JAG s06e07 Episode Script

Hammer was leading us into the brig.
That's when we got word from the air boss that your father was in line to make the 100,000th trap aboard the Ticonderoga.
The 7th Fleet historian had photographers waiting.
The cooks had baked a chocolate cake.
Hammer was gonna be famous.
Only you got there first.
The tailhook was not fully extended.
So the air boss waved him off.
By the time he had gotten past the tower for a visual check, I' already trapped.
The 100,000th trap.
And what precisely was wrong with my father's tail? Well, it turned out to be nothing at all.
Your father always suspected I had gotten him sent around on purpose.
I wonder what Dad would think of you taking command of the 6th Fleet, sir.
Harm, if your father was with us, he'd think the world had gone nuts.
Everyone thought he'd be the one to be CNO one day.
I was just a screw-up who was along for the ride.
- Mr.
Secretary.
- Sorry I'm late, admiral.
- Good evening, sir.
- Commander, please sit.
Now we have a problem, Tom.
With what, Mr.
Secretary? With you.
You may as well hear this, commander.
It'll be in your life tomorrow.
Tom, my office received an anonymous tip.
The caller claims that August 12th, 1968, when you were in Long An province, Republic of Vietnam, you participated in the murder of innocent civilians in the village of Tan Dien.
If word leaks out that Admiral Boone's been accused of a war crime, you can kiss his nomination goodbye.
A.
J.
, I'd like Colonel MacKenzie to perform a preliminary enquiry into the accusations against Admiral Boone.
And report directly back to me.
Nothing in writing.
Mr.
Secretary, you should know that Admiral Boone and I have butted heads in the past.
The Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation vote is scheduled in four days.
I want a full and fair enquiry by then.
What if I need more time, sir? Admiral Boone has gone back aboard the Seahawk.
He's expecting you on board at 1400.
Admiral.
Mr.
Secretary, sir, I have one question.
In 1968, Admiral Boone was an aviator aboard the USS Ticonderoga.
How could he be implicated in an alleged massacre by ground troops? Good question, commander.
Let's see what the colonel finds out.
Sir, I wanna be involved in this.
It's the colonel's investigation.
I'll take my lead from her, sir.
I don't have a problem with that.
It's the tyranny of the hotline.
Any lunatic can call with a wild charge.
Someone with a grudge or a grievance, some loser who was passed over, a whiner with his feelings hurt.
Tom Boone can tick people off.
I know that from personal experience.
Bud, what are you doing here? It's been a week, ma'am.
It's all the leave I had coming.
Bud, the admiral can grant compassionate leave.
I couldn't ask for anything more.
Everyone's been so kind with the cards and the flowers and coming out to the house.
How's Harriet? Well, she's not doing too great, ma'am.
She wasn't expect We weren't expecting any problems with the baby's delivery.
Well, tell her we're all thinking about her.
I will, ma'am.
You should be home, lieutenant.
Harriet thought it be best if I came in to work.
Well, then start with this, Bud.
Vietnam, August 12th, 1968.
The village of Tan Dien, the province of Long An.
See if you can find out what happened in the village that night.
Now, look, I can see my car.
It's right over there.
It's probably evidence.
Evidence of what? A crime.
That's where they put cars that are evidence.
Look, you give me my car.
If you need it for evidence, I'll bring it back.
They don't know you're gonna bring it back.
I'm telling you, I'm gonna bring it back.
What difference does it make? Nobody's even been charged with a crime.
I'll look it up.
Now this is from the combat-action report of the Tan Dien operation.
A pitched battle occurred between members of the Vietcong and elements of the South Vietnamese PRU.
That stands for Provincial Reconnaissance Unit, which is "an elite South Vietnamese force dedicated to the elimination of suspected Vietcong soldiers and sympathizers living among the civilian population of the south.
The killing of the suspected VC was known as the Phoenix Program.
" - Put in place by the CIA.
- That's correct, sir.
And the Phoenix Program was run by Neville Webb.
Clayton Webb's father? That's right, sir.
He was a CIA station chief in Saigon.
Body count of Tan Dien is listed as: "45 Vietcong killed, no wounded, three weapons recovered.
" Any numbers on civilian casualties? None in the combat-action report, sir.
What do the Vietcong claim? Well, according to propaganda leaflets, the PRU was accused of massacring innocent civilians, and I'm quoting: "With the complicity of U.
S.
Imperialists and their lackeys.
" Was there an after-incident investigation? No, ma'am.
Was there preliminary bombing by a naval aircraft prior to the attack? No, sir.
No suppressive fire during the attack? Negative, sir.
It doesn't look like Naval forces were involved.
It's been charged.
What do you mean it's been charged? It's a car.
People v.
One Ford Expedition.
You want the docket number? What is it charged with? Transporting marijuana.
Unless you already knew that.
I lent it to somebody else.
Everybody did.
Look, buddy, I lent it to my ex-girlfriend's son before I realised he was an oversized juvenile delinquent.
Look, if you wanna get your car back, you need to go downtown.
- Prove you're innocent.
- You got that backwards.
You've gotta take me to court and prove I'm guilty.
Not in a forfeiture case.
The shoe's on the other foot.
I wanna see somebody else.
I'm in charge here.
Better get yourself a lawyer.
Sir, ma'am? I pulled Admiral Boone's service record.
August, '68, Lieutenant Boone wasn't aboard the Tico.
He had been assigned to the USMACV, Saigon for temporary additional duty.
"He reviewed surveillance photos and prepared targeting schedules for the fleet.
" That places him in country, Harm.
Saigon's a long way from Long An province.
There's a fitness report here filed by Army Major Evan Parker, commending Lt.
Boone for serving in country with distinction and under great personal risk.
Not one mention of murdering civilians.
Were you in Saigon the entire six weeks of your assignment to USMACV? All but two or three days.
What were your activities during that time? I was assigned to a forward air controller.
Do you recall his name? No.
He was Air Force.
Do you recall anything about him? He was a first lieutenant.
Dates you flew with the lieutenant? Early August.
Can you be more precise, sir? No.
Tell me what happened during those two or three days.
What you would expect.
We called in air strikes, assessed battle damage, kept an eye out for the enemy.
Green 23.
Green 23, this is Montezuma.
I'm sending you a flight of two Navy Phantoms.
- Call sign, Fairfield 24.
- Roger, Montezuma.
Send them on down.
Out.
Tom, we don't wanna get too close to this target.
Green 23, this is Fairfield 24.
Inbound to you.
Roger, Hammer.
Keep it coming.
- Tong, is that you? - The one and only.
What's your ordinance, Hammer? - Six Mark 82s.
- What's your posit? I'm 57 miles on the 120 radial of Nakhon Phanom, Tacan at 10,000.
Target's a wooden bridge at Phu Loc, Want me to mark it with a smoke rocket? No, I see it.
Suggest run from east to west to avoid small-arms fire.
Recommend single passes.
I'll be rolling in 30 seconds.
- Two, you got it? - Got it.
Switches hot.
Break.
You destroyed the bridge, three trucks and a water buffalo.
Stay out of trouble, Tong.
Admiral, during that time did you participate in any ground fighting? No.
I'm an aviator, not a grunt.
Were you ever at the village of Tan Dien? Not that I recall.
Sir, is it possible you were there but you simply don't remember the name? I've already answered the question.
Did you return to Saigon at night? No.
At the end of each day's action, the lieutenant landed his aircraft at the nearest dirt strip.
We stayed outside a couple of villages.
Don't know that I knew their names, if that's what you're gonna ask next.
Sir, on August 12th, there was a massacre of 45 innocent South Vietnamese civilians at Tan Dien.
Colonel, I'm not sure that there were Did I forget we had an appointment? In 1968, your father was CIA station chief in Saigon.
- Yes.
- He headed up the Phoenix Program.
- Yes.
- You recall its stated purpose? To employ the best intelligence, to identify and then eliminate the Vietcong from South Vietnam.
There are documented reports of operations being in violation of human rights.
There were allegations, yes.
Sometimes the programme was not precise in its execution.
What part did your father play in covering up those events? - Get out of my office.
- Not until you tell me what happened the night of August 12th, 1968 in the village of Tan Dien.
I want access to the CIA's files on the Phoenix Program.
In particular, the confidential file on the incident at Tan Dien.
What makes you think such file exists? Because there were 45 dead but no wounded.
There were no civilians reported killed but only three weapons recovered.
So there's reason to believe it was an unacceptable number of civilian casualties, which makes it a war crime.
I wanna know what happened there.
No quid pro quo? Or do you figure my office is like the drive-up window at the Dairy Queen? - I can't tell you.
- Then I can't help you.
Or you won't.
What did your father tell you about the Phoenix operation? Bury the past? You're paranoid enough to work here.
I suggest you file a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Return it to our Information and Privacy coordinator at the Office of Information Services.
The director will take it under consideration and forward the request to me.
Then I'll take it under consideration.
I'm on a pretty strict timetable, Webb.
In truth, and regretfully, commander, some of those files are missing.
- Do you think he's lying, Ellis? - I don't know, Drax.
You should've made something up.
What the hell did you do that for? He's the enemy, isn't he? Enter.
Excuse me, admiral.
What can I do for you, Singer? Petty Officer Tiner told me about your car, sir.
I've taken the liberty of doing a little research, on my own time, into The People v.
One Ford Expedition.
- You have? - Yes, sir.
I'm afraid you won't be able to prove that your car was innocent, since it was used to transport marijuana.
But we might try to show that Danny Walden was in unlawful possession of your car.
Well, I lent it to him.
Fine.
So we'll just have to prove that Danny Walden transported drugs without your knowledge, consent, or wilful blindness, sir.
- Yeah? - Sir, Commander Rabb and Col.
MacKenzie to see you.
Send them in.
Thank you, lieutenant, whatever it takes.
Yes, sir.
You completed your enquiry, colonel? Not yet, sir.
I had an inconclusive interview with Admiral Boone.
- And? - There are still some unanswered questions, sir, and a key witness we can't locate.
Colonel, what are you not telling me? Admiral Boone was evasive, sir.
There were too many "I don't recalls," some questions he didn't answer at all.
It doesn't feel right.
Can you blame him, colonel? Where are you on this? Sir, I have two questions.
Who at the Phoenix Program was responsible for the massacre at Tan Dien? And was Lieutenant Boone involved? We need to answer both these questions conclusively to clear the admiral's name.
You disagree with the colonel's approach? Sir, the colonel is doing what she needs to do.
Let me do what I think is right, sir.
SECNAV calls me every hour on the hour.
We all know the longer this drags out the greater potential damage to Admiral Boone.
But take the time you need.
Do the investigation in whatever way seems best.
But damn it, get it done.
Sir, ma'am.
We just got the records on all air operations at Tan Son Nhut, August, 1968.
During the period in question, Lieutenant Boone flew with a forward air controller named R.
C.
Coffin.
Lieutenant Coffin left the service in 1969.
- Find him.
- I'm doing the best I can, sir.
- Is there a problem? - He's dropped out of sight, sir.
At your request, ma'am, I've got Lieutenant Boone's CO, General Evan Parker, coming tomorrow.
And also I traced that anonymous call to SECNAV's hotline to a pay phone at a bar in Wells, New Mexico.
- Near your old stomping grounds.
- Yes.
Got a lot of friends in law enforcement in New Mexico.
They're gonna find out who made the call.
- Have them check on R.
C.
Coffin.
- Already did.
He's not listed in any local directories.
Also, sir, regarding Lieutenant Coffin, is it possible he was working for the CIA? What makes you think that? Well, I had the National Personnel Records Center fax me his DD-214.
In Block 18, "Remarks," it indicates Lieutenant R.
C.
Coffin was TAD for six months to the Air Force Field Operation Intelligence Centre.
- What did he do for them? - I don't know for sure, sir.
Does it require special access to find out? You got it, sir.
- Nice job, gunny.
- Thank you, sir.
Ma'am.
Sir, ma'am.
I just got off the phone with the Office of Military Records in Hanoi.
The village of Tan Dien was never rebuilt.
Those who survived the night of August 12th were placed in relocation camps.
We can't locate anybody to testify about what happened that night.
Did you get sleep last night, lieutenant? Not a lot, sir.
Lieutenant.
Roberts, this is a direct order.
You are to report to your residence.
Harriet needs you and you need to get some sleep.
Aye, aye, ma'am.
Sir.
In 1968, I was deputy director of air operations at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon.
Lieutenant Boone was attached to my staff for a period of six weeks.
General Parker, you wrote a fitness report following Lieutenant Boone's service with you.
Was there anything you left out? Why would you ask me that? It's routine, general.
Not in my book.
I don't leave factual matters out of my reports.
So just what the hell are you asking? We're trying to determine Admiral Boone's course of conduct, sir.
And there are some gaps in the record.
So if there is anything that might lead us in a direction, it would be helpful.
What about rumours, gossip? I heard things all the time, colonel.
I ignored what I didn't know to be true.
So should you.
Did you ever hear anyone say that Lieutenant Boone had run into trouble while he was in country? The Intelligence officer showed me some VC propaganda.
- What did it say, sir? - That a couple of American pilots had taken part in shooting up some village.
I heard rumours like that Most of them spread by the Vietcong to make our boys look bad.
Sir, can you tell us what happened in the village of Tan Dien? I don't recall the name, commander.
Did Lieutenant Boone ever express particular hatred towards the enemy? Damn it, colonel.
We all hate the enemy in wartime.
But then you'd have no way of knowing that.
Sir, I'd like you to think back.
Anything you can remember might be helpful.
These were taken by an F-8 photo-recon plane one hour after the Phantom went down.
VF-53, that's off the Ticonderoga.
Your squadron? You don't wanna look at this, Tom.
NVA saw the recon plane coming.
She wanted us to see this.
- You know the pilot? - Commander Harold Cartig.
My squadron CO aboard the Tico.
General, what did he say then? Did he express a desire to avenge the killing of Commander Cartig? Yes.
Do you recall his exact words? That was 30 years ago.
Can you give me a sense of his words? What was his frame of mind? You see some gook holding up a severed head, it tends to sour your outlook.
- Did he express a direct threat? - He wanted vengeance.
Wouldn't you? He wanted her dead.
I had them leave off the mustard and onion.
Oh, too bad.
A girl likes a little spice in her life now and then.
- French fries? - Oh, your request.
- It's off the record? - Yeah.
You're not gonna tell me why I'm gonna do this for you? It would put you in an ethical bind.
Harm, you're always putting me in some kind of bind.
Why the hell do I put up with you? So then, if I do this for you, you're gonna be in my debt? Absolutely.
And you don't worry about what I might ask you to do for me in return? I think I could handle it.
What do you want me to do? Congresswoman, always a pleasure to see you.
Well, I wanna talk to you in person before the National Security Subcommittee meets next week on 2002 appropriations.
Oh, I trust there's not a problem with our request.
Covert ops are very important.
We need that increased funding.
Well, you did ask for quite a lot.
I see you keep lionfish.
That's right.
Here's what I don't understand.
They'll kill any fish you put in the tank, but they'll leave each other alone.
Fear.
Respect.
Need.
Who knows what motivates a fish.
People are pretty much the same.
You can never tell what drives them.
Congresswoman, do you want something? I'll look forward to seeing you next week on the Hill.
I think you'll find me one of your strongest supporters.
Have you no shame? Hey, you didn't leave me much choice.
What do you wanna know about Tan Dien? We believe that an Air Force Lieutenant R.
C.
Coffin was in or around the area the night of the alleged incident.
Was he working for the CIA? What makes you think that? Because Lieutenant Coffin was TAD to Air Force Intelligence around the time of the massacre at Tan Dien.
Because his records are sealed.
Because he received a lieutenant colonel separation package when he left the service.
He never achieved rank higher than lieutenant.
Enough.
R.
C.
Was one of ours.
He flew for the Air Force by day and the company by night.
He flew agents in-country and into the north.
What was his role at Tan Dien? I don't know.
He was not part of our pacification effort.
Was there another American pilot there? Not according to our report.
Who led the raid at Tan Dien? Harry Drax.
Programme director at Long An province.
Tell me exactly what happened the night of August 12th, Clay.
Agent Drax issued orders to carry out a sweep of the village.
And to neutralise members of the VC infrastructure.
He told his men to expect heavy resistance.
They went in shooting.
When it was done, Was it CIA policy to include civilians in the body count? It was the fashion then.
The battle of Tan Dien came at a time when the South Vietnamese needed a victory.
It was written up as such.
Where's Harry Drax now? Harry Drax underwent a change of status at Tan Dien.
He was shot in the back and buried in one of the mass graves.
Well, who filed the confidential report? A field agent, Ellis Burke.
I need you to put me in touch with him.
Well, most of us never stray far from the agency.
Ellis Burke lives not two miles from here.
What really happened that night? It's been rumoured that Harry Drax lost his sense of perspective.
What's that? CIA-speak for killing babies? Listen to this, Harriet.
"When the baby emerges through the birth canal, the prolapsed cord is compressed so that the baby's blood supply is cut off.
" Bud? What is it, sweetie? A.
J.
Would like to kiss you good night.
Good night, sweetie.
Listen, there's more.
"Foetal asphyxia may rapidly ensue if circulation through the cord is not re-established and maintained until delivery.
" Bud.
We need to talk.
- Can you hold on a second, sweetie? - No.
I need you here with me right now, please.
I'm here.
No, you're a thousand miles away.
I never knew that it would hurt this much.
You lost We lost a baby, Harriet.
And that's a terrible, terrible thing.
And it should have never happened.
I just don't know what to do.
I'm gonna find out what went wrong.
Bud, I know that's important to you, but how's it gonna help, really? I mean, do you really think you're gonna fix what happened? I have some good news, admiral.
I argued your case and I won.
- You got my car back? - There's a problem, sir.
They lost your car.
Well, how the hell can the police lose my car? The last thing they knew it was in the impound lot.
But it has disappeared without a trace.
Somebody stole my car from the police? No, sir.
The police lost it.
Or misplaced it.
Or sold it at public auction like it was some damn pimpmobile.
Singer? Find my car.
Yes, sir.
- Commander.
- Sir.
I just told the colonel, sir.
Had a law enforcement buddy drop by that bar in Wells.
It turns out Lieutenant Coffin's a regular.
It's a couple miles outside of town.
No phone.
- Nice work, gunny.
- Thank you, sir.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I'm gonna talk to Lieutenant Coffin tomorrow, Harm.
If he's not a credible witness, my report will say that we found nothing to substantiate his allegation against Admiral Boone.
But you're not clearing him? You're gonna say that you can't nail him? There's been a complicating factor, sir.
Remember the incident that occurred at Lieutenant Cardig's crash site? Well, it turns out Decapitation's a little more than an incident, lieutenant.
Yes, sir.
I got the precise location from U-2 photographs of the wreckage at the National Recognizance Office.
Lieutenant Cartig's crash site was only five miles from Tan Dien.
His death occurred only three days prior to the massacre.
It goes to motive, Harm.
If Lieutenant Boone was in fact at Tan Dien, he had reason to get involved in the fighting.
Well, I have every reason to believe that he was not there.
War crimes definitely occurred at Tan Dien.
PRU troops got out of control.
But according to CIA files, Admiral Boone was not there.
- Are you sure about that? - Yes, I am sure.
One more interview and it'll be confirmed.
Phoenix Program was a good programme when Neville Webb managed it.
It got out of hand when we turned it over to the Provincial Reconnaissance Units.
You were the CIA field officer, Long An province - during the summer of 1968.
- Yes.
You filed the confidential report on the incident at Tan Dien? Why are you interested in Tan Dien, commander? What do you plan to do with the information? I can assure you, there will be no written report.
Any information I discover stays with me.
What do you need to know? Why did Harry Drax turn that village into a killing field? Why that village? Why that night? We had intelligence that identified some of the inhabitants of that village as VC sympathizers.
There had been incidents near the village.
Three days prior to the attack, the body of a Navy pilot was mutilated after his aircraft crashed.
After Drax got the word about the decapitation, he issued orders to the PRU death squads to pacify the village.
It was payback time, commander.
Were there any other Americans with Harry Drax the night of August 12th? Yes.
Lieutenant R.
C.
Coffin? Yes.
Lieutenant Thomas Boone? Yes.
How was Lieutenant Boone involved, sir? I was in the village the next day.
We had reports that Lieutenant Boone had joined in the fighting.
Why didn't you put that in your report, Mr.
Burke? There were a lot of things I left out of my report, commander.
There was a quota set.
To neutralise 2,000 suspected members of the Vietcong infrastructure every month.
Every month.
At Tan Dien, that quota was met with indiscriminate killing.
You do not record war crimes when you commit them.
Only the Nazis were that stupid.
Your mandate was to get me an answer in four days.
To clear or not clear Admiral Boone of even a shadow of suspicion.
It's taking longer than we anticipated, Mr.
Secretary.
Let me tell you what I'm faced with: Calling the chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and asking him to reschedule Admiral Boone's confirmation hearing.
Then the chairman is gonna ask me, "Why the delay, and is there a problem?" And since I don't have a good answer, he is gonna smell a rat.
Then when, and if, Admiral Boone appears before the committee, they are going to look into everything that ever happened in his life down to the last parking ticket.
I beg your pardon, Mr.
Secretary.
With all due respect, the colonel is doing everything she can do to speed this investigation along, sir.
Then why the delay, colonel? Do you have doubts or suspicions? Is there something I should know? Colonel? There is one final witness, Mr.
Secretary.
Someone who was there at Tan Dien.
I'll interview him later today then I'll give you my report.
Thank you, colonel, commander.
That'll be all.
Dismissed.
- Aye, aye, sir.
- Aye, aye, sir.
Send a message off.
Precedence "op immediate.
" Aye, sir.
JAG officer on the bridge.
Stand easy, commander.
Why don't you get a cup of coffee? Yes, sir.
What are you doing here? You'd have an easier time speaking with me than Colonel Mackenzie.
What makes you think I haven't told the full truth up until now? Admiral, you haven't told us everything, sir.
Time is running short.
How'd you find me? We traced your call.
Why did you wait 30 years to let someone know? I'm dying, colonel.
TB.
I'm sorry.
It's my last chance to set things right.
Oh, sorry, I don't have anything nicer.
I don't get a lot of company out here.
Are you aware your accusations may destroy the career of a good man? Do you think that's what I want? Just because Tom Boone's up for three stars and I ended up like this? I need to know a lot more about you, Lt.
Coffin before I can answer that question.
There are some discrepancies that need to be cleared up, sir.
You stated to Colonel MacKenzie that you spent three days with a forward air controller.
You are certain of that number? I told the colonel what I remembered.
We have reason to believe that you spent a full week.
You also stated to Colonel MacKenzie that you did not recall a name of this forward air controller.
Correct.
Does Lieutenant R.
C.
Coffin ring a bell, sir? It does now.
What do you recall about Lieutenant Coffin? Nothing good.
Care to elaborate, admiral? He was a liar and a drunk.
Are you prepared to talk on the record? Well, that prospect don't seem so bad now that you're here.
Did you bring some beer? I don't drink.
Well, that's nice, but I wasn't thinking about you.
Lieutenant Coffin, where did you land your aircraft on the afternoon of August 12th, 1968? A dirt strip outside Tan Dien.
Tom and me had a good afternoon.
We got to see a flight of Phantoms blow the crap out of a wood bridge at Phu Loc.
Then we got to drinking.
- This stuff any good? - The later it gets, the better it tastes.
It's tomorrow you got to worry about.
What the hell is it? Fermented coconut.
Got a dead snake curled up in it.
Tam says it adds flavour.
There are 39 ways to cook dog meat.
Tam knows them all.
What kind of a man was Lieutenant Boone? Have you ever been around Naval aviators? Did you notice they're kind of arrogant and full of themselves? You know why? You see, the guys on the ground at the end of the day, they gotta go sleep in some slit trench with six inches of damn water.
But the aviators, they fly back to the carrier, take a hot shower, and have some coloured steward lay out their clothes for them.
What do you recall about Lt.
Boone's attitudes toward the Vietnamese people? Well, he was sort of upset.
It's one thing to see the war from up in the clouds.
But you get down in the dirt, it's pretty ugly.
Was there ever any point at which he expressed anger at the Vietnamese people over the beheading of his squadron commanding officer? You done your homework, lady.
Yeah.
Tom talked about that a lot.
That was one ugly-ass war.
Just look what happened at Tan Dien.
Commander Harold Cartig, your squadron CO on the Ticonderoga, was shot down five miles from Tan Dien.
He was decapitated by the Vietcong.
We have eyewitness testimony, sir, that you saw surveillance photos of that atrocity.
Why didn't you volunteer to Colonel Mackenzie - that you'd seen the photos, sir? - It wasn't any of her damn business.
I didn't want it on the report, Harm.
Harry's wife never knew.
I didn't wanna take a chance of her finding out now.
Well, I can understand that, sir.
Admiral, did you tell Major Parker that you wanted to kill the woman who'd done that to him? We all said things like that.
But that's not how we fought the war.
While you were in-country, sir, did you ever meet a man named Harry Drax? He was a CIA agent that Lieutenant Coffin transported on several occasions.
No one flew with us when I was out there.
Admiral, do you recall the events that took place the night of August 12, 1968? Colonel MacKenzie has informed me that 45 non-combatants were rumoured to have died at Tan Dien that night.
Admiral, we have confirmation.
There are reports in Vietnamese military archives Oh, I know those sources.
Yeah.
Yeah, they generally begin: "The American devils divulge their true form.
" Do you have anything credible? Eyewitness, maybe? Tan Dien was burned to the ground that night, sir.
Survivors were relocated to refugee camps.
There were no names recorded.
What about the combat-action report? It lists the battle as a great victory.
There is, sir, however, a confidential CIA file that contradicts that.
You've seen that? Portions of it were read to me.
Does it implicate me? No, sir.
However, admiral, I spoke to the field agent who filed the report.
He gave me reason to believe that you participated in the fighting that night.
Let me get this straight, commander.
You talked to somebody who talked to somebody who claims I shot up some village? Isn't that what you lawyers call hearsay? Technically, yes.
Yet on the basis of that I'm accused of a war crime? Admiral, unless you answer my question, sir, fully and completely, I can't help you.
What role did Lieutenant Boone play in the fighting at Tan Dien? It was our last night in-country.
What the hell are you doing here, Drax? In two minutes, we're gonna neutralise this village.
These people are friendlies.
That woman who makes your fish soup, Tam, she's VC.
Better move now.
I didn't see Boone again until maybe ten minutes later.
What were you doing during that time? I tried to find Tam.
When did you next see Lieutenant Boone? After he joined in the killing.
I saw him use this little kid as a human shield.
He was shooting into hooches.
It was like he' lost his mind.
I never expected that from Tom.
Did you find Tam? Seconds later.
In a hooch.
She was one of the ones Boone killed.
What else can you tell me? Isn't that enough? No one wanted to get assigned to Tan Son Nhut, Harm.
It was a damn clerk's job.
Harry Cartig came to Hammer and me, said: "One of you have to go to Saigon.
" We flipped a coin.
Your father won.
That's how I ended up in Saigon.
Could have gone either way.
Could have been your father.