Original subtitles

As we are taught in the Book of John, chapter 15, verse 13,

"Greater love hath no man than this,

"that a man lay down his life for his friends."

For a soldier, there is no higher sacrifice.

And for a soldier's loved ones, no heavier burden.

Let us pray.

Lord, as we gather here in the shadow of grief,

we ask for the strength to shoulder this devastating loss

and the faith to bear our burden

with charity and grace in the days ahead.

Amen.

ALL: Amen.

Room, attention!

MICHAEL: Take your seats, gentlemen.

I understand there's been some frustration in the ranks

about the recent increase in enemy activity,

particularly attacks against US forces.

Well, you can tell your men that today we're taking the fight to the enemy.

ALL: Hooah!

Our Special Ops brethren have identified

a series of enemy supply routes in our sector.

Here, here, and here, near the border.

Our mission is clear, interdict these supply lines

and disrupt the enemy's ability to sustain large-scale operations.

It is my intent to capture or kill all enemy in sector.

Additionally, in keeping with our overall strategy, for the first time,

Afghan National Army units will take the lead,

with American forces in support.

This is why we're here, gentlemen. This is their country.

I appreciate all you've done to get them ready

and now it's their turn to show us what they can do.

Colonel Sherwood and I will be in the field with you

and I'm confident of our success. Are there any questions?

All right. Let's go out there and get it done.

- Airborne. - ALL: All the way!

There you go.

MAN: Soldier, move.

- Camelback full? - Yes, sir.

- Extra batteries for the NODs? - Roger, Sergeant.

Let me see them.

What's the commander's intent for this mission, Sherwood?

Capture or kill all enemy in sector.

And?

The ANA leads, Sergeant.

Good job, Sherwood.

You think they're ready, Sergeant?

The important thing is that we are. Hooah?

ALL: Hooah!

All right. Stay alert, stay alive. Let's move out.

(FIRING)

- Aim. Fire. Ready. - (FIRING)

Aim. Fire. Ready.

(RIFLES COCKING)

Present arms.

(GUNFIRE)

TREVOR: Contact! Two o'clock!

(MEN SHOUTING)

Bravo Three-Six, this is Bravo Three-Two. Contact, east.

Small arms. Developing the situation. Out.

(FIRING CONTINUES)

MAN ON RADIO: Be advised.

Enemy situation on route green is unclear at this time. Over.

MICHAEL ON RADIO: We are advised, out.

All Airborne convoy elements,

lead elements along route green are in contact.

We are moving forward. Stay alert. Airborne One out. Let's go.

- (FIRING CONTINUES) - (MEN SHOUTING)

Damn it! Three-Two Alpha, this is Three-Two.

You need to continue your advance to the high ground, over.

(CHATTERING)

Three-Two Alpha, do you copy?

(CHATTERING)

Bravo Three-Six, this is Bravo Three-Two.

ANA cannot continue forward advance. We are taking the high ground now.

Request covering fire, over.

- MAN ON RADIO: Roger. Three-Two. - All right.

- We've got you covered. Move out. - Listen up.

If we don't flank them, they're going to flank us!

We're taking the high ground now! Let's move! Move, move, move!

(GUNSHOTS)

(MEN SHOUTING)

Move!

(FIRING CONTINUES)

Giron, take cover!

All right, Sherwood. Go!

(GRUNTS)

Hey! Let's go! We're moving!

(MEN SHOUTING)

All right, we'll take it. You cover us. Understood?

Yes? All right, guys, let's go! We're moving!

Go, go, go! Guys, move out!

Spread out!

(MEN YELLING)

(GRUNTS)

RPG!

Ma'am, I present you this flag on behalf of a grateful nation

for the honorable and faithful service rendered by your loved one.

Sherwood! Covering fire!

(WEAPONS FIRING)

Medic!

Come on, Sherwood, hang in there.

Hang in there, all right, Sherwood? Come on.

I don't have a pulse.

(GRUNTING)

- TREVOR: Come on, man. - He's gone.

- Keep trying. Keep trying! - No pulse.

Sergeant. He's gone.

I have to take care of the wounded. We'll be back for him.

- (FIRING CONTINUES) - (MEN SHOUTING)

- How bad is he? - He's dead.

There's nothing more we can do for him.

We've got to keep moving, take that high ground, you understand?

On me! Let's go!

MICHAEL ON RADIO: Has that been confirmed? Over.

Roger that. Airborne One, out.

All right, sir.

Well, I just heard that Bravo Company kicked some serious ass today, sir.

Yeah, Bravo took it to them.

- But there were casualties, Frank. - Yeah, yeah.

I'm sorry.

Gentlemen?

BILLINGS: Sorry to disturb, Mrs. Holden.

We were informed that a Mrs. Denise Sherwood is in attendance.

Is she present?

I'm Denise Sherwood.

- Mrs. Sherwood, why don't we step... - Please, tell me.

- Ma'am, I really think we should... - Just tell me. Say it.

Ma'am, the Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deep regret

that your son, Jeremy, was killed in action

outside Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The Secretary extends his deepest sympathy

to you and your family in this tragic loss.

(SOBBING)

A Casualty Assistance Officer will contact you within 24 hours.

CLAUDIA JOY: Thank you. Thank you.

- Oh, God. - Sweetheart, let's go inside.

Let's just leave everything and go home and pray for the Sherwoods.

Mrs. Sherwood, I need you to sign here to confirm you can be reached

at this address and phone number.

Yes, that's the correct address and phone number.

I need Mrs. Sherwood to sign.

Where? Where do I sign?

Right here, ma'am.

(SNIFFLES)

Mrs. Sherwood, again, on behalf of the Secretary,

please accept the United State Army's deepest condolences.

How did he die?

I'm sorry, ma'am,

we're only authorized to discuss the deceased with his next of kin.

I'm his fianc�e.

I want to know!

I knew it. I knew it.

- Tanya, no one could have predicted... - I'm a medic!

You know how many soldiers I saw die?

I told Jeremy this could happen.

- ROXY: Honey, why don't you sit? - He's so persistent.

He makes you think everything's going to work out and I listened to him,

I believed him. How did I let this happen?

- Tanya. - Stupid, stupid, stupid.

(WEEPING) Why?

(SOBBING)

Okay, Jas. I'll see you next week, man.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Joan.

What is it?

Jeremy Sherwood was killed in action.

I'm sorry, Roland.

I wanted to come as soon as I found out,

but I had to wait until Denise was notified.

Patty, please cancel the rest of today's appointments.

Personal emergency.

Roland.

I need to see Denise.

- Honey. - Huh?

- Slow down. Give yourself a minute. - (SIGHS)

(SNIFFLES) I'm okay.

Roland.

I'm okay.

(DOOR OPENS)

DENISE: Molly never even met him.

She'll never know her big brother.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

I'll get it.

- Hey. - Hey, Rox.

He's dead, Roland.

I know.

- (SOBBING) My little boy is dead. - Okay.

- Private Burnett. - BURNETT: Here, Sergeant!

- Private Lazarcheck. - LAZARCHECK: Here, Sergeant!

- Private First Class Riggs. - Here, Sergeant!

- Specialist Giron. - Here, Sergeant!

Specialist Sherwood.

Specialist Jeremy Sherwood.

Specialist Jeremy T. Sherwood.

Sergeant, Specialist Jeremy T. Sherwood

was killed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Specialist Jeremy Sherwood died the most honorable way a soldier can.

Moving forward toward the enemy, helping his buddies.

He honored us with his sacrifice and the best way to honor him,

the only way to honor him,

is for each one of us to do our jobs,

do them well, and accomplish the mission.

Like he always did.

RIGGS: Group, attention!

As you were.

Sergeant LeBlanc, thank you. Your words mean a lot.

He was a good soldier, sir. And it was my privilege to lead him.

Well, I appreciate that, son.

(SNIFFLES)

Carry on.

FINN: Race you.

- Hey, Mom. - Hey, how was the movie?

Cool. It was 3D.

- Did you like it, T. J? - Yeah, it was okay.

Can we have a snack?

Uh, no. Dinner's in an hour.

(GROANS)

Mom, are you okay?

Um...

Actually, hey, Finn.

Um...

I, um...

I have some very bad news.

Is it Dad?

No. No, no. Your father is fine, thank God.

Then what is it?

Jeremy Sherwood died in the war. In Afghanistan.

- Somebody shot him? - I don't know, sweetie.

And it's okay to be sad.

Jeremy was a really good friend to you guys.

- And Lucky. - (CHUCKLES) Yeah. And Lucky.

Come here.

When's Dad coming home?

(SNIFFLES) Um, I don't know.

(GURGLING)

She's hardly left the baby's side.

Yeah.

- How are you doing? - Me? I don't know.

It's still so unreal.

I was just on the phone with him, you know?

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Well, it's going to take time. I know that's hard to believe right now.

I'm supposed to start next month. Get my BA, go to med school.

The Army was going to pay for everything.

Right.

I don't know if I can do that now.

I don't know how I feel about the Army anymore.

I guess I should take this off, huh?

No.

Not until you're ready.

When will that be?

(PHONE RINGING)

- Trevor. - TREVOR: Hey.

It is so good to hear your voice.

Yours, too. Believe me, I wanted to call sooner.

I got your e-mail and I read it to the boys after dinner.

So how they doing?

All right.

Um...

You know, they're just glad that their Dad's okay.

They have a lot of questions, especially T.J.

What kind of questions?

Oh, you know, where were you when it happened?

Could you be killed, too?

What did you tell them?

As little as possible.

What did happen?

We got into it, that's all.

What does that mean?

(SIGHS)

We...

We came under fire

and we had to take this hill to avoid being flanked and that's...

That's when Jeremy got hit.

So you were with him.

Yeah.

(EXHALES)

Thank God you weren't hurt.

I don't think God has much to do with it, Rox.

(SNIFFLES) Um...

I was with some of the FRG wives putting some food together for Denise

and they said that because you're Jeremy's squad leader

that you might be escorting the body home for the funeral. Is that true?

Well, they asked, but since Colonel Sherwood was already going,

I said I would stay in the field.

Oh.

Rox, my job is here with my men. And Jeremy was our first KIA.

The guys really need me right now.

Yeah, I get it.

Just remember,

we need you, too.

I need you. Home and safe, okay?

I know.

Colonel Sherwood is escorting your son's body from Afghanistan

through Ramstein on to Dover Air Force Base,

where the remains will receive final processing

and preparation for the funeral.

Colonel Sherwood will then continue on

to escort the body to the local funeral home of your choice.

If you like, we can provide transportation for you

to meet your husband at Dover

or would you prefer to meet at the funeral home?

- Mrs. Sherwood? - I'm sorry. What?

She'll meet them here. Swinton's Funeral Home on Calhoun.

Mrs. Sherwood, I need to discuss with you your options for the disbursement

of the death gratuity, which will be paid to you

or whomever you designate within 72 hours.

His sister. Jeremy wanted the money to go to his sister.

Yes, I see that Specialist Sherwood designated Molly Sherwood

as the beneficiary of his Soldier's Group Life Insurance,

but the death gratuity is a separate matter.

- Can we discuss the money later? - Yes, ma'am.

The next matter is the disclosure form regarding the information requests

from the media, advocacy groups, or private individuals.

I'm sorry. Can I just have a moment, please?

I can come back later if you like, ma'am.

No, it's fine. I'll be right back. I'm okay.

(SIGHS) Oh, God.

Frank, this is Molly.

Hey, princess.

Oh, D, she is just beautiful.

CLAUDIA JOY: Let me take her, Frank.

Here you go, sweetheart.

Frank, this is Tanya.

- Colonel Sherwood. - Hello, Tanya.

Jeremy told me a lot about you.

He spoke very highly of you, too, sir.

Please, call me Frank.

Shall we?

I'll wait here, okay?

(SOBBING)

ROLAND: So, this is it. JEREMY: I guess so.

- Good luck. - Brought you something.

It's a unit coin. My CO in Iraq gave it to me.

I'd like you to have it.

ROLAND: Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Burton.

Without your help, I wouldn't be deploying tomorrow.

- Hell, I might not even be here. - ROLAND: Hey, don't you forget, man,

you drove the car.

I just helped to navigate.

Hey, Mom?

Can I go to the funeral tomorrow?

Um...

- I don't think that's... - I want to. Jeremy was my friend, too.

I don't know. Funerals can be hard to handle.

I want to be there with you.

Well, since Dad can't be there, I thought you wouldn't want to be alone.

Come here.

I'd love you to be there.

DENISE: How do you pick?

Well, if it's for the church program,

I think we should use his official portrait.

This was taken just after he made E-Four.

He looks strong.

You know, they said we can use as many as we want in the lobby.

I think that'd be nice, don't you?

This is the day we brought him home from the hospital, remember?

Of course.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

- Remember this? The red rocket? - (LAUGHS)

(BOTH LAUGH)

Lord, he loved that bike.

(SOBBING)

It all went by so fast.

At this time, Jeremy's friend, Emmalin Holden,

will come forward to offer another remembrance.

I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't know Jeremy.

Our families met at Fort Carson when we were little.

And then we were stationed together again at Fort Bliss.

Wherever we were, Jeremy was always the same.

Sweet, funny. Kind of a goofball, to tell you the truth.

(SCATTERED LAUGHTER)

What I'll remember most about Jeremy is

that he loved his family more than anything in the world.

And this being the Army, he had a pretty large family.

He was always looking out for me and Amanda.

And I will never forget how loud he cheered for me at my hockey games.

(SNIFFLES)

One time, a ref saw him screaming and he said, "That must be your brother."

And I said, "Yeah, he is."

I love you, Jeremy. Look after my sister.

Thank you, Emmalin.

Friends, let us turn to the back of the program for a responsive reading.

(PLAYS PATRIOTIC TUNE)

Lord, hold us in our loss

and hear our prayers for Jeremy Sherwood,

who lives beyond our touch yet within your closeness.

May those who loved him emerge from the pain of grief

to find comfort in the memories of the time you shared together

and gain strength from your grace to find peace and hope again.

- Amen. - ALL: Amen.

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Sorry for your loss.

Goodbye.

I'm so glad Jeremy knew love while he was alive.

Thank you.

Thank you for loving our son.

(SENTIMENTAL SONG PLAYING)

I love you.