Original subtitles

GI! GI!

Oh! Oh!

This is so much fun!

Oh!

Is it definite you're leaving tomorrow?

I'm afraid so.

That's the life of a Donut Dolly.

Sure appreciate you helping me get these souvenirs for everybody.

Glad to do it.

Besides, it finally gives us a chance to get acquainted.

Say, I need to stop by my place here in town for a minute.

You don't mind, do you?

Okay!

It'll give me a chance to freshen up.

I didn't even see her. Where did she come from?

Okay, she's alive.

So what do we do?

I don't know. We gotta get her to a doctor.

Is there a doctor around here?

Oh, what has happened?

I don't know, she ran out in front of me.

I tried to stop, but I just knocked her down.

Sorry.

I believe she is more frightened than hurt.

Well, do you know a doctor? Is there a doctor around here?

I do not think it is necessary.

Well, I think it is!

There is a hospital.

Okay. Okay, let's go.

This way.

Where does she live?

She is an orphan.

One of many we care for.

Uh, here.

Find a taxi, take it back to the base,

and I'll get you your souvenirs before your plane leaves.

But I'm leaving tomorrow.

I'll get them to you.

I don't care about that stuff.

Go on now, before you break an old man's heart.

Chico!

Well, now.

If it ain't Hoc Dockenbury!

Percell.

Hey, Doc.

Tell me some lies, Doc.

Tell me some big old lies.

No lie, Percell. No lie, man.

You're headed for trouble.

Say, where'd you get that ape?

Chico's not an ape, he's a monkey.

You mind, Doc?

I was talking to the monkey.

Why don't you step back and check it out?

I have not seen you straight in weeks.

Oh, ease off, Doc.

Take a hit.

Hell, I ain't one to bogart a good time.

No. Thanks a lot.

I'm real grateful for the offer.

Say, what happened to you, Doc?

When you first came here,

you had "hippy dopehead" written all over your face.

I admit it.

Percell, I used to have more ways to get high

than a junkyard dog's got fleas.

Then how come you've turned so against an innocent little toke?

Lost its innocence.

I liked it too much.

Could have had me.

Just about like it has you.

I'm feeling too good for you to bring me down, Doc.

Percell, if you don't get straight,

that dope's gonna bring you down, man.

It's like a hole that doesn't have no bottom.

It's not funny.

Oh, go on, Doc!

You and your old lady, get out of here!

Percell.

You can smell that herb all the way outside the hooch, man.

That what brought you in?

If you gotta smoke, man, do it someplace else

or you'll get all our butts in a sling.

What's the point, Percell?

You're just gonna get busted.

Oh, there ain't no point, Ru.

I'm just lying here, trying to relax.

Trying to mind my own business.

But I'm not having much luck,

because everyone seems to be minding it for me.

I don't wanna mind your business, man.

You're messing yourself up. I'd like to understand why.

Let it go.

I don't wanna let it go.

We're friends, remember?

We're out in the bush, we're supposed to count on each other.

How am I gonna count on you

when you're diddy-bopping six feet off the ground?

We're not in the bush.

I'm gonna go to the PX and get some candy bars.

What's your point, Lieutenant Goldman?

My point is Lieutenant Beller's platoon

wiped out an entire village of civilians at Phu An.

The Army's doing nothing.

That's your evaluation? "The Army's doing nothing"?

Yes, sir.

I went over your report in detail with General Elliot.

Give him a little time to look into it.

Sir, my team was there right after it happened

and not one of my men has been questioned about what we saw.

And you think they're hoping it'll go away

if they ignore it, huh?

I do.

Now, I can't force the issue, but I was thinking if you...

I told you, lieutenant, it's out of my hands.

But rest assured,

if the Army does not deal with this incident

within proper channels,

they'll have to deal with me outside of them.

Is there something else I can do for you, lieutenant?

No, sir.

I appreciate your time.

Hey, that was fun, huh?

You like riding in the jeep?

They are so fortunate.

Fortunate? To live like this?

There are many others in the cities living in the streets.

We three look after these few.

It could easily be hundreds.

Casualties that don't get counted, huh?

We fled our school and orphanage in the north

to escape the Communists.

Many of the sisters were...

assassin�es.

Murdered.

Some returned to France,

and we took refuge in this abandoned building.

Wait a minute.

She's a Buddhist, right? What is she doing here?

Three of them live here.

Their sanctuary was destroyed by South Vietnamese soldiers.

A saboteur took refuge there

and their entire pagoda was destroyed by rockets,

just to kill one man.

Her name is Yu Lan.

She has been fasting for four weeks.

Fasting and praying for four weeks?

She meditates.

She seeks a pure soul.

To understand... l'essence de la vie.

Life's purpose.

You think one lifetime's enough to work all that out?

You sound like a Buddhist yourself.

Perhaps you should talk to Yu Lan.

No, but I would like to talk with you more.

I'm serious.

A pure soul may be a little out of my reach,

but I have wondered about my own life's purpose.

Gotta be more to it than what I've found so far.

Percell!

You shouldn't drink alone, man.

People will talk.

They already do.

Leander, Percell. Percell, Leander.

Hey. Hey.

Leander what?

Leander Leander.

Well, all right, Leander Leander.

How you doing?

How am I doing, man?

Just back from Tan Town.

Can hoi. Five days of sighs and smiles.

Well, how'd you get five days?

Just took 'em, man.

Lieutenant Peckerwood needs somebody to hump ammo for the pig.

He ain't gonna say nothing.

Besides, he thinks I got "primal instincts," whatever that is.

That Can hoi is so fine.

Where's Can hoi?

Cholon, man. Around the docks.

I don't suppose next time you go down there,

you could take a friend along?

It's way over the Mason Line, Percell.

Almost all originals.

And a bunch of the brothers gone native.

You'd feel the draft, you know?

Yo, Leander.

You know this man?

Says he wants to score some herb.

You know what he's talking about?

Remember, man? I was with Nicky De G.

Nicky.

Yeah. Right. Nicky.

Greasy little guy with funny lips. I remember.

All right.

Let's do it outside.

Think I'll go too.

I got some thinking to do.

That's bad for the brain, baby.

Wait up.

Gotta know more about this Can hoi, Leander.

I need some time away.

Ah, that's tricky, Percell.

They're squeamish about sylvester.

See, if they figure you for the man, you'll be dead.

Well, give it some thought.

I may already be dead.

- Freeze, pal! - You're busted, soldier!

What the hell is this? I didn't do anything!

Son, you shut up before I shut you up.

His name is Tu Sang.

He's a major in the North Vietnamese Army.

And he claims that he can put the finger

on at least a dozen Communist agents

in the South Vietnamese Army high command.

Well, why doesn't he take a walk, sir?

We've had defectors before. Why kidnap this one?

His request.

So the comrades will think he's been taken against his will.

Otherwise he's afraid they'll take reprisals

against his family here in the south.

He's probably right.

Sang is on assignment to improve their supply routes.

He's quartered at a station about here.

That's 15 klicks over the fence.

And they've got a regiment located nearby

and a lot of activity in the area,

so it's gotta be quiet and quick.

How would you do it, lieutenant?

I'd go in here, end of the evening, nautical twilight.

Take two choppers, leapfrog across.

That way, the locals will think

we're just doing a standard flyover.

Then I wait till morning, go in, grab him and get out.

You'll have a team of four rangers with you.

Do they know the mission?

They know we're grabbing someone.

They don't know who.

Okay. Have your team on flight line at 1700 hours.

Here, let me show you.

She cannot hear it.

She is deaf.

Here, this is for you.

I wondered why she didn't talk.

When the Communists came to our school,

they injured many of the children

to frighten others away.

They deafened Suan with...

sharpened pencils.

Poor baby.

Um, I gotta go.

You will be remembered in our prayers

for your kindness to Suan.

Kindness? Hell, I damn near killed...

I... I'm sorry.

It is an unfortunate habit, lieutenant,

but not one requiring confession.

Has something happened?

I am not sure.

Yu Lan seeks more than personal enlightenment.

Since the time of the three kingdoms,

this country has known only suffering and bloodshed.

She seeks some way to make it...

different.

Why are the others here?

They think she's dying of hunger.

She sure doesn't have much regard for herself, does she?

It is not important to her.

She has started a journey

that she expects to continue in future lives.

Yeah, it'd be nice if we could count on that, wouldn't it?

I doubt if Yu Lan thinks that.

I don't know, I'd like a shot at it.

A second time around.

Chance to straighten out some of the kinks from this life.

Why create the kinks to begin with?

Well, most of them are unintentional.

I can't control the way things happen.

I could fork my chopper tomorrow or I could live to be 100.

If I knew the way it was gonna go, well...

What if you were to die tomorrow?

I don't know. Some good times, some bad times.

Nothing I could say I've done.

You help these people fight for their country.

No, I'm here for the thrill of it,

'cause I love to fly.

I don't think that's enough any longer.

Goldman.

Beller.

Wait up, it's not like I'm a stranger.

I'm in a hurry.

You headed out, huh?

Wish I was too, but the dry spell will be over soon.

Is that right? I can hope, right?

Look, man, what do you want?

Look, what happened out in that village

and then you going to the colonel about it,

I just wanted you to know

there's no hard feelings on my part, okay?

You were doing what you thought right.

I don't think you should feel guilty about that.

High point of assumption, Beller. I don't.

That's good.

I didn't want there to be any misunderstandings between us.

I mean, we're talking about my career here.

You still think you've got a career?

Things turn in odd ways sometimes.

Hey, well, good luck, Goldman.

We'll see you down the road, okay?

You watch yourself, okay?

You all ready?

Yes, sir.

Sergeant, what's gonna happen

to those boonie rats that shot up that ville?

LT's taking care of that, Taylor.

Just keep your mind on what you're doing out there.

Don't be caught up worrying about that stuff.

Yeah, well, I still don't understand "that stuff."

Ruiz, you're never gonna understand

something that's crazy.

Hope you satisfied. MPs locked up Percell.

That's none of my doing.

Besides, I heard he's getting out this afternoon.

Yeah, getting out and going on latrine duty.

I'd just as soon stay in the pokey.

Hockenbury!

Here! Now!

Uh-oh!

Did you see this?

Yeah.

Did you do this?

No, sir. That'd be...

That'd be defacing government property.

That'd be against regulations.

Yes, it would.

So what about that?

Hockenbury, that's a SOG emblem. It's supposed to be there.

Well, actually, sir, it's an unofficial SOG emblem,

so that's probably against regulations too.

Let's saddle up!

All right, we set up a false bivouac here and we settle in.

We wait until after dark, we go about 200 meters back.

Then I want an arm's-length perimeter all the way around.

Absolute noise discipline.

Communication by touch only.

Good God almighty!

I do believe it's Spec-4 Percell.

What did you do that for?

I'm Sergeant Hannegan, son.

I wanted to make sure you're awake and ready

for your day's assignment.

What assignment?

Why, something that'll let the Army

avail itself of your refined sensibilities.

You're burning the outhouse!

Oh, no way!

That detail's for cherries!

Cherries and screwups, son?

Let me just try to figure out where you fit in.

Look, you gotta give me a break, sarge.

Um...

I can't work all day on an empty stomach.

I gotta have breakfast.

Climb into your clothes, son!

The scatters of this man's army waits for no one!

Besides, you go on latrine duty with a full gorge,

you'll just blow it the first barrel you whiff, anyway.

Open those traps and pull the barrels out far enough

so as you don't ignite the privy when you light them up.

Get on with it, you scatophobic goof-off!

Enough gasoline, Percell.

Now an equal measure of diesel fuel.

High octane for a quick, hot start

and diesel for the long, steady burn.

Ah, you're a natural, Percell!

You got the touch.

Ugh!

Can you move?

Taylor, blow the radio.

Ah, what the hell did you do that for?

Couldn't you see there wasn't a barrel in there?

He's gonna do all right, LT.

It's a pretty clean wound.

This blood expander's gonna hold him till we get back to Barnett.

I suggest we get out of here now before someone comes round here

to see what that noise was all about.

Sarge, that's a righteous thing to do, but...

These guys see we're willing to do it for them,

when our time comes,

maybe they'll be willing to do it for us.

I'd like to know why MACV

gave a press correspondent

clearance to be on a SOG base, Mr. Boyle.

I pulled some strings and I lied

about the reason why I wanted to talk to you.

Which is?

I talked to LRRPs, I talked to grunts.

I hear a lot of offbeat stories about the war

for the price of a few beers.

Last week, I heard a tale

about a massacre from a drunken GI.

Are you gonna tell me this story,

or am I supposed to guess?

I was hoping you'd tell me about it, colonel.

The total eradication of the village of Phu An.

I'm not a press officer, Mr. Boyle.

I'm not authorized to give you information.

I don't know what you're talking about.

An atrocity story would be big news.

A commanding officer

trying to cover it up would be even bigger.

Are you threatening me?

Your career is the American dream.

It would be a shame to sacrifice it

for the actions of a handful of bloodthirsty killers.

It would be a shame to subvert our effort

to help the South Vietnamese

and brand the men who fight here

with a stigma they'll carry for life.

I can't help you, Mr. Boyle.

Ugh!

You reek. Wow!

Percell?

Hey, man, you look like a native.

You had to burn a privy

because of that bust, huh?

Man, they expect so much of their own.

Leander,

tell me more about Can hoi.

Look, the brothers buy it,

you're there, man.

Beautiful. No coming back.

But you're sylvester, Percell.

They'll never stop watching you.

I like you, man.

And I'm telling you, don't go down there.

Look, say... Say, I'm a day tripper.

Who do I look for?

Who do I say it to?

I'm a friend of Leander's.

Look for Smiling Jack.

He'll set you up and see you through.

But he looks at you and sees the man,

you can kiss having a family goodbye.

Thanks.

I think I'll take a long, hot shower, huh?

Yeah,

I'm thinking that's a real good idea.

Twenty piasters.

No extras, I promise.

I bid 25.

Ruiz, you're gonna ruin the market.

I just want you girls to know

that was a damn cheap shot

that your man Goldman took on Lieutenant Beller.

LT just told what he saw in the ville

after you sickos went and took target practice

on those civilians.

Whatever it is,

Beller's got it coming, no matter what it is.

You weren't there. You got no idea what went down.

LT is a good man and a good officer,

and we had a good platoon.

Yep, and you're all good shots too.

Nailed some of those kids with one bullet.

Pretty hard to do, what with them running.

It ain't right to break up a platoon.

We were a team, man.

Break up a platoon? What do you mean?

I mean transfers, I mean early outs.

They're replacing all of us.

Yeah, one, two men to a post.

No way you can stay with your buddies.

That ought to raise the intelligence level

around this place, I'd say.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Don't you guys see what's going on here?

You see... See, the Army is gonna get rid of these maniacs

before word gets out to the outside about what happened,

'cause the Army doesn't want to get a black eye, right?

So they're gonna let these psychotics off the hook.

You better shut up, man.

You can't hurt me, man.

I'm not a 3-year-old kid, man.

I'm not an old man, man.

Hey, hey, hey!

What's wrong with you guys?

I thought you didn't like this smart-mouth jerk!

We don't.

But he happens to be our smart-mouth jerk!

- All right, you guys. - Break it up!

Come on, GI, come on!

That's enough. That's enough.

Look, I am not talking about a lot of people.

I'm talking about six kids, six little kids.

Six little civilian kids.

And three nuns.

We started with a couple, then to six, now we're at nine.

Look, I'm talking about innocent people

that can't do a damn thing

to take care of themselves, Doc.

Lieutenant, you're talking about civilians!

Why don't you try to take this up with the S-5

and try to work them into one of those, um,

civic action programs?

Because S-5 won't give a hoot

about the hearts and minds

of these particular citizens.

They don't have an effect on the political picture.

Look, didn't you take an oath or something?

No, I'm a medic, I'm not a doctor.

Plus, what you're asking me to do

could get me into big trouble with the colonel,

and as it is, I live on thin ice around here.

I don't know. Maybe I was wrong about you, Doc.

I mean, if you can vaccinate whores in the street...

You know?

Giving a few shots is one thing.

This is like stocking a clinic.

Kids fall down and get hurt.

Sisters need this stuff to take care of that.

Okay, we got two more boxes.

The sooner we get this loaded,

the sooner we're out of here.

Francis Hockenbury, you are the world's biggest mud.

If somebody wanted to sell you a sack full of dead buzzards,

you'd be asking, "How much?"

Supply sergeant called my office.

Said you'd requisitioned a lot of meds,

figured we were going back out to the whorehouses.

Volunteered to go along.

Hockenbury, this better be good.

Well, sir,

I thought I'd had it.

But the colonel,

actually was all for it.

Di.

Sure he was. I kept telling you.

Doc's all finished for now, so we're leaving.

We're all so grateful to you.

It's no big deal.

Where's Yu Lan?

Gone. They have all left.

Yu Lan was very weak from hunger.

Well, I hope she finds peace.

I hope we all do.

A life is not wasted

because it is spent doing something you enjoy.

It would be a greater waste

if you did something you despise.

A friend of mine once gave me a poem by Yeats

about an Irish airman who flies for no other reason

than the love of it,

and that dooms him to insignificance.

I balanced all, brought all to mind,

The years to come seemed waste of breath,

A waste of breath the years behind

In balance with this life, this death.

A lot in common, that flyboy and me.

You feel your life has no meaning.

But if you can feel that,

then it is not so.

I don't know if I agree with that.

I'm not even sure I know what it means.

Do not denigrate yourself.

You know.

Yeah.

You know,

I really like talking with you.

There just never seems to be enough time.

Look, would you have dinner with me?

No, of course you can't.

I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell...

I'm sorry.

Could I ask you a favor?

Well, sure, anything.

A carton of books has been sent to us from Paris.

I need to see the agent in Saigon

to find out if it has arrived.

We can talk on the way.

Outstanding.

Look, I'm not doing a favor for you,

you're doing one for me.

Transfers!

Where? Whose orders?

Every single man in Beller's platoon

has been replaced in the last three days.

Sir, I don't know who ordered it.

Highers didn't know what to do with that bunch of crazies,

so they stalled them here

instead of sending them back to the unit.

Now they maneuvered them out of here on the sly.

Come on!

You know where Beller's quartered?

Yes, sir. Point the way. You and you, with me.

I enjoy reading some poetry,

but most of it I just don't get.

Nor do I.

But I keep trying.

Something's happening.

I can't stop seeing it.

I don't understand it.

It is not unlike some of our own martyrs,

who allowed themselves to die at the hands of others.

Good night, John McKay.

God bless you.

Percell.

What did you do?

What's happening, Ru?

Don't do this, man.

Please, don't do this.

Everything's upside-down,

inside out.

I just can't take it no more.

I'll stick with you, Danny.

Whatever it takes to get you straight, man.

But don't desert. Not that.

You were in the field yesterday.

I was behind the latrine,

doing the lowest job this army's got.

I was so ashamed I hid out

in the supply dump all night long.

And all day today.

Getting high, crashing.

Getting high and crashing.

No.

I can't stay here anymore.

Ru, I'll die.

What are you gonna do, Percell?

Pull my accrual out from the finance office.

Maybe I'll buy into one of them massage parlors in Cholon.

You owning one of them joints?

Like the fox watching the chickens.

So long, Ru.

Take care, huh?

Be careful, Percell.