"Not in my platoon!" "Yee-haw!" "Whoo!" "I think I'm in love." ""..." "With a lonesome whistle Blowing"" ""And the youngest dreamer Floating on the Rhine"" "Sing it, girl." ""Like a freight train Leaving town"" ""Not knowing where I'm bound"" ""And the one Who changed my mind"" ""But Mama tried"" ""And I turned 21"" ""And freezing Doing life..."" "Whoo!" ""..." "But Mama tried"" ""Mama tried To raise me better"" ""But a bleeding heart knows"" ""That there's only me To blame"" ""'Cause Mama tried"" "See, that's some real American music." "I'm glad we came out tonight." "The soul buzz at the base like to have drove me crazy." "You get the feeling we're not wanted here, brother Don?" "Looks that way to me." "We definitely change the complexion of things around here, that's for sure." "I'm trying real hard to learn that new handshake" "I've seen you boys doing." "I can never figured out why it takes homeboys 10 minutes just to say hello." "Must not have a whole lot else to do." "Yeah, maybe they need all that time just to figure out what they say." "Or maybe he needs a little dancing..." "Do the bugaloo." "I thought it was the boogaloo." "What do you boys want?" "Hey, look, Percell said he'd meet us here." "Well, you don't see him, do you?" "I knew he'd have more class than to hang out in a joint like this?" "Yeah, you can get going about 10 seconds ago, boy." "Did he call you "boy" or "Roy?"" "Hey, man, let's get out of here." "Four beers now." "Uh-uh." "You know, I may have to ride the same buses and use the same toilets as y'all, but there ain't nothing to say I got to socialize with you." "Now, I know there ain't no signs up here spelling out for you loud and clear, but you know the deal." "In case you ain't heard, all deals are off." "Don't do it, man." "I'm warning you." "Man, you ain't nothing to me." "Let 'em be, boys." "Come on!" "You got him!" "All right!" "There you go!" "Oh, well." "What about those beers?" "Not if I was dying of thirst." "Watch out, you guys." "You're bunching up." "Ambush!" "Sniper!" "Sniper!" "Where's he at?" "I don't know." "I think he's my 11:00." "I'm not sure." "Innis!" "Yo." "I'm gonna cover for you." "You get the right flank." "Go!" "Go!" "I got you man." "I'll cover you!" "Go!" "Get him!" "Oh!" "Got him, man." "My leg!" "My leg!" "My leg!" "They got him, man." "No!" "Where the hell were you, man?" "My gun jammed!" "Mighty convenient time, sucker." "What are you saying?" "You know what I'm saying." "I'm saying that I can't be losing people like this." "My gun jammed, man!" "Let it go." "Let it go!" "It's over." "Let it go." "It's over for him." "For me, it's just beginning." "Now, you get this scum out of my face and don't be asking me to cover for him." "Hey, Tucker, I don't want to hear that." "You know these weapons jam." "Jammed, huh?" "Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies." "Thou anointest my head with oil." "My cup runneth over." "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." "These brave young men made the ultimate sacrifice for their brethren and for their country." "They have given their lives so that others might walk free." "They will not enjoy the bounties of life on this earth, so we ask you, oh, Lord... to welcome their souls into heaven." "Platoon dismissed." "What am I gonna tell his mother?" "LT will write her." "That woman helped raise me, man." "I've got to write her." "She thought we were fools to volunteer for a second tour... but I just kept on pushing." "How come you came back?" "I don't know." "Things in the world just got so crazy." "What the hell have I done?" "Man, niggers around here are bad enough." "They're going crazy back home." "Burning down Detroit." "Most of it." "Big riot in New Jersey too, and some place in Maryland." "Man, this right brown boy wants to torch the whole damn country." "Well, where's he going to sleep afterwards, huh?" "I don't know... but I tell you, it's serious." "Man, who knows what these boys are gonna do next." "You know, it's just like them trying to hang Darden's death on me." "If I wanted that nig dead, I'd have shot him straight out." "Nat's really crying about him being gone." "I'll tell you what." "With all these riots spreading like wildfire," "I reckon it's time us white folks stand up before they walk all over us." "Mm-hmm." "Yeah, boy..." "I reckon it's time we make a little..." "statement of our own." "Oh, yeah." "I never showed this to you, did I?" "No." "Put this up right up here in the doorway." "I can't believe it." "It look like they bombed the place." "Detroit, my home." "My uncle used to live about a block away from all of this." "If you can call being in the rat hole living." "I used to play right on this corner." "Forty people killed." "Something's gonna happen to my family." "Bad enough, the pigs shooting and gassing our people in their own homes, but look at who else is doing it, bringing in the honky troops to take care of business." "Some of them dudes were Vietnam vets, man." "Yeah." "They training them over here to annihilate us back there." "Black man shouldn't even be fighting this war." "Maybe it's like Muhammad Ali said," ""No Vietcong ever called me nigger."" "Amen." "I hear that." "Oh, no." "Tell me I ain't seeing this, man." "Yeah, man, you seeing it, but you ain't gonna be seeing it for long." "Let's go tear that sucker down." "Now, just be cool, man." "When the officers see it, they'll make them take it down." "Those peckerwoods down home call you "Uncle Johnson?"" "Look, just back off, Tucker." "Now, trash like Innis is gonna always be around." "Look, man." "If you're selling that "slow change" jive, this is one blood who ain't buying." "Now, let's go grab that rag." "Whoo-hoo!" "That's real white of you, Innis." "Thank you." "But it got to come down." "I don't think you're the man for the job, Tucker." "You're disrespecting every black man in the unit." "I'm real sorry you blacks take it that way." "Man, you all are sure getting sensitive lately." "You hear what your people are doing back home?" "Man, I think it's a crying shame, all that freedom." "Think about it." "I think you ought to be taking down the Yankee flag." "Take it down, Innis, before there's trouble." "Ain't gonna be no trouble," "Johnson." "Now, you from down home." "You show some sense." "You just take your boys and walk away." "Who you calling "boy," Innis?" "Take it down." "Hold it..." "like you said, I'm from down home." "I'll take it down." "Yeah, you go get it." "Sorry, boy." "Just an accident." "Just like your gun jamming for Darden, right?" "Break it up!" "The flag comes down." "Get off me." "I'll get you next time, man." "The objective is to coordinate search Binh Jurang, maybe pick up some NVA activity out of there tonight." "You'll set up a night defensive position near the LZ." "Keep LPs out all night and move on Binh Jurang in the morning." "Aren't we telegraphing the operation by leaving this afternoon?" "The bad guys are supposed to think you're part of Alpha company's sweep of the valley." "Once you've secured the hamlet," "Lieutenant Minh, your job will be..." "My job will be to find and interrogate" "Vietcong sympathizers." "I know my job well, captain." "Well, enough said, then." "You got any questions?" "We'd like to delay going out for a couple of days." "We're not sure we can control the men." "Tucker." "Captain, don't get me wrong now." "That man's a good soldier." "He got a bronze star and a silver star his first tour here." "It's just sometimes these guys go over the edge, and... and it's impossible to get them back." "I'd like to be able to help you guys out, but brigade says this one is important." "Well, then, I think we ought to transfer Tucker and Innis out." "This racial stuff is blowing up all over the place." "If I move Tucker and Innis on to somebody else," "I may get even worse in return." "No, you deal with them now." "Yes, sir." "Looks like our ride's here." "Hey, you guys ready for another one?" "Ready for you to didi, white meat." "Lighten up, dude." "Percell, don't play that trash." "Besides, he's the best shot in the platoon." "So what?" "Why don't you go over with Innis and your other honky confederates?" "Because I'm over here." "I don't think like those guys, Tucker." "I was taught to judge a man by what he does, not his color." "What do you want, the Nobel Peace Prize?" "Wow, Tucker, you and Innis got a lot more in common than you know." "You guys aren't buying this stuff, right?" "Look, don't put me in the same breath as that cracker." "Then do me the same courtesy." "Why don't you guys lay off, man." "Now, look, he ain't got nothing to it." "Get hip, farmer boy, before it's too late." "The time is coming when you're gonna have to choose sides." "Well, the time's here when we're going on a mission..." "together." "I want two of that." "You want one of these?" "You want two of these?" "Yeah." "For one piece..." "Okay, okay, okay." "Okay, thank you." "You're welcome." "That ought to fix them, Jeremiah." "Yeah, I reckon." "Mm-hmm." "Yeah." "Time to establish a little brotherhood." "All right." "Hey, there, Johnson." "What you want, Innis?" "Now, no need to be unfriendly." "I just wanted to bury the hatchet and the fence, all that good stuff." "You mean bury the hatchet in my back, right?" "I'm talking about brotherhood, Johnson, you know." "Let's get rid of all that..." "that nigger and honky talk, and let's get some equality here." "Hey, look." "I don't know what your game is, all right, but I ain't playing." "Game?" "Just democracy." "We over here to protect the world from the international communist conspiracy, and I reckon we won't do much a job of it if we're always at each other's throats." "Am I right?" "Well, action speaks louder than words." "And you going to see some real good ones." "Let's smoke the peace pipe on it, huh?" "Thanks, but I don't smoke." "I take very good." "Oh, you likey menthol, huh?" "Well, why not?" "Let's let everybody in on this deal, white... black... and yellow." "Hey, hey!" "Hey, hey, hey." "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" "Oh, relax, sarge." "Don't get your eyes crossed over some gook." "You call me sergeant." "And that ain't a gook." "That's a soldier." "He's got his butt on the line out here just as much as anybody." "Sounds like Yankee talk to me." "Oh, just listen to yourself, would you, please, Innis?" "You know what scares me most about you, Innis, is I might have ended up something like you." "How's that?" "You wouldn't understand because you think you're an original, don't you?" "Huh?" "Well, you ain't." "I spent a whole lifetime around people like you, and what you got is a case of the white trash syndrome, boy." "And you got it real bad." "Equality, huh?" "I say we ought to frag the sucker." "You gonna do it?" "What about you, Marcus?" "You wouldn't be shedding any tears if we did." "Hey, you're talking about murder, man." "It sounds more like pest control to me." "I thought I was talking about self-defense." "The clown's already started a fight with you." "Now, he's trying to blow up cigarettes in your face." "You ain't the kind of man who wouldn't defend yourself." "Now, you know better than that." "Suppose you was in Detroit, man..." "Saw all these honkies coming to burn down your crib, put your family out in the street, or worse." "Yeah?" "Try and imagine it, man." "What would you do?" "You know what I'd do." "If anybody mess with my family, man," "I don't care who it is, I'd frag 'em." "That's what we talking about, blood." "Family." "All right, Jenkins." "Make sure you've got a clear field of fire at all times here." "All right?" "Taylor, you all right?" "Fine, sarge." "All right." "All right." "Look, I told you, sir, I was asleep." "Is this your bayonet?" "Now, everybody knows" "I keep green tape on my bayonet..." "Johnson, is this your bayonet?" "Yes, sir." "Well, it's also the bayonet that wound up in Innis' back." "Now, how do you explain that?" "I can't explain it." "It didn't just jump out of your scabbard, man." "Nobody saw you sleeping." "Nobody saw me kill Innis." "And, look, if I did kill him, you think I'd be dumb enough to leave my bayonet there?" "Marvin, everybody saw you guys going at it." "LT, this is Johnson we're talking about." "Taylor, get out of here." "He ain't no killer." "Taylor." "But, LT.." "Taylor." "He ain't no killer." "Hey, look, why are you trying to pin this on me, damn it?" "Now, you know what kind of soldier" "I am, lieutenant." "All right, Johnson." "Now, we're pulling out of here in a few minutes." "Now, the body and the bayonet are going back to brigade." "I got to tell you, man, they're gonna do a full investigation at CID." "That's it." "I'd love to scrap this whole mission, but the old man told me battalion said no way." "Now, LT, I know you don't think Johnson did it." "Under ordinary circumstances," "I'd say no." "But this racial crap has got everybody's blood boiling." "Damn." "Marvin." "For what it's worth, I don't think you did it." "Now ain't the time, Danny." "Well, I just wanted to let..." "Danny!" "Have it your way." "What you doing, Percell?" "I'm sneaking around looking for someone to stab." "Got any suggestions?" "You think it's funny, huh?" "A joke?" "This outfit, this war, the whole damn thing's turned into a joke." "I got no time to be fat mouthing with some honky." "Hey, look, take the time, Tucker." "Take the time." "Do me a favor." "Enlighten me to what this blackness is all about." "Don't be pushing me, man." "I ain't pushing, Tucker." "Look, I'm just a hick from Montana." "I hardly ever saw a black man till I joined the Army." "So what's your point?" "It seems to me that y'all had the short end of the stick for a long time." "But why do you want to turn your backs on people that have nothing against you?" "Aw, man." "Don't "Aw, man" me, Tucker." "Tell me something." "What do you want, whitey?" "A little bedtime story about being poor and fighting the rats for a bed, about seeing my father's spirit break and watching my mother turn into an old woman before she was 40?" "About doing the tour in 'Nam and then going back home to the same old garbage?" "Did you think the world was gonna change?" "I don't know what I thought, man." "I went back proud to have done my duty for my country." "Really thought I found a home in the Army." "What happened?" "Nothing, man... except maybe the rats got fatter." "Man, I could have died over here fighting in this white man's war, but back home, I ain't no better than dirt." "So you came back here." "That's because I don't know where I belong no more." "So forgive me if I can't let go of my hatred." "I got nothing else to hold on to." "We got to stick together, guys." "That Johnson's dangerous." "Johnson is the best soldier in this platoon." "Yeah, and he didn't kill that jerk, either." "That "jerk" was my buddy." "What are you, Baker, a nigger-lover?" "No." "He loves greasers." "That's why we're partners." "Whose side are you on?" "Not yours, bro." "When you're done with the bloods, you're probably gonna come after the Spics." "And then it'll be the Jewish lieutenant, probably surfers after that." "Well, ain't that just..." "Get out of here, man." "This stuff's bringing me way down, and I don't like it." "So why don't you just didi out of my area." "All right, people, let's saddle up." "Let's get it done." "Just wanted you to know that the brothers are behind you, man." "Maybe they can help find the guy that did Innis." "Look, in case you don't know, murder ain't my thing." "Look, just be cool, blood." "We ain't gonna let you get railroaded." "Hey, look, do me a favor, Tucker." "Just stay out of my life, you hear?" "Partner's got no appreciation at all, man." "Yeah, they're getting real confident now." "We're gonna have to block off that far corner." "Yeah, yeah." "Horn." "Horn." "Tiger Six, this is Bravo Two Six." "Over." "Roger, Two Six." "Six, I want you to block on the east." "We'll come in on the west and the south." "Go." "Roger, Two Six." "We come when you need us." "All right." "I want you to take the first squad and take the third squad." "You sweep around to the west, we'll just head on in." "And let's take some prisoners." "If they'll let us." "Watch it!" "Punji stakes!" "That sucker's gonna beat it!" "Go!" "Flank him!" "Flank him!" "Get it on!" "Go!" "Three teams on the hooches." "Taylor!" "Good work, Johnson." "All right, I want teams of two on the hooches." "Keep your eyes peeled." "There's probably NVA in there." "All right, Tucker, Percell." "Yo!" "You start down left." "Johnson, Wall." "Yo." "You got the middle." "Taylor, Hall." "Up top there." "Let's move." "I said move it!" "What in the hell is wrong with you?" "Can't you see, sarge?" "Nobody in this outfit wants their back to anybody else." "I say the hell with y'all." "Get up!" "No, stay down!" "Stay where you are." "Why?" "If we move, they'll kill us." "I'll get lieutenant to call in artillery." "Damn it." "Nothing." "We had them, and now we got nothing." "And where the hell were you guys, huh?" "I'll tell you something." "I'm ashamed to have you guys in my command." "Not only did we lose the intelligence, we lost the enemy." "And you know what?" "While you guys were waging your private little war, these guys got greased." "If the honky was looking instead of being a crybaby, none of this would've happened." "I suppose you wouldn't have said a word if you'd been stuck." "In the first place," "I wouldn't have been dumb enough to get stuck, and I wouldn't have screamed if I had." "I reckon animals don't feel pain like real people." "You gob of spit." "Shut up." "Just shut up!" "Will you listen to what I'm saying here, or are you too thick?" "Now, why, huh?" "Why are you doing this?" "Because it's the truth." "No, the truth is you don't want to see anybody get along." "Give you nothing to complain about." "Now, how can I trust you dudes when you go and hang Johnson out to dry?" "Johnson is not hung yet." "And I'm going to make sure he gets a fair trial." "Oh, white man's justice." "You know what, Tucker?" "There is no room here for what you're spreading." "One more time, that's one more time for all of you, and you're all gonna be hung out to dry." "You ain't seen nothing yet, boy." "Okay, Ron, could you get that on the left side?" "Morales, get your butt over here." "Let's go." "Okay, Sergeant." "I'll be right there." "It's a shame this thing was ever pulled down." "Well, this rebel's gonna put it back up." "Where are you going, Alan?" "Outside, sir." "That belonged to the effects of PFC Innis." "You know, I got a lot of respect for Southern courage and pride, but this thing is over, Alan." "Now that I got my baby all cleaned up," "I'm gonna be getting into cutting, up till tomorrow noon." "I don't want nobody messing with me, either." "You may have to attend to business." "Hey, what are you, man?" "Chairman of the board or something?" "I'm just looking out for my own people, man." "Well, your jive is wearing real thin, bro." "You know, when the war comes, what side you gonna put me on, huh?" "Yeah, and what about me?" "Yo, Johnson." "Yeah, sarge?" "Get your stuff." "Where you taking him?" "You got the need to know, soldier?" "I got a need to find out." "Brothers are looking after brothers from now on." "Come on, sarge." "You know Johnson ain't did nothing." "You know as well as I do, Taylor," "I am only following orders here." "Don't worry, blood." "We ain't going to let them mess with you." "No, we won't." "Come on." "All right, listen, Marvin." "We're gonna get this whole mess cleared up and we're gonna get you back to soldiering like you ought to be." "You ain't got to fake it, sarge." "I'm in up to my neck, ain't I?" "They don't have a witness." "They got a weapon." "Now all they need is a body to hang it on." "Specialist Johnson reporting as ordered, sir." "I'm sorry, Johnson." "I wish there was something I could do, but I have my orders." "So what happens next?" "You stay in the CP tonight." "Tomorrow, you and I go for a chopper ride down to brigade." "I am sorry about this, Johnson, but once the CID gets into this stuff, it's out of my hands." "I have to follow procedure." "Yes, sir." "Lieutenant." "Let's get it together, brothers." "We ain't nothing if we sit here and let Johnson take all the heat." "Well, what are we gonna do?" "We can't go take him back." "I say we can." "I don't want to see this happen." "What's it to you, white meat?" "It's a lot to me." "Johnson's a good damn soldier, and he's my good friend." "I don't see why we all can't just get together and go see Captain Wallace." "Yeah, just like a committee." "You know, Percell, you becoming my main white liberal." "First, we form a committee." "Then, we discuss the problems for another five years while they put a hundred niggers behind bars." "Well, that's..." "Tucker, that's not the way it is." "Maybe you ought to leave it alone, Danny." "We've got to work this out between ourselves, okay?" "You brothers with me or not?" "You gonna be strong black men or you gonna be a bunch of Uncle Tom niggers?" "Man, you talking about taking on the United States Army." "I'm talking about defending our own." "I say we take the brother back." "I don't know, man." "I'm with you, but we might be provoking a little more than we can handle." "The black man has always been the underdog." "Ain't nobody gonna defend us, so we damn well better defend ourselves." "If you brothers are with me..." "Lock and load." "Probably get 20 years in Leavenworth." "Twenty years?" "Hell, ought to put his butt in front of a firing squad." "Relax, Hall, before you have a hemorrhage." "It's those niggers..." "a bunch of them with guns." "Coming here?" "I don't know." "Maybe to CP." "Looks like one war ain't enough for these boys." "Let's go." "Listen up, whiteys." "We want Johnson out here now." "He stays where he is, Tucker." "You ain't the law around here." "Only law I see around here is a bunch of honkies." "We do law for black folks now." "You get in the way, you pay the price." "Go head on." "Come on." "It's got to happen sooner or later." "Truth is, I'd rather shoot you all than the gooks." "Suits me just fine, boy." "But maybe you'd like us to turn our backs first." "Ain't that the way it's always been?" "Innis is the one your boys got in the back." "Hey!" "Now, you listen up." "The only people you're gonna be fighting are the NVA that you let get away this morning." "I tell you the honest to God truth, just looking at you pukes gives me a real bad case of the jaws." "We're coming to get Johnson back." "You did, did you?" "Yeah, and we aim to take him back." "Well, you got a little problem, Tucker." "What's that?" "You want Johnson, you're gonna have to come through me." "So you come on up." "Not in my platoon!" "Not in my platoon." "This is where I live, and I will do anything necessary to stop this." "You take this garbage someplace else." "You find something funny there, son?" "You know, I got the real impression that you thought something was funny there, didn't you?" "No, sir." "No, sir." "All right, then, why don't you take your sense of humor and get on out of here?" "Taylor," "I'm real disappointed in you, son." "Real disappointed." "What about Johnson?" "He's innocent." "You heard me." "He's innocent." "Tam, the little ARVN soldier that... that Innis messed with, they found his fingerprints on the bayonet." "Goldman and Wallace are with him now." "Tam?" "Tam, yes, the little guy that Innis gave the cigarette to." "You watch your manners, gentlemen." "Tucker, can I talk to you for a minute?" "You can talk to me all night." "You're in charge." "You know, uh, your last tour over here in country was really something, Tucker... the Medal of Valor, two Purple Hearts." "I mean, that's some heavy-duty soldiering," "Tucker." "Put it all with a dime and I might get a cup of coffee." "Only if it's a cheap cafe, you will." "But that's not what it's all about, anyway, is it?" "You know what impressed me most was that soldier's medal you got for pulling that woman out of that river." "You almost got yourself wasted in the process, and she wasn't even the same color as you are." "That's all, sarge?" "No, it's not." "You're a good soldier, Tucker." "You're a damn good soldier." "The men in the platoon respect you and look up to you." "You could be a model for the new guys coming in." "You can stick your platoon." "Brigade's forming a new LRRP unit and I'm transferring out of here." "And don't think your problem's over." "The real storm is on the horizon."