"Taylor." "We're following a blood trail here." "This ain't no time to be daydreaming about home, sweet home." "Come on." "Where's Stone?" "Taylor, come on!" "Holy..." "Looks like a Bouncing Betty." "Must have blown everything from the waist off." "Looks like this blood trail led right to it." "Poor kid." "He's only been out here two months." "Maybe he's lucky he's dead." "Stone?" "Bouncing Betty nailed him, sarge." "God." "Another kid down." "Yeah, well, you just keep your head down." "You stay alert, Taylor." "Otherwise, you might make it home in a paper sack." "Well, we just lost whatever advantage we had." "Now they know we're following 'em." "That damn explosion's gonna bring 'em own on us like flies." "Think we ought to head back?" "No." "Then we wouldn't be doing our job, would we?" "All right, I'll check it out." "We just lost our point man." "Who's next on point?" "I am, sir." "No way." "You're short." "I'll take point." "Forget it." "I'm next after Taylor." "Hey, what's wrong with me on point?" "Nothing, but you've got two days and a wakeup call and you're out of here." "Short-timers don't take point, Taylor." "You'd be messing with tradition." "I'd like to take point, sir." "You're crazy, man." "You'd be a sitting target for Charlie." "It's up to you, Taylor." "If any one of you guys took point and something happened," "I couldn't leave like that." "Thanks, guys." "Let's go." "You got a death wish, Marcus?" "What do you think you're proving by taking point?" "Oh, yeah, you're proving you're real stupid." "Yeah, that's it." "I get it." "Horn, get XO on the phone!" "What am I doing?" "Two days and a wakeup call." "Lord have mercy." "Get me out of this." "We're taking the bunker!" "Do you read?" "Over." "You just had to take point, didn't you?" "What are you doing to me, Lord?" "I didn't mean it." "Thanks, God." "I just know you want your boy Marcus to make it out of here alive." "Don't you?" "Whoo-hoo!" "Yeah!" "Way to go, Taylor!" "All right!" "Yeah!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "You know, Taylor, you really bailed us out, bro." "Yeah, I bailed me out too and I'm kissing this ugly land goodbye." "Goodbye, Vietnam!" "Goodbye, gooks!" "And goodbye, dirt!" "I'm out of here, bro." "I hear that." "Well, dude, that's the last time you'll ever see Ladybird." "Yeah?" "Well, it breaks my heart, Baker." "Now let's get on to Chu Lai and process me out of this nasty mess." ""We got to get Out of this place"" ""If it's the last thing We ever do"" ""We got to get Out of this place"" ""Girl, there's a better life"" ""For me and you"" "You know what you're doing, baby." ""We got to get Out of this place"" ""If it's the last thing We ever do"" ""We got to get Out of this place"" ""Girl, there's a better life"" ""For me and you"" "Goodbye!" "Whoo!" "Coming home, Louise." "Coming home, baby." "You know, I've been thinking about that GI Bill, sarge." "I'm going to enroll in school and stash the cash on Easy Street." "You know where Easy Street is, don't you?" "It's where I'm gonna be strolling with a fine lady on my arm, sarge." "Ha!" "You ain't gonna be so happy when you start out-processing." "You're gonna get writer's cramp signing all those forms." "Yeah, well, it won't hurt as much as getting shot at," "I'll bet you that." "You just keep your eyes fixed on these teeth, sarge." "You see that grin?" "You can show them Super-8 home movies on my face." "Whoo!" "Louise, heat the coffee." "The cream is on the way." "Unless my watch is wrong, we should be just in time for chow!" "God bless the rear echelon!" "Hot food!" "Hot damn!" "Hey, Anderson." "Hey, Carlton." "How you doing?" "Heard you got a short-timer in your bunch named Taylor." "Yeah, that's him back there, but he's more interested in hot food than your hot air." "Why don't we just let the boy decide that for himself?" "Ah, suit yourself, but you're barking up the wrong tree." "Hey, Taylor." "I'm Sergeant Carlton, your re-enlistment NCO." "Old Zeke tells me you're one of his best." "I am, but what are you selling?" "Your future, son." "We've discovered that when a man leaves the Army, he's in for a very confusing time, a very frightening time." "I just want you to know" "I'm here to help you through this passage." "Do I look like a lifer to you?" "You look like a good soldier to me, son." "A good soldier's got a future in the Army." "I'd rather French kiss Ho Chi Minh than re-enlist in the Army." "Well, at least I know where you stand." "Drop by the office sometime." "I've got some papers I want you to fill out." "What did I tell you?" "He might come around." "The Army gives a home to lots of people." "Just not stylish to admit it." "It's been okay to you and me, hasn't it, Zeke?" "Ha!" "All right!" "Hungry GIs coming through!" "Hungry GIs!" "All right." "Okay." "Move." "Move, move, move, move." "Excuse me, guys." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Pretty hungry." "Hungry." "Hungry." "Hey." "Hey!" "Get back in line!" "Hey, Johnson, did you make reservations?" "Don't need 'em." "In from the bush, guys?" "Yeah." "What's it look like?" "Hey, just want to help you out." "Come on up here." "You gentlemen don't mind, do you?" "All right." "DD, DD." "I think I've died and gone to heaven." "First hot meal in a while, huh?" "Over a month, but from here on out, it's all hot food for me." "Hot food and, oh, wall-to-wall ladies!" "Mashed potatoes." "I love it!" "You know, that stuff looks too good to eat!" "Beats C-Rats, I'll tell you that." "You almost want to look at it and smell it before you even dig in." "I know." "I feel like it's going to be the best meal of my life." "I mean, look at these peas, man." "Dude, these are perfect peas." "Oh, man, peas are peas." "No, peas are not peas, dude." "I mean, yeah, they are, but there's a hundred different varieties of peas." "I mean, you got your black-eyed peas, you got snow peas, baby peas," "English peas, green peas, sweet peas." "Sweet pea?" "Somebody call me?" "How come you know so much about peas?" "Because, dude, I'm into peas, man!" "Don't you remember I'm a vegetarian?" "Still?" "After all we've been through?" "Well, in my heart, I'm still a vegetarian, but my stomach's got a more practical attitude about things." "Vietnam taught you something, huh?" "Yeah, it taught me" "I got to do what I got to do to survive, but I'll tell you what, guys." "When that big green pea of your dreams comes by, you'd better grab that sucker and chow it down." "You like peas so much, why don't you have some of mine?" "Okay." "That's funny, huh?" "Think it's funny, huh?" "Hey, wait, wait, wait." "Wait, wait." "Wait, wait." "Come on." "What?" "Come on." "What?" "Look." " Check 'em out." " Check 'em out." "Check 'em out!" "You want a card?" "Let's go." "I told you it's too much." "I'm good, I'm good." "I'm very good." "Hey, man." "Hey, man, I'm gonna miss you." "Nah, man." "You got the guys." "You know you and me are different, man." "Same blood." "Yeah, well, you keep yours in your skin, you hear?" "You've got to make it too." "Okay." "If I don't," "I just want you to know that..." "Hey, man, what I'm trying to tell you is," "You've been a good friend." "You're all right." "Taylor?" "Taylor." "Come on over here." "We've got something for you, son." "Come on." "Step lively, now." "This is like a tradition." "Yeah, well," "I'd better go with this one." "I messed with the short-timer- on-point theory and almost got smoked." "Yeah, I heard that." "We got something here for you." "Look here." "It's your own, personal short-timer's stick." "You see, it has your initials right here, and, uh, it's like a good luck charm." "It..." "It..." "Well, it will guarantee that you get out of 'Nam alive." "I only got a day, sarge." "So?" "You mean you don't need this, then?" "Huh?" "Hey, one day is like forever over here, so you keep this with you, you hear me?" "That ain't just for luck, either." "It's so you remember where you've been and the guys you were with." "That's right." "Let's drink again." "I mean, it's a farewell party, right?" "Yeah." "Yahoo!" "We love you, man." "Come on, Taylor, play a game." "Come on, Taylor." "Hey, sarge, I thought it was supposed to be nice and safe back at base camp." "I hear two men were killed in this." "Yeah, it's happened twice in the last month." "They're putting this base on red alert." "Yeah, great." "We finally get to the rear where it's supposed to be safe and this happens?" "Well, I'll tell you, it almost makes you wish you were back at Ladybird." "Yeah, well, don't." "It might come true." "Yo, Marcus." "My man." "I heard you were shipping out of this jungle paradise." "Duke Jackson." "What are you doing here, man?" "I heard you went home." "And I'm back, but this time it's for business." "See, I took home a little bundle of that Thai weed." "I sold it for more than I could make working half a year." "Now I can deal from this side of the sea." "Yeah, man." "Well, how's the neighborhood?" "Incredible." "Everybody's into something." "You remember Willie Plunkett?" "Willie the Weeper?" "Got a stable of fine hammers, man." "Taking in 8, 900 a night." "Cousin got shot doing a liquor store." "So when you going home?" "Tomorrow, man." "Fine." "Perfect." "Why don't you take a package back for me, be my man on the other side?" "I don't handle it, man." "You will." "That's the best gig guys like you and me can find over there." "Can you dig it?" "No, I can't." "I'm talking serious dollars." "Thai weed." "Look, we can split the profits 50-50." "How does that sound?" "You're gonna get busted, dude." "Yeah, well, I'd rather do time than spend the rest of my life working in a car wash." "I'm talking advancement." "It's business." "I've got better things to do when I get back home." "Like what?" "Some jive gig at General Motors?" "Man, you'd be lucky if they let you put on the hub caps." "Who are you looking for?" "I'm looking for the clerk." "I'm supposed to turn in these papers." "You know, you're going to get some nice, shiny medals, young man." "You're a good solider." "You bet." "Join the Army and see the world... or get away from it." "Save your bad breath, sarge." "Now, is that any way to talk to an NCO," "Marcus Taylor, PFC?" "I know old Zeke don't take that kind of crap." "Some of Kentucky's finest." "For my friend, Marcus Taylor." "You got anything against bourbon," "Marcus?" "Nothing I can think of." "And it's good bourbon too, Marcus." "Bet it's been a while since you had any of that." "A gesture of good will." "I ain't interested in reupping." "Well, then let's have a drink, sit down, and talk about home." "It's Detroit, right?" "4th Street and Billings?" "What do you know about 4th and Billings?" "Most of those buildings have been torn down by now." "They call it "urban renewal."" "Talked to home lately?" "You know if it's even still there?" "I send home money orders." "They don't come back, so somebody's getting them." "That's no way to plan, son, and home ain't a sure thing for people like you and me." "I got a kid back last week." "He went home." "He couldn't find any of his friends." "His family had all split up and gone all over the place." "He had nothing." "So did that sucker come back to 'Nam?" "No." "Paris." "30 days leave with pay." "He's having the time of his life, because for the first time, it is his life." "He's got three hots and a cot, a big, fat re-enlistment bonus, and some training that's gonna make his life worthwhile when he gets out of this mess." "I got my own life." "I got my own family and friends." "Come on, son." "I looked at the records." "After you stole that car, the judge gave you a choice... the service or the joint." "You made the right choice, but who was at the bus when you said goodbye?" "There I got you." "My girl was there." "Louise." "You heard from Louise lately, son?" "She don't write, literally, but she's there." "Hey, I got a home, man." "I got people that care about me, and I don't have to sit here and listen to this." "You know, my grandmother always told me, never take candy from people like you." "You know what, son?" "Your grandmother had very good instincts." "They got through." "They got through." "Do they have the Bell system in Detroit?" "Quiet, man." "It's ringing." "This is the girl I'm gonna marry." "Hello?" "Louise?" "Yeah, baby." "It's me, Marcus." "Eight o'clock." "What time is it there?" "Yeah." "Listen, baby." "Listen." "I'm coming home." "Yeah, your Marcus is gonna be flying back into them cocoa arms of yours." "Two or three days." "Yeah, I got to wait." "You know, I got to collect all my medals and stuff, you know?" "My medals." "My medals!" "I've been over here fighting, remember?" "Louise..." "Louise, are you listening to me?" "Yeah." "I hear you." "While the cat's away, huh?" "Yeah, I know how hard it is to wait." "She's telling me how hard it is to wait." "Somebody what?" "What..." "Somebody in the laundry business?" "Yeah, I guess it is steady." "I'm over here getting shot at, while you're home, taking up with Jody." "Yeah." "Yeah, well, God and LBJ are gonna get you for this." "I guess I told her, huh?" "What kind of guy goes into the laundry business?" "See you later, Wells." "Charlie's on the base!" "Get down!" "Medic!" "Medic!" "Grenade!" "All right, guys!" "Let's go!" "I got him, sarge!" "Yeah!" "Whoo!" "Where the hell did they come from?" "They're sappers." "Any time, any place, and all kinds of weather." "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Good evening, Mama-san." "I be out soon." "Mama-san," "I got a good reason to get bombed." "Can I see this, Mama-san?" ""Seems like A mighty long time"" ""Shoo-bop, shoo-bop"" ""My baby, ooh"" "It seems like a mighty long time," "Mama-san." "Not happy?" "Not happy." "I've got to stop pretending." "I've got no real place to go." "Home is where a man wants to be." "It ain't there." "GI, go home." "No more fight." "Maybe, Mama-san." "Maybe, Mama-san." "Sergeant Carlton, where are you?" "I can't go home." "I'm here to reup." "Not gonna happen..." "This lowlife army." "Taylor, what's eating you, man?" "Your buddy Carlton tricked me." "He got me blitzed and tricked me into signing the re-enlistment papers." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Ralph Carlton did?" "I don't know." "I was drunk." "Maybe I thought he was handing me rotation papers." "I even took the oath." "Wait, wait." "Is this legal?" "Can they make this stick?" "Of course they can!" "They got my name, they got me back." "I'm supposed to be going home, sarge." "I got people waiting on me." "I want to go home." "Oh, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor." "We got to do something for him, sarge." "Do what?" "But he was tricked." "Ain't that right, sarge?" "Yeah, he was tricked." "That's how Carlton does it." "He tricks people." "He's got the best reup list in 'Nam, and when he fills his quota, he gets, like, extra RR days in Vung Tau." "We can't just sit here like nothing happened." "Well, what do you propose we do?" "You can't do nothing, Johnson." "Might as well just get used to it." "It's bad enough they got us over here." "Now Taylor's a lifer." "Johnson, please." "Now, who twisted your arm to get you to join?" "Or you, Ruiz." "Who twisted your arm?" "Now, come on." "I don't like this any better than you do." "I mean, it stinks." "Smells real bad." "The smell's coming downwind from old man Carlton." "Yeah, go get the snake, huh, sarge?" "You got that right." "Hey, Zeke." "What are you doing here?" "You're not due to reup yet." "I want the papers, Carlton." "What the hell are you talking about?" "You know what I'm talking about." "Now, you just go on back up in there to your little air-conditioned office and you pull the papers on my man Taylor." "Your man, huh?" "These boys your possessions?" "Not my possessions." "Just my responsibility." "Well, one of your responsibilities just signed up for a burst of six." "He got a big, fat re-enlistment bonus too." "Says he's gonna send the money back to his mama, maybe buy a car." "He's already done his duty, Carlton, and then some." "He's seen enough blood and death to last him a lifetime." "Now, it's time for him to go on back home, where he belongs." "Don't you think?" "No, you don't, do you?" "That's why you tricked him, isn't it?" "Got him drunk and messed with his head." "You're way out of line, Zeke." "The Army treats all these morons the same." "What about you?" "Didn't they promise you some kind of cushy assignment?" "Hey." "We ain't talking about me." "We're all the same, Zeke." "Figures on a ledger." "Dead stats." "The way I look at it, it's your own damn fault." "Let me tell you something." "Two weeks ago," "I saw Taylor holding a buddy of his who died in his arms." "He was crying." "He was all mixed up." "I figure he's still mixed up, and I figure you took advantage of him." "I didn't take advantage of nobody." "He made the decision." "All right, then he changed his mind." "Now, get on back in there and get me those papers." "No way." "All right, then." "I'll get them my own self." "Gentlemen!" "What's going on?" "Oh, nothing." "Just a little disagreement, sir." "Is that right, Sergeant?" "Yes, sir." "See, I was just leaving." "All right, you guys, listen up here." "It ain't gonna work." "I talked to Carlton, and he's got Taylor's papers locked away in his filing cabinet." "Taylor took the oath." "That means that's the end of it." "Who is this guy, anyway, sarge?" "He's a scuzzball." "Always has been, always will be." "How did he trick Taylor?" "Well, he says he didn't, but then, Carlton always says that." "Yeah, that's bull, and you know it." "Tell me about it." "I say we got to help him, man." "He saved our butts back at the bunker." "What we've got to do is get those papers before they're shipped off." "You mean steal them, right?" "Yeah." "Just like they did in Gunga Din." "This guy re-enlisted then changed his mind, so his buddies ripped off the papers." "Search and destroy, my man." "Search and destroy." "Can you see the filing cabinet?" "Yeah, yeah." "Three of them." "Right there in plain view." "Taylor's papers have got to be in there, man." "All right, look, this is the way I figure it." "A grenade launcher." "We waste the file cabinet with a grenade launcher." "We destroy the papers and Taylor DDs back to the world." "Yeah, don't you think that's a little heavy on the overkill?" "Massive firepower, amigo." "That's the name of the game." "That's a hell of an idea, Ru." "While we're doing that, why don't we just go ahead and reserve a couple of master suites in the stockade?" "I think there's a better way." "Yeah?" "How?" "Okay, we'll get Carlton out of the office, you guys sneak in, get in the file cabinet, steal the papers, and that's that." "How do you get Carlton out of the office?" "I got it." "I got it." "We go and have a fight." "A hell of a fight." "You and me, Johnson." "That's no contest, man." "Well, hell, so fake it." "Sergeant!" "Sergeant!" "What's going on here?" "T, T, T, T." "His girlfriend's a dog, sarge." "She's got a face like a mud fence." "Take that back." "Oh, take that back." "What is this, a schoolyard?" "That does it." "That hurt, Percell." "I know, and I'm sorry about that, Johnson." "Me too." "What's taking you so long?" "Hey, relax, all right?" "I'm not a thief." "I always drove the getaway car." "Well, it might help if you got it done today, okay?" "You guys are gonna have to stop this." "You're out of line." "Break it up, or I will call the MPs." "Ouch!" "You're on my foot!" "Ru, Ru, Ru." "Come on." "All right, all right." "Here we go." "Here we go." "Taylor, Taylor, Taylor." "Thank you." "Come on, come on, come on." "It's done." "It's done, okay?" "Come on, let's get out of here." "That's strange." "Hey, my man," "I think you got something for me." "Your weapon?" "Didn't you just turn it in?" "Yeah, but, like, this is the library, and I'm here to check out my favorite book, one I just can't seem to put down." ""I'm getting my gun back"" ""I'm getting My gun back"" "You like what you see?" "Oh, most definitely." "Give me a rag, will you?" "Hi." "Hey, brother." "Man, he ain't gonna believe this." "Man, he's gonna die when he sees this." "He'd better appreciate it." "He will, he will." "Hey, brother." "Where you guys been?" "Hey, when we moving out?" "We, Taylor?" "Yeah, I want to get off this base." "Give it to him." "Give it to him, Johnson." "Never forget what we did for you, Taylor." "Never." "You're going home, buddy!" "Way to go, bud!" "Way to go!" "Look, I know how much all this means to you, so I'm gonna make it easy for you, and a little bit predictable." "Taylor, you're a damn good soldier, man." "You're a damn good soldier, and you're a better man." "Are you sure you're that good a judge of character, sarge?" "Yeah, I think so." "Good luck to you, Taylor." "I mean, it's gonna be impossible to replace you." "You're one of a kind." "A real pain in the butt, huh?" "Yeah, that's true." "That's true." "Good luck, man." "Take care of yourself." "Take care." "All right now, you guys." "Let's make this short and sweet now." "Hey, man, if I make it back," "I want you to come down to Jackson and see me, okay?" "Some of that good country living to clean your life up, man." "All right, come on." "Let's get it done." "Come on, Pitbull." "Let's get on back to Ladybird before dark." "Excuse me, son." "Hey, Anderson." "Well, now." "Sergeant Carlton." "Hey, y'all, say hello to Sergeant Carlton here." "Hi, Sergeant Carlton." "What do you want, Carl?" "A piece of you." "Was it something I said?" "Somebody got Taylor's reup files." "I know it's you." "What are you talking about?" "Does anybody know what the man's talking about?" "Hey, let me tell you something." "Taylor's gone." "Somebody got into my files and got those papers, and you're the prime suspect, Anderson." "I am?" "Well, you're gonna have to prove that, and after you prove that, you're gonna have to catch Taylor." "Like I said, he's gone." "I don't know, you know." "I know how I can maybe help you here." "I bet Taylor did it him ownself." "Yeah, see, he woke up, sobered up, and realized how you suckered him in." "If anybody got suckered around here, it's you, Anderson." "Let me give you some personal advice here." "Let it go." "It's over." "It ain't over." "I got that boy to reup fair and square." "I got the best reup record in Vietnam, and I didn't have to trick nobody to get it." "He's beautiful, ain't he?" "Ain't it wonderful how he can just keep saying that and saying that?" "You know what?" "I bet you he actually even believes these people want to come back over here." "They do." "No, they don't, Carlton, not all of 'em." "Anderson, you're a liar and a thief." "And you're the sorriest excuse for a sergeant" "I ever saw in my life." "These are people, man." "These are kids." "You know how you make your living?" "You manipulate them into thinking the only way they can live a full and meaningful life is to fight this war for you." "You're a pimp." "No, you're worse than a pimp, man, because at least a whore stays home and a whore dies in bed." "Sarge!" "Hey, hey, let's get him, guys!" "Whoa, sit down." "Sit, sit." "Uh-uh." "He's mine." "Carlton, my man... you just made a big mistake." "Oh, come on, sarge!" "Let's go, sarge." "Be tough, sarge." "Come on, sarge." "Come on, get up." "Come on, sarge!" "Sarge!" "Come on, get up, sarge." "Get up, sarge!" "Come on." "Come on, sarge." "You were always cocky, Zeke, ever since I've known you." "Oh, hell, you don't know me." "You're one of those unfortunate acquaintances people link up with when they're kids and can't shake 'em loose." "You've always had it in for me." "Why?" "I don't like what you do for a living." "At least I don't lay low in the jungle and have these kids do my fighting for me." "I got my scam, and you got yours." "Lay low?" "What do you know about it?" "Hell, you've watched the whole war from the safety of back here." "Sarge, don't quit!" "Sarge, come on!" "Go get him!" "Come on!" "Get him!" "Get him!" "Come on, sarge." "Knock it off, sarge." "Taylor, what the hell are you doing here?" "Huh?" "He didn't trick me, sarge." "I lied." "I wanted to come back." "I took the oath on my own and I was sober when I did." "Wait a minute." "You're supposed to be on a plane." "I thought you wanted to get out of this place, Taylor." "I thought I did too, but what was I gonna go back to?" "Look, I serve up my years, the Army gives me some education." "I'll be the only person in my family that went to college." "Besides, I like being around you guys, okay?" "Now, wait, wait." "You're telling me that you came halfway around the world to be fulfilled over here?" "I guess so." "I told you so, Anderson." "Yeah, yeah, but coming from you and coming from him, it sounds whole lot different, you've got to understand." "I don't hurt nobody." "These kids are exactly where they want to be." "Now, wait a minute." "Now, how does he know anything about where people want to be?" "I mean, am I wrong?" "Tell me if I'm wrong." "He knows, sarge." "He just takes advantage of it." "I know you guys think I'm a fool." "Maybe so, but you guys are my family, and I ain't ready to leave the nest yet, okay?" "Welcome back, brother."