Original subtitles

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.

I dropped the chart.

It was really clumsy of me.

I haven't seen you before, have I?

No, I'm Commander Michaels. I work in the emergency room.

I was there the day they brought you in.

I'm just here to check your progress for Dr. Pierson.

Oh, I see.

It's nice to meet you, commander. I'm David Hastings.

So do those charts tell you that I'll be getting out of here soon?

Well, it says that it shouldn't be too much longer,

but Dr. Pierson is gonna have to be the judge of that.

What's the matter, commander? Is something crawling on me?

I'm sorry, David, I didn't realise I was staring.

Hello?

Oh, hi, Mom.

No. No, it's okay, you didn't wake me.

Yeah, can you hold on a second, Mom?

It was nice to meet you, commander.

It was nice to meet you too, David.

Hi.

Yeah, they say it looks like I'll be getting out of here pretty soon.

Matt.

Kim, why aren't you ready?

Oh, I'm sorry, Matt.

I just--I completely forgot.

Well, can I come in?

Oh, yeah. Sure.

What's going on? Are you all right?

I'm fine. I'm fine.

Well, it's still early. Why don't you go get dressed.

And I'll call the restaurant and change reservations.

Oh, I just--I really don't feel up to it.

Why don't you just be honest with me?

About what, Matt? I said I forgot.

I don't know what else to say.

Well, you can start with what's going on.

You've been avoiding me like the plague.

I'm just going through some changes, okay?

Is this part of your changes?

This is none of your business.

I think it is. There's another man in your life, Kim.

That's why you're playing with me.

- I think you'd better leave. - Is there somebody else?

Yes. Yes, there's somebody else and he's right here.

Do you hear me, Cmdr. Rogers? I love him.

I love him.

Good evening, doc.

Well, Jonathan.

What brings you out so late? Not work, I hope?

In my line of work, it kind of goes with the territory.

Jimmy, let me have another one, will you?

I thought you had a dinner date tonight.

Yeah, so did I,

but it seems Commander Michaels

wasn't feeling up to going anywhere tonight.

Oh, why? She get sick?

Yeah. I guess you could say that.

Thanks, Jimmy.

You're hitting that stuff kind of hard, aren't you?

As a matter of fact, I don't think I'm hitting it hard enough.

Jimmy, make the next one a double.

Would you care to join me?

No.

No, I think you're doing enough damage all by yourself.

Kim and I had a big blow-up tonight.

We won't be seeing each other socially anymore.

I am sorry to hear that.

Yeah, so was I.

Tonight, Kim told me that there's another man in her life.

And that she was in love with him.

This other man, did she tell you who he was?

No, but what's the difference?

She said she loved him, Jonathan.

All I've been to her is somebody to pass the time with

while waiting for this other guy to show up.

You love Kimberly, Matt?

What kind of a question is that?

It was a simple question. Do you love Kimberly, yes or no?

Yes.

What good does it do me now? It's all over between us.

She asked you once to give her a little time,

maybe that's what she still needs, some time.

Yeah.

Sure, I'll just hang around.

And if things don't work out with this other guy

I'll be there to pick up the pieces, right?

Maybe I'm tired of waiting around, Jonathan, okay?

You're the only one that can answer that question.

You're right.

Go easy on the booze, okay?

That's the trouble with angels. They don't operate on real time.

Hi, Mark.

Jonathan, will you not do that to me?

Hey, I'm sorry, okay? What's the matter, have a bad day?

Yeah.

Tonight's probably gonna be worse.

Why? What's going on tonight?

Colonel Mahon and I are going out to dinner together.

That's great. What'd I tell you? You have to use a little charm.

No, no, no. You've got it all wrong.

She came into my office and almost ordered me to go with her.

The last thing in the world I wanna do

is spend an entire evening with Colonel Stiff-Britches.

There's nothing I can do about it.

Yeah, yeah there is. You can come with us.

I just call her up and I tell her that I asked you to go along.

Now, look, I'm busy tonight.

Come on, Jonathan. You gotta go.

Hey, look, we're partners, right?

Partners are supposed to stick together.

No, Mark, I can't.

I've gotta take Kimberly

to that first meeting of the Veteran's Outreach.

You're just gonna have to handle her by yourself.

Well, that's great.

We'll probably have some delightful conversation.

I don't know what you're so upset about.

I met the colonel, she seems like a real nice person.

Sure, if you like General Patton in a skirt.

I'm about to have dinner with Ernie Borgnine.

Hi, Mark.

Mark, is there something wrong?

No, no, no.

Everything is just right.

Never seen you like this.

You know, your uniform covers all your--

- You ready to go? - I'll just get my purse.

You're gonna like this restaurant. It's called The Natural Wonder.

Oh, Colonel Mahon, you like it, I like it.

Please, call me Fran.

Well, Fran,

there's a nice juicy steak out there with my name on it.

Oh, I'm afraid they don't serve meat where we're going.

This is a health food restaurant.

Hey, well, I'm easy to please.

- Shall we go and dine? - Yeah.

What the heck, Gordon.

You can get a nice piece of meat anytime.

It was my job as chief nurse

to determine which of the wounded had to be treated first

while the others could only be comforted.

I was supposed to decide

which of those sons and fathers

was worse off than the other.

Was it the boy

whose legs were blown off when he stepped on a land mine?

Or the chopper pilot who was burned when he was blown out of the sky

trying to pick up the wounded?

When Linda asked if any of us had a sense of guilt

as a result of Vietnam...

I do.

Because for 12 months,

I was supposed to play God.

And to this day,

I still see those faces.

Sons who would never again see their parents,

and husbands who would never again see their wives and children.

I was...

I was working in Special Services in the Mekong Delta

and it was my job...

...to set up service clubs.

You know, places where the men could relax during their off-duty hours.

It was a relatively safe area

so it was pretty common to travel the roads without incident.

We were running late this one Friday afternoon

and got a late start back to the base.

I was the only woman on the back of the truck.

Sergeant Wagner needed to relieve himself.

He was--

He was just a kid and he didn't want to embarrass me,

so he jumped off the truck

and went...

He went into the bushes.

Well, that's when I heard an explosion.

He stepped on a mine

and he was killed.

All because he didn't wanna embarrass me.

Honey.

Honey, you didn't cause that boy's death.

It was the war.

I know, but if I hadn't been on that truck,

then maybe he'd still be alive.

And maybe he wouldn't.

Things happen and you can't change that.

It's how we deal with them after they happen that counts.

Honey, I know what I'm talking about.

I'm old enough to be a mother to any one of you.

Maybe even your grandmother.

But I'm no different than you are.

My pain is the same,

I've just lived with it longer, that's all.

Towards the end of World War II,

I was on Guam

working as a nurse when I met him.

His name was Frank.

He was a pilot with the Army Air Force

and flew his missions out of Guam.

Well...

It didn't take long for us to fall in love, you know.

I mean,

we were just two kids...

...in the middle of a war.

Thousands of miles from home.

They wouldn't let us get married.

But that didn't stop us.

I mean,

we found a local judge to perform the ceremony.

And...

We spent our honeymoon night

out on the beach.

Well...

Frank's plane was shot down the next day.

And I was on duty when they brought him in.

He was hurt very bad.

And we all worked desperately to save him.

But my husband died.

He died right in front of me.

I never got to tell him that I loved him.

I never got to tell him goodbye.

So...

Are you doing all right?

Yes.

You know, I was really hesitant about going tonight.

I'm really glad I did.

I'm glad you did too.

You know, you're not alone anymore and knowing that is very important.

Oh, I know, Jonathan,

but I also know those feelings they were talking about

because I've had them.

And the pain that goes along with them.

Well, that's what the group is for.

Talking about the hurt and getting past it.

Maybe sometime

you'll share some of your pain with them.

You ought to finish that tofu burger.

It's very good for you.

I'll bet.

Anything that tastes that bad has gotta be good for you.

I think it's delicious.

You do?

Well, I guess I'm more of a salami jalapeno man.

Do you know what salami does to your cholesterol count?

No. I just know I like it. I've been eating it all my life.

When was the last time you had your cholesterol level checked?

The last time I had my car serviced.

Mark, I'm serious.

I don't know. I don't think I ever had it checked.

That's like committing slow suicide.

Tomorrow you're going in for a complete physical.

Oh, come on, Fran.

That's an order, Gordon.

Yes, ma'am.

Here you go, Fran.

Thanks, Wally.

What's this?

Well, I thought you might enjoy an after-dinner drink.

Hey, that's a little more down my alley.

To friendship.

And your physical.

What is that? That's not crème de menthe.

Wheat grass.

I wish they'd have raked the lawn first.

Believe me, once you're used to natural foods, you're gonna be hooked.

- It gives you so much energy. - Yeah, you're probably right.

- Oh, my purse. - I'll get it.

No, you won't. I left it in the women's room.

You're right, I won't.

Be right back.

How are you doing?

Hey, will you ring these up for me? I don't have a whole lot of--

- What are you doing? - What he's told.

You better too.

Oh, yeah, that's a good boy.

Now don't move. Put the rest of the money in the bag.

Come on, hurry up. Come on, the money.

- Look, you shouldn't-- - Shut up.

Come on. Hurry up.

Hurry up. Come on.

Give me the money.

Don't move. Don't move.

Don't move.

Yeah, that's a good boy.

Good boy.

Yeah, stay still now.

Don't move or I'll blow your head off.

Just stay still.

Yeah, that's it. That's it.

Don't move.

Yeah, that's a good boy.

Good boy.

Don't move.

You want some more, turkey?

See what a little health food will do?

Give me a bottle of wheat grass.

What's all this stuff?

Breakfast. You want some?

No, thank you.

How did it go last night?

Fran and I had a fine time.

Fran? What happened to old Colonel Stiff-Britches?

Nothing, just--

Last night I just happened to see her in a different light.

And this new diet.

Does this have something to do with Fran, does it?

That's right. She's gonna help me get into shape.

And from now on, buddy, this is the only kind of stuff I'm eating.

Healthy.

So how'd it go with Kimberly and her outreach group?

I think it's going to help her. It's just gonna take time.

She's carrying around a lot of pain. She's gonna have to get it out.

Well, I've gotta get to work. You enjoy your breakfast.

I will, kemosabe.

Like Fran said, "You are what you eat."

I'm a cesspool.

And a spokesman for the White House said

the President would sign the bill as soon as it reached his desk.

The Department of Defense announced today

that a fact-finding delegation led by New Mexico Senator Albert Zuniga

had concluded his trip to North Vietnam

and had brought back the remains of five American service men

who had been identified by the forensics lab in Hawaii.

The five had previously been listed as missing in action

by the Defense Department

but today's announcement officially changes their status

from missing to killed in action.

The announcement finally ends the years of heartache

for those families who have waited anxiously

for word of their loved ones.

To the families and relatives of those five servicemen,

we send our deepest sympathy.

They have been identified

as Air Force Colonel Robert Loeffler, Gardner, Colorado,

Marine Captain Gerald Taylor of Coronado, California,

Navy Commander Marvin Coil, New Haven, Connecticut,

Army Warrant Officer Joseph Johnston, Billings, Montana

and Navy Lt. William Campbell of Beeville, Texas.

We salute all of these servicemen who have given their lives

for the cause of freedom.

No.

I heard the newscast, Kim. I'm sorry.

For over 17 years, I've been waiting for this day to arrive, Jonathan.

Dreading it.

Preparing for it.

Like it was some terrible monster that was gonna come

and tear out my heart.

Oh, well.

That monster finally arrived.

The pain I feel today hurts just as much as it did

the day Bill was shot down.

I know how much this is hurting you, Kim.

But as painful as it is, Bill's death will finally allow you to be free.

Free of the pain, free of the heartache.

Maybe even free of the guilt.

What guilt?

You had Bill's baby and then put him up for adoption, didn't you?

How did you find that out?

I'm your doctor. I had your file.

I saw when you left the service to have the baby

and then came back in again when you put him up for adoption.

After Bill was shot down,

my whole world was turned inside out.

Here I was.

All alone.

And pregnant by the man I knew in my heart was still alive.

Nowadays, I could have kept my baby and my career.

But back then, it wasn't possible.

But I was determined to get back to Vietnam.

So after the baby was born,

I put it up for adoption.

And went back into active duty.

Bill was still over there.

I wanted to be the--

I wanted to be there when he was found.

I wanted to be the one to treat his wounds

and I wanted...

...to be the one to make it all better.

But it didn't turn out the way you expected, did it?

You lost your son and now you've lost Bill.

Damn it, don't you think I know that, Jonathan?

I have been living with that guilt for 17 years.

I have lost--

I have lost two big pieces of my heart.

Two pieces I will never be able to have again.

Kim, you weren't able to treat Bill when he was hurt.

But you were able to treat his son.

What are you talking about?

The boy in the motorcycle accident, David Hastings.

He's the child you and Bill created.

David finally fell asleep.

He's been pretty nervous ever since Jonathan called.

Travis, talk to me, okay?

Tell me what you're thinking.

All right, Annie, I'll tell you.

When David first told me about all of this,

I was kind of worried about him meeting his birth parents.

Insecure is more like it.

But Mark convinced me that David's love for me and you

was going to outweigh everything.

Well, that was before I found out that David's father

was a Navy fighter pilot.

I'm in competition with a dead hero.

What are you talking about, Travis? You're not in competition with anyone.

Oh, come on, Annie, look at me.

I'm no pilot.

I'm just a lousy grunt whose feet have never left the ground.

I don't want her to see him, to talk to him.

No contact.

We have to let David meet her.

Travis, I understand your fear.

But this competition, if there is any, is with a memory.

Nothing more.

Yeah, well, maybe that's enough.

Why can't she just leave us alone?

Travis, have you forgotten there's two of us here?

- I'm involved in this thing too. - I know that, Annie.

Well, give some thought to how I might feel.

Here you are worried about losing David to some memory.

What about me?

Kimberly Michaels is someone alive and real.

Someone David can talk to.

Someone David can touch.

If anyone should be worried about competition here--

- Annie, I'm sorry, I-- - Wait.

You don't understand.

I'm not afraid of her.

I've given David my unconditional love for 18 years.

And in my heart,

in my heart, I know I have nothing to be worried about

David will be fine.

Honey, this woman may have given David birth.

But we've given him life.

Yeah.

You're right.

Yeah.

Everything's gonna be all right.

Hey.

It's gotta be.

Well, Kim, this is it.

I'm scared, Jonathan.

There's a whole part of my life waiting for me behind that door.

And it scares me.

I can understand that.

But just remember, they're just as scared as you are.

Okay, let's go.

Hey, Mark. Jonathan.

- Hello, ma'am. - Hello, Travis.

All right. Come on in.

Annie, Travis, this is Kimberly Michaels.

Kim, this is Travis Hastings and his wife, Annie.

Miss Michaels.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Where's David?

He's waiting outside in the backyard.

I know this is very uncomfortable for both of you and I--

I really appreciate this.

Has he said anything about how he feels towards me?

No.

Just that he wants to talk to you.

Maybe it would be better if we all went together.

I think it would be better if you had this time with him alone.

You go on ahead.

He's waiting for you.

Thank you.

Miss Michaels?

Yeah?

I--

I just wanna thank you for giving us David.

He's a...

He's a fine son.

Thank you for being his mother and father.

I was hurting inside and...

I needed something to help it.

Well, the pills weren't doing the job

so I thought a little bourbon might get me right into limbo.

What it got me was wrapped around a tree.

I just thank God that I didn't hurt anybody.

When I came to,

I was in the Trauma Care Centre.

And for the first time,

I felt good about Vietnam.

Because the treatment we learned over there

is now being used in Shock Trauma Units

all over this country.

It feels great to know that what we went through

wasn't in vain.

Doctors and nurses are saving lives because of all of us.

As for the booze,

well, I'm working on it.

And I think this time, I'm gonna win.

Thank you, Joyce, for sharing that with all of us.

Well, we're just about out of time so unless there's somebody--

I'd like to say something if I--

I mean, if it's okay. If it's all right.

Of course, Kim. Go right ahead.

Okay.

Well, when I first joined this group,

I was concerned about how much good it was really gonna do for me.

Well, a lot of time has past now

and I have learned a lot about pain and suffering.

Both yours and mine.

You know, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

it's altered all of us.

I'll never be the same person I was before.

Neither will any of you.

Nor will any of the thousands of men and women just like us.

But we're doing it.

You know, like this.

By giving

each other pieces of ourselves,

maybe we can go out and help someone else.

You know, for over 18 years,

I have kept my personal pains a secret.

I lost the man that I loved

and I gave away the child that he...

...gave inside of me.

And then these past two weeks,

those two pains have finally stopped hurting.

I know now that...

...the man I loved is dead.

But my child is very much alive.

And...

My old life has finally ended.

And tomorrow, my new life begins.

Goodbye, Bill.

On the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor,

we dedicate this film to the men and women of our armed services

who have sacrificed so much so that we may live in freedom.