JAG s07e02 Episode Script
New Gun in Town
(over speakers): stand by to recover inbound helo.
Major Holmes, please stay clear of the foul line, sir.
Right.
Sorry, but there's a pilot I need to interview as soon as he lands.
I'll bring him to you, sir.
Just stay clear of the foul line.
His name's Captain Campbell.
Major Holmes needs to see you, sir.
Major Holmes! Major Holmes! FDO, be advised, you have a man overboard, starboard side.
INTERCOM: Bridge, Pri-Fly.
We have a man overboard, starboard side.
Roger that.
Left full ruder.
Port engine stop.
Execute a Williamson turn.
Stand by, the duty lifeboat party.
Stand by, the saw bird.
Stand by, signal bridge.
This is not a drill.
Man overboard.
(phone rings) Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, good morning.
(laughs): Oh.
I love you, too.
So, when do I book my trip back for the wedding? Mac? Um, I have news about Mic.
Something happened to him? He's not hurt, is he? He went back to Australia.
Oh.
So, when's he coming back? He's gone, Chloe forever.
His choice.
He dumped you? Yeah.
But why would he do that? Because I didn't love him with all my heart.
Is Harm there with you? No.
He's at a funeral.
Renee's father died.
Chloe, I'm not going to discuss this any further.
You don't need to.
I know what happened.
Harm happened.
I love you.
(line clicks, dial tone drones) (sighs) Well, good morning, sunshine.
RENEE: He looks so peaceful.
RABB: Yeah, he does.
Dad's wearing his favorite suit.
Oh.
Uh, it's it's becoming.
I wish you two had met.
(sniffles): Well, it's too late now.
Why don't we join the others.
Okay.
(sniffles) Good-bye, Daddy.
Hello, Renee.
Oh, Cyrus.
Oh Mother sends her condolences.
Cyrus Fortney, Commander Harmon Rabb.
Nice to meet you.
RABB: Yeah, you, too.
RENEE: He looks wonderful.
Oh, well, Renee, he's your dad, so I took special care of him.
Cyrus does all of the work himself.
Really? You know, so much of the hands-on work is farmed out these days.
Well, that's interesting.
Renee, why don't you and, um, uh, um Cyrus.
Cyrus catch up, and I'm going to wait for you outside.
Okay.
Okay.
So, nice meeting you.
Take care.
Mrs.
Petersen.
Why, Renee tells me that you're leaving right after the service.
Yes, ma'am.
I need to get back to Washington ASAP.
Nonsense.
I'm sure that no man wants to hear this, but JAG can manage without you.
(both laugh) Mrs.
Petersen, I'd really just be in the way here.
Oh, not at all.
And I know it would mean the world to Renee to have you close.
She dotes on you.
That's Cyrus Fortney.
Yes, yes.
We met.
Well, Cyrus is a lovely boy.
He and Renee were sweethearts for years.
But she forgot all about him when he went to embalming school.
Well, imagine that.
Do you know that that casket is solid bronze? Weighs a ton.
Wow.
It will keep my husband safe for at least a hundred years.
SINGER: Good morning, ma'am.
MacKENZIE: Good morning, Lieutenant.
Did you talk to Mic, Colonel? No.
Did he call? No.
Well, then what? About rescheduling the wedding.
Uh, it's off.
Off? Yeah.
Mic went back to Australia.
That's terrible.
You must feel dreadful.
I mean, when? Uh, why? If you'd like to talk about it, ma'am, I'm here for you.
ROBERTS: Good morning, ma'am.
Morning.
Harriet and I left the weekend open in case you decide to reschedule.
So you let us know where and when.
We'll be there with bells on.
That'll be when hell freezes over.
Good morning, Colonel.
So, when's the big day? Tiner, no questions.
Get me in to see the admiral.
That's an order.
Y-Yes, ma'am.
This is the message traffic you asked for, ma'am.
Admiral, Colonel MacKenzie would like a word with you, sir.
Send her in.
Aye, sir.
Sir, I've just learned Major Miles Holmes, the Staff Judge Advocate for the Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the Guadalcanal, was reported missing at sea last night.
I've seen the OPREP and casualty reports.
The Amphibious Ready Group is on joint maneuvers with the Indian Navy, Admiral.
They need a lawyer to advise on Rules of Engagement.
And to help conduct an investigation into the disappearance of Major Holmes.
What has that got to do with you? I want the assignment, Admiral.
Colonel, that's a step backward for you.
It doesn't matter, sir.
Well, I'm shorthanded right now.
I don't think I can spare you.
Sir, Commander Rabb returns from convalescent leave tomorrow.
Only if I think he's ready.
I'm sure he will be.
And once he's back, you'll never miss me.
You underestimate your value.
Have a seat, Mac.
You want to tell me why you checked the message traffic for the first assignment that'd take you out of town? No, sir, respectfully.
Just received a request to forward Commander Brumby's records to the Royal Australian Navy.
He's returned to active duty.
Well, he missed the seafaring life, sir.
No, Mac.
He, uh he missed out on you, and that makes him one damn fool.
Is that why you're asking for a T.
A.
D.
assignment? Sir, I just can't talk about this one more time.
Job's yours.
That'll be all.
Thank you, sir.
Colonel, uh, take the gunny with you.
I can take care of myself, Admiral.
Oh, I know-- it's the marines aboard the Guadalacanal that I want to protect.
Ma'am.
Gunny, how long will it take you to throw some things in a sea bag? I keep one packed, Colonel.
Then meet me at Andrews at 1300.
Going out to the Guadalacanal, ma'am? That's affirmative, Gunny.
Figures, ma'am.
What makes you think that, Gunnery Sergeant? Do you really believe that I'm running away from my life here at JAG? Do you think that a simple thing like Ma'am, the missing Staff Judge Advocate is a marine.
It's natural you'd request the assignment.
Exactly.
GERGEN: As you know, from our first interview, Commander, a mishap investigation report by the safety review board is strictly confidential.
Today I want to talk to you about what happened after you ejected.
You suffered short-term memory loss.
Do you have your memory back? As far as I can tell.
The incident report indicates equipment failure post-ejection.
I was hoping you could clear up a few details.
Why did you take your helmet off while you were still in your descent? Shroud lines were wrapped around me.
I was being strangled.
You're aware the NATOPS manual says to keep your helmet on? I made a judgment call, Commander.
I wanted those damn lines off me before I hit the water.
You cut your way out of your risers.
Yeah, well, the release jammed.
There's nothing wrong with this release, Commander.
You know, Commander, it's one thing to stand in front of me and pop that thing open, but I can assure you when I was underwater, it didn't work.
When the Viking first flew over your position why didn't you use your flares? Well, the first one failed, and by the time I got to the second one the Viking disappeared Or did you panic, Commander? I didn't panic.
Then why didn't you follow standard emergency procedures? I was fighting for my life, Commander, being tossed about in eight- to ten-foot seas.
I did what I thought best.
And everything wasn't working the way it's supposed to.
The fact is, during this incident, you did nothing by the book.
Hey, if I did everything wrong, why am I still alive? Because, Commander, somebody up there likes you.
Huh.
Well, he can't like me too much-- I'm in here with you, aren't I? Thank you, Commander.
That'll be all.
Commander, after all that's happened are you sure you want to stay current? Yeah.
There've been a lot of guys who have gone through a lot less who don't have it in them to eject a second time.
Well, I'm not one of those guys.
Let's hope you don't have to find out.
(over P.
A.
): Lieutenant Commander Tyler, please report to the bridge.
Lieutenant Commander Tyler, please report to the bridge.
Welcome aboard, ma'am.
Thank you.
The captain requests your presence on the bridge.
MAN: JAG on deck.
Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie and Gunnery Sergeant Galindez reporting as ordered, sir.
Stand at ease.
You want to talk about Major Holmes.
When you have time, sir.
I have time now.
He was a friend of yours? An acquaintance, sir.
And why was the major on deck during flight operations, Captain? Well, he told the flight deck officer that he needed to interview an incoming helo pilot.
Had the pilot done something wrong? No.
The exercise had gone off without a hitch.
It's gonna be hard to know why he was out there.
Well, did anyone see him go over the side? No, but that's not a surprise-- there was a lot going on.
Accident? There was a possibility he got careless or distracted.
Can you think of anyone who may have had a grudge against the major, sir? Well, the major had a number of open cases.
I'll make those files available to you.
But quite honestly, I find it highly improbable that someone's going to push him overboard in front of a hundred potential witnesses.
Do you believe Major Holmes to be the kind of man who would kill himself, sir? The major kept mostly to himself, so I'd have a hard time answering that.
His wife's been informed? Yes.
And according to Mrs.
Holmes, the major was in good health and spirits.
Sometimes the wife is the last to know, sir.
Hmm.
Well, that's three theories, Colonel.
So where does that leave us? Welcome back, Commander.
Welcome back, sir.
Thanks.
Welcome back, sir.
Good to see you again, sir.
You're not going to find her there, sir.
At present, she's halfway around the world.
Australia? No, sir.
The Indian Ocean.
I imagine that's a pretty big surprise.
I understand she asked to go T.
A.
D.
I guess she wanted to get away.
Yeah, well, we all feel that way every now and again, don't we, Lieutenant, like we need a little space.
Tiner.
Nice to have you back, Commander.
Thank you.
I need to see the admiral right away.
Yes, sir.
Commander Rabb is Send him in.
Sir.
Commander! Good to have you back.
Well, thank you, sir.
It's good to be back.
So, how'd your interview go with the Safety Board? Oh, well enough, sir.
I'm primed and ready to get back to work.
Good.
Have a seat.
Thank you.
So, um, what makes you think you're ready to go back to full duty? Well, Admiral, I'm feeling better every day, and frankly, I'm going a little crazy sitting around that apartment.
My, uh, second tour in 'Nam was it was rough.
By the time I got stateside, I was pretty beat up.
First Sunday I was back I did something I hadn't done in a long time-- went to church.
Priest got to the blessings, and he gave a special thanks for my safe return.
Those few words damn near killed me.
Till then, I had no idea how bad I hurt.
Make of it what you will.
Meantime, with the Colonel T.
A.
D.
, I could use all the help I can get around here.
TINER (over intercom): Admiral, your ten hundred is here, sir.
Oh, send him in.
Sir, if Commander.
Admiral.
Good to see you.
Sturgis.
I thought you were in Pearl.
I was.
I checked in here last week.
CHEGWIDDEN: Commander Turner has just finished his tour as Force Judge Advocate at ComSubPac.
He's been assigned to the JAG Headquarters.
Why didn't you tell me? Ah, when was the last time we talked? I sent you a Christmas card.
Three years ago, to the wrong address.
It was the only address I had-- if you had bothered to stay in touch I wanted to get in touch with you CHEGWIDDEN: If you gentlemen are through catching up with old times Sorry, sir.
Sorry, sir.
The, uh, commanding officer at Naval Air Station at Whiting Field has filed charges against a Airman Tyree.
The airman was on integrity watch on the flight line when he took up a T-34 Charlie trainer.
Crashed on landing.
How badly was he hurt, sir? Mm, minor abrasions on his left leg.
Sounds like he got a little tired of chipping paint and cleaning windscreens.
(Chegwidden chuckles) Commander Turner, you will prosecute; Rabb, you'll defend.
Yes, sir.
Aye, sir.
Now, there's a matter of logistics.
Sir, I'll be more than happy to show the commander around.
Oh, good, good.
Then you can be the one to tell Roberts that Commander Turner has been assigned to his office.
Well, where will Lieutenant Roberts Mr.
Roberts will move back to his old office.
That'll be all.
ROBERTS: I need to know what happened, Scout Loveland.
Well, he said bad words.
Right.
But I need to know exactly what Master Chief Edwards said.
But on my honor, I can't repeat them.
Oh, no, I understand, Victor, but it's very important that we know the specific words.
Have you ever killed anyone? Excuse me? Like during the Gulf War.
No.
I was in R.
O.
T.
C.
at college.
But you do carry a gun now, right? No.
I'm a lawyer.
But have you ever fired a gun? Well, I'm weapons- qualified, yes.
Victor, we should probably talk about you, your Freedom Scout retreat and the navy master chief who cursed at you.
Okay, but I-I can't say the words.
Hey, what if I, like, write the words out, and then, that way, I won't have to say them? (chuckles): Hey, you ought to be a lawyer.
(knock on door) Lieutenant Roberts, I'd like you to meet Commander Sturgis Turner.
Pleasure to meet you, sir.
Lieutenant.
Heard a lot about you.
Welcome aboard.
Is it true that you were roommates at the academy? Company mates.
And as a midshipman you wrote the winning essay on leadership? RABB: Yes, and he still has the sword to prove it.
Oh, and you met at the brigade boxing finals? Yeah, where I got sucker-punched, huh? Uh, look, uh, Bud, I need to talk to you about something.
I'm afraid that That we're running late.
Commander's just gonna show me to my office.
The only one open is my old office.
You know what, sir, I should move back there.
It's a small, cramped room with steam pipes on the ceiling and down one wall.
Now you make it sound tempting, Lieutenant.
(laughs): Sir? Well, the commander was a submariner.
Yeah, but still Uh, you look settled in here, Lieutenant.
Nice meeting you.
It's, uh, it's just to the left there, Sturgis.
Thanks, Bud.
Did you gain weight? A little bit.
I'm working on it.
All right, here you go.
(chuckles) Wow! Yeah, the guy cussed great.
The "guy" was a navy master chief, Scout Loveland.
He should have known better than to curse in front of children.
None of us gave a damn.
MAN: We just brought in a CH-53.
MacKENZIE: How close is Major Holmes to the helo? He was behind the foul line, ma'am.
Well out of harm's way.
Was he acting strangely? Can't say.
Had my eyes on the helo.
Was anyone standing near Major Holmes? It was during flight ops, ma'am.
There were people all over the place.
Who yelled, "Man overboard"? Don't know for sure.
That's good.
What happened after you knew a man had gone overboard? Well, Captain launched a SAR helo, and then we called muster to count noses.
Once we searched the ship, it was pretty obvious he was missing.
And the vest that we recovered was the one that was issued to Major Holmes when he came aboard ship.
Well, how do you account for the fact that the vest became separated from Major Holmes? It's a six-story drop out there, and if the vest wasn't properly secured there's a chance it could have got torn off.
Hard to know just what happened, ma'am.
But it's a damn shame.
We had a perfect safety record up until now.
STURGIS: Two years confinement, loss of pay, busted to E-2.
Time served, formal counseling.
Why not just give him an air medal? Look, no one was hurt, the T-34 suffered minimal damage, the accused has expressed remorse.
He stole an airplane, Harm.
A trainer.
And if it was some bubblehead who'd stolen a midget sub you'd be arguing with me to cut him a break.
Now, come on.
That is simply not true.
We have Airman Tyree cold on wrongful appropriation and negligent damage to military property.
He's a bright kid, Sturgis.
He scored high marks on his exams, excellent evaluations.
Six months confinement, loss of pay, but Airman Tyree stays in the service.
Nope, no deal.
Well, then we're going to trial, my friend.
Then we go to trial.
GALINDEZ: What are we looking for, Colonel? Anyone who didn't want to see Major Holmes in court.
Had you ever, ma'am? We went up against each other a couple of times.
I didn't really know him outside of the courtroom.
Good lawyer? I beat him twice.
He argued with his heart, not his head.
Well, most of what's here is routine, ma'am.
Seaman stole a pack of cigarettes from the ship's store.
Two petty officers were busted for hiding a couple of cases of Scotch whiskey in a void on second deck.
And there's a Petty Officer Darling who made threats to Major Holmes.
Why? Major Holmes had Petty Officer Darling scheduled for a special court-martial for fighting.
Well, I'd like to talk to the petty officer.
Not a problem, ma'am.
It must be pretty tough going through life with everybody calling you Darling.
I wouldn't know.
I just pulled up a list of the last 50 Web sites Major Holmes visited.
Three are garden seed catalogs.
Amazon.
com six times.
And who the hell is Iris Dement? Ooh, awesome country singer, ma'am.
That's her Web site.
Huh.
Three different USO's.
Oh, that guy was a regular Boy Scout.
We need to get a look at his hard drive, Colonel.
Make arrangements with the computer specialist on board.
I have a feeling we're not going to find anything, though.
I don't think this guy had a life.
Hm.
Everybody has a life, Colonel, even Petty Officer Tiner.
MAN: Taking her up, Commander? Thinking about it.
Well, you've come a long way out here not to fly.
Well, sometimes it's better to stay on the ground.
Sometimes, I guess.
When you start out flying, you got no experience and a whole lot of luck.
You hope to end up with a whole lot of experience before you run out of that luck.
(chuckles) You, uh, feel lucky today? Oh, it's hard to say, Pops.
Why is that? Well, I, uh I recently used up a lifetime of luck in one night.
Well you let me know, okay? Yeah, will do.
TURNER: When did you discover the aircraft was missing? HARRELSON: The following morning, sir.
It was upside down in the grass.
And how did you link Airman Tyree to the theft and subsequent destruction of the aircraft? Objection.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Rephrase, Commander Turner.
How did you come to suspect that Airman Tyree might be linked: to the unusual state in which you found the aircraft? After his watch ended Airman Tyree had reported to sick bay with various cuts and abrasions.
Is there any doubt in your mind Airman Tyree was at the controls of the aircraft? He admitted as much when we questioned him, sir.
Did Airman Tyree have permission to fly the aircraft? No, sir, definitely not.
He was not trained as a pilot.
Thank you, Master Chief.
No further questions.
Master Chief the morning after its discovery when you examined the relocated aircraft what damage did you find? Well, it landed on grass, sir, so all it was, was a broken strut, sir, and a bent prop.
How soon did you have the aircraft flying again, Master Chief? The next day, sir.
So, damage to the T-34 Charlie was minimal, interruption to training, negligible.
Your Honor, counsel is editorializing.
Commander Rabb Master Chief, when you confronted Airman Tyree with your suspicions, did he deny it? No, sir.
In December of last year Master Chief, did the accused receive a letter of reprimand and was he reduced in rank from third class petty officer to airman? HARRELSON: Yes, sir.
RABB: For what reason? For taxing an aircraft too fast on the taxiway, sir.
Was he a qualified taxi pilot at that time? Yes, sir.
And as such, he was authorized to taxi aircraft to the run-up area to test their engines.
Is that correct? Yes, sir.
Does he still have such authorization? No, sir.
This is the accused's personnel file.
Master Chief, do you see a document giving written authorization to taxi aircraft as a taxi pilot? Yes, sir.
So he had every reason to believe he still had permission.
TURNER: Objection.
The Master Chief can't testify as to what Airman Tyree believed or did not believe.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
Redirect, Your Honor.
JUDGE: Mm-hmm, go ahead.
Master Chief Harrelson if Airman Tyree had his permission to taxi suspended, why was that document still in the file? It's bad record keeping, sir, but there's no doubt to his status.
Busted is busted, and he knew it.
Thank you, Master Chief.
No further questions, Your Honor.
You may step down.
JUDGE: We'll reconvene at 1400.
You may call your first witness then, Commander Rabb.
Court is in recess.
(pounds gavel) WOMAN: I guess you could say I threatened Major Holmes.
You, uh, threatened to "rip his heart out through his nose.
" That's a figure of speech, ma'am.
What was your grievance with the major? He wanted to bring me to a special court-martial for fighting.
If I was found guilty I was going to get kicked out of the navy.
Did you get into a fight? Everyone fights, Gunny.
They want us to be tough.
Where is the harm in that? MacKENZIE: You were working on deck the night Major Holmes went overboard.
So were a lot of sailors.
Your area of responsibility is on the starboard side of the flight deck.
That's the side off which Major Holmes fell.
Or was pushed.
I wasn't that mad, Gunny.
You have, uh-- to put it politely-- a problem with anger management.
Permission to speak off the record? Denied.
SINGER: Don't you ever lose your temper? Every now and then.
And you've never said a bad word.
Singer, there are 40 different words here.
I don't even know what several of them mean.
If there's anything you don't understand I'd be glad to help you out.
Okay, look, three months in the brig.
Reduction to E-8.
Suspend the bust and confinement and we'll arrange for voluntary community service.
Where's the punishment in that? The guy hates kids, right? Right.
Then do I have a deal for you.
MORROW: Here it is, ma'am.
That's everything I retrieved off the hard drive.
I got a look at some of it, ma'am.
I have to say this for the major-- he e-mailed his wife nearly every day.
GALINDEZ: What else? Well, Gunny, he, uh, corresponded with the American Rose Society.
He wanted to name a rose after his cleaning lady.
Anything of interest, Senior Chief? Uh, Major Holmes visited nearly every U.
S.
O.
in the Pacific.
He was real serious about it, ma'am.
He kept e-mailing this administrator at U.
S.
O.
headquarters.
What did he want to know? He would let her know where the Guadalcanal was going to be on liberty and she'd tell him all the things that he could do once he got to liberty port.
This woman have a name? Susan Evans.
He e-mailed her almost as often as his wife.
Airman Tyree, I'd like to revisit the night of the incident.
So would I, sir.
I'd do a lot of things differently.
Please wait for the question, Airman.
Oh, y-yes, sir.
I know we practiced it that way.
Ma'am, we-we didn't "practice" anything.
I-I reviewed the airman's testimony.
Let's see how it goes.
(Rabb sighs) Did you move the aircraft the night of the incident, Airman Tyree? Yes, sir, I did.
You see All right, were you moving it to the run-up area? In that direction, yes, sir.
Did you have permission to taxi the aircraft? I know how to do it, sir.
Actually, I became pretty good at it.
In fact, one of the pilots said I was Were you taxiing the aircraft too fast that night? Yes, sir.
As Master Chief Harrelson testified you had done it on at least one other occasion.
Yes, sir.
So, is it fair to say, Airman Tyree that while taxiing the aircraft for a moment, it traveled too quickly causing the plane to lift off, and in an attempt? Objection.
Three leading questions busts his quota, Your Honor.
Sustained.
Airman Tyree, why did the aircraft begin to lift off? Well, you see, sir, the motion of the wing through the air generates lift.
As the plane taxis down the runway when the lift exceeds the weight Did you intentionally fly the aircraft or did it get away from you? Well, sir, it pretty much got away from me and I lacked the skills to put her down right.
Thank you.
That will be all, ma'am.
Airman Tyree, until recently, you had an exemplary service record.
Thank you, Commander.
Given your high regard for naval aviation, you ever thought about taking flying lessons? Yes, sir, but they're expensive.
Oh, why not apply for flight training? I don't have a college degree, sir, so, no commission.
Ah.
Do you have a dream, Airman Tyree? Objection.
Vague.
I'll allow it.
All my life I wanted to fly, sir.
And now you have, Airman Tyree.
You have taken a naval aircraft for an unauthorized flight and crashed it.
Objection, Your Honor.
Commander Turner, do you have a question to ask the accused? I do, Your Honor.
Airman Tyree, was it your intention to profit from the borrowing of this aircraft? Did you plan to sell it for scrap? Cut it up for spare parts? Uh, no, sir.
I just wanted to get it up in the air, just once to see what it was like.
TURNER: Would it be fair to say that your flight was not an accident? Only the last part was, sir.
No further questions, Your Honor.
JUDGE: Commander Rabb, do you have any other questions? None come to mind, ma'am.
Court is in recess until 1500, at which time we'll have argument.
GALINDEZ: Bingo, ma'am.
Tell me.
Susan Evans is an entertainment coordinator with the U.
S.
O.
She came aboard the Guadalcanal with the U.
S.
O.
unit four months ago.
Had lunch and dinner in the wardroom.
That must be where they met.
Major Holmes has been in touch with her seven times since that visit, and each time he's requested information on the U.
S.
O.
facility at the next liberty port the Guadalcanal was scheduled to visit.
And she met him there? I did a quick check with her credit card company.
Miss Evans stayed in a hotel in each of the seven ports the Guadalcanal visited.
Gives a whole new meaning to the term "follow the fleet.
" She's beautiful.
Yes, ma'am.
Her last stay was in Jakarta.
Ship didn't stop there.
No, ma'am, but it came real close and that's where they inserted the marines on maneuvers.
Okay, say Major Holmes faked his own death and then jumped ship.
Where would he hide, and how would he get off the Guadalcanal to hook up with Susan Evans? Let's go, Gunny.
First, Major Holmes hangs a torn piece of uniform sleeve on a stanchion tosses the float gear over the side and yells "man overboard.
" Kept the cranial and goggles on because no one can recognize anybody in those damn things.
While the ship is being searched he hides in here.
Holmes knew about this void because of the two cases of scotch the petty officers had hidden here.
Gunny, pull the screen.
Yes, ma'am.
All right, go ahead.
Look at that sleeve, ma'am.
This is Major Holmes' shirt.
He definitely spent the night here.
(sighs) You're in no shape to play.
I'm fine.
Yeah, then how come I'm up 17-10? 'Cause you're cheating.
(both laugh) Coming at you.
You still with that girl, the, uh the widow with the kid? No.
She dumped me years ago.
Oh, that's too bad; I liked her.
That was Annie, right? Don't know what it is; they never stay.
Smart.
What's that? They're too smart.
Or they You find they get smarter as time goes by? Or the opposite: We get stupider.
Oh.
Mm.
With my recent luck with women, that is a definite possibility.
Ready? So, you got a girl? Nope.
She's got me.
(pager beeping) The judge is back with the verdict.
JUDGE: In the case of the United States v.
Airman Peter Tyree, United States Navy this court finds you guilty of all charges and specifications.
Sentencing will commence at 1100 tomorrow.
Court is in recess.
That's okay, sir.
I know I didn't give you much to work with.
Considering you never had a case, Harm, you did a great job.
It was my fault, Commander Turner.
Sometimes when I get excited, my mouth gets ahead of my brain.
But you did a good job tripping me up.
I took no pleasure in it, Airman.
I know that, sir.
I just wish I could fly as good as you talk.
The first wave went ashore at 0600, ma'am.
How many men per boat? the LCACs Marines stay inside their vehicles due to the noise of the engines.
Where do they muster? Hanger deck.
Marines do head counts and personnel manifests are taken in the case of a mishap.
Then they board their vehicles.
You ever had any unauthorized personnel go ashore? Once or twice, someone snuck on board the LCAC after the head count.
Did you know Major Holmes by sight? Well, you know how it is during maneuvers, Gunnery Sergeant.
All those Marines dressed in camou and got their faces painted black.
So, down here, I wouldn't know him from Adam.
What happens when the marines hit the Jakarta Beach? The trucks head inland, ma'am.
After that, a man could hide just about anywhere.
Are you lost, Commander? No, sir.
Who the hell are you? Commander Rabb, sir.
I was hoping to speak with Admiral Landry at a convenient moment, sir.
Well, now is not convenient, but you've already barged in.
So, whatever you have to say, you can say it to all of us.
Aye, sir.
Come on in, Commander and close the hatch behind you.
Yes, sir.
Master Chief, Lieutenant Roberts and I have settled on a deal pending your agreement.
A suspended sentence and 200 hours of community service.
Okay, ma'am.
Where? The Norfolk Freedom Scout Camp.
Now, you say one word there other than "please" or "thank you" and you will spend six months in the brig.
Is that really the best you can do, ma'am? Let's review the evidence against you, Master Chief.
Shall we start with the four-letter words or the compound ones? JUDGE: Commander Turner, Commander Rabb.
I'd like to thank you for all the time and effort you've put into this case.
There will be no sentence handed down in this case.
In fact, my verdict stands null and void.
Uh Ma'am? That's because there is no more case.
Admiral Landry, who is AIRLANT has assumed convening authority in this matter and directed that all charges be withdrawn.
You are free to return to duty.
Thank you, ma'am.
Court is adjourned.
(gavel pounds) Commander Rabb the navy has programs to put superior enlisted personnel through college and then OCS.
Yes, Your Honor.
Admiral Landry suggests Airman Tyree might make a fine candidate How the hell did you get a three-star to take up Airman Tyree's cause? I told him the truth.
The airman's a smart kid who needs a little education and a lot of time to grow up.
The navy is always looking for men with dedication and passion.
Hey, anybody who wants to fly that badly, well (chuckles) they should be flying for us.
(car horn honking) Thank you.
GALINDEZ: Miss Evans.
Who are you? Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez, ma'am.
Where's Major Holmes? End of the line, Miss Evans.
How did you find us? Well, you used your credit card one too many times, ma'am.
Come with me, please.
Thank you, sir.
Major Holmes.
Colonel MacKenzie.
Major, why fake your death? It was the only way, ma'am.
You put your wife through hell.
Why not just file for divorce? This way, she got my insurance, and I got a new life.
Where were you going to live? In a shack on the beach in Indonesia? It worked for Gauguin.
That was Tahiti and he painted.
I don't expect you to understand, ma'am.
You didn't have to take a wrecking ball to your life.
I didn't give up one damn thing I wanted, Colonel.
With Susan, I'd finally gotten to a place where anything-- a sunset, the curve of her thigh, the air I breathe-- anything was enough with her.
Didn't you ever love anyone so much that you would have given up the world for? Did love ever make you crazy? Once or twice.
Not again? Well, maybe one day, you'll get up the nerve to stop playing it safe and work without a net.
Wow! What is this exactly, sir? It's a Stearman.
Two generations of naval aviators trained in one of these.
Yours? My dad's.
He teach you to fly? Well, he, uh he taught me to want to fly.
Are you ever afraid, sir, when you're up there? Hell, yeah.
I'm afraid of screwing up, afraid of losing control.
Not afraid of dying? No.
You can't be.
How about you, Peter? Where did you get the bug? Well, you're going to laugh, sir.
Top Gun, Midway 12 O'Clock High.
That was the late show.
See, you're laughing.
Oh, I've seen them all: 30 Seconds Over Tokyo Flying Leathernecks, Bridges at Tokori Oh, that's my favorite, sir.
I always get a lump in my throat when Bill Holden and Mickey Rooney get killed.
And the admiral, what was his name? Fredric March.
Yes.
Then the admiral says "Where do we get such men?" Go on, sit up front.
Get up there.
(Tyree whooping) (laughing) You ready? Yes, sir.
She's yours.
(laughing)
Major Holmes, please stay clear of the foul line, sir.
Right.
Sorry, but there's a pilot I need to interview as soon as he lands.
I'll bring him to you, sir.
Just stay clear of the foul line.
His name's Captain Campbell.
Major Holmes needs to see you, sir.
Major Holmes! Major Holmes! FDO, be advised, you have a man overboard, starboard side.
INTERCOM: Bridge, Pri-Fly.
We have a man overboard, starboard side.
Roger that.
Left full ruder.
Port engine stop.
Execute a Williamson turn.
Stand by, the duty lifeboat party.
Stand by, the saw bird.
Stand by, signal bridge.
This is not a drill.
Man overboard.
(phone rings) Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, good morning.
(laughs): Oh.
I love you, too.
So, when do I book my trip back for the wedding? Mac? Um, I have news about Mic.
Something happened to him? He's not hurt, is he? He went back to Australia.
Oh.
So, when's he coming back? He's gone, Chloe forever.
His choice.
He dumped you? Yeah.
But why would he do that? Because I didn't love him with all my heart.
Is Harm there with you? No.
He's at a funeral.
Renee's father died.
Chloe, I'm not going to discuss this any further.
You don't need to.
I know what happened.
Harm happened.
I love you.
(line clicks, dial tone drones) (sighs) Well, good morning, sunshine.
RENEE: He looks so peaceful.
RABB: Yeah, he does.
Dad's wearing his favorite suit.
Oh.
Uh, it's it's becoming.
I wish you two had met.
(sniffles): Well, it's too late now.
Why don't we join the others.
Okay.
(sniffles) Good-bye, Daddy.
Hello, Renee.
Oh, Cyrus.
Oh Mother sends her condolences.
Cyrus Fortney, Commander Harmon Rabb.
Nice to meet you.
RABB: Yeah, you, too.
RENEE: He looks wonderful.
Oh, well, Renee, he's your dad, so I took special care of him.
Cyrus does all of the work himself.
Really? You know, so much of the hands-on work is farmed out these days.
Well, that's interesting.
Renee, why don't you and, um, uh, um Cyrus.
Cyrus catch up, and I'm going to wait for you outside.
Okay.
Okay.
So, nice meeting you.
Take care.
Mrs.
Petersen.
Why, Renee tells me that you're leaving right after the service.
Yes, ma'am.
I need to get back to Washington ASAP.
Nonsense.
I'm sure that no man wants to hear this, but JAG can manage without you.
(both laugh) Mrs.
Petersen, I'd really just be in the way here.
Oh, not at all.
And I know it would mean the world to Renee to have you close.
She dotes on you.
That's Cyrus Fortney.
Yes, yes.
We met.
Well, Cyrus is a lovely boy.
He and Renee were sweethearts for years.
But she forgot all about him when he went to embalming school.
Well, imagine that.
Do you know that that casket is solid bronze? Weighs a ton.
Wow.
It will keep my husband safe for at least a hundred years.
SINGER: Good morning, ma'am.
MacKENZIE: Good morning, Lieutenant.
Did you talk to Mic, Colonel? No.
Did he call? No.
Well, then what? About rescheduling the wedding.
Uh, it's off.
Off? Yeah.
Mic went back to Australia.
That's terrible.
You must feel dreadful.
I mean, when? Uh, why? If you'd like to talk about it, ma'am, I'm here for you.
ROBERTS: Good morning, ma'am.
Morning.
Harriet and I left the weekend open in case you decide to reschedule.
So you let us know where and when.
We'll be there with bells on.
That'll be when hell freezes over.
Good morning, Colonel.
So, when's the big day? Tiner, no questions.
Get me in to see the admiral.
That's an order.
Y-Yes, ma'am.
This is the message traffic you asked for, ma'am.
Admiral, Colonel MacKenzie would like a word with you, sir.
Send her in.
Aye, sir.
Sir, I've just learned Major Miles Holmes, the Staff Judge Advocate for the Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the Guadalcanal, was reported missing at sea last night.
I've seen the OPREP and casualty reports.
The Amphibious Ready Group is on joint maneuvers with the Indian Navy, Admiral.
They need a lawyer to advise on Rules of Engagement.
And to help conduct an investigation into the disappearance of Major Holmes.
What has that got to do with you? I want the assignment, Admiral.
Colonel, that's a step backward for you.
It doesn't matter, sir.
Well, I'm shorthanded right now.
I don't think I can spare you.
Sir, Commander Rabb returns from convalescent leave tomorrow.
Only if I think he's ready.
I'm sure he will be.
And once he's back, you'll never miss me.
You underestimate your value.
Have a seat, Mac.
You want to tell me why you checked the message traffic for the first assignment that'd take you out of town? No, sir, respectfully.
Just received a request to forward Commander Brumby's records to the Royal Australian Navy.
He's returned to active duty.
Well, he missed the seafaring life, sir.
No, Mac.
He, uh he missed out on you, and that makes him one damn fool.
Is that why you're asking for a T.
A.
D.
assignment? Sir, I just can't talk about this one more time.
Job's yours.
That'll be all.
Thank you, sir.
Colonel, uh, take the gunny with you.
I can take care of myself, Admiral.
Oh, I know-- it's the marines aboard the Guadalacanal that I want to protect.
Ma'am.
Gunny, how long will it take you to throw some things in a sea bag? I keep one packed, Colonel.
Then meet me at Andrews at 1300.
Going out to the Guadalacanal, ma'am? That's affirmative, Gunny.
Figures, ma'am.
What makes you think that, Gunnery Sergeant? Do you really believe that I'm running away from my life here at JAG? Do you think that a simple thing like Ma'am, the missing Staff Judge Advocate is a marine.
It's natural you'd request the assignment.
Exactly.
GERGEN: As you know, from our first interview, Commander, a mishap investigation report by the safety review board is strictly confidential.
Today I want to talk to you about what happened after you ejected.
You suffered short-term memory loss.
Do you have your memory back? As far as I can tell.
The incident report indicates equipment failure post-ejection.
I was hoping you could clear up a few details.
Why did you take your helmet off while you were still in your descent? Shroud lines were wrapped around me.
I was being strangled.
You're aware the NATOPS manual says to keep your helmet on? I made a judgment call, Commander.
I wanted those damn lines off me before I hit the water.
You cut your way out of your risers.
Yeah, well, the release jammed.
There's nothing wrong with this release, Commander.
You know, Commander, it's one thing to stand in front of me and pop that thing open, but I can assure you when I was underwater, it didn't work.
When the Viking first flew over your position why didn't you use your flares? Well, the first one failed, and by the time I got to the second one the Viking disappeared Or did you panic, Commander? I didn't panic.
Then why didn't you follow standard emergency procedures? I was fighting for my life, Commander, being tossed about in eight- to ten-foot seas.
I did what I thought best.
And everything wasn't working the way it's supposed to.
The fact is, during this incident, you did nothing by the book.
Hey, if I did everything wrong, why am I still alive? Because, Commander, somebody up there likes you.
Huh.
Well, he can't like me too much-- I'm in here with you, aren't I? Thank you, Commander.
That'll be all.
Commander, after all that's happened are you sure you want to stay current? Yeah.
There've been a lot of guys who have gone through a lot less who don't have it in them to eject a second time.
Well, I'm not one of those guys.
Let's hope you don't have to find out.
(over P.
A.
): Lieutenant Commander Tyler, please report to the bridge.
Lieutenant Commander Tyler, please report to the bridge.
Welcome aboard, ma'am.
Thank you.
The captain requests your presence on the bridge.
MAN: JAG on deck.
Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie and Gunnery Sergeant Galindez reporting as ordered, sir.
Stand at ease.
You want to talk about Major Holmes.
When you have time, sir.
I have time now.
He was a friend of yours? An acquaintance, sir.
And why was the major on deck during flight operations, Captain? Well, he told the flight deck officer that he needed to interview an incoming helo pilot.
Had the pilot done something wrong? No.
The exercise had gone off without a hitch.
It's gonna be hard to know why he was out there.
Well, did anyone see him go over the side? No, but that's not a surprise-- there was a lot going on.
Accident? There was a possibility he got careless or distracted.
Can you think of anyone who may have had a grudge against the major, sir? Well, the major had a number of open cases.
I'll make those files available to you.
But quite honestly, I find it highly improbable that someone's going to push him overboard in front of a hundred potential witnesses.
Do you believe Major Holmes to be the kind of man who would kill himself, sir? The major kept mostly to himself, so I'd have a hard time answering that.
His wife's been informed? Yes.
And according to Mrs.
Holmes, the major was in good health and spirits.
Sometimes the wife is the last to know, sir.
Hmm.
Well, that's three theories, Colonel.
So where does that leave us? Welcome back, Commander.
Welcome back, sir.
Thanks.
Welcome back, sir.
Good to see you again, sir.
You're not going to find her there, sir.
At present, she's halfway around the world.
Australia? No, sir.
The Indian Ocean.
I imagine that's a pretty big surprise.
I understand she asked to go T.
A.
D.
I guess she wanted to get away.
Yeah, well, we all feel that way every now and again, don't we, Lieutenant, like we need a little space.
Tiner.
Nice to have you back, Commander.
Thank you.
I need to see the admiral right away.
Yes, sir.
Commander Rabb is Send him in.
Sir.
Commander! Good to have you back.
Well, thank you, sir.
It's good to be back.
So, how'd your interview go with the Safety Board? Oh, well enough, sir.
I'm primed and ready to get back to work.
Good.
Have a seat.
Thank you.
So, um, what makes you think you're ready to go back to full duty? Well, Admiral, I'm feeling better every day, and frankly, I'm going a little crazy sitting around that apartment.
My, uh, second tour in 'Nam was it was rough.
By the time I got stateside, I was pretty beat up.
First Sunday I was back I did something I hadn't done in a long time-- went to church.
Priest got to the blessings, and he gave a special thanks for my safe return.
Those few words damn near killed me.
Till then, I had no idea how bad I hurt.
Make of it what you will.
Meantime, with the Colonel T.
A.
D.
, I could use all the help I can get around here.
TINER (over intercom): Admiral, your ten hundred is here, sir.
Oh, send him in.
Sir, if Commander.
Admiral.
Good to see you.
Sturgis.
I thought you were in Pearl.
I was.
I checked in here last week.
CHEGWIDDEN: Commander Turner has just finished his tour as Force Judge Advocate at ComSubPac.
He's been assigned to the JAG Headquarters.
Why didn't you tell me? Ah, when was the last time we talked? I sent you a Christmas card.
Three years ago, to the wrong address.
It was the only address I had-- if you had bothered to stay in touch I wanted to get in touch with you CHEGWIDDEN: If you gentlemen are through catching up with old times Sorry, sir.
Sorry, sir.
The, uh, commanding officer at Naval Air Station at Whiting Field has filed charges against a Airman Tyree.
The airman was on integrity watch on the flight line when he took up a T-34 Charlie trainer.
Crashed on landing.
How badly was he hurt, sir? Mm, minor abrasions on his left leg.
Sounds like he got a little tired of chipping paint and cleaning windscreens.
(Chegwidden chuckles) Commander Turner, you will prosecute; Rabb, you'll defend.
Yes, sir.
Aye, sir.
Now, there's a matter of logistics.
Sir, I'll be more than happy to show the commander around.
Oh, good, good.
Then you can be the one to tell Roberts that Commander Turner has been assigned to his office.
Well, where will Lieutenant Roberts Mr.
Roberts will move back to his old office.
That'll be all.
ROBERTS: I need to know what happened, Scout Loveland.
Well, he said bad words.
Right.
But I need to know exactly what Master Chief Edwards said.
But on my honor, I can't repeat them.
Oh, no, I understand, Victor, but it's very important that we know the specific words.
Have you ever killed anyone? Excuse me? Like during the Gulf War.
No.
I was in R.
O.
T.
C.
at college.
But you do carry a gun now, right? No.
I'm a lawyer.
But have you ever fired a gun? Well, I'm weapons- qualified, yes.
Victor, we should probably talk about you, your Freedom Scout retreat and the navy master chief who cursed at you.
Okay, but I-I can't say the words.
Hey, what if I, like, write the words out, and then, that way, I won't have to say them? (chuckles): Hey, you ought to be a lawyer.
(knock on door) Lieutenant Roberts, I'd like you to meet Commander Sturgis Turner.
Pleasure to meet you, sir.
Lieutenant.
Heard a lot about you.
Welcome aboard.
Is it true that you were roommates at the academy? Company mates.
And as a midshipman you wrote the winning essay on leadership? RABB: Yes, and he still has the sword to prove it.
Oh, and you met at the brigade boxing finals? Yeah, where I got sucker-punched, huh? Uh, look, uh, Bud, I need to talk to you about something.
I'm afraid that That we're running late.
Commander's just gonna show me to my office.
The only one open is my old office.
You know what, sir, I should move back there.
It's a small, cramped room with steam pipes on the ceiling and down one wall.
Now you make it sound tempting, Lieutenant.
(laughs): Sir? Well, the commander was a submariner.
Yeah, but still Uh, you look settled in here, Lieutenant.
Nice meeting you.
It's, uh, it's just to the left there, Sturgis.
Thanks, Bud.
Did you gain weight? A little bit.
I'm working on it.
All right, here you go.
(chuckles) Wow! Yeah, the guy cussed great.
The "guy" was a navy master chief, Scout Loveland.
He should have known better than to curse in front of children.
None of us gave a damn.
MAN: We just brought in a CH-53.
MacKENZIE: How close is Major Holmes to the helo? He was behind the foul line, ma'am.
Well out of harm's way.
Was he acting strangely? Can't say.
Had my eyes on the helo.
Was anyone standing near Major Holmes? It was during flight ops, ma'am.
There were people all over the place.
Who yelled, "Man overboard"? Don't know for sure.
That's good.
What happened after you knew a man had gone overboard? Well, Captain launched a SAR helo, and then we called muster to count noses.
Once we searched the ship, it was pretty obvious he was missing.
And the vest that we recovered was the one that was issued to Major Holmes when he came aboard ship.
Well, how do you account for the fact that the vest became separated from Major Holmes? It's a six-story drop out there, and if the vest wasn't properly secured there's a chance it could have got torn off.
Hard to know just what happened, ma'am.
But it's a damn shame.
We had a perfect safety record up until now.
STURGIS: Two years confinement, loss of pay, busted to E-2.
Time served, formal counseling.
Why not just give him an air medal? Look, no one was hurt, the T-34 suffered minimal damage, the accused has expressed remorse.
He stole an airplane, Harm.
A trainer.
And if it was some bubblehead who'd stolen a midget sub you'd be arguing with me to cut him a break.
Now, come on.
That is simply not true.
We have Airman Tyree cold on wrongful appropriation and negligent damage to military property.
He's a bright kid, Sturgis.
He scored high marks on his exams, excellent evaluations.
Six months confinement, loss of pay, but Airman Tyree stays in the service.
Nope, no deal.
Well, then we're going to trial, my friend.
Then we go to trial.
GALINDEZ: What are we looking for, Colonel? Anyone who didn't want to see Major Holmes in court.
Had you ever, ma'am? We went up against each other a couple of times.
I didn't really know him outside of the courtroom.
Good lawyer? I beat him twice.
He argued with his heart, not his head.
Well, most of what's here is routine, ma'am.
Seaman stole a pack of cigarettes from the ship's store.
Two petty officers were busted for hiding a couple of cases of Scotch whiskey in a void on second deck.
And there's a Petty Officer Darling who made threats to Major Holmes.
Why? Major Holmes had Petty Officer Darling scheduled for a special court-martial for fighting.
Well, I'd like to talk to the petty officer.
Not a problem, ma'am.
It must be pretty tough going through life with everybody calling you Darling.
I wouldn't know.
I just pulled up a list of the last 50 Web sites Major Holmes visited.
Three are garden seed catalogs.
Amazon.
com six times.
And who the hell is Iris Dement? Ooh, awesome country singer, ma'am.
That's her Web site.
Huh.
Three different USO's.
Oh, that guy was a regular Boy Scout.
We need to get a look at his hard drive, Colonel.
Make arrangements with the computer specialist on board.
I have a feeling we're not going to find anything, though.
I don't think this guy had a life.
Hm.
Everybody has a life, Colonel, even Petty Officer Tiner.
MAN: Taking her up, Commander? Thinking about it.
Well, you've come a long way out here not to fly.
Well, sometimes it's better to stay on the ground.
Sometimes, I guess.
When you start out flying, you got no experience and a whole lot of luck.
You hope to end up with a whole lot of experience before you run out of that luck.
(chuckles) You, uh, feel lucky today? Oh, it's hard to say, Pops.
Why is that? Well, I, uh I recently used up a lifetime of luck in one night.
Well you let me know, okay? Yeah, will do.
TURNER: When did you discover the aircraft was missing? HARRELSON: The following morning, sir.
It was upside down in the grass.
And how did you link Airman Tyree to the theft and subsequent destruction of the aircraft? Objection.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Rephrase, Commander Turner.
How did you come to suspect that Airman Tyree might be linked: to the unusual state in which you found the aircraft? After his watch ended Airman Tyree had reported to sick bay with various cuts and abrasions.
Is there any doubt in your mind Airman Tyree was at the controls of the aircraft? He admitted as much when we questioned him, sir.
Did Airman Tyree have permission to fly the aircraft? No, sir, definitely not.
He was not trained as a pilot.
Thank you, Master Chief.
No further questions.
Master Chief the morning after its discovery when you examined the relocated aircraft what damage did you find? Well, it landed on grass, sir, so all it was, was a broken strut, sir, and a bent prop.
How soon did you have the aircraft flying again, Master Chief? The next day, sir.
So, damage to the T-34 Charlie was minimal, interruption to training, negligible.
Your Honor, counsel is editorializing.
Commander Rabb Master Chief, when you confronted Airman Tyree with your suspicions, did he deny it? No, sir.
In December of last year Master Chief, did the accused receive a letter of reprimand and was he reduced in rank from third class petty officer to airman? HARRELSON: Yes, sir.
RABB: For what reason? For taxing an aircraft too fast on the taxiway, sir.
Was he a qualified taxi pilot at that time? Yes, sir.
And as such, he was authorized to taxi aircraft to the run-up area to test their engines.
Is that correct? Yes, sir.
Does he still have such authorization? No, sir.
This is the accused's personnel file.
Master Chief, do you see a document giving written authorization to taxi aircraft as a taxi pilot? Yes, sir.
So he had every reason to believe he still had permission.
TURNER: Objection.
The Master Chief can't testify as to what Airman Tyree believed or did not believe.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
Redirect, Your Honor.
JUDGE: Mm-hmm, go ahead.
Master Chief Harrelson if Airman Tyree had his permission to taxi suspended, why was that document still in the file? It's bad record keeping, sir, but there's no doubt to his status.
Busted is busted, and he knew it.
Thank you, Master Chief.
No further questions, Your Honor.
You may step down.
JUDGE: We'll reconvene at 1400.
You may call your first witness then, Commander Rabb.
Court is in recess.
(pounds gavel) WOMAN: I guess you could say I threatened Major Holmes.
You, uh, threatened to "rip his heart out through his nose.
" That's a figure of speech, ma'am.
What was your grievance with the major? He wanted to bring me to a special court-martial for fighting.
If I was found guilty I was going to get kicked out of the navy.
Did you get into a fight? Everyone fights, Gunny.
They want us to be tough.
Where is the harm in that? MacKENZIE: You were working on deck the night Major Holmes went overboard.
So were a lot of sailors.
Your area of responsibility is on the starboard side of the flight deck.
That's the side off which Major Holmes fell.
Or was pushed.
I wasn't that mad, Gunny.
You have, uh-- to put it politely-- a problem with anger management.
Permission to speak off the record? Denied.
SINGER: Don't you ever lose your temper? Every now and then.
And you've never said a bad word.
Singer, there are 40 different words here.
I don't even know what several of them mean.
If there's anything you don't understand I'd be glad to help you out.
Okay, look, three months in the brig.
Reduction to E-8.
Suspend the bust and confinement and we'll arrange for voluntary community service.
Where's the punishment in that? The guy hates kids, right? Right.
Then do I have a deal for you.
MORROW: Here it is, ma'am.
That's everything I retrieved off the hard drive.
I got a look at some of it, ma'am.
I have to say this for the major-- he e-mailed his wife nearly every day.
GALINDEZ: What else? Well, Gunny, he, uh, corresponded with the American Rose Society.
He wanted to name a rose after his cleaning lady.
Anything of interest, Senior Chief? Uh, Major Holmes visited nearly every U.
S.
O.
in the Pacific.
He was real serious about it, ma'am.
He kept e-mailing this administrator at U.
S.
O.
headquarters.
What did he want to know? He would let her know where the Guadalcanal was going to be on liberty and she'd tell him all the things that he could do once he got to liberty port.
This woman have a name? Susan Evans.
He e-mailed her almost as often as his wife.
Airman Tyree, I'd like to revisit the night of the incident.
So would I, sir.
I'd do a lot of things differently.
Please wait for the question, Airman.
Oh, y-yes, sir.
I know we practiced it that way.
Ma'am, we-we didn't "practice" anything.
I-I reviewed the airman's testimony.
Let's see how it goes.
(Rabb sighs) Did you move the aircraft the night of the incident, Airman Tyree? Yes, sir, I did.
You see All right, were you moving it to the run-up area? In that direction, yes, sir.
Did you have permission to taxi the aircraft? I know how to do it, sir.
Actually, I became pretty good at it.
In fact, one of the pilots said I was Were you taxiing the aircraft too fast that night? Yes, sir.
As Master Chief Harrelson testified you had done it on at least one other occasion.
Yes, sir.
So, is it fair to say, Airman Tyree that while taxiing the aircraft for a moment, it traveled too quickly causing the plane to lift off, and in an attempt? Objection.
Three leading questions busts his quota, Your Honor.
Sustained.
Airman Tyree, why did the aircraft begin to lift off? Well, you see, sir, the motion of the wing through the air generates lift.
As the plane taxis down the runway when the lift exceeds the weight Did you intentionally fly the aircraft or did it get away from you? Well, sir, it pretty much got away from me and I lacked the skills to put her down right.
Thank you.
That will be all, ma'am.
Airman Tyree, until recently, you had an exemplary service record.
Thank you, Commander.
Given your high regard for naval aviation, you ever thought about taking flying lessons? Yes, sir, but they're expensive.
Oh, why not apply for flight training? I don't have a college degree, sir, so, no commission.
Ah.
Do you have a dream, Airman Tyree? Objection.
Vague.
I'll allow it.
All my life I wanted to fly, sir.
And now you have, Airman Tyree.
You have taken a naval aircraft for an unauthorized flight and crashed it.
Objection, Your Honor.
Commander Turner, do you have a question to ask the accused? I do, Your Honor.
Airman Tyree, was it your intention to profit from the borrowing of this aircraft? Did you plan to sell it for scrap? Cut it up for spare parts? Uh, no, sir.
I just wanted to get it up in the air, just once to see what it was like.
TURNER: Would it be fair to say that your flight was not an accident? Only the last part was, sir.
No further questions, Your Honor.
JUDGE: Commander Rabb, do you have any other questions? None come to mind, ma'am.
Court is in recess until 1500, at which time we'll have argument.
GALINDEZ: Bingo, ma'am.
Tell me.
Susan Evans is an entertainment coordinator with the U.
S.
O.
She came aboard the Guadalcanal with the U.
S.
O.
unit four months ago.
Had lunch and dinner in the wardroom.
That must be where they met.
Major Holmes has been in touch with her seven times since that visit, and each time he's requested information on the U.
S.
O.
facility at the next liberty port the Guadalcanal was scheduled to visit.
And she met him there? I did a quick check with her credit card company.
Miss Evans stayed in a hotel in each of the seven ports the Guadalcanal visited.
Gives a whole new meaning to the term "follow the fleet.
" She's beautiful.
Yes, ma'am.
Her last stay was in Jakarta.
Ship didn't stop there.
No, ma'am, but it came real close and that's where they inserted the marines on maneuvers.
Okay, say Major Holmes faked his own death and then jumped ship.
Where would he hide, and how would he get off the Guadalcanal to hook up with Susan Evans? Let's go, Gunny.
First, Major Holmes hangs a torn piece of uniform sleeve on a stanchion tosses the float gear over the side and yells "man overboard.
" Kept the cranial and goggles on because no one can recognize anybody in those damn things.
While the ship is being searched he hides in here.
Holmes knew about this void because of the two cases of scotch the petty officers had hidden here.
Gunny, pull the screen.
Yes, ma'am.
All right, go ahead.
Look at that sleeve, ma'am.
This is Major Holmes' shirt.
He definitely spent the night here.
(sighs) You're in no shape to play.
I'm fine.
Yeah, then how come I'm up 17-10? 'Cause you're cheating.
(both laugh) Coming at you.
You still with that girl, the, uh the widow with the kid? No.
She dumped me years ago.
Oh, that's too bad; I liked her.
That was Annie, right? Don't know what it is; they never stay.
Smart.
What's that? They're too smart.
Or they You find they get smarter as time goes by? Or the opposite: We get stupider.
Oh.
Mm.
With my recent luck with women, that is a definite possibility.
Ready? So, you got a girl? Nope.
She's got me.
(pager beeping) The judge is back with the verdict.
JUDGE: In the case of the United States v.
Airman Peter Tyree, United States Navy this court finds you guilty of all charges and specifications.
Sentencing will commence at 1100 tomorrow.
Court is in recess.
That's okay, sir.
I know I didn't give you much to work with.
Considering you never had a case, Harm, you did a great job.
It was my fault, Commander Turner.
Sometimes when I get excited, my mouth gets ahead of my brain.
But you did a good job tripping me up.
I took no pleasure in it, Airman.
I know that, sir.
I just wish I could fly as good as you talk.
The first wave went ashore at 0600, ma'am.
How many men per boat? the LCACs Marines stay inside their vehicles due to the noise of the engines.
Where do they muster? Hanger deck.
Marines do head counts and personnel manifests are taken in the case of a mishap.
Then they board their vehicles.
You ever had any unauthorized personnel go ashore? Once or twice, someone snuck on board the LCAC after the head count.
Did you know Major Holmes by sight? Well, you know how it is during maneuvers, Gunnery Sergeant.
All those Marines dressed in camou and got their faces painted black.
So, down here, I wouldn't know him from Adam.
What happens when the marines hit the Jakarta Beach? The trucks head inland, ma'am.
After that, a man could hide just about anywhere.
Are you lost, Commander? No, sir.
Who the hell are you? Commander Rabb, sir.
I was hoping to speak with Admiral Landry at a convenient moment, sir.
Well, now is not convenient, but you've already barged in.
So, whatever you have to say, you can say it to all of us.
Aye, sir.
Come on in, Commander and close the hatch behind you.
Yes, sir.
Master Chief, Lieutenant Roberts and I have settled on a deal pending your agreement.
A suspended sentence and 200 hours of community service.
Okay, ma'am.
Where? The Norfolk Freedom Scout Camp.
Now, you say one word there other than "please" or "thank you" and you will spend six months in the brig.
Is that really the best you can do, ma'am? Let's review the evidence against you, Master Chief.
Shall we start with the four-letter words or the compound ones? JUDGE: Commander Turner, Commander Rabb.
I'd like to thank you for all the time and effort you've put into this case.
There will be no sentence handed down in this case.
In fact, my verdict stands null and void.
Uh Ma'am? That's because there is no more case.
Admiral Landry, who is AIRLANT has assumed convening authority in this matter and directed that all charges be withdrawn.
You are free to return to duty.
Thank you, ma'am.
Court is adjourned.
(gavel pounds) Commander Rabb the navy has programs to put superior enlisted personnel through college and then OCS.
Yes, Your Honor.
Admiral Landry suggests Airman Tyree might make a fine candidate How the hell did you get a three-star to take up Airman Tyree's cause? I told him the truth.
The airman's a smart kid who needs a little education and a lot of time to grow up.
The navy is always looking for men with dedication and passion.
Hey, anybody who wants to fly that badly, well (chuckles) they should be flying for us.
(car horn honking) Thank you.
GALINDEZ: Miss Evans.
Who are you? Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez, ma'am.
Where's Major Holmes? End of the line, Miss Evans.
How did you find us? Well, you used your credit card one too many times, ma'am.
Come with me, please.
Thank you, sir.
Major Holmes.
Colonel MacKenzie.
Major, why fake your death? It was the only way, ma'am.
You put your wife through hell.
Why not just file for divorce? This way, she got my insurance, and I got a new life.
Where were you going to live? In a shack on the beach in Indonesia? It worked for Gauguin.
That was Tahiti and he painted.
I don't expect you to understand, ma'am.
You didn't have to take a wrecking ball to your life.
I didn't give up one damn thing I wanted, Colonel.
With Susan, I'd finally gotten to a place where anything-- a sunset, the curve of her thigh, the air I breathe-- anything was enough with her.
Didn't you ever love anyone so much that you would have given up the world for? Did love ever make you crazy? Once or twice.
Not again? Well, maybe one day, you'll get up the nerve to stop playing it safe and work without a net.
Wow! What is this exactly, sir? It's a Stearman.
Two generations of naval aviators trained in one of these.
Yours? My dad's.
He teach you to fly? Well, he, uh he taught me to want to fly.
Are you ever afraid, sir, when you're up there? Hell, yeah.
I'm afraid of screwing up, afraid of losing control.
Not afraid of dying? No.
You can't be.
How about you, Peter? Where did you get the bug? Well, you're going to laugh, sir.
Top Gun, Midway 12 O'Clock High.
That was the late show.
See, you're laughing.
Oh, I've seen them all: 30 Seconds Over Tokyo Flying Leathernecks, Bridges at Tokori Oh, that's my favorite, sir.
I always get a lump in my throat when Bill Holden and Mickey Rooney get killed.
And the admiral, what was his name? Fredric March.
Yes.
Then the admiral says "Where do we get such men?" Go on, sit up front.
Get up there.
(Tyree whooping) (laughing) You ready? Yes, sir.
She's yours.
(laughing)