference sometimes." "I call it like I see it." "That's your problem." "Maybe you still don't see it like everybody else does." "Well, then..." "guess we're even." "See, I..." "I don't like officers, or lifers, either." "Anyone who submits to authority without question makes me... a little nervous." "Yeah." "You know, I can see that." "All right." "Excuse me." "All right, I need Fains, Duckworth, Frohman, Greer," "Low..." "Lowendowski." "What is that?" "Lowendowski?" "Yeah." "There a Thomas Scarlet in here?" "Yo." "Who wants him?" "PFC Alexander Duckworth." "Well, you got him, Duckwall." "What do you want with him?" "Robbie says hello." "Robbie." "Where did you see him?" "Repo depot." "Just getting in from R  R." "Said he'd be down to see you as soon as he could." "Is the kid all right?" "I'll say." "He told me he already has an ammo pouch full of trophies." "I'm Kuslits." "Ski." "This all may be a little strange at first, but it'll get better." "Wasn't too long ago, I was a cherry." "I ain't no cherry." "This is my second tour." "You came back?" "What the hell for?" "You said it." "For the hell of it." "Man, this is no good." "I got to get out of here." " I don't have PA-50." "Let's see." " Got mosquito nets in here." "That ain't gonna unpack itself." "Name's Frohman... but everybody calls me "Preacher."" "Percell." "Welcome to the Nam, Preach." "Hey." "What do you think you're doing with that?" "I was gonna move it over a little bit, you know?" "Make room for my own stuff." "Belongs to a friend of mine." "It's his short-timer calendar." "The man ought to pay closer attention." "He's about three weeks behind." "Um, Duckworth..." "The rest of you guys may want to..." "May want to listen to this." "Taylor and Ruiz are buddies of ours, and they've been missing now for about three weeks..." "Missing in action, so... you all maybe want to tread lightly where they're concerned." "Attention, all personnel." "Attention, all personnel." "We have a dustoff coming in on LZ 3." "All right." "Do you want me to close for you, doctor?" "Is he..." "No." "We don't know." "He's missing in action." "How long?" "Three weeks." "We tried to contact you, but you were in Japan." "Look, there's, uh..." "There's still hope." "What hope after three weeks?" "That he's a POW?" "I'm sorry." "Thank you for telling me." "Miss Lozada... if there's anything I can do..." "Sergeant..." "I can handle it." "And you know who taught me?" "Alberto." "He told me that if I felt too much, if I let it get to me, it would drive me crazy." "So I learned." "And Alberto would be real proud of how well I learned." "Thanks." "See you, Percell." "Sarge." "There's some rumors flying all over the base, saying that we're going back to being a platoon." "Same old search and destroy operations." "Those aren't rumors, Percell." "And the new term is "reconnaissance and force."" "We're going out tomorrow and sweep the Boi Loi Woods, see what we can find out." "You know, Sarge, tell me something." "Are they out of their minds?" "Why would they send guys like us with all our experience and training..." "Percell, Percell..." "Now you been in the Army long enough to know there's a right way of doing things, and the Army's way of doing things." "You and me, we just follow orders." "Well, it seems like a waste to me." "Tell you what." "Next time I see General Abrams," "I'll take it up with him." "Well, I'd appreciate that." "All right." "Look, uh... with Taylor and Johnson gone, we're short NCOs." "I was kind of hoping I could count on you to square the new guys away." "Now, Griner and Kuslits, they can help us out." "Sarge, look, those guys are just a little shy of being newbies themselves." "Well, they've at least been around the block once." "Those other guys haven't." "What do you say?" "Well, I'll do what I can." "All right." "Hey... things are gonna be all right." "Trust me." "Well, I hope so." "Hell, Sarge, it wears on you, you know?" "Give that information to the major." "See what he says." "I don't know." "Is he on the duty roster?" "May I help you with something?" "You're Sergeant Anderson?" "What can I do for you?" "Well, I've been assigned to your unit." "Guess I'll be going along on tomorrow's mission." "You got your bug juice there?" "Do I really need it?" "Do you smoke?" "Nope." "Well, then, you need it." "Unless you burn 'em off or squirt 'em off, them leeches, they don't stop sucking till you're dry." "So how come they call you Preacher?" "Well, I sort of got kicked out of the seminary." "Lose your faith or your virginity?" "Yep." "Give half that stuff to your "A" gun and you'll be squared away." "I could carry twice this load to hell and back." "See how strong you are at high noon when you humped that pig for 10 klicks." "Watch your language." "Preacher here don't like that kind of talk." "Ski, it's all yours." "All right, everybody, listen up." "You've got five minutes to get out to the pad with all your gear." "Let's go." "Soldier." "Yes, sir?" "What is this?" "It's just a peace sign." "Lose it." "You ain't gonna need it where you're going." "Uh, Sarge?" "You know, um..." "I'm a lover, not a fighter." "Yeah?" "Ain't we all." "No, I'm serious." "So am I." "Look... you get me out of here, and there's plenty more where this comes from..." "Soldier, did you know it's illegal for you to have American greenbacks while you're within the Republic of South Vietnam?" "You know it's worth four times that in MC..." "I know what it's worth." "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do for you." "I'm gonna do you a big favor and pretend this conversation did not take place." "Now, you get your gear together." "Yes, sir." "Pop." "So this is your second tour, huh?" "Where'd you do your first?" "Twenty-fifth." "Ku Chi." "Oh, yeah?" "Probably ran into a lot of tunnels up there, huh?" "Yeah, I saw a few." "Yeah." "What kind of mission is this, anyway?" "SOS, man." "Same Old..." "Stupidity." "All right, now, y'all listen up here, especially you new guys." "When we hit the LZ, you un-ass the chopper as fast as you can." "You spread out and take cover and do not..." "I'm gonna repeat this... do not take your weapons off safe unless fired upon." "There's no sense in going out there and shooting each other." "L.T." "All right, you guys." "Look around you." "These veterans were cherries just like you are, and they managed to survive by watching and listening to other veterans." "I suggest you do the same." "Sergeant, let's get it done." "All right, first squad, let's move out." "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" "Come on." "You're supposed to jump at four feet, not 10." "Broken?" "Yes, sir." "Hang in there." "Got another one for you, Doc." "What's the matter with him?" "I don't know." "He says he sprained it jumping off the ship." "Doc... you check him out real close now." "It's swollen pretty bad, L.T." "I don't think he's going to be doing much humping today." "Yeah." "All right, let's get these two back to the LZ." "All right." "Hey, Greer." "We'll be in touch, you hear?" "All right." "Let's get ready to move 'em out." "Easy, Duckworth." "We're not the only wildlife out here, you know." "Come on." "You didn't even react." "How did you know it wasn't V.C.?" "If it was V.C., we wouldn't have heard 'em." "How come this place is so brown?" "I thought Vietnam was supposed to be nine shades of green." "Them ranch hands." "Who?" "Ranch hands." "The guys that drop the defoliant." "You ever hear their motto?" ""Only you can prevent forests."" "Does that stuff really work?" "Hell, yes." "Turns a green jungle brown." "Charlie's got nowhere to hide." "Watch your ammo." "Pop, who's Robbie?" "That's my kid." "Haven't seen him since he quit high school and enlisted." "Now he's a real warrior." "Yeah?" "Following in his old man's footsteps?" "Well, maybe." "Yo, Pop." "Y'all keep your interval here, unless y'all want to hold hands." "I'm definitely too old for this crap." "I'm definitely too young for this crap." "So, Bennett, you'd probably like somebody to help you carry those cameras, wouldn't you?" "I hump my own." "You bet you do." "Doc, looks like he passed out." "Get him over." "Heat exhaustion?" "Yeah." "Just got to cool him down a little bit." "All right, take five." "Percell, go up front, tell the others." "Keep 'em alert." "Uh, sergeant." "Excuse me." "Bite that." "Bite it!" "Bite it, bite it, bite it!" "Shut up!" "Shut up!" " We got to dig him out, man." " It looks bad." "It might be booby-trapped." "Son, son, listen to me." "You've got to hold still." "You're gonna have to hold still." "Get out of my way, buddy." "Give me your hand." "Give me your hand." "Cover fire!" "We got him." "Go!" "Go!" "Hold your fire!" "Anybody see anything?" "Talk to me!" "Negative!" "Come on, let's get him on the chopper." "Let's go!" "Sergeant... we'll go two more klicks, we'll send out a couple patrols, we'll set up an NDP." "All right." "Come on out." "This ain't a circus here." "Let's go." "Let's go, let's go!" "Percell, you got point." "Move 'em out." "All right, gentlemen, listen up for a minute here." "You're lighting fires at that bush over there and about that tree there." "So clear out all this brush so you can see what you're doing." "All right." "Yo, Frechetta." "Dig it deep now." "Your life's at stake." "Yes, sergeant." "Go all along that wall there." "All right, looking good there, Jackson." "Looking good." "Yo." "Thanks, Sarge." "Anything?" "If Charlie's out there, he's keeping it a real good secret." "Well, that won't be the first time." "How about Percell's patrol?" "No." "Nothing yet." "Man, you think this is deep enough?" "Deep enough to get buried in." "You know, I don't read you, Ski." "Why the hell would a man come back to this if he didn't have to?" "I had to." "I wasn't back on the assembly line for two days before I figured, "Hell," ""I'll be turning these screws" ""for the rest of my life." "Why rush it?"" "What about you?" "You didn't have to come back." "What's your excuse?" "You a ghoul?" "One of those thrill freaks who gets high on the war?" "I sure hope not." "How you guys doing?" "Okay, sir." "Okay." "Now, remember," "You hear anything, you throw your grenades first." "As soon as you fire your 16s, you're gonna give away your position with the muzzle flash." "Okay." "All right." "You guys squared away?" "Yeah." "Think we'll get hit?" "Are you scared, Bennett?" "Hell, yes." "Why don't you get a picture of it?" "How are the newbies doing?" "Well, the night will tell." "Hang tight." "I hear something." "It's your imagination." "Listen." "Hear it?" "Yeah, but remember what Sarge..." "I see them!" "Hold your fire, hold your fire!" "Hold your fire!" "What was that all about?" "We heard something." "I saw something." "I hope you killed whoever's out there, because if you didn't, they sure as hell got a good bead on your position now." "This ain't nothing like Mama made." "Well, anything?" "Yeah." "Six confirmed kills." "You're kidding." "That's great." "NVA or V.C.?" "Monkeys." "They didn't say what side they were on." "Outstanding." "All right, gentlemen." "Let's finish up that chow." "Police the area." "Let's not leave anything for Charlie to use against us." "Okay, L.T." "Yo." "Coming in." "Hey, Pop." "We were talking about the new president." "You got any thoughts on Nixon's "peace with honor"?" "Politics." "What about the Vietnamization of the war?" "Politics." "But even President Chu made a public appeal last week for the immediate pullout of American troops." "Politics." "You know, I get the distinct impression that you're not in agreement with the way the war is being run." "Any particular reason for that?" "Did you ever hear of Korea, boy?" "How about you?" "You think we're doing any good over here?" "I don't have a clue anymore." "Ask him." "Maybe he knows." "How about it, troop?" "Do you know what you're here for?" "Twelve months, I reckon." "Looks like he's been dead a while." "Are we gonna cut him loose?" "May be booby-trapped." "Check it out." "All right." "Get your eye on the tree line." "On the tree line." "All right, signal the others." "Get 'em up here." "Move up, move up." "Go." "Take a good look at this now." "Worst scene I ever seen, Pop." "Wait till you put some years on, kid." "Father who art in heaven..." "This is the enemy, gentlemen." "Forget all that noble revolutionary crap you've been hearing about." "This is the enemy." "This is what he's capable of doing to you." "And he will do it to you any time he gets a chance." "Oh..." "What's the matter, Bennett?" "You ain't gonna get no pictures?" "What's the matter?" "Just take pictures of our atrocities, is that it?" "I'll take my pictures." " All right." " Let's take five." "Mother Nature's calling, Preach." "Make sure you don't shoot my butt." "Okay." "Hold it." "Might be more of them." "He's gonna bleed to death." "Hold it now." "Let me check it out first." "My legs!" "Sarge!" "Sarge!" "Listen to me, listen to me." "You're gonna be all right." "Relax." "His leg got blown off!" "Tourniquet, Doc." " Get his belt." " Help me tie it off." "Just relax." "You'll be all right." "Sit up, okay?" "Get 'em up." "Kuslits, you up there?" "Yeah, I'm here." "Okay, Percell, you go up that way." "Griner, you're with me." "Go, go, go, go, go!" "Percell!" "Yo!" "You all right?" "Can't you tell, Sarge?" "I'm just enjoying the hell out of this." "Papa Bear, this is Baby Bear 6." "Request immediate dustoff." "I've got two wounded, one seriously." "Coordinates," "Alpha, Lima, 206479er." "Over." "All dustoffs are committed." "Well, I don't give a damn!" "Listen to me." "I want that chopper in here ASAP." "I got a man down." "Over." "Roger, 6." "We'll get to you as soon as we can." "Hey, You hear that?" "Chopper's coming." "Hang in there..." "What are you, some kind of a vulture?" "This ain't for your entertainment!" "Percell!" "Man's got a job to do." "Let's just let him do it." "We've got one of our own to worry about." "Go on, get out of here." "Man, if I see one more dustoff..." "Get it all there, Bennett." "Wouldn't want you to miss anything." "Like you said, I'm just doing my job." "It's like Percell said." "You're living off the dead, buddy." "Is it just my imagination, or does he really dislike me?" "It's not your imagination." "How about you, Doc?" "You feel the same?" "Bennett, some people are over here reporting the war, and other people are over here just getting off on it." "Hey, come on, Doc." "I know it's no secret I'm against the war." "I do my best to be objective." "How about you?" "I'm against the war." "But I'm for these guys." "You don't think I'm on their side?" "I serve a function." "I tell their story." "Well, you know, Bennett, maybe it's a story that doesn't need to be told." "I mean, you can take all the pictures you want, you can write all the stories you want.." "But I just don't think anybody could possibly understand what this is like unless they were over here." "I'm here." "Yeah, you're here." "But your editors aren't here." "You send 'em back whatever it is you send 'em back." "And whose story do they tell, Bennett?" "They gonna tell ours?" "They gonna tell yours?" "Or are they gonna be telling theirs?" "Mortar!" "Incoming!" "Can you see 'em?" "No!" "Can you see anything?" "I think I got a bead on 'em." "Three o'clock." "Sergeant, check it out." "Pops, you and Jackson got the right flank!" "Kuslits, come with me!" "How bad?" "Just a scratch." "You know, we got other medics..." "I'm all right." "There you go, Doc." "Okay?" "Anything?" "Nothing." "How did I know that?" "Percell." "You're on point." "Same old, same old." "Let's hustle through, people." "Come on." "All right..." "let's go." "All right, Percell, Ski, get the right side of the thicket." "Griner, you're with me." "Let's move!" "Go, go!" "All right, cover!" "Man, this is getting old." "Sarge." "Griner, get back to the L.T." "Tell him what we found here." "Tell him we need a few more guys." "Let's spread out." "Keep your eyes open." "How bad is it, Doc?" "It's just a flesh wound." "We're about a klick or so from the village." "Now, is he gonna make it, or do I have to call in a dustoff?" "No, he'll be fine." "Good." "L.T." "Yeah." "How long are we gonna stay out here, letting 'em pick us off, chew us to pieces?" "We're gonna stay out here until we've accomplished the mission." "And what is our mission, L.T.?" "Can you really tell me?" "Duckworth, your mission is to do as you're ordered." "L.T." "Sarge found blood trails." "He needs a couple guys." "All right, Kuslits, Pop, go with Griner." "I lost it, sergeant." "No V.C. No V.C." "Pop, check out the flank." "Chieu, get up here." "Yes." "Ask her what she's doing out here." "She say they gather firewood." "Sergeant?" "Well, she could have been." "She could have been cleaning up blood trails, too." "Well, I'll tell you what." "You are gonna walk point for me, because I think you know where all those booby-traps and mines are." "And tell her she better do a real good job, because her little girl's gonna be right behind her." "Let's go." "Jackson." "Pop." "Chieu, get up here." "Tell 'em to come out of their hooches." "Everybody." "Sergeant, let's get it done." "All right, by the numbers now." "Hooch by hooch." "Get 'em all out here." "Watch for booby-traps." "Watch for spider holes." "Let's do it, let's do it." "Out!" "All right, move 'em out here!" "Come on." "Di di." "Come on, come on, come on." "Come on." "Gavin, check that basket." "We get that secured, Percell?" "Yes, sir, L.T." "Chieu!" "Yeah." "Ask them where the VC are." "Sarge!" "What have you got, Griner?" "Maybe a spider hole." "I got that side." "Done?" "All right..." "real slow now." "Real slow." "L.T.!" "Griner, that's fresh blood." "We got us a tunnel entrance here." "Let me have a smoke canister." "Keep these people covered." "Sergeant, I want men on every entrance where that red smoke comes out." "All right, everybody fan out!" "Look for red smoke coming out of any holes around here!" "Got one here!" "All right, I need a volunteer." "I'll go." "No, Kuslits." "You've never been down in one of these before." "L.T., let me do it." "I thought you already had enough of this stuff." "Never happen." "I like it too much." "Give him a hand." "Help him off with his stuff there." "Come on." "Make sure you watch out for trip wires." "Okay." "Keep these people covered." "All right." "Good luck." "Thanks." "Yo, Ski." "Thanks, man." "Watch yourself." "Give it a rest, Bennett, will you?" "Man, you couldn't get me to go down there if Raquel Welch was waiting for me at the bottom." "Lieutenant." "They're hiding guns for the V.C." "He's been down a long time, Sarge." "Maybe we should send someone else." "Let's give him another minute." "I need another volunteer!" "Now." "Come on, move." "Jackson." "Sarge!" "All right, Jackson." "Watch this hole here." "Peter, up here." "Did you get him?" "Did you get him?" "Who?" "The gook." "The one who got me!" "Percell, check security!" "Doc?" "He's gonna be all right." "He's gonna be fine." "Lot of stuff down there." "Ammo..." "Rice..." "Did you get your shot?" "Duckworth!" "There ain't no massacre happening here today." "They're V.C!" "You've seen their guns." "These are women and children, and you ain't killing any of 'em." "Why not?" "They kill us." "You seen what they did to Ski?" "That guy on the anthill?" "Duckworth, lower your weapon." "Do it now." "Sergeant, is there a problem?" "No problem, lieutenant." "All right, let's get these people out of here." "We'll blow the wells, and we're burning it down." "L.T..." "I don't give a damn." "Let's burn it down." "Burn it all down." "All right, Gavin, get 'em out of here." "Make sure those hooches are clear." "All right, let's get those people out of there." "Burn it down." "But make sure the hooches are clear, all right?" "You make sure you get a lot of pictures, Bennett." "We're gonna see how objective you are when next month's edition comes out."