Original subtitles

103.6 WPTZ.

All news, radio, traffic, sports, and weather together on the 8s.

In the district, there's a pileup on Constitution.

Yes, hi, Dr. Melinda's office, please.

This thing's cheap!

This is terrible.

Hello?

Hi, it's Tara Huffman, and I have an 815 AMEO

scheduled, and we are totally stuck on Constitution.

I'm so sorry, can you hang on a second?

Hello?

Hi, Celia, I'm on the other line.

Wait, Celia?

Okay, all right, quickly, quickly.

Hey, what's up?

What?

Why?

I'm gonna call you back, just meet me downstairs, okay?

Peter's just fucking quit.

You owe me a quarter.

What happened?

Why?

I don't know, I don't know what happened.

Okay, there's a metro station two blocks away, why don't you take it?

You sure?

Yeah, yeah.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

Thank you.

All right, buddy, take care of your mom, okay?

All right, good luck, I'll call you later.

Okay, it's gonna be okay.

All right.

I called

as soon as I heard.

It's your job to keep my pale ass out of the stink, O'Neal, you're my Kevlar.

How was I supposed to know the secretary was gonna

call a press conference, let alone resign today?

Didn't he have a reason?

The secretary?

Oh, yes.

He wants to spend more time... More time with the family?

Jesus.

Stanton there?

He brought the doughnut.

Of course he did.

What's my day like?

Your 11 o'clock is early and your lunch scrubbed.

What 11 o'clock?

Master Sergeant Thomas Tully.

Never heard of him, rescheduled.

Missed you at the brief.

Glad I had my ear to the rail, Carl, or that train might have run me over.

Well, if you'd been on time, you would have heard it like the rest of us.

Must have known something.

Hey, I was here, you weren't.

It's on you.

I got you a doughnut.

It's got sprinkles.

My wife had an amnio.

Oh.

Oh, right.

Priorities.

I don't know how you do it.

Wife?

Kids?

Hamster?

I was a gerbil.

Mercifully, it finally went tits up.

Life refines itself if you're patient.

It was a shock, but I'm finally over it.

You okay?

What's bothering you?

I'm a government lawyer about to be unemployed.

Oh, come on.

You're a superstar on the verge of free agency.

You'll find something.

In the middle of an election year, not even Tiger could sink that far.

What makes you think I can't?

Because your political Darwinism is absolutely instinctual.

Thanks.

Oh, you're welcome.

You remember that decorations review I gave you in July?

It's a vague potential memory.

A Medal of Honor upgrade?

You have a status briefing.

When?

Now.

With who?

Master Sergeant Thomas Tully, Air Force pararescue, retired.

Fluent from Dayton.

You're 11 o'clock.

He's the guy's buddy.

Whose guy?

What guy?

The Medal of Honor candidate.

Why didn't he just become himself?

Because it's posthumous.

You better read that.

There you go.

Christ, that is weird.

I have been reminding you since July.

We're talking about one of the bloodiest days of the war.

Pitt saved lives.

And he was awarded an Air Force Cross.

What's wrong with that?

It was downgraded to the Cross.

We put him up for the Medal of Honor.

That's different.

Sergeant, I'm gonna tell you something you probably already know.

Decoration upgrades are rare.

The criteria for review is new information.

I figured the new information part was your job.

This was 30 years ago.

I mean, is there an agenda you have I should know about?

Justice delayed is justice denied.

That's my damn agenda.

Sergeant Tully, secretary of the Air Force, resigned today.

In three months, everyone in this office is gonna be gone, including me.

This will take years.

We'll follow up on this next week.

Secretary Peters?

Yes.

Thomas Tully, Air Force pararescue.

Retired.

Defense Contract Audit Agency is looking for a regional director.

That wouldn't be a step backwards.

Okay, well, you are now officially on your own.

Don't be like that.

Call sheet is on your computer.

The secretary is looking for you, and your wife called.

Wait, why?

She didn't say?

No, Peters.

He wants to see you in his office in five minutes.

Congratulations on the job, Carl.

No moss grows under your feet.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Sit.

Sit down.

A master sergeant, Thomas Tully, doesn't think we're giving this M.O.H.

matter a fair shake.

It's a misunderstanding.

That's what I said.

Sir?

Operation Abilene was one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war.

The Vietnam War.

Thanks.

An entire company nearly wiped out but for this P.J.'s efforts.

Terror rescue jumper.

Pitsenbarger is a legend in the P.J.

community.

I understand that.

Well, Carl's putting together your itinerary.

You'll collect combat testimonies, personally, and prepare a package for a

full decorations review.

But we're about to present the budget to committee.

Yeah, well, Carl has it covered.

I've been working on it all year.

And now you're working on this?

The Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of military valor there is.

Patton said he'd have traded his command for that ribbon.

Eisenhower at the White House.

Now, why do you think four-star generals and

presidents would say something like that?

Honestly, I have no idea.

Well, that's a very good place to start.

I'm off the budget because some grunt chased Peters in the shitter.

Are you kidding me?

He's not a grunt.

He's Air Force.

And you're off the budget because you embarrassed him.

Tully?

No, Peters.

Look, I've never done a medal review.

I don't have time for this.

What job did you get, anyway?

I am legislative director for Madison Holt.

Is that any of your business?

Chairman of armed services.

Is there another?

Look, do I have to spell this out for you?

This is crazy.

Take a few days, go collect some war stories.

Have Celia write up a summary statement requesting more time.

We look like we give a shit.

This furball rolls over to the table.

The next poor slob who takes your job, you're out of it.

Poor Appropriations even sniffs the budget.

That's it?

Yeah, that's it.

It's only going to be a day, honey.

Hey, you mic'd up?

Oh,

no!

That's all it sits!

How

do those emitters?

Holy shit!

It's their medic!

Okay.

Somebody needs to go down there and get them straightened out.

No way.

It's hotter than hell down there, Pitts.

Those people can't wait.

They've lost their medic.

Let me go down.

Speed up the whole deal.

Soon as we have them wounded, you're back on this bird.

Roger that.

You be goddamn careful.

Sounds like a suicide mission.

Suicide is hopeless.

What Pitts and Barker did was...

was valor.

It was a hell of a thing to see, where I was sitting.

Then why did he get the medal in 66?

You must have some opinion.

If my opinion mattered, this would have been done long ago.

Do you do something, Sergeant?

Do you have a job or a hobby, or is this your full-time thing?

I'm a palliative nurse.

I work with terminal patients and their families to clarify end-of-life goals and.

symptom management, psychosocial...

spiritual support.

Did you make your own bed?

What?

That's a simple question.

My wife does it.

You must have done it.

It sucked to be her.

Is there a point here somewhere?

We've been down this road before.

You're just the FNG.

Sergeant...

this little pet project of yours has been in a coma for three decades.

There's nothing in this for me, but I'm here anyway.

So what do you want?

Sorry to keep you.

I nap more than I used to.

Mr. Pitsenbarger, sir.

It isn't getting old that's hard.

It's keeping awake long enough to enjoy it.

Oh, thank you.

So, you're the new one.

The new one?

If you want the real story about Abilene, you'll need to talk to the Mud Soldiers.

And they are?

You two work in the Department of Defense, right?

They're the Army guys on the ground.

Charlie Company, 16th Infantry, the big red one.

Well, as far as they're concerned, you see, it wasn't Bill's fight.

Bill is Air Force.

Charlie Company took 80% casualties.

That's 34 KIAs in the same day.

Bill was a part of it, of course.

But he wasn't one of them.

We have to respect that.

All right.

Now, Billy Dakota lives over in Sterling County.

That's about an hour's drive from here.

Over the years, the wives have tracked down most of the guys.

You might want to start with them.

And this Billy guy, is he... will he talk to me?

Is he all right?

Two years should get along fine.

What the hell are you yelling for?

Jesus.

Billy Dakota.

Not an easy guy to find.

Y'all be careful down there, you hear?

Jeremy, stay out that water.

So, what's your story?

Why are you here?

Well, I appreciate what you've been through.

Uh, I'm here to help.

If you wanted to help, you'd pick up a

weapon and get some skin in the game, friend.

You'd acknowledge you own a piece of every bomb dropped...

and every bullet fired and every skirmish since you've been born.

That you have blood on your hands, you understand?

Second chance.

Why are you here?

It's my job.

I don't have a choice.

See, that's progress.

Vulnerability in communication.

Honesty builds trust.

That's the only real currency we got left in this world.

Now you can trust me?

No.

You mind if I...

I'm here so I can hear your side of the story.

I talk, you listen.

Vietnam wasn't my first square dance.

I was a dog-faced lifer.

A natural war fighter.

I loved it.

Nothing made me feel more alive.

But I never seen nothing like Abilene.

Lost men like that.

Contact!

Victor Charlie!

I'm hit!

We are wounded and we are taking fire!

We are more than automatic weapons now!

It's an ambush!

Oh!

Pitsenbarger.

Where did he fit in all this?

Well, I lost my medic.

We had no LZ, so...

He called in the Air Force Helos.

Petros, Petros, Charlie Six, be advised.

We are in a tight one down here.

Multiple casualties.

We need you soonest.

Contact, one o'clock.

Advise when you got us in sight.

Over.

Copy, Charlie Six.

Petros has you smoked.

Pits came down, saved lives.

Evac wounded.

Died fighting alongside men he never even knew.

Get down, Airmen!

Get down!

Whoa, whoa!

Slow him down!

Nothing but your man into the basket!

Okay, now, you!

Okay?

Hold these!

Nice and easy now!

One, two, three!

Buddy,

I'm gonna need you to do something for me, all right?

I mean, keep the pressure on it, all right?

All the way up!

You keep that pressure on, all right?

You're going home!

One, two, three!

All right!

Okay!

All right!

Move away!

Hold the line!

Hold the perimeter!

We're taking fire from everywhere.

We've got two KIAs and at least eight wounded that I know of.

All right, I'm gonna need two of you guys.

It's your show, Airmen.

Mott!

Tully says this whole metal thing was your idea.

Is that true?

I made out the paperwork, sent it up the Air Force chain.

That's all.

But he never got the medal.

Hmm.

Not to Big Daddy, no.

Why not?

It was war.

His wasn't the only one, you know?

I must have wrote over a dozen letters to parents and girlfriend.

After that, all you can do is make amends...

Try to forget.

How do you do that?

Like I said, get some bark in the game.

You went back to Vietnam?

I ain't understand the world anymore.

And the world sure as hell didn't understand me.

So where the hell else was I gonna go?

Well, after I got healed up, this old high school

buddy of mine called and invited me for beers.

And we sitting at the bar and he's shooting the shit about girls.

And how we used to raise hell back in the day.

The more we talked, the more I realized...

wasn't nothing hitting, you know?

Then he blurts out, I hear you got the Purple Heart.

What happened?

You get shot?

It gets real quiet.

All these drunk assholes just staring at me.

All's I can hear is...

screams from the jungle that day.

And...

artillery whistling in.

And I started to get pissed.

So I...

pull my shirt up...

just to shut him up.

He looks kinda awkward and... and he starts chuckling and said...

what was you doing, running away?

You know what, maybe I was.

Maybe that's what I've been doing all this time.

I was a refugee in my own country... and that hurt way more than those bullets.

Does this still hurt, Grandpa?

Only on the inside, baby boy.

Come on, kids, it's time to eat.

Honey, make this gumbo about ready.

I'm gonna need you to get on the record.

That's about as on the record as you're gonna get.

Hey!

Donna Burr?

Hi.

Hey, man, he doesn't even get up till 8 o 'clock.

Oh, uh, I'm sorry.

Scott Huffman, D.O.D.

He... he works nights?

Jimmy's P.T.S.

He's O.C.D.

He suffers hallucinations and about 50 other war-related effects.

He sleeps during the day because the night just plain terrifies him.

Do you even know any Vietnam vets?

No.

It's a new experience for me.

How did you two meet?

You mean what do I see in a Section 8 like Jimmy?

No.

Not at all, ma'am.

I'm just...

I was his nurse.

At the V.A.

You can learn a lot about these guys hanging with him.

What they did, what it cost.

And every day he finds the courage not to stick a gun in his mouth.

So I think he deserves a little compassion.

And believe me, I get a lot more than I give.

So if he wants to sleep during the day, that's okay with me.

So I saw Frank Pitsenberger.

And, uh, he told me you have a contact list for

all the Charlie Company guys that you put together.

So that's what you want?

Well... no, I...

I'd love to talk to your husband, too.

I hope you're sincere about this.

Because Jimmy is tougher than a $2 steak.

And he can smell a rat a mile upwind.

Well, I don't have a position here or an opinion.

I'm...

Here's your list.

Thank you.

You want to talk to Jimmy, you're gonna have to wait.

I'm not making any promises.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sleeping on posts would get you fragged in my unit.

Know what I'm saying, sir?

People around here think I'm a goddamn vampire.

Maybe they're right, too.

Because I ain't slept in the dark for 32 years.

Know what I'm saying, sir?

You know what that is?

Yes.

No.

No, I don't.

Yeah.

Big red one.

First infantry division.

Baddest goddamn GIs ever laced to boot.

Is that loaded?

You know what you call a gun that ain't loaded?

A fucking stick, sir.

You know what, Jimmy?

Uh, can I...

Can I call you Jimmy?

I'm a civilian, so...

you don't have to call me sir.

The only reason I'm talking and not shooting is because of Tully.

He said this is all about Pitts getting the medal.

Ain't that right?

Right.

Absolutely.

Because I don't give a shit about you.

I don't give a shit about anything.

I just want to be left goddamn alone.

You understand what I'm saying?

I mean, I've been fucked over and fucked around.

Nobody knows what went down with me over there.

Nobody knows.

You understand what I'm saying, sir?

Listen, man, I...

I didn't come here to get shot at.

Or to rattle your cage.

I'm just...

I'm just here because Tully said your statement was important.

As did Mr. Pitsenbarger.

I was the oldest FNG they'd ever seen.

Germany.

Guam.

Goddamn Okinawa.

Ten years and I never squeezed off one round.

Understand what I'm saying, sir?

FNG?

What is that?

Fuckin' new guy.

Lower than tits on a snake.

FNG's got people killed.

All them years waitin'.

Come Easter 66, I'm in goddamn Vietnam.

I mean, I signed up for this shit.

33 years old and I was gung-ho and ready to kill something.

Hey, Ray.

You're short, right?

Why?

32 days and I'll be swimmin' in slits unless you get me killed.

How long did it take you to grease your first dick?

Understand what I'm saying?

Get off my back.

What's your problem, man?

You trying to get me to have a kill?

Let me get the hell away from you.

You know better, Ray.

You got eyes open, man.

Go, go, go!

What we got?

There's three of them.

I got one.

Nice shot.

Charlie 6, Charlie 3.

Charlie 6.

Lieutenant, what the hell is going on up there?

FNG bust his chairs off.

Copy that.

Anything else?

Negative.

Roger that.

Charlie 3 out.

Cap, check him for intel.

Then shove a couple grenades up under him.

Anybody come swarm, we'll know.

Fuckin' hell.

Fuckin' hell.

Fuckin' in them, Jimmy.

Come on.

I got you.

I ain't never seen nobody die before.

That little matter sucked all the whoop-ass right out of me.

Understand what I'm saying, sir?

I felt real bad about that for exactly 12 hours.

And then I didn't feel bad about nothing.

I thought this was going to the bottom of the pile.

We are the bottom of the pile.

Some guy named Ray Mott called, said he was confirming.

Today's adventure is in post-traumatic exorcism.

Hopefully you won't have a gun.

Sit down and walk me through the requirements

for a congressional decorations package.

New eyewitness statements.

Okay, we're doing that.

DOD report of casualty.

Well, he's definitely dead, so that's two.

And chain of command endorsements.

Bingo.

Where are they?

Because some guy named Keper wrote the after-action report and passed it up.

It would have to have been approved from Benoit, Saigon to here at the Pentagon.

Well, that would have been protocol.

Right, so where is it?

A lot can get lost in 32 years.

This is the government we're talking about.

Well, if I can't find the chain of command endorsements, this thing's DOA.

I'm out of it.

Why not ask Keper?

Because he's living in Nha Trang, which is in Vietnam.

And that's where he lives.

And that's 11 time zones away.

There is this new invention called the telephone.

Look, apparently this guy has some curtsy and

burnout smoking ganja under the Bodhi tree.

I'm not going there.

Is that the budget top sheet?

No.

All right.

I'll call you from the road.

I come out here, knock out a box or two, check my targets, pick up my brass.

Keeps me civil with the kids.

Here you want to see Jimmy Burr.

Yeah.

He kills things to relieve stress.

Flower box, 75 meters.

Yeah, he's got a bullet in his head still.

Didn't kill him, so they slammed him in the VA.

Doped him up for about 20 years.

Can't imagine why.

It's a hell of a thing, you know?

Have somebody die so you can pop melons and shoot rabbits by the light of the moon.

Weapons clear, G.

Weapons clear.

Your reputation precedes you.

Jimmy isn't a fan.

Yeah, totally either.

Well, if you guys want this guy to get the medal, I got to get statements,

testimony.

It was one day, decades ago.

Pits and Burr came into that shitstorm on purpose.

I mean, how do you account for that?

Duty, commitment, mission.

Pick one.

Pick one.

We kept telling him to get out.

But he wouldn't go.

You and his CO ordered him back up.

Their bird was getting ripped up.

But he waved them off.

Probably saved them, too.

Hell, he was Air Force.

He shouldn't even have been there.

None of us should.

How so?

We'd already been out two weeks on patrol, but once we

tangled with those NVA forces, naturally, we got to duty.

Duty?

Bait, brother.

Live bait.

They put us there to make contact.

Alpha and Bravo would flank and we'd grind them into pulp.

Take them out at whatever cost.

Search and destroy.

Notches on your pistol, baby.

Kill ratios, body counts.

It was total bullshit.

Westmoreland, McNamara, Johnson.

That's how they kept the money flowing.

Kick an anthill.

Grease a mess of gooks.

Next day, the NVA would be right back again.

What's happening?

We'll go, sir!

Where?

Over there, sir!

They're in the trees!

They're in the trees!

We didn't have a fucking chance.

They're in the trees!

You're dogging it.

Just so you know, I can't find the chain of

command endorsements in the Pitsenbarger file.

So, put it in your report.

I'm missing something.

What are you doing?

What?

This thing was ancient history before you were born.

Let me let you in on something.

It is an undisputed fact at the Pentagon that

all the real hardware goes to the officers.

There's been one enlisted Medal of Honor in the history of the Air Force.

So somebody makes endorsements disappear because the guy's enlisted?

It's not a can of worms you want to open.

Why not?

Because confronting the Air Force Decorations

Board is not in your best interest.

Shoot.

I'm getting a shower.

Doesn't count.

Hey there, outshot.

Thought you'd go off the planet.

I'm pacing myself.

It's a long way down.

What can I do for you?

You ever hear of a General John A.

Hackmeyer?

No.

He was one of the Army silverbacks down in Saigon during the war.

He was also the service secretary that approved

the Medal of Honor review of divisions.

Think you could track him down?

He's probably fertilizer by now.

Besides, you're the one with the DOD security clearance.

Maybe we don't want the DOD to know.

Can you hold on a second?

We don't?

Chain of Command endorsements are an essential element for Congressional review.

And they're not in the file.

What are you asking me?

I'm asking you if it's possible that what we're looking for isn't really lost.

What are you doing?

I'm doing my job.

What do you mean, what am I doing?

It's a rare quality these days.

What, did you grow a conscience?

Not at all.

It's a waste of energy.

Well, I'll sniff around.

Okay.

Daddy?

How you doing, mister?

We have company.

Hey.

Long drive from Wilmington on that school bus.

I don't have a car.

They let me take her home nights.

Who wants to build a fort?

Me!

Okay.

Thanks for the coffee.

Pleasure.

You messed with my head, man.

Then you came to see me.

Started having dreams again.

Can't sleep.

Probably normal, considering.

Sit down.

I, uh...

When I got out of Army Hospital in Saigon, I wanted to

wear my dress uniform for my mother, even though I knew...

Even though they carried me off the plane.

She was...

She was crying when she saw me... My ribbons and my purple heart.

They took me straight to the VA.

And I was in there for months before I got home.

I never saw that uniform again.

She packed everything up for my war on my duffel.

Like it never happened, you know?

And I guess I didn't care, because... I've been sitting in her attic ever since.

My daughter's, uh... Shrink.

She thought maybe...

It'd be good...

For me to unpack it.

Everything was still there.

Smell of war still on the clothes.

And, uh... And...

Uh...

Pitch gave that to me.

Asked me to take care of it.

Asked me to bring it to her.

Guy saved my life, and it was one small thing that he asked of me.

And I... I wouldn't do it.

I couldn't do it.

You know what that makes me?

1954.

1954.

Snowed all night.

Oh, that was a beautiful Christmas.

I got Bill his flexible flyer.

It's still out there in the garage.

You were close.

Sure, but I was on the road in those days.

I missed so much.

Ah.

Yeah.

You close to your dad?

Actually, I never met him.

Why did you let him go?

Why didn't you stop him?

You can't teach your children values...

and then just withdraw them...

because you're afraid of what you might lose.

It just seemed like such a high price to pay.

If not my son...

then whose?

My neighbor's?

My sister's?

Yours?

Bill...

he honored all of us by serving.

And it's no small thing.

None disrespect?

None taken.

In 1965...

the first ground troops landed at Da Nang.

I had that thing on TV all the time.

A couple of weeks later...

the U.S.

Embassy was bombed.

Americans his age...

started dying.

Boys from our own town.

I think it moved him.

He came to me one night.

I knew what he was thinking.

God, it sent a jolt right through me.

But he went easy on me.

He never asked for permission.

I think he knew what it would mean later...

if something happened to him.

By the time I left... when I woke up...

he'd already gone.

Next time I saw him...

he had a haircut and orders.

I was never so frightened... and I was never so proud.

I can't help it, but I... I still miss...

watching him mow the lawn out there.

The smell of fresh cut grass on his sneakers.

And how he folded his clothes...

even when they were dirty.

Because he knew it pleased his mom.

I miss the way...

he tapped his cleats for luck...

when he went up to bat.

And the way he always found me...

when he crossed home plate.

It's a thousand things like that.

But mostly...

I miss what I didn't get to see him do.

What do you mean?

Well, I never got to see him...

marry...

or fall in love with a child of his own.

Because only then...

could he understand... how much his father loved him.

I... I have a son.

Then you know what we're talking about.

Who is, uh... Jenny?

Who?

Jenny?

Jenny!

Rainer.

So beautiful.

She came to live with us... while Bill was overseas.

You see, Mr. Huffman...

we actually lost...

two children that day.

Here are her letters.

She gave them to us... when she got married.

But we could never bring ourselves... to read them.

Mr. Pitsenbarger...

I just... I want to be clear.

This process doesn't take... months.

It takes... years.

Scott...

I have cancer.

I should have been gone already...

if you'd believed the doctors.

But he's a fighter... my man.

I'm sorry.

Dying isn't harder... than losing a child.

I promise you.

Do what you can, son.

Thank you.

He sleeps so soundly.

He has no worries.

Pitsenbarger...

he had everything.

People really cared about the guy...

and really loved him.

How could he give all that up?

He knew what he was leaving behind... and still he...

had such certainty.

Of what?

That...

no bullet was gonna...

stop him from...

being who he was.

I never felt that certain... about anything... in my entire life.

I have.

Look, we don't play possum, alright?

No matter what, don't... move, don't breathe.

Come on.

Hurry up.

Come on.

We have contact... all around us.

BC got their whole goddamn battalion... out of bed for this one.

We're gonna tighten up... this circle right now.

Dakota's still out there, sir.

Willie... in virtue.

Nobody gets left outside... the perimeter.

Hello?

Whatever it is you want...

it's okay.

I can't breathe.

Well, they messed you up good, lieutenant.

Get me out of here, will you?

I need you to help me with the lieutenant, okay?

Are you with me?

You gotta help Willie.

Shhhh.

We can't leave Willie.

Shh.

Willie's gone, all right?

Now.

Are you with me?

Look at me.

Are you with me?

All right.

Come on.

Okay.

Up you get.

Come on.

Grab a shoulder.

One... two.

And not too tight, all right?

Just be this pressure.

Okay.

That's it.

That's it.

Okay.

All right.

Just a few more minutes, all right?

Hey.

You're doing great.

You're doing just great.

Just a few...

I need you to hold that, alright?

Don't let that move.

Okay?

Why are you here?

Because you're here.

Did he say anything?

He never says anything.

Hey, somebody somewhere likes you.

Hey, Carl.

The FBI is doing due diligence.

You're on the short list for Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs.

What did you tell them?

That you're a lying, womanizing pimp and you cheated hoops.

They assured me those were all occupational requirements.

What about the MOH?

MOH?

I'll reassign it.

I mean, I probably should have done it in the first place.

Somebody was bound to pick you up.

I see Senator Holt's peddling an election year memoir.

Yeah, you should read it.

You might learn something.

You write any of it?

Every other word.

That's good, Carl.

First time you told the truth in four years.

What's the matter with you?

You don't want the best civilian job in the Pentagon?

I mean, this makes you.

Just 3D moves from here on out.

Not to mention getting you back to appropriations.

I need to finish this report.

Are you kidding?

Look at me.

You're a predator, man.

You're a goddamn meat-eater.

That single instinct has taken you very far in a very short time.

So don't get sentimental on me now.

So you're gonna finish the review?

Yeah, absolutely.

I'll send an intern down to pick it all up.

An intern.

Wow.

Congratulations, man.

Yeah.

You think I'll be better at this the second time around?

Well, you could read the instructions.

That'll be cheating.

Stanton was looking for you.

Well, he found me.

On the shortlist for Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs.

What about Dave Croft?

Croft's out.

Well, that's great, then.

It's a career-maker...

E-ring... view of the river.

Well, since they threw in the view... Yeah.

What's wrong with that?

What about the MOH?

The Pitsenbargers are in town.

Frank's having some tests out at the VA.

What's wrong with him?

Ewing's sarcoma.

God.

They're gonna be here for Thanksgiving.

Maybe they'll see our situation and meet Luke and you and...

You are not using us as your excuse.

Our life is not an excuse, Tara.

It's a fact.

Besides, Stanton said he's gonna have someone pick it up right where I leave off.

Okay.

We were Michigan fans long before we moved to Buckeye country.

It's more than a football game when the Wolverines come to Columbus.

Do you still go to the games?

Oh, God, no.

Not since... 1965.

I'm sorry?

Talking about Bill is one of the greatest joys of our life.

Keeping him alive?

Keeps us strong.

It's how we balance our grief and how we live a happy life without him.

Is that a game?

This is a machine that gives me my medicine.

Oh, we are minutes away.

Yeah, we're ready.

May I help?

Oh, uh, Luke, honey, why don't you show Alice and Frank your room?

Thank you, Luke.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

How do you think I should do this?

Be honest.

I meant the turkey.

Scott, may I, uh, give the blessing?

Yeah, of course.

Heavenly Father, please bless this food.

That it may nourish this growing family and the friendship between us.

And give praise to this young man as he honors us with his commitment to ensure

that the sacrifices of the fallen were neither

in vain nor will they ever be forgotten.

Amen.

What'd you say, mister?

What are you doing here?

Tully had your number, so I called, talked to your wife.

Nice woman.

She told me where you was at.

Sit down.

Coffee?

No.

You track me down and give me this?

You never appreciate what American artillery

can do till you see it waste your own people.

What are you talking about?

First round killed three for sure.

Ain't no telling how many of the wounded would

have died later if the VC hadn't got to them first.

If you give your shooters a good plot, them red

legs could put a 105 round inside a pickle barrel.

I got the distance correction wrong.

We got thumped by our own shit.

What are you saying?

It was blue on blue, brother.

Friendly fire.

Ain't no getting around that.

Damage!

Damage!

Charlie 3 has a fire mission.

Shift from Queensland.

Direction 310.

Distance 300 meters.

We will adjust.

Flash!

Adjust left 100.

What the hell was that?

Can I get some ammo, please?

I need some fucking ammo!

Stand down!

Charlie 3 has a fire mission.

Drop 100.

Fire for effect.

Make the danger close.

Make the danger close.

Move up!

Move up!

So when Tully says, I'm the one what started it, that's what he really means.

The truth is, I killed my own men.

If I get those numbers right, Pitsenbacher probably never even gets that call.

Never comes down that wire.

Never saves my life.

Maybe he's the one sitting on the riverbank somewhere with his grandkids around him.

And they'd been fine by me.

Instead, he's dead.

And they give me the goddamn Silver Star.

For what?

Surviving?

I sit around year in and year out thinking about 20

seconds, 32 years ago, I wished to God I could have back.

Surviving isn't a crime.

No, it ain't.

It is a life sentence.

Getting that medal for Pits, for his family, for the men I lost, might be the

only decent thing I get to pull out of that war.

So, why don't you go on back up to Washington and make that happen, alright?

Daddy?

Hey!

I'm thirsty.

Okay, buddy, let's get you a drink.

Daddy, are those the army men you're helping?

Yeah.

They are.

Do you want me to be your army man?

Hey.

What's going on?

Hey.

He just needs a drink.

Oh, I see.

Let's go get you some water, huh?

Everything okay?

Yeah.

I'll see you in a bit.

Okay.

All right.

Let's get you some water.

Well, Jim, I was deployed to Vietnam at a very young age.

I had a very interesting point during the war, and

that's really what prompted me to write the book.

I was initially serving as the G3, or operations

officer, for the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One.

And we were deployed northwest of Saigon in a very crucial area next to the capital.

Saigon then, now hosting... Hello?

Now, what I meant by a very interesting period...

Hey.

Where is he?

Can I see him?

Hello.

Okay.

Hey, Frank.

Got someone here to see you.

It's the FNG.

Mr. Hoffman.

How you doing, Frank?

All the better for seeing you.

Thank you for coming.

Of course.

You gave me a call, and, uh...

Here I am.

Hi.

Is he dying?

We're all dying, son.

I think he's holding on...

for you to get this done.

Why are you in the middle of everything?

I mean, what's in it for you?

He didn't save your life.

Didn't he?

If you like you owe.

Absolutely.

You asked me if I had an agenda.

It's those... people... up... stairs.

Now, what about you?

They

put us there to make contact.

Alpha and Bravo would flank, and we'd...

grind them in...

Why don't you just ask Chauncey Kepper?

He wrote the after-action report.

He's a sage of Southeast Asia.

We've all been there to see him.

If there's anyone who knows where the bodies are buried, it's Kepper.

I found this.

Made his second 1966 interview with... Mr. Kurtz.

Expat.

Sergeant Chauncey Kepper.

He wrote the after-action report.

Apparently.

What I can't understand is why nobody from the DOD ever talked to him.

Southeast Asia is supposed to be beautiful.

You pray, Mr. Huffman?

Not really.

I didn't either.

I prayed that day.

Prayed for a miracle.

And one came.

His name is Pitts.

We're gonna get you home, huh?

You gotta go back home?

Man, you're gonna have one hell of a score, buddy, this time.

All right, I got some pain relief.

All right, hold tight, buddy.

Hold tight.

There you go, buddy.

The after-action report.

That you wrote on the battle.

A lot of it is missing.

Everything that I wrote...

went up the Saigon chimney 32 years ago, brother.

Look, I talked to a lot of the guys in Charlie Company, and no one seems to know.

I mean, who even thought up Operation Abilene in the first place?

Company CEO, Mad Matty Holt.

Madison Holt?

Colonel.

There's a big shot in Washington now, I think.

Yeah.

Sarah Holt.

Maybe gonna be Secretary of Defense one day.

He was a good CO.

It was a very bad day.

So why do these vets come here to see you?

Why they come here is none of my business.

But what do you do here?

I live, I love, and listen.

So you listen to them?

Yeah.

To the vets?

Uh-huh.

Try to rewrite their story.

Help them.

You can't change their past.

But you can change your perspective.

You can create new memories.

Happy memories.

Even in a sad place.

It's choices.

A lot of guys come through here.

People think the war is who those men are.

It's not.

It's what happened to them.

And it's just wonderful to kind of go through stuff with them.

Hey, I want to show you something.

This is incredible.

I never brought anyone who didn't feel happy here.

You did all this?

Yep.

You know where we are?

Uh...

No.

This is where he came down.

Pits.

I thought I saw an angel.

I know he was right in front of me.

All clean and pressed.

Air Force.

This is Avalon.

Here?

Right here.

Under your feet.

But now it's Avalon.

Avalon.

Now how can that be possible?

To have those two things in the same place?

Just stay here for a while.

And breathe.

Let it go.

The veterans hold something for all of us.

They take the shame of war, denial, anger.

They just come here.

So somebody will listen to them.

That's why medals are so important.

It helps...

Helps bring us together.

Tell stories.

I'm just a witness.

You're a witness, too.

Your enemies love their comloy.

It's symbolic for letting go.

And if you have something that you...

You want to leave here?

Something you brought with you?

You don't want to take back?

Just let go.

They're coming!

I'm on the hook with Redleg!

I'm the dropper on top of it!

36, emergency fire mission.

Call it a go!

Damage!

Damage!

Charlie 6.

Emergency fire mission.

We're back, Tango.

6-3-3.

Damage!

Damage!

Charlie 6.

Emergency fire mission.

We're back, Tango.

6-3-3.

This is Broken Arrow.

We are being overrun.

Hold this.

Keep pressure on it.

Somebody's still out there!

I need an attorney!

I need you to do me a favor.

I need to get this to someone.

No.

Please.

No!

It's a stamp.

Hold on to it until you get back.

Okay.

What are you doing, man?

You've done enough, brother.

You be still.

Pitch came down, saved lives.

Evac wounded.

Fought.

Died alongside men.

Never even knew.

You pray, Mr. Huffman?

Pray that day.

Prayed for a miracle.

I ain't never seen nobody die before.

That little matter sucked all of the bats right out of me.

Understand what I'm saying, sir?

All this hellfire coming in.

To him, it was like nothing could hurt him.

He was there to save lives and that's what he was doing.

Who knows how many guys are walking around the lack today because of him.

You know, what he done.

When he didn't come back...

I felt like the best part of me went down with him.

I still think about it, because...

If anybody deserved to get out of that hell alive, it was him.

Make yourself at home.

You know, I could have you arrested.

Senator Madison Holt.

Formerly Colonel Madison Holt.

First infantry division on the big red one.

A senator's distinguished military career is a matter of public record.

It's undisputed.

I bought the book, Carl.

Yeah?

Did you read it, or did you just look at the pictures?

Holt was part of the brass that cooked up Operation Abilene.

You're not really suggesting that Holt ordered an NVA ambush.

I'm suggesting that it'd be pretty convenient

for you to keep that off the record.

Which is why you put me on it.

Because you knew I'd dump it.

You know, Holt's gonna be Secretary of Defense someday.

Maybe even President.

You have to command endorsements all this time.

I'm taking them.

Have you ever been the subject of opposition research?

Because if you even twitch on this, I will have them on you like spray paint.

You'll never get another mortgage, passport, or...

Sam's Club membership card.

Let alone a political appointment.

But I'm not worried about all that.

Why not?

Because it's not in your nature to spit in the

face of a man who could just as easily make you.

What's my nature?

Climb, prosper, expand the gene pool.

Just like the rest of us.

I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the place the way you found it, and...

Don't forget.

We got squash... Wednesday.

Jenny.

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why we've been sent here.

Or to explain what happens.

I only have a minute since we got a call to make pickups near Zakhamai,

about 30 clicks from here.

You know, Jenny...

The only thing I fear of dying...

is the dreams of you won't come.

The death is...

dark...

and still...

and endless like these jungle nights.

But sometimes I think, Jen...

maybe it is this place I'll wake up from.

Safe and warm in your bed.

The morning light streaming in.

But if it is the thunder here that's real...

and if this letter should reach you instead of me...

then know that I am never far.

Take care of mom...

and especially dad because... he'll take this worst of all.

Tell him I'm sorry... for what I've put them through.

And that I am sure of my purpose... and in the words we all believe.

These things we do...

that others may live.

Bill.

You have an impeccable record.

The secretary has given you his highest recommendation.

Thank you, sir.

So why do you think you'd be effective in this position?

Well...

I'm connected...

ambitious...

persuasive...

not afraid to make enemies... and I want this job more than anybody.

At least that's...

what I would have said a month ago.

Okay.

And today?

Today I'm...

just unavailable.

Air Force?

Yeah.

I'm sorry about your buddy, man.

I'm so sorry.

The whole time...

I'm washing him...

his feet... his hands...

I didn't feel anything.

Nothing.

That's when I... knew I'd been there... too long.

I shipped him back...

and I finished my tour... and I got on with my life.

Did you?

Did I what?

Get on with your life.

I'm standing here.

You know...

when I was five years old...

I watched my father...

pack up his things in his car and...

leave my mother and me.

I was so afraid.

It hurt so much.

I ran out to the driveway... and I...

shoved my... hand...

in the car door as he...

slammed it shut.

I thought that if he saw I was injured...

and really hurt then he would...

have to take me to the hospital... and... the doctor would...

tell him to stay... and take care of me.

But he just drove away.

I...

chased his car down the street...

my hand all mangled... and...

tell my mother...

he screwed me up.

And I...

remarked...

just like you.

What happened to you on...

April 11th, 1966?

My friend died.

What happened to you?

I told you.

It's okay.

It's not okay.

It's just...

Nothing about it is okay.

Just... tell me.

What is it?

What... What was it?

What happened?

He died.

He got killed.

He...

got shot in the... head and... now it's... war.

Right.

Right.

It was war.

So...

how long are you gonna punish yourself?

Punish myself?

What was the thing you did?

What I do?

Yeah.

Just tell me.

What was the thing you did?

No, you stop it.

Stop it.

It's okay to talk about it.

Stop it.

You better stop it.

Say it.

Say what?

He knew it was dangerous.

I told him...

to be goddamn careful and...

And?

What?

No, no, no, no.

I'm not doing this.

Doing what?

I'm not doing this.

I told him to come back up.

Get back on the wire.

Get back on the ship.

He didn't do that.

Why didn't he do that?

Get back on the ship.

Because he couldn't.

Because people needed him.

Yeah?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Well, fuck you.

And...

Oh, God.

It's gotta hurt to be mad at him.

Yeah.

What else happened to you, Tom?

I...

I stayed in the bird.

I didn't go down.

I...

I was relieved.

I...

I stayed, you know, where I was staying.

Thank God when I found him, I was...

That it wasn't me.

That I didn't want to be dead and I was alive and it...

It felt good.

You did feel something.

I felt ashamed!

You're not a coward, Tom.

You're a hero.

Deal with that.

Just let me...

Let me have it for a while.

Come on.

You know what I want?

I do.

I want some grace.

I want some serenity.

I want my country to honor my brother before his parents.

I want my friend, your friend...

I want his father to leave this place in peace.

Can I get you anything else, Senator?

No, thanks.

You can put out my number.

Gentlemen.

Hey, Carl.

Colonel?

Do I know you?

I should hope so.

Master Sergeant Thomas Tully, 38th Rescue Squadron, Operation Abilene.

Uh, you want to speak to the senator, or you go through channels.

It's all right, Carl.

I'll talk to these men.

Sir, this is a 1966 routing memo between you and

General Hackmeyer, downgrading the William H.

Spitzenberger Medal of Honor request to an Air Force Cross, dated on October 7,

1966.

Guys, you want to give us a second?

Go ahead.

All right.

Have a seat.

We have an opportunity to upgrade the Cross to the Medal of Honor to cut through

the bullshit we need a congressional sponsor.

Mr. Stanton doesn't think you'd favor the publicity of being

associated with Operation Abilene during an election year.

You have no idea what you're starting.

I think I do, Carl.

Carl, we haven't failed.

Have you ever been the subject of opposition research?

Because if you even twitch on this, I will have them on you like spray paint.

Information was removed from the original package to disqualify the Decorations

Board's review for congressional reapplication.

We have since recovered those documents.

Yes, Senator.

This communique is simply a response to the Colonel's MOH

request saying that the Air Force Cross was awarded instead.

Open to interpretation.

You are under no obligation to respond to any of this.

If you send it up the chain, why didn't he get it then?

Honestly, I don't know.

Maybe it fell through the cracks somewhere.

Maybe Mac V didn't want to call too much

attention to one of the bloodiest days of the war.

Or maybe I just didn't fight hard enough to get this man what he deserves.

Senator, your political enemies have any admission of wrongdoing.

Your military judgment will be called into question.

They'll try to hold you to the Medina stand.

He's right, sir.

They might.

What happened on Operation Abilene?

One of the darkest days of my life.

You're hurt, Lieutenant.

Why are you still here?

I don't leave till you have all my wounded.

Sigh.

What happened here?

You marched us right into a kill set with no idea how we was gonna get out.

That's what happened here.

Can somebody explain this to me?

Can somebody explain this to me?

You tell me.

I think we all died a little bit that day.

You tell me!

Mistakes were made.

This is probably one of them.

I went to see General Heckmeyer at the VA.

He verifies your story, sir.

Senator, please.

It's my job to protect you.

Protect me from what, Carl?

From everything.

Usually we're judged by what we do.

But I find that what we don't do is what haunts us.

Here's the plan.

We're gonna roll the dice.

We're gonna go with the truth.

No matter how uncommon or uncomfortable that may be.

Mr. Chairman, I refer you to S.

2549, page 44, Title V, Military Personnel Policy, Subtitle E, Other Matters.

Yes?

This amendment authorizes a posthumous Medal of

Honor for Air Force Staff Sergeant William H.

Pitsenbarger for conspicuous gallantry in action in Vietnam, 11 April, 1966,

during Operation Abilene.

Mr. Chairman, point of order.

The chair recognizes the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina.

The rules of this committee prohibit authorization

language to be included in this appropriations bill.

Will the chair yield?

The chair apologizes to the gentleman from Ohio, but this committee

has much business before it today, and so we must move on.

Mr. Chairman, I sincerely appreciate it.

Mr. Chairman!

But it should be obvious that there is absolutely nothing in this amendment...

The Vietnam War was over long ago.

I know that, Bob.

I was there.

Maybe you should take a rest.

Stop kicking that dead horse.

Gentlemen, this is a point of order.

I'm sorry.

We must move on.

The chair recognizes the lady from Florida.

Oh, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator, what the hell happened in there?

The distinguished gentleman from North Carolina shut us down.

That's what the hell happened.

Just like that?

Look, it's payback.

I harpooned a tobacco subsidy at his last session.

Unfortunately, he's ranking member, so there's not a lot I can do about it.

But I promise you, I will get this in next year's bill.

Hopefully, by that time, the distinguished gentleman will be dead.

So will Pitsenbarger's father.

What?

He's dying, sir.

Ah, Jesus.

I didn't know about that.

I'm sorry.

I'm truly sorry.

So that's it?

Unless you got a tobacco subsidy to horse trade with the senator from North Carolina.

What about those men?

What about Pits?

Holt says he'll get it on the bill next year.

And Frank?

I can't cure cancer, Tara.

If I push this any harder, I really will end my career.

It's interesting.

What?

In 12 years, I have never seen you back off of anything.

I'm scared.

Fear is good.

Fear is a survival instinct.

You're supposed to be afraid.

Use it.

You turned down a significant career opportunity to finish this.

You figure out why four-star generals and

presidents would trade legacies for a medal.

Because they know that guys like

Pitsenbarger don't do what they do for them.

They do it for each other.

A life for a life.

That's big stuff.

There are worse things that can happen to a man than getting killed in a war.

Like?

Like losing men.

Losing a child.

A father.

Having to live with that.

You think a piece of ribbon is gonna change that?

I'm gonna go public with the story.

I'm gonna name names.

Shaming appropriations in front of the Washington press corps on the eve of a

national election sounds a little dangerous.

Yeah.

But it'll be great television.

Well done.

Thank you.

Mr. Huffman, I'm Mary, the supervising producer.

We're gonna put a wire on you.

We have you on a split screen so the anchors are gonna be

able to hear you but they're not gonna be able to see you.

Okay.

All right, come with me.

Daddy, are you nervous?

I am, but I'm not afraid.

In an unusual move today, a member of the Department of the Air Force a gentleman

named Scott Huffman went before cameras to accuse high-ranking senators and their

staffs of playing political football with military valor.

It stalled in the Senate when a Pentagon staffer accused lawmakers The bill,

including a recommendation for a posthumous Medal of Honor for William H.

Pitsenbarger is now heading to the Oval Office and

President Clinton is expected to sign that bill.

An airman named Bill Pitsenbarger will be awarded

the Medal of Honor today for his service in Vietnam.

He gave his country what Abraham Lincoln once called the last full measure.

I'll be right back.

Hey.

It's good to see you, man.

It's good to be here.

So...

the lady in red behind me she's the address on this letter.

Bill gave me this.

He asked me to give it to you.

I'm sorry it took so long.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Amid the gloom and waste of war we occasionally witness a brief but brilliant

flash of personal valor so radiant it becomes impossible to ignore.

Such is the heroism of William Hart Pitsenbarger who was moved by higher

angels of duty courage and sacrifice to make on behalf of men he did not know and

a nation that until now did not know his story the most supreme sacrifice.

Frank.

Alice.

On behalf of the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress

for conspicuous gallantry extreme valor and intrepidity at the risk of his own

life above and beyond the call of duty I award the Medal

of Honor to Airman First Class William Hart Pitsenbarger.

Now this isn't in your program but if you could give me just a moment more of your

time I'd like to recognize some guys who are going to hate me for doing it.

Now we have with us today some of the veterans of Operation Abilene.

Charlie Company 2nd of the 16th Infantry.

Now these men were the witnesses to Bill Pitsenbarger's heroism and they've worked

and worked for 32 years to see this day come.

Would you honor us please by standing and being recognized?

And would the Airmen of Pits' unit, the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service

also please stand?

And any other P.J.'s from Vietnam would you rise?

If there are any other U.S.

veterans here today will you please stand?

If there are wives or parents here would you stand?

And any children or grandchildren would you join us?

And any other friends or family anyone who has been touched or moved in any way by

the actions of this Medal of Honor recipient would you also stand?

Look around.

This is the power of what one person can do.

Thank you son.

So you don't forget us.

Thank you.

Hey little man.

I'm glad we got to come.

Ah, me too.

Where's your mom?

Looking good in that uniform, Jimmy.

This is my son, Luke.

Nice to meet you, son.

Mm-hmm.

I wanted to say...

I wanted to say thank you.

Understand what I'm saying, sir?

You're welcome, Jimmy.

But you really don't have to call me sir.

Sure I do.

Why is that?

You earned it, sir.

You take care now.

Because there's a jungle out there.

What's your name?

Luke.

I'm Tommy.

Early on, you said there was nothing in this for you.

On April 11, 1966 when we took off on that mission Pitts made a statement.

He got on the hot mic and he said, I don't feel good about this mission.

They were prepared for us.

They knew we were coming.

They were in ground holes, in trees, and on the ground.

And as we walked, they just simply closed the back door.

So they started calling us to help them get out of the room.

And Pitts said, let me put me on the ground.

I can organize this much better.

I said, I don't want to lose your Pitts.

And it's hotter than hell down there because of the war.

And the fire fight's going on all the time.

You can hear the stuff.

So down he went.

My initial thought on seeing him coming out of the helicopter,

what the hell is this guy thinking coming down here?

There's not a one of us that wouldn't have left there if we could.

And the only guy that could leave was Pitsenberger, and he didn't.

Marty Crowett was on the ground and he sent for me because he said I want

somebody to know what Pitts did so that it gets reported back in case I die.

At that time, Marty had been shot five times.

When we found out the next morning that he had been killed, it was just

a sad time for everybody.

To me, this is one of the most important things I did for the Air Force.

It should have been handled by itself.

It was just a fundamental wrong.

It was wrong to Bill Pitsenberger, wrong to his

family, wrong to the airmen who supported him.

When you think about it, it is extraordinary to have

people who worked for 30 years to get this done.

These are people who had their own lives, wives, children, grandchildren.

And this was a passion for them and I just thought that was extraordinary.

And I just felt, I owed it to Pitts.

Especially our old crew.

We owe it to him.

Bill's blood is mixed with ours forever.

He is our brother.