"Fuller." "Feel lucky today?" "I guess he ain't superstitious." "Three on a light, it's bad luck." "Counting me, that makes four." "So what does that mean?" "Dear Mr. Smith," "My father passed away on January 15th." "Dad never really shared much about the war with us kids, and I know talking to you was a comfort." "Thank you." "He asked me to let you know when he passed, and to tell you next time he wants more than three rounds." "He said you would understand." "You're lucky to be going back to your old unit." "That don't happen much anymore." "You want me to mail that?" "That to your girl back home?" "It was 1943 when I went to war." "I was almost 19." "Some things about those years I've forgotten." "Others I'd rather forget." "I suppose there still isn't a day that I don't think about some of those guys I shared foxholes with- the friends I knew and lost." "You come back to us, son." "Don't you dare get yourself killed." "I'll come back, Ma." "You be good, pumpkin." "I'm sorry to leave you with so much work, Pa." "This war" "Son, I know." "We'll be fine." "You're a good son." "Godspeed." "Yes, sir." "Thank you, sir." "Angelo Benedetto?" "I see you are before this court once again, this time charged with a number of serious offenses." "Your Honor, not all of those were my fault." "I admit I made some mistakes" "How's that?" "My friends, they would give me stuff to pawn for them, but I didn't know it was stolen." "Honest, Your Honor." "And the robbery was just a mistake, too?" "You realize this could land you in prison for five years." "Your Honor, the defendant is completely aware of the seriousness of the charges, but he was completely unaware that a robbery was even taking place." "Yeah, I know." "He claims they pushed him into the car." "Now, that's a pretty tall tale, wouldn't you say, counselor?" "Well, yes, Your Honor, but Mr. Benedetto insists that it's the truth." "He does, however, recognize how this might appear to the court." "Your Honor, if I may, I'd like to make a suggestion that may save the court the unnecessary nuisance of a trial." "We would proffer, in lieu of a dismissal, that Mr. Benedetto seeks service in the United States Armed Forces." "What the hell are you doing?" "Look, kid, with your record, you're 4F." "They can't take you." "You're going to be off scot-free." "Trust me." "So, Mr. Benedetto, you'd be willing to go into the military?" "Yes, Your Honor." "Very well." "As a result of the recent changes in the draft code, which now authorizes me to do so," "I hereby accept counsel's motion." "You're ordered to report to the local draft board, where you will be immediately inducted into the nation's armed services." "And the court further orders that Mr. Benedetto's draft classification be changed from 4F to 1A, removing any obstructions to a successful and speedy enlistment." "Good luck, Mr. Benedetto." "Next case." "What does that mean?" "What does that mean?" "What is he saying?" "It's a technicality." " What does that mean?" " I'll talk to you later." "Just tell me what it means." "Go ahead." "CBS World News now presents 15 minutes of news and analysis." "First, a summary of today's developments by Major Palmer, followed by analysis by Quentin Powell." "Hey, Joe, the car runs great." "See you next week." "That will be $1.25." "One dollar, two bits." "Hey, take this, you little Kraut." "Go discuss that with your F?" "hrer, huh?" "I am not a Kraut." "I am an American." "I'm the whistler." "Look, I know I haven't a chance." "I know that I can't live." "I can tell the way that a doctor looks at me." "And you, too." "Why don't you tell me the truth?" "Why don't you?" "I thought you said you were going to try to get a transfer." "You have a family now." "Hey, I know, but this is war." "There's no way I can get out of going overseas now." "I was just lucky to get a three-day pass to come home to see you." "But why the infantry?" "Hey, infantry means I'll be one of the first guys sent home when this thing's all over." "There's nothing I can do." "I got to do my part." "What am I going to do without you?" "And what about the baby?" "Baby, it's going to be okay." "Come on." "It's going to be okay." "Now you can start your campaign." "But I" " I won't be around to participate." "Okay, that's the last one." "I got to go." "Can you clean up?" "Thanks for the lift, Charlie." "I got to go." "World News Today, brought to you by the..." "Great voice tonight, Doreen." "Thank you." "I'm sorry." "I tried to get here." "I had to finish an order at the mill." "What time is it now?" "It's 11:55." "You told me you might be late." "I figured you'd do your best to get here if you could." "I thought I'd stick around just a little longer." "I'm so sorry I'm late." "Don't worry." "I had a good time anyway." "They made me sing a couple numbers." "This isn't my usual." " I had a suit at home." "I wanted to" " No." "It's okay." "Listen, you're here now." "Dance with me." "There's no music, and I'm a bit dirty." "It's not important." "Come on, Doreen." "It's time to go." "Who's that?" "One of the guys I came with." "One of the guys you came with?" "I came with two guys, Don and Bill." "I've been dancing with them most of the night." "My brothers." "They're the ones needing chaperones." "Come on, sis." "Let's go." "They dance pretty good for brothers, but I'm glad I got to dance with you." "I hope it was worth the wait." "Maybe." "I'll think about it and let you know." "But I have to go now." "Bye for now." "Hey, Don, how'd it go?" "I was looking for you all night." "I was late." "Day late and a dollar short." "That doesn't matter." "I saw you two." "She didn't seem too upset." "She must like you." "Maybe." "I hope so." "Heck, she invited you, didn't she?" "You like her?" "Yeah, I do, but... if I'm not around, it'll be hard to do anything about it." "What?" "Hell, Bud, I got this in the mail." "Been carrying it around." "Guess I'm a little late on everything." "They want me to report next week." "I should have gotten to know her sooner." "Damn." "Well, you can always write." "Sure, write her letters." "The guy that pretty much stood her up." "Come on, you don't give up that easy." "Midway 153." "I got it." "Hello?" " Hi, Doreen?" " Yes?" "How are you?" "Is this Don Smith?" "Wow, what a surprise." "Yeah, I called a couple hours ago." "Your mom answered." "I just got home." "So I suppose this means you've made up your mind." "How's that?" "Have you made up your mind?" "About what?" "About paying me a visit." "I was supposed to pay you a visit?" "Well, if a girl asks a guy to a dance and he barely shows up, but she still waits to dance with him, can you tell me why not?" "He'd have to be an idiot." "Or have a real good reason." "Which one is it?" "Don?" "What?" "I couldn't hear you." "I said, which one is it?" "I'm sure I'm not an idiot." "That remains a question." "If someone is going away, and isn't sure if" "Don Smith, how's a girl supposed to share any news?" "Who told you?" "Told me?" "Who told me what?" "Who told you I'm going to San Francisco?" "You're going to San Francisco?" "I was accepted at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music." "Wow, that sounds like the chance of a lifetime." "It is the chance of a lifetime." "I want to go, but to tell the truth, I'm kind of scared." "I know what you mean." "But that's great." "I'm... really happy for you." "There's a lot I'm going to miss." "Please deposit ten cents for the next three minutes." "Hello?" "Operator, I don't have the change." " Don?" "Where are you at?" " Doreen?" "I'm sorry, sir." "I have to disconnect you now." "Now boarding the 2:15, Portland to Chicago." "This is your last call." "Mom, did Don Smith call earlier?" "Yes, he called while you were out." "He said he'd try later." "Was that Don on the phone?" "Yes, but it was long distance." "Well, he said that he's been drafted." "He's in Portland now, probably at the bus or the train station." "No, no." "All I could talk about was San Francisco." "I didn't even ask about him, or where he" "Mom, I'm such an idiot." "You're lucky to be going back to your old unit." "That don't happen much anymore." "All I've seen was just replacements." "So what happened to you?" "I heard you were in Nennig." "I heard it got pretty nasty up there." "Couple of the guys told me there's not much left of that town." "Shit, we got them Krauts on the run now, though." "Dear Doreen, I am going overseas." "I wish we could have had more time together, as there are things that I would like to have said." "I've wanted to send you this letter so many times, but I don't know now if I will ever have the chance, or if it will even matter." "Too many bloody Yanks." "Starks." "Starks, I lost you boarding." "I wasn't sure if" "Where'd you go?" "Throw my bag on the pile." "Something wrong?" "My wife took the bus down from Sackets Harbor." "I was supposed to meet them." "I had to go pick up the troop's berthing assignments from the lieutenant." "That's tough." "I'm sorry." "Well, at least you know his transport's due." "My life, four words" "Didn't see that coming." " That sounds familiar." " Yeah." "Maybe I'll bring it up as one of our topics of the day so we can all bitch about it." "Excuse me, I'm in the wrong section." "I am in supply." "I am American." "The hell you say." "Shit, target practice, maybe." "Hey, this rack taken?" "Want another card or what?" "Come on, take one." "I bet it's good." "Hey, greaseball, this rack taken?" "I'll greaseball your sorry ass." "Sure, come on, goomba." "Hey, Benedetto, save it." "Come on." "Come on, Ken, you're not supposed to show me your hand." "You dumb farmer." "I'm out." "Farmer?" "Where from?" "Kansas." "Near Norris." "Never heard of it." "Feels like we're on the move." "You know, I feel like a cattle down here." "Here." "Write your V-Mail." "V" " Mail?" "How am I supposed to write on something so small?" "Keep it short and sweet, you know." "Dear folks, off to war." "Having fun." "Love, Angelo." "Can't say nothing anyway." "First class accommodations." "Not like any first class I can remember." "When were you that lucky?" "Back when I was rich, young, and stupid." "Never was lucky." "Hey, speaking of young and stupid, here." "I'm giving this back to you." "Why?" "You won it." "Do you know how to whip-shot dice, Smith?" " No." " Yeah, well, I do, and so does Benedetto." "The game wasn't straight." "The bet wasn't fair." "I'm giving it back." "Well, thanks, but I" "No buts." "Just stay out of Benedetto's dice games." "Money's not that important, and you're no good at dice." "Try your hand at poker." "Hey, Smith, want to play some cards?" "Hey, Fuller." "Cards?" "Not this time, Benedetto." "Come on, I'll go easy on you." "Okay, cut the chatter and listen up." "For those of you I do not know, my name is Corporal Starks, and I get to take care of your sorry butts for the next week." "Now you need to remember that we are in the blue section- troop compartment 4." "There are thousands of soldiers on this boat, so the important stuff first." "We eat in shifts." "Only two meals a day." " Come on." " You got to be kidding me." "Just eat hearty." "Physical training will start at 1100 hours each day, followed by lifeboat drills." "You will be there." "Take a look around, boys." "This might be the last time you're on a boat as nice as the Queen Elizabeth." "You're free to wander the mid-decks until 2100 hours, unless battle stations are called." "If battle stations are called, your battle station is here." "Do not get lost." "Do not get in the way of the gun crews." "And do not bother the limeys." "There is absolutely no smoking above decks at night, and no throwing trash overboard." "U- boats are looking for targets." "Do not make us one." "Otherwise, try and have a good time, if you can." "Where we going, Starks?" "We're going to war, son." "This is the real thing." "We're going to fight the Nazis." "And we're going to kill them all." "Every last one of them." "On our way overseas, we had a lot of time to think about things." "After a short stop in Scotland, we were back on our journey to a war that up until now, we'd only heard about." "I think we all masked that fear in our gut with false bravado and nervous laughter." "You feel lucky today?" "I guess he ain't superstitious." "Three on a light." "It's bad luck." "Counting me, that makes four." "So what does that mean?" "Either you're really screwed, or we are, and you get to make a wish." "Either way, it's a hell of a call for a light." "Go ahead, Smith." "Make a wish." "A wish?" "Some 50,000 German troops had been cut off when Patton pushed through after Normandy." "They were stuck, their backs to the sea, and the 94th, along with the French resistance, dug in in protective and log bunkers in the hills surrounding them." "Our orders- keep them there, which on most days wasn't too hard." "It was the nights that got interesting." "It's quiet for a change." "No artillery." "Maybe they ran out of ammunition." "We can hope." "Shut it down, Fuller." "You're going to wake the Germans." "You know, Smith, I think I spent more time sleeping with you guys than my wife." "That's a sad commentary, Starks." "I suppose I should write her again pretty soon." "She might forget who I am." "Yeah." "She made the best pies you ever ate." "Your mom make pie?" "Where'd Benedetto go?" "He must be taking a piss or something." "God damn it." "He left his carbine here." "What's he doing without his weapon?" "Maybe he thinks he needs both hands." "That boy's got light fingers and a nature for a deal." "What?" "What do you mean?" "I mean the army's the only thing that kept him out of jail." "Hey, watch it." "That goomba- You better check if he took your wallet." "Maurice, my friend, how you doing?" "Benedetto." "I have been expecting you." "Yes." "What the hell is this?" "Calvados." "Brandy." "Regrettably these days, it has no chance to grow old." "But this is finely aged." "With this, you can start fires, refill lighters." "You can even drink it." "I bet half your buddies make this in their canteens." "Well, my friend," "I guess this is too good for your American taste." "Hang on, hang on." "I got more taste than your mother." "So you want to deal?" "Maybe I do, maybe I don't." "The point is what do you have?" "All right, all right, all right." "Look at what I got." "And cigarettes?" "You got it." "American cigarettes." "Pleasure doing business." "Stay." "Maybe we can have some other mutually advantageous..." "What?" "Pilferage." "Maybe." "You know what?" "Another time." "They're going to miss me, so I got to get back." "See you later." "Starting up with the 88s again." "We got incoming!" " Ready?" " Yeah." "What, you see something?" "I'm not sure." "Tell those Krauts to go back to bed." "We've got some on our left flank." "We've got Krauts moving up out there." "Thirty." " Go!" "Get down!" "Come on!" " Move in!" "Over here." "How'd they get so damned close?" " Take the gun." " Come on." "Son of a bitch, what was that?" "That wasn't an 88." "Here comes another one." "Try to cut across to the gully below us." "I'll take the gun." "Stop, they're down below us!" "I know, I know." "I'm trying to keep their men back." "Where's the mortars?" "Don't the frogs have mortars?" "We got spotters up there." "They must be ranging in those coastal guns." "Nice entrance, Brooklyn." " Hey, are you okay?" " Leave me alone." "I'm fine." "Goddamn Nazi assholes." "Can we range in on that spotter out there?" "Kind of busy with our left flank right now." "Mortars, finally." "I'm going to see if I can get a sharpshooter on that spotter." "Briggs, Briggs, Briggs." "You see that spotter out there?" "Yeah, I'm already on it." "But they're pretty far out." "I just have to wait until we see some movement." "Sure." "I don't think they sell it, though." "Yeah." "Hang on." "That one was on the mark." "First mistake they make is to freeze." "Stay there." "The second one's down, too." "Come on, you bastards." "I think we're back to 88s for a while." "Guess I'll just keep poking at it to see if we're here." "God damn it." "Away from your post, no weapon?" "You pull a stunt like that again, what's left of you after I'm through with you, the Army won't want to put in jail." "Where the hell were you?" " Where the hell" " Maurice." "He was right in front of me." "Now he's gone." "He's just gone." "Benedetto, damn it, get yourself cleaned up." "Look at me." "Get yourself cleaned up." "Come on, Brooklyn." "Starks." "What?" "Are you okay?" "No, I want to beat the shit out of" "Just give me a minute." "We've been in France for three months now." "You'd think we'd get some local food for a change." "As far as I'm concerned, you can take France and shove it up the ass of the nearest German." "Is that the topic of the day?" "Yeah, I suppose it'll do." "Kind of liked our topic of the day discussions." "Since we left England, you kind of dropped off." "I have, haven't I?" "So the subject is France, right?" "Not the capacity of the German ass." "Yeah." "Okay." "As for France, Paris is okay, I suppose." "Haven't seen much else, except for the Germans trying to kill us." "Yes, our honorable enemy with whom we continue our three-month stalemate." "We got them right where they want us." "We won't move." "We can't move." "They can't move." "We want them there." "They seem content to stay there." "Little trap, playing shooting gallery." "We don't advance." "They don't advance." "It's horse shit." "You'd rather be with Patton right now?" "No." "Frankly, I'd rather be bored right here." "Better odds." "Well, this isn't much like fighting, except for maybe today." "Sit around, count how many shells are duds." "You know, I'd almost rather worry about a bullet with my name on it than a shell addressed "to whom it may concern. "" "That old question." "Didn't we talk about that once or twice?" "Destiny or random probability." "Guess it's a good object lesson." "Just out of range, slight variation in the charge, aiming, the crew, barrel temperature..." "It won't hit the same hole twice." "They might." "They seem to have plenty enough shells to hit our little hole." "So as probability goes, the more they fire, the more we should figure we're all dead men." "And I don't like it much." "Goddamn German ambitions." "Come on, General." "Those Germans." "See, I have a particular perspective on things." "Guess we're the guys that get to tell them they're wrong." "Well, they don't listen too well." "And I'm getting a particularly nasty perspective on those bastards, too." "Smith, you got to tell me, when are you going to mail that letter?" "Not sure if I ever will." "Come on, you've been working on that thing off and on for what, months now." "Just send it to your girl." "How do you know it's to my girl?" "Because you look too serious when you pull it out." "I don't exactly have a girl yet." "I pry things from you." "You never tell me anything." "Who are you writing it to, then?" "Just a girl I met, okay?" "It was before the army got me." " And?" " And what?" "And so what does she look like?" "How'd you meet her?" "This is Doreen." "She has red hair." "She was Harvest Princess there." "You have a picture of her from the newspaper." "You two must be real close." "Knock it off, Starks." "I didn't get a chance." "We just met." "It didn't quite work out for us." "Sorry." "Look, if I had any piece of advice to give you, do yourself a favor- just send it to her." "Take a chance." "It's just... we only were at one dance." "I was working nights at the mill." "Weekends I had to study, then I got drafted." "She sure made an impression on me." "Not sure if she even really likes me." "Come on, not like you?" "You've got that Latin blood." "Your big Italian eyes are going to melt her heart." "You've never seen my wife and kid, have you?" "Nope." "Figured you'd show me some day." "Yeah." "I guess it's my turn." "Nice-looking." "Kid, too." "I think I worry about them more than I worry about me." "And I worry about me a lot." "Come on." "Let's get some food back to Fuller and Benedetto, before the Spam tries to escape." "So I told him I was going to hit him in the face with a 2x4 if he didn't give me my 30 bucks." "Hey, you guys rotating out?" "Yeah, we're headed back to Heteborn for a break." "Plenty of traffic on this road lately." "Yeah, lots of troops moving up in the northern sector." "I thought so." "Not with you guys." "We're the ones getting hit with the big artillery." "Sorry." "Hey, I've seen some of them craters." "Don't send them our way." "So anyways, $30 later..." "Benedetto's going to bitch." "Another cold breakfast." "It's the law of the universe." "It'll be our turn to bitch when they run for chow and we get cold breakfast." "Still beats eating nothing at all." "Yeah." "I've had my share of soup lines, that's for sure." " Come on." " No, it's true." "After the market crash, my family was left without a dime." "Ended my college years." "Then the war broke out." "Then the war broke out." "And it'll end, some day." "Hell, hard to count on anything." "Is that why you've never finished that letter?" "You got to learn to count on something, Smith." "Sometimes, that's the hardest thing, but if it's tough, then you got to probably figure it's the best thing to do." "I know." "I almost gave up." "Been through a lot of twists in my life." "If it makes your letter-writing decision any easier, you should know it's not rotation coming." "What do you mean, it's not rotation?" "I mean, we're rotating out, but we're moving east across the German border." "Come Christmas and New Year's, we're going to be on the move." " Who told you that?" " The platoon sergeant, yesterday." "Seems the general thinks we might be getting a little stale." "Stale?" "Hell, we're moldy." "Hey, buddy, can you let us out here?" "Thanks." "Yeah, we'll get through this damn war." "One of these days, I might even get home to see my kid." "You haven't see your kid?" "No, born after I left." "That's tough." "Hopefully, the war" "Starks, you okay?" "Yeah." "Just stay down." "I'm staying down, I'm staying down." "That was a little too close." "Starks, you okay?" "Yeah." "Starks?" "Starks?" "Starks." "I didn't see that one coming." "Oh, God." "Help me!" "We got a wounded man." "Hey, kid." "Look, he's bleeding." "He don't look too good." "I ain't no medic, but that man's dead." "Go get the kit." " Screw the kit." " Go get the kit." "Come on." "They came to shoot up the forest." "You're going to die." "We're going to die." "We'll come back." " We'll come back." " No." "Every few weeks, they'd pull us off the line to rest, shower, and clean up." "Smith." "Hey, Smith." "They want you up at the CP." "It always felt like you could wash away everything, except what was happening to you on the inside." "Buddy, you got a smoke?" "Private Smith, reporting as ordered, sir." "At ease." "Smith, I need a few answers from your perspective about this witless character here." "Soldier, not many discipline problems reach this level, so you can figure you've done a really good job of digging a hole for yourself." "Yes, sir." "Let's see what we got here." "Where'd all this stuff come from, Benedetto?" "Smith, you recognize anything here?" "Yes, sir." "A keychain I thought was lost." "Take it, then." "The sergeant will make sure everything else gets returned." "Sir, most of that was won in honest crap games." "Soldier, your name and honest just don't go together." "Sir, I found that" "As you were, Private." "Where the hell do you think you are?" "We're facing a half a million Krauts out there." "You see this?" "It's a casualty report, God damn it." "Your buddies are dying, and you act like this place is your own personal racket." "Why are you in this army, anyway?" "To fight the Nazis, sir." "Well, it sure doesn't look like it, son." "AWOL, petty larceny, desertion." "Do you know what they're doing to deserters now?" "Write home to your mother." "She'll be real proud of you." "I ain't got no parents, sir, but I swear, it won't happen again, sir." "The hell it won't." "Smith, your section's already down one man." "If I turn this clown over for a summary court martial, you'll be down two." "But we're hurting for replacements, so what do you suggest I do?" "Smith?" "Sir, I wouldn't" "I think Benedetto's made a lot of mistakes." "Mistakes?" "His mistakes will get you killed." "He is a risk to the lives of you and your buddies, let alone stealing from them." "Yes, sir." "Permission to speak freely, sir." "We need all our men." "Smith, I think we need to get another replacement." "Maybe, Sarge, but Fuller and I have been around Benedetto a while, and yeah, he's done some really stupid things, but we're used to him." "He does know his job, and it would be hard to break in two new men." " Sir, I" " Can it, Benedetto." "Sergeant, get him out of my sight." "Hold him outside." "Smith, I'm sorry about Corporal Starks, but you need to know now" "We've got new orders." "The 376 just broke through the border, and we're moving out soon to reinforce." "Where we're going, the Germans will be fighting on their own soil." "Need I say more?" "No, sir." "Men are dying out there." "We don't have time for this crap." "You think I should send Benedetto back to your section?" "Yes, I think so." "Okay." "It's on you, then." "Benedetto messes up again, and I'll have both your hides." " Understand, Corporal?" " Yes, sir." "Corporal, sir?" "Yes, Corporal." "Your promotion is effective immediately." "I'm sorry it comes to you like this." "Starks was a damn good man, but the sergeant and I need a man in his place who we know we can rely on." "We can rely on you, right?" "Yes, sir." "You're dismissed." "Get those stripes on, and don't let me down." "Yes, sir." "Smith." "Thanks. in there." "I owe you." "Goddamn right you owe me." "They went and made me Corporal." "All right, keep pushing." "We almost got it." "Just keep pushing." "We almost got it." " Come on, push." " I'm pushing." " We're supposed to get stuck?" " This won't do." " It is on full-wheel drive." " You sure?" "We all thought that the war was going to be over by Christmas, but three weeks and 400 miles later, we knew that wasn't going to happen." "For us, this was just the beginning." "Almost out." "Hey, Smith, they're just about unstuck." "We won't be hanging around here much more." "Get everyone on the truck." "I've got to get rid of my barracks back." "Just let go of it." "Kind of moody, I'd say, taking over for Starks." "Losing Starks kind of shakes a guy up." "Hell, son, this war's starting to catch us all off guard." "M Company?" "Who do we have here?" "Heinrich." " Hey, Smith." " Yeah?" "Are you in M Company?" "Yeah." "I've got this bag here labeled "Starks," but he's not on the sheet for M Company." "Carry it around." "Just put it with the rest of our gear." "But he's not on the sheet." "There." "Now he's on the list." "Put it with M Company gear." "I'll take care of it another time." "Not now." "Who's this?" "He jumped aboard before you." "This here's Heinrich." "Our new ammo carrier, thank God." "And he brought us chocolate." "You been in the 302nd long?" "Just two weeks." "I volunteer for supply, and then for a unit on the line." "This was my family's country, and I want to help you." "You've got a bit of an accent there." "Two weeks." "All right." "Welcome to M Company." "Yeah, I come from Boston." "I apologize for the accent." "I was raised in Berlin until I was 13." "I think you might want to learn to say the passwords real good." "What is it we are likely to run into?" "Who we're likely to run into?" "Your fucking relatives, son." "Goddamn Krauts." "And they'd like to shoot us." "A lot." "Look, Heinrich, let me impress on you." "You just advanced yourself into the serious war." "I will try my best for you, sir." "I hope to hell you will, but we don't have time to teach you not to do something stupid that could get us all dead." "We've been shot at and shelled." "We already lost one man, and this is going to be worse than anything we've seen yet." "You're going to do three things- Make sure we have ammo, make sure it's there when we need it, and follow Benedetto." "Don't do something stupid." "Benedetto's going to keep you alive." "Stick with Benedetto." "Do what he does." "Nothing stupid, got it?" "Yeah, nothing stupid." "This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company." "Here is Dwight St. Eiser, reporting from the WOR newsroom." "Good evening." "Front reports indicate that the Americans have lost both Bambrik and Babelom in Belgium, and farther south near the French border, field reports say German tanks in eight heart-breaking days have broken from defenses in the Siegfried line and have driven back into Belgium and Luxembourg," "back to within 29 miles of historic Sedoz." "Everybody out." "Grab your weapons and ammo." "We got a 5-mile hike down this rail line." "Let's go." "That's where we're going." "We're going to need those." "You're an ammo carrier." "Grab your ammo." "And stick with Benedetto." "Maybe you should just shoot him now." "Save the Germans some trouble." "Yeah?" "He might just end up saving you, Fuller." "I've got a bad feeling." "Why do they want this town anyway?" "Come on, come on." "Gunmen on the line need to be relieved." "Okay, listen up." "There are two machine gun positions we badly need to relieve tonight." "Both are on the east hill behind" "As you can tell from that demonstration, you're going to be real careful taking up your positions." "The 376 are holding our line right now." "Smith, Fuller, Heinrich, Benedetto, you'll relieve the gun in place on the south end of that hill, close to an old pump house." "Foster, Matthews and Jennings, there's a castle on the north side of the hill." "You'll take that position." "When we're done here, we'll guide you up there." "Questions?" "Hear this well." "There are German divisions on the other side of that ridge." "They've tried to retake the town a couple times from the north." "We cannot let that happen." "Hopefully, this weather will slow them down." "Stay sharp." "I'll try to get some warm chow to you by morning." "Okay, let's move them out." " Hey, Tony?" " Yeah?" "We got 2 feet of snow coming." "Krauts ain't going to do anything in this shit." "Smith." "Yeah?" "I found this in the truck." "Think you might have dropped it?" "Listen, I ain't got nobody back home." "At least you got somebody." "You should hang on to that." "Benedetto." "Thanks." "Relief has arrived." "What took you?" "Mostly the ammo." "Christ, it's freezing in here." "Any movement?" "Nothing but goddamn shelling." "Okay." "You got everything you need?" "I have to get these men back down to relieve other positions along the line." "Stay sharp." "Benedetto." "I don't need for you and Heinrich to be out here." "Find that pump house over that direction." "Go in there and dry out." "Yeah, sure." "Find it in the dark." "All right, Heinrich." "Let's go." "Let's take a look." "You sure we got everything?" "This is the fastest relief I've ever seen." "Belt, gun, you, me." "What time is it?" "Don't know." "Lost my watch." "Poker game." "Great." "I don't have one, either." "Sure wish they would have taken that guy with them." "It's like he keeps staring at us." "Well, at least we're a little warmer than he is." "Poor guy." "Sorry, fellow." "Sometimes it seems like the Krauts want to kill you." "It just don't matter." "Not me, brother." "Would you get down and shut your mouth?" "What's with you?" "I don't know." "Hell, I don't know." "It's my birthday." "Just don't want nothing to happen to me on my birthday." "That's it?" "It's your birthday?" "They're persistent." "Yes, they are." "We're spread so thin, I don't think anyone knows where our line is." "We could have Krauts behind us for all we know." "I feel like going home right about now." "You paying attention to the current situation?" "To hell with you." "I plan on getting through this." "Don't you?" "Don't know anymore." "Right now, probably best to figure we're all dead men until proven otherwise." "Happy birthday to me." "Sorry, just" "Doing okay?" "The hell?" "Don't sneak up like that." "Yeah, we're okay." "Did you get where the other part of our line is?" "I think the other guy's over there, that direction." "There's a squad from the rifle company in the pump house." "When did they get here?" "Just a little bit ago." "Trying to keep warm." "It's been a shitty mess, getting everyone relieved." "Some artillery and equipment slid off the road." "SNAFU as usual." "You dried out?" "Not much, but better." "They think the 11th Panzer Division has moved up out there." "They say those bastards don't take prisoners." "11th Panzer." "Oh, good." "Bring their tanks with them?" "Any of the squad carry something to fight tanks with, like a bazooka?" "Not that I saw." "They pushed them up pretty fast, just like us." "Any communication?" "Radio?" "Field phone?" "Anything?" "Unless we're going to sort it out in the morning." "That's great news." "There's nothing we can do right now." "If they suspect that's a Panzer division, we'll be sorting it out real quick." "Okay?" "Well, get back and get dry." "You and Heinrich will get to relieve us come daybreak." "Yeah." "I know." "If there's tanks out there, we're in deep shit." "That sounds like more than a few Kraut squads to me." "Shit, this is misery." "My feet are numb." "Wet and goddamn numb." "Want me to change positions with you for a while?" "Yeah, that'd be nice." "Damn it." "It's a pond you were in, boy." "You sure it wasn't a latrine?" "Why do you think it's not frozen?" "Hey, did you notice the shelling stopped?" "I don't know what that means." "Think they'll try something?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I do." "I hear them." "They're coming." "I hear them." "They're coming." "I don't hear nothing." "I hear them." "They're out there." "They're coming." "Better get ready." "I still don't hear nothing." "I hear them now." "Damn, your hearing's good." "The guys in the pump house." "Wait here." "I have to warn those guys to get out of there." "Don't fire if you don't have to." "The tank will be able to see our position." "No, I'd rather wear red and castrate a bull." "Come along." "Come on." "Open up, it's Smith." "Brooklyn, Brooklyn." "God damn it, there's Mark-4s not 300 yards from here." "Open up." " What's going on?" " Listen, there are tanks moving up." "You have to get out of here, or you'll be sitting ducks." " Tanks?" "Shit." " We don't have anything here for tanks." "But we have tanks." "Get out." "Riley, come here." "Listen, you're the first one out." "I want you to cut around, head toward town and warn them about the tanks." "There's an orchard about 30 yards from here." "I want you guys to spread out, stay low." "Corporal, where do you want me and Benedetto to go?" "I have to get back to Fuller." "Give me some belts." "Fall back behind the orchard and take cover." "I'll get Fuller and I'll meet you there." "We're clear." "Let's move." "Go, go." "Go, go, keep moving." "Go, go." "Keep moving, keep moving." "Go left." "Cover fire." "Cover fire, cover fire." "This is good." "I'm hit." "Hurry, hurry, hurry." "My ankle!" " Stop him." " I'm coming back for him." "Okay, go." "Smith!" "Go, go, go." "Smith!" "Open fire, open fire." "Are you okay?" "No, no, no." "I can only move my right leg." "Where's Benedetto?" "The orchard, wounded." "I'm sorry." "I guess I did something stupid after all." "No, Heinrich." "Look, I'm going to get you and Benedetto a medic." " Get Fuller." "Can you give me some cover?" " I'll try." "I need a medic." "...our daily bread." "And forgive us our..." "Blood." "Not resurrected." "Is this heaven?" "I know for sure we're in a shit load of trouble." "We got to get help." "Going to get you out first." "Stop." "You let me get you out of here." "Stop." " Get back to Heinrich." " I didn't even see it coming." "I couldn't get out in time." "My legs are crushed." "I lost my. 45." "We're getting picked to pieces out here." "I'll get you out of here." "It'll be okay." " Get help." " Had to get run over by a tank." "Tell them what's coming." "Smith." "Can't do nothing here." "Go." "Tank division can't do those trees." "We don't even got a weapon." "Here." "Birthday present." "Use this if you need it." "There are three rounds left, I think." "Only if you need it." "Don't get killed." "Only if I need them." "No." " You kill us." " Yeah, you're killing us too, you bastard." "Yeah." "You know, I can kill you." "You stay here." "You go, I kill you." "Riley." "Shit, it's mined." "Brooklyn." "Brooklyn." "You son of a bitch, I'm American." "No Kraut swears like that." "Got to be one of ours." "I'm getting down there." "We got overrun." "Tanks." "Germans." "They got tanks coming up." "Get a medic!" "Get the lieutenant." "We've got to go back." "Dear Doreen, I don't think about that night too often." "The 94th held the town after heavy fighting, but in breaking through the German border, some 60,000 men lost their lives in less than a month." "I started to notice that all of the dead looked the same, except for the uniform." "It was March by the time my wounds were healed and I made it back to M Company." "I am so glad you're back from San Francisco." "I am, too." "Let's go in." "...more than 100 miles in just 12 days." "Fighting scattered pockets of resistance and heavy opposition in the city of Ludwigshafen, the 94th breaks through." "After all this time away, after all the war I've seen," "I can't tell anymore if I saw you yesterday or a thousand years ago." "The 94th infantry..." "In many ways, this crumpled letter covered with the traces of war has become you, become the us that might have been, the us that could have laughed on your front porch or taken a walk in the summer evening." "To me, this letter has become the us that will never be." "That to your girl back home?" "Say, you want me to mail that for you?" "No." "Just know that my thoughts of you, delivered poorly again and again in a million different ways in this letter, are the only things that made me believe I might survive." "After that night, I never saw any of them again." "We continued to push on into Germany through Dusseldorf, but most men now were new faces." "Heck, Don, we're right back where we started." "This has been a waste of time." "How do you lose a prisoner out of a guarded holding cell?" " Your arm okay?" " It just aches." "Let's check that barn up there." "If he's not in there, we're not going to find him." "Christ." "Artillery's making a mess of things up there." "Krauts can't have much fight left." "We see a German, he's still the enemy." "Hell, they must know they've lost." "Hey, with this crew, we're taking the whole damn country down." "Taking the whole thing down, good and bad." "I'm not crying for him." "Hell, Germans here, Japs in the Pacific." "The whole damn world's falling apart." "It's got to end soon." "I'm getting damn tired of waiting." "Damn tired of Germans and damn tired of losing friends." "It came from inside the barn." "Come on." "Shit." "Shut up, you goddamn Kraut." "Get up!" "What the hell are you doing?" "And your patrol?" "The couldn't find shit." "Just" "They almost killed Starcher!" "Just take him off and kill him." "Kill him for all the trouble." "God damn it." "Starcher." "Starcher, take Anderson back to HQ and hold him there." "You're in charge." "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to take this Kraut off the road." "Get a little payback, Smith." "Just shoot the bastard." "Come on." "Let's go." "Just shoot the bastard." "Come on." "Kill the bastard, Smith." "Get a little payback." "Come on." "Go ahead." "Take it." "All right, come on, then." "Okay." "A quarter mile more, you can bullshit with your POW buddies all you want." "Look, I don't understand what you're saying." "Put it down." "I don't want to shoot you." "For two and a half years, I had fought to survive." "Every one of us had hopes and dreams locked away so they wouldn't spill out with our blood." "Now I wasn't sure if they were still there." "And in that split second, with the crack of that pistol, another human being had given those things up." "It's okay, sir." "The war is over." "It's over, sir." "Where are we?" "Where are we at?" "We're in Spokane, sir." "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I think so." "We're waiting on another train to get in, so we're going to be here for a while." "You know, it sure is beautiful out." "I bet you glad to be home." "Yeah." "Damn it." "It's an open door." "You don't need to break it down." "Sorry." "Sorry, Sarge." "Where are you headed?" "Fort Louis, as soon as they get the trains changed." "I got a couple more days to report, and I'm out of this army." "Well, I'll be right next door." "Court Airfield." "But I'm staying in." "Yeah, staying in the old Army." "Where did you get it?" "Nennig." "Siegfried Line." "I didn't actually see much action." "I got there after VE day." "Lucky for you." "I suppose." "Hello." "Do I know you?" "Have we met?" "I don't think so." "My name is Wagner." "Otto Wagner." "Don Smith." "Forgive me." "I overheard your conversation in the restroom." "You're coming back from Germany?" "Well, yes." "Going home finally." "We were on the train together from Chicago." "Sorry." "I didn't notice." "That is all right." "It's just that I hope to back home to Germany soon." "I'm going to try to find the rest of my relatives." "Some live close to Weiss." "Not far from Nennig." "My wife and I escaped here shortly before the war began." "I have been working for your government." "I wish you luck." "The country's a bit of a mess." "I don't blame you." "So much destruction and loss." "But we are finally free from those evil men." "I must thank you." "You can be thanking a lot of guys." "I'm just one." "You waiting for a train?" "No, a car is coming to pick me up." "Maybe there's something that you could do for me?" "What is it?" "What can I do?" "I have this letter." "I'd like to know what it says." "It's in German." "You would like me to read it for you?" "Of course." "My car is not due for a few more minutes." "This is it." "Can you tell what it says?" "This is terrible." "Did you know these people?" "No, not like you think." "I was wondering if it mentioned anyone I could return it to with a note." "But I don't know where." "I am afraid that will be quite impossible." ""My dearest husband," "It is with terrible longing that I wait for some dear words from you." "If I could only see you just one more time." "During the past weeks, I have begun to fear the end of everything." "All the lovely places you remember are in ruins. "" "I pray every minute for your protection and for blessed hope to return, but I fear this land is reaping a judgment no power on earth can restrain." "Every day we see relatives and friends being taken away as Jews are being called to report to labor camps." "How awful this war is." "How I long for the life we had together, to have the blessing of a future and hope." "Despair often overtakes my soul." "Forgive me." "However hard it may be, we shall do our utmost to survive, but today I have made my peace with God." "May every man on earth be as good as you have been to us." "I give you all my love and a thousand kisses." "I love you to my last breath." ""Your loving wife, Greta. "" "I'm going now, my friend." "I think we both have things waiting for us." "May every man on earth be as good as you and those like you." "Hi, can I change my ticket destination?" "Am I too late?" "Don?" "Don?" "Would you like some lunch?" "Don?" "I'm the last." "The last what?" "I'm the last guy in my crew." "I'm still around." "Is that bad?" "Don." "Just thinking." "About?" "I wish" " I wish they were still around." "What's this?" "A letter." "When is this from?" "Back then." "I carried it, but I never sent it." "It's to me." "Yes." "You didn't send it." "I just needed it." "It was my hope, a way home, something to hold on to." "You and me seemed so impossible." "I almost lost it." "I've forgotten so much." "Well, I remember waiting for you." "Then one day there was this handsome soldier finally coming home to see me." "I hope it was all worth it." "It was, Don." "It was." "Dance with me." "I'm on duty." "That's okay." "It's okay." "There's no music." "You be the music." "It was 1943 when I went to war." "I was almost 19." "I returned from war in 1945." "I was now 21." "I had seen more than I would ever want to tell." "Some things had held on to me more than I had realized." "But some words, some hopes, and dreams were never meant for paper."