"Give me the radio, Corporal." "Tagger, this is Bambi." "Tagger One." "Go ahead, Bambi." "We got you a target in Blue Sector Alpha." "Over." "Bambi, Tagger One." "On our way." "Tagger Two, Tagger One." "Do you read?" "Tagger One, Tagger Two." "But I'm reading you three by three." "Sounds like our batteries are weak again." "Over." "Tagger Two, Tagger One." "You take the target." "I'm going high to see if I can contact Thumper." "Over." "Tagger Two, roger." "Gomez, Gomez." "Slow down, for God's sakes." "My head is killing me." " Lieutenant hung over, sir?" " No, I am not hung over." " I'm still drunk." " Yes, sir!" "Kill the engine." "Oh, Gomie, I'm seeing double." "Want me to do that for you, Lieutenant?" "No, I don't want the PFC to do it." "Thumper, Tagger Two." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." "Distance 246." "Down 40." "Over." "Thumper, Tagger One." "Did you copy, Tagger Two?" "Over." "Negative, Tagger One." "Okay." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." " Ready!" " Ready on three!" " Ready on five!" " All guns ready, sir!" "Fire!" "Incoming!" "The incident occurred at 0700 hours yesterday morning during live fire exercises." "One of my officers screwed up." "He called in artillery on his Recon team." "I got seven men in the hospital." "Four critical." "Sorry, sir." "And the officer responsible?" "Does not dispute the facts, Lieutenant." "Open and shut." "Sir, Lieutenant Austin and I were pulled off an investigation and expedited here." "With all due respect, General, if it's open and shut, why the high priority?" "Either of you ever met a former Commandant of the Marine Corps?" " No, sir." " Well, you're about to." "The Marine Second Lieutenant you will probably charge is the son of General Thomas Williams." "That's the priority." "Wrap this up quick, Lieutenants." "We don't need all the decimal points." "You can round off the answers." "Sergeant Major Hollis will get you anything you want." "Take them out to the Fire Direction Centre." "You'll wanna start with Captain Reed." " Sir." " Aye, aye, sir." "Aye, sir." "What if we don't wanna start with Captain Reed?" "Let's not rock the boat yet." "Or is it camel out here?" " Ready to go, sir?" " Go." "Fire!" "Is Lieutenant Williams confined to quarters, Sergeant Major?" "No, sir." "Confined to base." " A little lax, considering." " No place to go out here, Lieutenant." "Do you know General Williams?" "No, sir, not personally." "But every Marine knows of him." "He's third generation Corps, and the first one in his family to wear the button." " The button?" " Yes, ma'am." "The Congressional Medal of Honour." "You salute anybody that wears it, including an enlisted man." "I know that, Sergeant Major." "Sorry, ma'am." "Didn't mean to imply you didn't." " How'd he get the button?" " He flew choppers into Nam, Lieutenant." "One night he had to go into a hot LZ to pick up a Marine Recon team." "On the first run, he got his leg blown out." "Co-pilot was killed." "Both door gunners nailed." "He went back three more times alone to get everybody out." "Lost his leg, got the button." " Determined Marine." " Damn determined Marine, ma'am." "Fire!" " Ready on three!" " Fire!" "Ready on five!" "Captain Reed?" "I'm Lieutenant Rabb." "This is Lieutenant Austin." " JAG, right?" " That's right." "Fire!" " Did you get my report?" " Not yet." "That's too bad." "It would have saved y'all a trip out here." "Oh, we'd have been out here anyway, Captain." "We like to see things for ourselves." "Cease fire!" "Is this the battery involved in the incident?" " Correct." " And it's still firing?" "Also correct." "You're two for two, Lieutenant." "Why was the area not secured, Captain?" "I had the men stand down." "I checked the powder loads, the azimuth settings, and the shoot coordinates." "The coordinates were wrong." "I entered everything in the log and signed it." " By the book, Lieutenant." " By the book, Captain." "It's clear what happened." "Williams was drunk and screwed up the coordinates." " He was drunk, sir?" " That's right." "Did you request a blood alcohol test?" "Nope." "But I smelled liquor on him." "Before the exercise and you allowed him to participate, sir?" "After." "Don't you even think about blaming this on me, JAG." "That's not our intention, sir." " What is your intention, Lieutenant?" " To find the truth." "That seems self-evident to me, but then again, I don't have a law degree." "It sounds like you'd rather have a case of rabies, sir." "Why don't you jags just listen to the tape?" "What tape?" "Communications keeps a tape of all radio traffic." "Lieutenant Williams' screw-up will be on it." "Lieutenants!" "They want you over at the air field." "General Williams is arriving." "Looks like daddy's coming to save junior's ass." "What do you have against Lieutenant Williams, Captain?" "I'm not here 'cause of my daddy, Lieutenant, or because some recruitment programme liked my sex." "I came up through the ranks, and it galls me to see a screw-up like Williams as an officer." "Good enough, JAG?" "I don't know about good enough, but it's clear enough." "Where is he, Larry?" "He's waiting to be questioned by JAG, sir." " They haven't done that yet?" " No, sir." "I thought it were best he spoke to you before that happened." "Here are the investigating officers, General." " Lieutenants Rabb and Austin." " With me, Lieutenants." "General Butler and I served together in Nam." "He'd look the other way for me without hesitation, which I'm sure is apparent to you already." "Correct, Lieutenants?" " Yes, sir." " Yes, sir." "You're here because I told JAG I wanted an investigating team that wouldn't look the other way." "Commander Lindsey said you'd be the ones." "I won't have anyone excusing Jay, or covering up for him on my account." "You'll be letting me down if you're anything other than impartial." "Understood, Lieutenants?" " Yes, sir." " Yes, sir." "At ease, Vince." "How are the men?" "Four are still critical, sir, but the rest are gonna make it." "I'm going back to the hospital in a minute." "I just stopped by to cheer up Jay and to meet you, sir." "Is he admitting his mistake?" "I hope you understand it was an honest one." "Anyone could have done it." "But anyone didn't do it." "Jay did." "And he accepted immediate responsibility." " That is surprising." " He's growing up, sir." "You'd better get back to your men." "When this mess is all cleaned up," "I'd love to have dinner with you and the wife." "Leslie would love that, General." "Lieutenant Boone's a first-class officer, well on his way." "You know, he's the only one of Jay's friends I ever approved of." "At ease, Jay." " Don't you wanna say something?" " Thanks for stopping by, sir." "That's it?" "You look good." "How's Ma?" "Sticking to your diet?" "What would you like me to say, General?" "Conduct your interview as if I wasn't here." " I mean that, Lieutenant." " Aye, sir." "So what are you going to charge me with, sir?" "That hasn't been decided, Lieutenant." "We'll investigate the accident and make a recommendation to a Board of Inquiry." "What will they charge me with?" " Nothing, if it was an honest mistake." " Is there any other kind?" "Yes, if your judgement was impaired by alcohol." " And who said that?" " We're not at liberty to say." "Well, it doesn't matter." "I kicked the last two numbers on the distance." "Over and out." " Kicked?" " Transposed." "I targeted the tank with a laser range finder." "When I radioed in the numbers, I said 246 instead of 264." "That's why the shells fell short." "Beginning and end of story." "According to Captain Reed, he received the coordinates from Lieutenant Boone." "The batteries were weak." "Boonie..." "Lieutenant Boone went to higher ground to radio in the numbers to the Fire Direction Centre." "Could he have kicked the numbers?" "Yeah, he could have, but he didn't." "I did." "What about Captain Reed?" "You see, Captain Reed didn't kick them either." "Because if he or Boonie had," "I'd be at Semper Fi right now downing beers with Tina." " Sounds like an enlisted man's hangout." " Well, I like to get down with my men." "My father taught me that." " Were you drunk?" " Define drunk, sir." "If you were drunk, Lieutenant, it becomes criminal negligence." "Look, I made a mistake." "Accidents will happen." "Old Elvis Costello tune." "You know that one, Pop?" "Seven Marines lying in a hospital." "Is that all you've got to say?" " I shouldn't have been here, sir." " That's obvious!" "But I didn't have a choice, though, did I, sir?" " Continue without me, Lieutenant." " Aye, sir." "Don't get the wrong idea about my father." "He's actually much worse than that." "Lieutenants, that tape you requested is ready down at Communications." " Thank you, Sergeant Major." " Aye, sir." "We archive all communications by the hour, and this tape covers 0700 to 0800 on the 23rd, when the accident occurred." "Volume, Lieutenant." "It's all the way up, sir." "There's nothing but 60 hertz hum." "It's been degaussed." "Erased on purpose." "Tape or no tape, my son confessed." "I don't see the point of continuing this investigation." "If for no other reason, sir, I'd like to know who erased that tape." "It could have been a recording malfunction." "That's happened before." "Even without the tapes, the evidence against Jay is overwhelming." "We haven't any evidence, General." "All we have is your son's statement." "That's not enough?" "General, yesterday you asked us to remain impartial." "That's what we're doing, sir." "Ever been placed in a situation like this before, Lieutenant?" "General?" "Having to defend a son against his own father?" "No, sir." "Well, you've never met a Marine like Jay before." "You're tired." "I know I would be." "I'm all right." "Sweetie, get in the car now." " You okay?" " I'm fine." "I'm just worried about you." "Good morning, sir." "One of my men moved off the critical list this morning, sir." "You've been here all night?" "I'm not going anywhere until they're all off that list." "You look beat, Lieutenant." "We can wait until you've had a chance to freshen up." "No, sir." "I'd like to get this over with." "You relayed Lieutenant Williams's firing coordinates to the artillery." "That's right." "You're positive it was Lieutenant Williams who transposed the coordinates?" "Pretty positive." "I remember the coordinates he radioed quite clearly." "All the firing coordinates given in a manoeuvre, and you remember that particular one?" "You're a pilot, Lieutenant." "Don't you remember important numbers?" "Radio frequencies?" "Headings?" "Power settings?" "I guess I do." "We remember firing coordinates." "I don't understand." "I mean, doesn't communications have the radio calls on tape?" "Either they never recorded them or the tape was erased." "So you can't prove that Jay did it." "Not unless he denies it." "But it seems he won't." "I hope his father gives him some credit for that." "For not lying?" "For trying to act like his big brother would." " His brother is a Marine?" " Michael?" "Michael was one hell of a Marine." "Decorated twice in Desert Storm." "You said "was."" "Michael was killed at Khafji." "So Jay came in to carry on the tradition." "Did it to make his father happy." "But Jay and the Corps were not cut out for each other." "Since you don't have a copy of that tape, sir," "I hope that Jay changes his statement." "At this point, even if he did, his career would still be over, unless we can prove someone else kicked those numbers." "Well, that would be hard on the General." "But I think it would be the best thing for Jay." "Which is all you care about." "He's my friend, sir." " You got anything else?" " Not now." "Then I'll be getting back to my men." "Do you think he erased the tape to give Lieutenant Williams an out?" "Or to cover his kicking the numbers." " Attention on deck!" " 10-hut!" "As you were." "Sergeant Major, we asked to interview the surviving members of the Recon Team and the Gun Crews." " Now, there should be..." " Should be 22 men in all, sir." "I see six men, Sergeant Major." "What is the problem?" "Operation Sandblast, sir." "Captain Reed said he could only afford a couple of men at a time." "I see." "We'll start with the surviving members of the Recon Patrol." "Unless they're still on exercise, Sergeant Major." "No, sir, they're here." "Corporal Green, PFC Gomez." " Here, Sergeant Major!" " Here, Sergeant Major!" "See these officers quickly." " That'll be all, Sergeant Major." " Very well, sir." "The rest of you Marines follow me." " Relax, Private." " Yes, sir." "Now, you were driving Lieutenant Williams's Humvee" " during the exercise?" " Yes, sir." "Was Lieutenant Williams intoxicated?" "Intoxicated, sir?" "Drunk, loaded, stoned, plastered, smashed." "I don't think I'm qualified to answer that, sir." " Are you a sea lawyer, Private?" " No, sir." "You sound like one." "You were driving in the Humvee with Lieutenant Boone" " during the firing accident." " Affirmative." "And you heard the coordinates radioed by Lieutenant Williams and relayed on to the Fire Control Centre by Lieutenant Boone." " Affirmative." " What were they?" " What?" " The firing coordinates." " What were they?" " I can't say, Lieutenant." "Because you can't remember them?" "Oh, I remember them, Lieutenant, but Captain Reed..." "Gave us specific orders that we weren't to talk about the accident unless he was present, sir." "You told your men to stonewall us?" " Unless I was present." " This is a JAG investigation, Captain." "Your presence is not needed during questioning." " Those are my men." "I don't want you..." " And this is my investigation!" "To run as I see fit." "You wanna challenge that, feel free." "But I promise you, you'll end up facing more charges than the Light Brigade." "Good enough, Marine?" "I knew it'd come to this." "Next you'll be accusing me of kicking numbers and erasing the tape to cover it." "How did you know the tape had been erased, sir?" "Scuttlebutt moves fast in the Corps, Lieutenant." " Did you erase the tape, sir?" " No, Lieutenant, I did not." "But I've got a pretty good idea who did." " And who would that be, Captain?" " First Sergeant Hollis." "Why would he erase the tape?" "He'd fall on a grenade for General Butler, and the General would do the same for the Commandant." "They are not gonna let daddy's little boy take his medicine." "We're going out to the accident site." "When we return, I want your men standing by for interrogation." "All your men." " You know how to get there?" " I have a map, sir." "Desert tracks aren't marked like the Washington Beltway." "I was raised in Texas, sir." "The accident site's a half a mile, down the first track beyond the Free Fire Zone." " Free Fire Zone?" " No one needs permission to fire into it." "Shells, rockets, even bombing runs all the time during Sandblast." "It's well marked." "Stay clear of it." "We'll be back in an hour." "If you can read a map." "Sounds like they're dropping heavy stuff." "No wrong turns, Lieutenant." "Then don't take that one, sir." "That goes into the Free Fire Zone." " Do you think he erased that tape?" " Reed?" "He had access, and if he kicked those numbers, motive." "But what he said about Sergeant Major Hollis could be true, too." "I'm gonna send that tape to Lieutenant Pike." "Why, sir?" "Kate restored a tape that had been erased, on an investigation we were working on." "Maybe she can do it again." "How had it been erased, sir?" "I guess the record button was held down until the message was recorded over." "Our tape was degaussed, sir." "There's no way to resurrect that." "If there was, I'd have done it." "I wasn't implying my former partner could do something you couldn't, Lieutenant." "I didn't take it that way, sir." "Slow down, sir." "This looks like our turnoff up ahead." "Something's not right, Meg." "We're in a Free Fire Zone!" "Fire!" "Fire!" " Did we get lost, Lieutenant?" " Outside, Captain." " I'm in the middle of a fire mission." " Then I'll be waiting." "Cease fire!" " Cease fire!" " Cease fire!" "What's the problem?" "You son of a..." "Come on, Captain!" "I'll have you both drummed out of the service!" "Who started it?" " I did, sir!" " I did, sir!" "That game won't work with me, gentlemen." "If you can be called gentlemen." "I wanna know what this is about, and I wanna know now!" "I know I spoke." "My lips were moving." " Sir?" " What?" "I believe I can shed some light on the incident, sir." "Then, by all means, do so, Lieutenant." "These two seem to be mutes." "Lieutenant Rabb and I went out to examine the accident site, and entered the Free Fire Zone by mistake, sir." "How in the hell are you gonna do that?" "Those roads are marked with signs that Mr Magoo wouldn't miss." " The sign was missing, sir." " What?" "It was off to the side of the road." "Someone knocked it down, sir." "And you think Captain Reed was responsible, Lieutenant?" "The Captain was reluctant to cooperate with the investigation, and he directed us to the accident site, sir." "Is that true, Captain?" "Have you been dragging your feet on this investigation?" "Sir!" "We're in the middle of Operation Sandblast." "My men and I don't have time to chat with Navy JAGs, when the officer at fault has admitted it, sir." "Do either of you gentlemen wish to prefer charges?" " No, sir!" " No, sir!" "Well, I may." "In the meantime, you, Captain Reed, will give Lieutenant Rabb's investigation your full cooperation." " Yes, sir!" " And you, Lieutenant Rabb, will complete your investigation without assaulting officers," " who you view as obstructionist." " Yes, sir!" "Dismissed, Captain." "Aye, aye, sir!" "At ease." "Now, Captain Reed came up the hard way, through the ranks." "Now, he may be thickheaded, but I can promise you he did not remove that sign." "It's not his style." "Now, who else knew you were going out there?" "Everyone knew we'd visit the accident site, at some point in the investigation, sir." "I do not like this, Lieutenants." "Too many accidents." "You have enough accidents, they're not accidents." "I agree, General." "How are you coming on your investigation?" "Just beginning, General." "We have to interview the witnesses, check the logs, visit the accident site, sir." " Do it all by 1400 tomorrow." " Sir." "Lieutenant, I cannot tell you what to do with your investigation, but I sure as hell can convene a Board of Inquiry when I want to." "These accidents are gonna stop." "General Williams' pain is gonna stop." "And all by 1400 tomorrow." " Understood?" " Yes, sir." " Dismissed." " Aye, aye, sir." "Lieutenant Austin?" "This came for you, ma'am." " Thank you, Sergeant Major." " Yes, ma'am." " What's up?" " A long shot, sir." "But I might be able to retrieve the radio communications erased from the tape." "When I suggested sending the tape to Kate earlier, you said..." "I said it couldn't be done." "I know, sir." "And Lieutenant Pike couldn't do it." " But you can?" " Maybe, sir." "But I have to plead Article Five of the code of conduct." "Name, rank, serial number, and date of birth?" "It's the closest thing to a "I can't tell you how I'm gonna do it" article, sir." "Oh, and I'll need the Humvee for an hour, sir." "Take it." " Hi, Ollie." " Meg." "How's JAG?" "Challenging." "I'm investigating a friendly-fire accident at Twenty Nine Palms." "I heard about that." "Yeah, a tape of the radio calls from the morning of the accident would have cleared things up, but it seems to have been erased." " By the bad guy, no doubt?" " I'm not sure." "Anyway, I remember someone once telling me about a satellite, that records all radio communications, 24 hours a day." "That someone sounds like a security risk to me, Meg." "And computers that can pick out keywords in a matter of seconds." "And you want this someone to find your missing radio calls, and make you a tape?" "How important is this, Meg?" "Well, it depends on your point of view, Ollie." "A couple of Marine careers at stake." "And the truth." "I'd need to know exactly what time this thing happened." "Shortly after 0700 on the 23rd." "Call signs are Tagger One, Tagger Two." "Why me, Meg?" "You're the one Dad would have turned to." "I still miss him." "Me, too." "I'll see what I can do." "Thanks, Ollie." "I don't know if it was a hangover, sir." "He had a headache." "We all get those in the heat." "Do you remember the coordinates he radioed to Lieutenant Boone?" "Sort of, sir." "I was half listening." "Well, sort of give me what you remember." "The direction was 139." "I do remember that." "As far as distance, I don't know if it was 246 or 264." "The difference is what got those men shelled." "I know that, sir." "How is it Corporal Green remembers the coordinates, but you don't?" "That's why he made Corporal and I'm still PFC, sir." "He pays better attention than I do." "Were you at the Semper Fi the night before the accident?" "Yes, sir." " Was Lieutenant Williams drunk?" " I couldn't swear to that, sir." "I mean, he was having fun." "Dancing on the tables with Tina, throwing beer bottles, that kind of stuff." "His usual antics?" "Yes, sir." "This Tina is his girlfriend?" "I'd say so." "I mean, he's there every night with her." "If anyone could tell you if he was drunk, it would have to be her." "Tina?" " Hey!" "What do you need?" " You can turn that down, for starters." "One sec." "Sorry." "I'm getting the tracks ready for tonight." "So, what can I do for you?" "I'm Lieutenant Rabb." "I have a few questions about a Lieutenant..." "Williams." "Yeah." "I've been expecting you." "You were tending bar Tuesday night?" "And deejaying and waitressing and singing." "Which is what I really wanna be doing, but that's a-whole-nother story." "Nice eye." "Oh, yeah, that's a-whole-nother story, too." "Do you remember how much alcohol you served Jay that night?" " Probably a dozen pitchers." " What?" "Out of which he drank about two glasses." "His buddies drank the rest." "See, there's something about Jay you've just gotta understand." "He wants to be one of the guys." "Act crazy." "Act drunk." "But he was as sober as you are when he went back to Twenty Nine Stumps." "I'll swear to it." "Yeah, I might believe you if you weren't his girlfriend." "Oh, yeah!" "I wish!" "No, I think Jay's a great guy." "Nobody gives him a chance." "Especially his old man." "Jay would do anything to push his button." "Tina is a bimbo who likes the tips I give her." "And no, I'm not trying to get back at my father." "I made a mistake." "I'm willing to admit it and take my punishment, so why the hell won't anyone accept that?" "A lot of people can." "I'm the one who can't, 'cause you've never accepted responsibility for anything in your life." "Lieutenant Austin?" "You were accused of cheating in college." "Somehow you avoided punishment, but your roommate was expelled." "Well, he was the one cheating." "You were arrested for a DUI accident, but in court the girl that you were with swore that she was driving." " She was driving." " I don't believe you, Lieutenant." "I don't believe you've ever accepted responsibility for your mistakes." "That's why I'm troubled you're starting now." "Well, maybe the Corps made a man out of me, sir." "As you were, people." " Great news, huh, Jay?" " What's that?" "The tape of our radio calls was erased." " Didn't they tell you?" " No." " You don't have to do this, Jay." " Yes, he does." "General, Captain Reed or I could have kicked those coordinates." "Some officers are not capable of making that kind of mistake, Lieutenant, yourself included." "Jay, on the other hand..." "Thanks for the support, Dad." "It's the kind of mistake you've been making all your life, Jay." " You're not like..." " Say it." "Come on, say it." "Not like Mike." "Mike wouldn't have kicked the numbers, would he, Dad?" "And if he had, he would have reached up in the sky, and caught those shells with his bare hands." "I'm not Mike." "Mike wasn't even Mike!" "Not the way you glorify him." "He dropped that pass against army, Dad." "He didn't finish tops in his class, Dad." "Hell, he didn't even win a button!" "Jay, I know you have your good points, but..." " Name one." " Jay, don't." "No!" "Let him name one thing that I've done that he's proud of." " You joined the Corps." " I joined the Corps the day I was born." "Only I didn't have a choice, did I?" "Sorry to interrupt." "Sir, Naval hospital called." "That Recon team leader, Staff Sergeant Paxton, he just died." " Thank you, Sergeant Major." " Aye, sir." "What's gonna happen?" "I'm gonna recommend you be charged with manslaughter, Lieutenant." "I wanna retract my statement, Lieutenant." "That won't change my recommendation." "It will once you hear the tape." "It wasn't erased." "I switched the labels with a blank one." "The tape with the radio calls is in the Comm room." "Thumper, Tagger Two." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." "Distance 264." " Down 40." "Over." " You gave the right coordinates." "Thumper, Tagger One." "Did you copy Tagger Two?" "Over." "Negative, Tagger One." "Okay." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." "Distance 246." "Down 40." "Over." "Hell, I kicked the numbers." "I thought I could cover for you." "Friendly fire!" "Friendly fire!" "But if they're gonna charge me with manslaughter because they think I was drunk, I can't." " I'm sorry, Boonie." " We have men down!" "Notify the infirmary." "Inbound casualties." "I say again, we have men down." "Even if Lieutenant Williams' motives were apparently honourable, sir, confiscating and withholding evidence from a JAG investigation, is a court martial offence, sir." "He could receive a letter of reprimand or even be dismissed from the Corps." "If you charge him." "You could leave the disposition of this matter in my hands." "Article 15." "Lieutenant Williams has to accept it, sir." "The Lieutenant accepts Article 15 from the General, sir." "Article 15 is a non-appealable venue, Lieutenant." "Whatever punishment General Butler deems appropriate, you will serve." "Understood, sir." "Then I leave Lieutenant Williams' punishment in your hands, General." "Thank you, Lieutenant Rabb." "Can I put him on bread and water?" "Only if we're aboard ship, sir." " Lieutenant Williams." " Sir." "Do you admit withholding evidence from an accident investigation?" "Yes, sir." "What do you have to say in defence of your actions, Lieutenant?" "I was only doing what I thought was best for the Corps, sir." "Explain yourself, Lieutenant." "Lieutenant Boone is an excellent officer, sir." "I knew his error would be entered in his record and limit, perhaps even end his career." "The same thing could happen to you." "I don't intend on making a career out of the Corps, sir." "I know my limitations." "I thought it better me than him." "Sir." "Lieutenant Williams, since you have admitted your guilt, you're restricted to this duty base for one month." "You will forfeit all pay and allowances for one month, and in addition to your regular duties, you will spend 20 hours a week working with the Range Safety Officer, until otherwise notified." " Is your punishment clear?" " Yes, sir!" "Dismissed." "Aye, aye, sir." "I'm sorry, sir." "I let you down." "You were in the wrong." "There's no question about it." "No, sir." "But your heart was in the right place." "I'm proud of you, son." "Thank you, sir." "Come on, Jay." "I can't say I'll be sorry to see you go, Lieutenants." "We understand, sir." "They're wrapping up Operation Sandblast at 1300." "If you've never seen a desert armoured assault, this is your chance." "Thank you, sir." "That sounds interesting." "And loud." "Wear your earplugs." "What's wrong?" "The same thing that's been wrong from the start." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." "Distance 264." "I don't like it either, Harm..." "Down 40." "Over." "...but it's clear who kicked the numbers." "Something's not right." "Thumper, Tagger One." "Did you copy Tagger Two?" "Over." "Negative, Tagger One." "What's wrong is the good guy messed up and the jerk didn't." "Fire for effect." "So if you don't need me, sir, I have a call to make." "What, to your friend who's going nuts, trying to restore a tape with nothing on it?" "You have the tape, sir." "Come on, Lieutenant." "I know you made a copy of the tape, we thought was erased and sent it to someone." "Friendly fire!" "Friendly fire!" "Emergency vehicles!" "That's it." "This tape's a copy." " How can you tell?" " There's hiss on it." "All this recording equipment here is digital." "No hiss." "Someone altered it." "Tina." "He had Tina alter the tape on an analogue recorder." "All she had to switch was two digits." "46 to 64." "But when she laid it back on DAT tape, it picked up the analogue tape hiss." "Lieutenant." "Sir?" " Everything in here is DAT, right?" " Yes, sir." "There's hiss on that tape." "We get a bad one every now and then." " With hiss on it?" " Yeah." " I've heard them whistle." " Thank you, Lieutenant." "Yes, sir." "I know he had Tina alter that tape." "But we're gonna have a hell of a time proving it." "Maybe not, sir." "There's no way your mystery man can restore..." "How do you know it's a man?" "...something that's on the wrong tape." "And who said anything about restoring a tape?" "How else?" ""There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio," ""than are dreamt of in your philosophy."" "Especially in heaven." "Wait here, sir." "Hi, Ollie." "Hi, Meg." "Who's your friend?" "That's my partner." "Did you get it?" "Got it." "Thanks." "Your friend's gonna think that I'm a boyfriend." "That's the idea." "Just like your dad, Meg." "Semper Fi." " I'm not even gonna ask." " Ask what, sir?" "Lieutenant, you can let this eat at you the rest of your life." "Fire coordinates, sir." "Or you can learn from it." "Those men can't learn from it, sir." "Fire!" "No, they can't, but you can." "And I think it could make you a better officer." "Sir, with this accident on my record, I'll never make higher than Captain." "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean..." "Nothing wrong with being a Marine Captain, Boone." "I'm damn proud of it." "Fire!" "Captain Reed!" "Where's Lieutenant Williams?" " Spotting up front." " I need to get to him." " Why?" " To arrest him." "You didn't kick those numbers, Lieutenant Boone." "He did." "I knew it." " But the tape..." " He altered it." "Lieutenant." "Take these officers to Lieutenant Williams." "Aye, aye, sir." "All guns ready, sir!" "Fire!" "Outstanding!" "How's that for nailing them, Gomez?" "On the numbers, Lieutenant." "You know, I never would have thought it." " What's that, Lieutenant?" " I range better sober than drunk." " Hiya, Boonie!" " Son of a bitch!" "It was you!" "You kicked those numbers." " What are you talking about?" " Didn't you?" "Thumper, Tagger Two." "Fire for effect." "Polar." "Direction 139." "Distance 246." "Lieutenant Williams, I'm placing you under arrest, for suppressing evidence, being drunk on duty, and negligent homicide." "Boonie." "Boonie." "Look, I didn't mean to lay it on you, man, but better you than me, right?" "You're going to Leavenworth, Lieutenant, for 15 years." "No way." " There's nowhere to go, Jay." " The hell there isn't." "I'm not gonna let you run, Jay." "Not this time." " Don't do it, Boonie." "I'll shoot you." " Jay, don't..." "Give me a first aid kit." "I am not gonna go back and face my old man." "Not when Mexico is this close." " You'll never make it." " Watch me." "Radio for a helicopter." "We've got to get him to a hospital." "Thumper, this is Tagger One..." "Well, looks like they're gonna have to drive you there now, Boonie." "Lieutenant, get moving." "Come on, Lieutenant." "Hey, Gomez, tell Tina I'll see her in Mexico." "Harm, that's a Free Fire Zone!" "Fire!" "Cease fire!" "Cease fire!" "There are personnel in the range!" "Why me?" "Lieutenants Rabb and Austin reporting as ordered, sir." "With me, Lieutenants." "At ease, Lieutenants." "Well, the surgeon says that Lieutenant Boone will be fit for duty in a month or two." " That's good news, sir." " Damn good news." "He's a fine officer." "And that baby that Leslie's carrying is a boy." "They tell me they're going to name him after my first son," "Mike." "That's nice, sir." "Yes, it's very nice." "It seems everyone's trying to soften the blow." "But I don't want you to." "Sir?" "General Butler's trying to sell me that Jay was so upset at what he did, he drove into the Fire Zone and tried to commit suicide." "I think he was just trying to get away again." "You're right, sir." "Thank you, Lieutenant." "That's all I wanted to know." "Sir." "Before he died, Lieutenant Williams asked me to tell you he was sorry." " It doesn't sound like Jay." " He was dying, sir." "Thank you, son." "He didn't say that, did he?" "That's the way I heard it."