JAG s10e20 Episode Script
Unknown Soldier
The L.
Z.
is hot.
Abort extraction.
Will rendezvous at L.
Z.
bravo-niner.
Do you copy, Phantom One? Over.
Negative on canx extraction.
Move out.
I'll keep them busy.
Let's go! Move out! Mayday.
We're going down.
Hel-Hello? Hey, Biff, it's me.
William? Is Mom okay? No, Mom's fine.
Uh Something else.
The government is going to try to paint you as a loose cannon.
For treating an Iraqi child? For administering a drug in short supply and endangering American lives in the process.
Look, Colonel, I'm not regular Navy.
In a civilian E.
R.
, if I hesitate for a split second, people die.
Well, on a battlefield, if military protocol isn't followed, Marines die.
Look, Lieutenant, unfortunately, your civilian status ended when your unit was called up to active duty.
Your obligation is to the military.
But all doctors, military and civilian, have to honor the Hippocratic Oath.
We're sworn to treat patients to the best of our ability.
In your initial statement, you admitted the order your C.
O.
gave you was justified.
Now, the prosecution's definitely going to bring that up.
The order was justified, if you only consider an impersonal supply list.
Sure, we were short of the drug I gave her.
But it was my obligation to help that child.
We all have to make hard choices.
You don't seem very optimistic about my case.
I'm being realistic.
It's going to be an uphill battle, and when you testify, I think you should consider showing some remorse.
So I'm being found guilty by my own defense counsel before my hearing's even started? The Colonel and I are not here to judge your guilt or innocence.
The reason we're here is to strategize to find a way to make sure that the hearing officer doesn't recommend to send you to court-martial.
The remains of a U.
S.
serviceman have been discovered in northern Laos.
The Department of Defense hasn't been able to identify the remains yet.
And what's the holdup, sir? Since the advent of DNA matching, they've even identified the Vietnam War's Unknown Soldier.
Correct, but D.
O.
D.
has a very specific protocol when it comes to identifying remains.
It can take time.
I want you to go to Louisville.
Interview a former SEAL.
He believes he knows the identity of this unknown.
William Cresswell? My brother.
Treat him like anyone else.
Do you want me to file something with D.
O.
D.
? When the time comes.
Do you know how many times my brother has talked to me about Vietnam? Never.
So this must be pretty important.
Maybe this investigation will help him heal some old wounds.
I'll, uh, arrange for a vehicle once you get there.
You'll have five days.
My brother and the military didn't part on the best of terms.
Wear civvies.
General, I-I don't think I'm gonna need five days just for an interview.
I've seen how hard you've been working around here.
Not to mention you almost got your six shot off in Iraq- you earned some R&R.
I think I heard you mention something about the New Orleans Jazz Festival? Well, I always wanted to go.
Well, whatever time you have left, it's yours.
Just bring your, uh, your leave papers to me personally.
That will be all, Lieutenant.
Aye, sir.
Hey, you want to grab some lunch? Um, Bud and I already ordered, but you're welcome to join us.
Uh, no thanks.
Hey I haven't seen much of you lately.
How's Mattie? Well, she's, uh, about the same.
Is there anything I can do? No.
Look, a-all I really want to know is if, uh, you and your client have decided to accept my offer.
Okay, we got broccoli and chicken and sweet and sour Oh, Commander, hi.
Uh, excuse me for interrupting.
The commander was asking if Lieutenant Chang is ready to deal.
She is not gonna budge, sir.
She doesn't really have much of a leg to stand on, though, does she? Actually, I think Lieutenant Chang deserves a medal.
Doctor in the field gives a life-saving drug to a child.
Possibly denying it to our own troops.
But Commander, she's the kind of doctor who goes all out.
The kind you'd want for Mattie.
Uh, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Lieutenant Vukovic for the general.
Good luck.
I rarely see the guy since he started here.
You'd probably have better luck, sir, if you were a woman.
I'll see you two in court, at Lieutenant Chang's Article 32.
Hey, Coates, it's Vic.
Oh, the flight was fine, thanks.
Listen, the, uh, General said that he would have a car waiting here for me.
Did you make a reservation? Never mind.
My ride's here, and, uh thank the general for me.
It's a beauty.
Lieutenant Graves.
Oh.
Catherine.
Do you mind if I drive, Catherine? Actually, I do.
But you let me drive in San Diego.
That was a rental.
This is my baby.
Nobody drives my baby but me.
So, what exactly are you doing here? Oh, well, there are no open billets at JAG, so General Cresswell got me assigned to the Pentagon.
T.
A.
D.
Yeah, but w-what are you doing here? Since I don't have to report in till Monday, the general called me and asked if I could do him a favor, and, you know, get some investigative experience.
And you just happened to be in Louisville, Kentucky? No, I was 33 miles outside of Cincinnati, and so I just, uh, backtracked.
Wow, you must want to work at JAG pretty bad, huh? Let's just say I think I'd get along with the people that work there.
North Vietnamese troops had my SEAL team pinned down.
There was literally no way out, if, uh if that Huey hadn't come along when it did It's okay, Mr.
Cresswell.
Take your time.
That's all there is.
The helicopter went down.
The pilot died, and we lived.
Uh, it was a, uh, a covert operation for us.
There were no dog tags, no IDs.
According to the file, you believe the man was Marine Lieutenant Joe Johnson.
Isn't that something? A man you never met gives his life to save yours, and you never even have a chance to thank him for it.
Look, I-I owe him this, okay? It's been 35 years.
But when I read that those remains were found three clicks east of Kham Keut, exactly where our operation took place, and they weren't able to identify them, I knew this was my last chance.
Well, it should be a simple matter of gathering DNA evidence from relatives.
I tried to find them.
The only thing I know for sure is that he was from Vicksburg, and, uh, both of his parents are deceased.
I've-I've called City Hall checking for records nothing.
Well, what is it exactly you think we can do for you, sir? I don't know, son.
Anything.
I can't sleep nights, thinking that Joe Johnson might end up going from one unmarked grave to another.
And, uh if you do find any relatives, please let me know.
I'd like a chance to talk to them.
So, Catherine, do you like jazz? Well, I'm more into old school R&B.
We're done here.
How about sipping some hurricanes down on Bourbon Street? Cruise down to New Orleans, catch the Jazz Festival? I heard the Marsalis brothers might be making a surprise appearance.
But what do you mean, "We're done here"? No relatives, no DNA.
Well, but he did say the family was from Vicksburg.
Good.
When we get back to D.
C.
, we'll call around Vicksburg.
Hey, maybe we should go to Vicksburg.
After all, the True Crime network does say that the backbone of any investigation is the leg work.
Mixing their anatomical metaphors, I know.
Apparently, they're unaware of a little invention called the telephone.
It's very useful.
You might want to write that down, since it's your first investigation.
It's my third.
Come on.
You and me, hot days, cool jazz.
We can leave Saturday night, and we'll be back in D.
C.
by Monday morning.
Look, I'm not abandoning the investigation.
I'm only saying we can be just as effective by phone.
That a girl.
Maybe I'll even throw you a couple beads on Bourbon Street.
Well any beads that've been thrown to me on Bourbon Street, I have earned.
Buckle up.
Are we there yet? Are you hungry? I got doughnuts.
Um, wait a second.
Where are we? Vicksburg.
Okay, look we could poke around all day and still make it to New Orleans for the start of Jazz Festival.
I thought we agreed that coming here was a waste of time.
You agreed a little more than I did.
And since it's my car and I'm driving, I guess you're just along for the ride.
Okay, look.
This is my chance to impress the general, okay? To show him that I could be useful on investigations.
I'm-I'm sure the general wants to bring this Marine home too, but I don't think he expected us to do it in one day.
Well, when someone gives you a chance, you should just try and exceed their expectations.
Okay, Lieutenant Fortune Cookie.
Here's your coffee.
We should start over there.
The local newspaper is the eyes and ears of a town like this.
Captain Smith, would you please tell us in what capacity you know Lieutenant Chang? I was her commanding officer, and the senior physician at the surgical company that supported the Marines near Ramadi.
Captain, would you please describe the events of March 5, 2005, sir? Iraqi insurgents fired an RPG at a U.
S.
convoy.
Uh, an Iraqi child got caught in the explosion- a six-year-old girl.
And she was brought to your hospital? By her mother.
She had third-degree burns over 60% of her body.
In cases like this, there's a slim chance of survival, even in a state-of-the-art facility, let alone a field hospital.
But you treated her anyway.
Correct.
We do our best with limited resources.
We managed the girl's pain.
But because of burns on the face and the neck, she had trouble breathing.
The lieutenant wanted to administer the paralytic nerve agent vecuronium to help insert a breathing tube.
Did you agree with the lieutenant's proposed treatment, sir? From a purely medical standpoint, yes.
But we were short vecuronium.
It's needed for trauma surgeries.
I instructed Lieutenant Chang to use a standard muscle relaxant instead.
Also effective.
Did the lieutenant follow this order? No.
She administered the vecuronium anyway.
And what was the result of the lieutenant's actions? We ran out of the drug.
A helicopter crew had to brave enemy fire to get to a neighboring medical unit to replenish our supply.
What was the lieutenant's attitude, sir, when you told her that she had endangered U.
S.
military personnel by not following orders? Willful and without remorse.
Thank you, Captain.
I have no further questions.
Captain, you may step down.
This hearing will take a short recess and reconvene at 1400.
Joe Johnson? I haven't heard that name in 35 years.
You remember him? Sure.
How could I forget? That's Joe on the piano.
And that's me on the skins.
We called ourselves the Red Barons.
Wore these fine- looking red coats- Elroy's idea.
The girls really dug him.
Elroy? Uh, fella on the guitar.
He's Joe's younger brother.
A wild man, even as a kid.
Brother? William Cresswell called the Vicksburg Hall of Records and And it was like Lieutenant Johnson and his family never existed.
In the 1950s, blacks didn't always make the registers.
Births, marriages, deaths, you name it- they all happened without anyone taking official note.
Well, is this brother, Elroy- is he still alive? Mmm, who can say? When Joe went M.
I.
A.
, Elroy took it real hard.
He left town without saying a word.
What about, um, other relatives of Joe's- anybody? Mmm, none in Vicksburg.
Sorry, folks.
Is there anybody in town that Elroy might have stayed in touch with? Only woman who ever managed to pin old Elroy down was Loretta McKee.
Last I heard, she moved to Tutwiler.
Oh, I saw that on the map.
It's just north of Highway 61, right? Then turn off on 49.
It's about two and a half hours, if you don't get stuck behind a tractor.
Great.
Thanks for your help.
Oh, uh, one more thing.
Uh, if you find Elroy, give him this, and tell him I hung onto it 40 years.
Now it's his turn.
Oh No, no, don't worry about it.
I'm tired of looking at it, anyway.
I- I'm better looking now.
Are you sure this is the right place? There was only one Loretta McKee in the Tutwiler phone book.
Lady sings the blues.
Well, the blues is usually about a man, not the man upstairs.
Do you have to argue about everything? I'm not arguing, I'm correcting.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Didn't you see that sign on the gate? It says "No salesmen on the premises.
" Miss McKee, we're not here to sell you anything.
Two white folks traipse in my backyard, they either peddling swampland, or they got bad news.
Now, which one is it? Well, we're here about Elroy Johnson, ma'am.
Like I said, bad news.
Well, we just want to speak with him.
I can't help you.
In 1971, when I found the Lord and Elroy didn't, that son of a gun divorced me and eloped with a slutty, juke-joint Jezebel whore.
Ma'am, please.
Uh, could you at least tell us this Jezebel's whereabouts? April-Dawn! My sister and I haven't been on speaking terms since '71, so you'll have to talk to her directly.
Uh, good afternoon, ma'am.
We're with the Judge Advocate General's Office of the U.
S.
Navy.
Well, at least I am.
A Navy man! We're here because we might know the whereabouts of Elroy's brother's remains.
I- I-I don't understand.
Tell her it means they found Joe's bones.
Well, we may have, but to confirm it, we need a sample of Mr.
Johnson's DNA.
Our ex-husband actually good for something? The Lord sure works in mysterious ways.
Mm-hmm! Excuse me, Colonel, do you have a moment? I was hoping to meet with Commander Roberts before our hearing, but I just wanted to apologize for speaking out of turn with Commander Rabb the other day.
You didn't do anything wrong.
Commander Rabb has a lot on his mind, and he hasn't been willing to open up with me.
Has he talked with you? Barely a hello or goodbye.
He's been spending a lot of time at the hospital with Mattie.
Maybe you could plan on being there with him.
If he won't accept help from me, maybe he'll accept it from you.
I hope you're right, ma'am.
You know, Elroy believed that their band would be the next big thing out of Mississippi.
Sure, like Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm.
You sure know your music, honey.
Uh, any idea where Elroy might be nowadays, ladies? Elroy and Joe recorded this in a booth at the '67 Mis-Lou Fair.
Oh, yeah, that's me and April singing with him.
Come on, girl, here we go.
That was great! The lieutenant really loved music, huh? Oh, he loved flying even more.
He dreamed that one day they'd put a man on the moon.
And he even thought it was possible for a black man from Vicksburg to be a decorated pilot.
I didn't believe either one of them.
Shows you what I know.
Lieutenant, why are you doing this for Joe? Well, we received a special request from our commanding officer Because we believe that Lieutenant Johnson also dreamed of coming home.
Listen, if Elroy's anywhere, he's traveling Highway 61.
But who knows what he's calling himself today.
It's the road you came in on.
Snakes through the Mississippi Delta, right on up to Chicago.
They call it the Blues Highway, 'cause all the greats have played every juke joint along the way.
Sonny Boy Williamson Oh, yeah.
B.
B.
King All right, now.
When Elroy and I took off, we played them, too.
He must've been a pretty talented musician if he's still touring.
No.
I was.
He resented it so much, he started auditioning other songbirds behind my back.
Candy Graham? Do you know where she might be? Don't know where she was from.
Don't know where she might be.
The home wrecker.
More tea? Are you sure this was the last room in town? Oh, it's not that bad.
Kind of reminds me of The Bates Motel? Well, I was thinking of something a little more romantic.
I told you I'm on a "guy-atus.
" Come on, do you think I would make a play for you here? Besides, we might be working in the same office together.
That hasn't stopped you before.
Who told you that? Who hasn't told me that? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I called the bed first.
This is against regulations.
We can share the bed, unless you think you can't keep your hands to yourself.
Oh, my God, do you even have any women friends? My sister.
Yeah, that doesn't count.
What is the problem here? Most women enjoy the attention.
You make them smile, you make them laugh Okay, we like the attention.
But if you run around the office like a frat boy, hitting on everybody, it kind of takes away the specialness.
I wasn't in a frat.
I'm talking about the type.
What is it, you didn't get enough love from your Mommy? Or what, you're a late bloomer, overcompensating for some shortcomings? Oh, no, no, let me guess.
You were left at the altar by the one woman who you really loved.
Oh, my God, oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't Who was it? Was it? You know, while we're analyzing each other you want to drag us to every juke joint from here to Chicago looking for Candy Graham just so you can impress General Cresswell.
No, no, no, this isn't about impressing General Cresswell anymore.
I realized we have to do this for William Cresswell.
He's haunted by the memory of that Marine.
I just I thought we could help him together.
I'm sorry, Catherine.
I think we've done all we can.
Well I'm not giving up.
Good night.
Rise and shine, Vic.
To quote the Bombshell Detective, "Keep your gun in your pocket, 'cause we got a plan.
" I'm at the front desk checking out, right, and I see this record player in the corner, so I put on the 45 that the McKee sisters gave us, and guess whose voice I heard singing? Indira Diamond- also known as the Mistress of Soul.
The label says "Candy Graham.
" She must have changed her name, huh? You know, showbiz.
Or the person's name could've been Candy Graham.
Yeah, but it's Indira Diamond.
It's not the best recording, but I would know this voice from anywhere.
I have followed this woman's entire career.
I have every single album except for this one.
This is so great.
So, do you think she knows where Elroy Johnson is? Well, see, I'm thinking he might have stayed in touch with her- you know, for the sake of his career- so I had the desk clerk look up her tour schedule on the Internet, and guess what? Tonight is her last night at the Slim Cat's Lounge in Natchez.
Natchez? Yeah, it's about 200 miles.
Back the way we came? Yes.
This time, I'll let you drive.
That sounded good, Tommy.
Keep it at that level.
Oh, my gosh, Miss Diamond, I am such a big fan.
I'm sorry, I know you hear that all the time, but wow, I'm such a big fan.
Where do I sign, sweetie? Oh, um Actually, ma'am, we're with the Navy.
Oh, do you want me to do a U.
S.
O.
tour? No.
That's not why we're here.
We understand that you were married to Elroy Johnson.
We're trying to locate him.
I haven't heard from him in years.
Well, do you have any idea Hey, even when we were married, I didn't know where he was half the time, honey, so sorry, I can't help you.
Miss Diamond, please.
We're trying to identify the remains of his brother, Joe.
Joe? Oh.
I'm sorry.
You took me off guard when you mentioned Elroy.
Uh I may be able to help you.
Are you trying to protect him? Him? No.
Protect myself.
My heart, really.
I always thought we would get back together.
But well, I got a wedding invitation from him about a year ago from a P.
O.
box in Memphis, I believe it was.
Oh, well, at least it's something.
You'll probably find him playing along Beale Street somewhere.
We should call William Cresswell, let him know to meet us there.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mm-hmm.
Look, I really do hope you find him.
Yeah.
At some of the U.
S.
O.
shows back in the '70s, oh, the Marines would come up and tell Elroy that they had known Joe and they were proud to have served with him.
But the shows started to get hard for Elroy after that.
Oh, I think he started to see Joe in the faces of the other Marines.
Lieutenant Chang, why did you use vecuronium on the Iraqi child you treated? Because medical efficacy called for her to get tubed and breathing.
Didn't you have other drugs that were just as effective? As effective, no.
This was our best bet.
But you disobeyed a direct order.
Why? Because I was sure it would work, and it did.
We were able to keep her airway open.
The next step was to get her stable and on a medivac to the hospital ship.
I took her blood sample to the lab.
It was maybe a hundred yards away.
I was only away from her bed for ten to 12 minutes.
I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
We'd been working so hard to save this girl, and in the course of ten minutes, she went from having a chance to Had you ever lost a patient before? Yes, of course.
But I thought the whole point of us being there was to help these people.
And here's this one little girl, suffering so much.
When she died it seemed like such a failure of everything.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Lieutenant, would it be fair to say you consider yourself a doctor first and a Naval officer second? That would be a fair statement, yes, Commander.
And you joined the reserves in order to pay for medical school, so technically, you took your military oath first, and your Hippocratic Oath second.
That's very clever, sir.
You were given, uh, self-defense and field survival training before being sent to Iraq, correct? Yes.
Could you tell me the correct procedures for keeping an M-16 clean and operational in desert conditions? Uh, you take What were your fam - fire pistol range scores, Lieutenant? I qualified.
After how many attempts? Objection.
Your Honor, I'm trying to establish that Lieutenant Chang considers herself a doctor first and a combat-ready officer not at all.
Look, my job is to patch people back together, not put bullets in them.
You must've realized, Lieutenant, when you joined the reserves, there was a possibility you'd be sent into combat.
Yes.
And that part of saving lives in the military, Lieutenant, requires being a good officer.
Of course And being a good officer and practicing medicine in the military requires following orders from a senior officer.
Objection, Your Honor.
Counsel is testifying.
Withdrawn.
I have no further questions, Your Honor.
We're running out of places to look.
Then we must be getting close.
Oh, you are wonderful.
I thank you all so very much for coming tonight.
I'm Etta.
This is my place.
Did you have a great time? Yeah! Oh! Thank you so much for being here tonight.
You know what? Y'all don't have to go home, but you got to get the heck out of here.
Thank you once again.
Good night, everybody.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
That was even better than the original.
Oh, I know a great song when I sing it.
We're, uh, hitting the bars looking for a guitar player by the name of Elroy Johnson.
Hey, guys.
They're looking for Elroy Johnson.
Oh, oh, I'm sorry, folks.
I mean, um, you all missed him by about a year.
Uh, do you have any idea where he's playing now? Well, um, if he's lucky, he's, uh he's backing the heavenly choir.
He-he passed away.
Uh, you know, his heart just sort of jumped up and attacked him one night right after the show, you know, and that's not a bad way for an old guitar player to go, you know, if you know what I mean.
I know what you mean.
There goes our last hope for a DNA match.
I thought you didn't give up.
I'm sorry we made you come all the way down here.
The only thing I'm sorry about is Elroy died without really knowing what happened to his brother.
I was just a little too late.
There might still be some other relatives out there.
We're going to do some more checking once we get to D.
C.
Hey, I appreciate the effort you both have put in.
Thanks for driving me back to the airport.
Oh, it's the least we could do.
You bought breakfast.
You know, this doesn't look like the way to the airport.
Hold on.
Hey, Vic, you want to hand me the map? No, the photo.
Yeah, no, I've seen it.
No, look- the guitar in the photo.
The guitar player we met on Beale Street had "Lulubelle" painted on his guitar.
It's too small to read in this picture, but Elroy's guitar has something painted in the exact same place on the body.
If that was Elroy's guitar Then that might have been Elroy.
So, do we get anything out of putting Lieutenant Chang back on the stand today? Well, realistically, ma'am, I don't think she has anything to say that would help her.
Well, we can go over her civilian work record.
Bud, do you have any extra legal pads? No, ma'am.
I ordered some more and they sent me Supply's really been screwing up lately.
Ma'am, I think we should recall Captain Smith instead.
Captain, according to your inventory records, you received a supply of vecuronium two days prior to the incident with Lieutenant Chang.
That's correct.
Now, how many patients had been administered with the drug between the time that you received your supply to the time that Lieutenant Chang gave it to the Iraqi girl? None.
Well, how could you have run out? Let's look at the requisition form, shall we? In January, sir, you ordered In February, you ordered 100 units of vecuronium.
Could you tell the court, please, in March, how many units of vecuronium did you order? Ten.
Hmm, now, below the order line for vecuronium is a requisition for ketamine.
And in January you ordered ten units.
In February you ordered ten units.
Can you please tell the court, sir, in March, how many units did you order? So, isn't it possible that you mistakenly over-ordered one drug and under- ordered another? That's exactly what happened.
So there should have been enough vecuronium for the Iraqi girl and any potential American wounded? But there wasn't.
No further questions.
That was my mistake, and I'll take responsibility for it, but my order to Lieutenant Chang was correct under the circumstances.
I'm a doctor, too, Lieutenant.
I know there are children dying outside the gates of our compound and I desperately wish that we could be there to save all of them.
But the military situation we are currently in does not allow us to do that.
Go away.
You've done enough damage.
We just want to talk to your guitar player.
Well, he's not here.
You know, we were fine until you came looking for him.
He was Elroy, wasn't he? Yes, but what does it matter? He left.
The man's been on the road his whole life.
I shouldn't have expected him to stick around.
Do you know where he went, ma'am? He wouldn't tell me.
He didn't want me to have to lie about where he was.
I may never see him again.
Why did he go running off? Because I got three ex-wives and you're a lawyer if I ever seen one.
Elroy! Halfway to the bus station I decided, "Mm-mm, I ain't running.
Not from the best thing that ever happened to me.
" Oh, don't you ever do that to me again.
Mr.
Johnson.
This is actually about your brother.
Joe? I I served with Joe in Vietnam.
I was there the night he was killed.
No, they they told me he went missing during some kind of training exercise.
There's something I need to say.
I've never been able to tell this to anyone before.
I still don't want a deal.
I think you'll be happy with the government's new terms.
Let me guess.
I'll be administratively separated and not serve the last year of my commitment to the reserves.
You'll have to pay back a pro-rata portion of your educational Not interested, Colonel.
I don't want out.
The prosecution is right.
I haven't taken my military training seriously.
All the more reason to get out.
You can go back to being a doctor first and foremost.
Do you know why I'm a good doctor? Because I've worked hard at it.
And I'm a lousy officer because I've applied myself to everything I've ever done except this.
I won my state spelling bee when I was eight.
I finished first in my class.
Undergrad and med school.
I'm even a 250 bowler.
But the one thing I've never excelled at is the military.
It's one thing to find something you're not good at, but to not even try So thank you for your efforts, Colonel.
I'd like to accept the consequences of my actions and finish out my service.
The military needs doctors more than ever.
I'm sure something can be worked out.
The helicopter went up in flames on the other side of a small ridge.
The copilot and the gunner had been thrown clear.
The other members of my team, uh, treated them while I made my way to the wreckage.
Hang in there, Lieutenant.
Don't worry, buddy, you'll be all right.
We're gonna get you out.
No no, you're not.
Don't let me burn.
It's okay.
Do it.
Please.
Everything's gonna be all right.
Do it.
I'm very sorry.
You ain't got nothing to be sorry about.
You did what you had to do.
I mean, what my brother wanted you to do.
The mission.
Did y'all get that P.
O.
W.
back? Yeah, we all got back.
We had to hump it through the jungle for four days, but, yeah, we made it.
Then I'm glad my brother didn't die for nothing.
You okay, honey? Um, Mr.
Johnson, we're here because we believe your brother's remains have been found.
We'll need a DNA sample from you to prove that the remains are your brother's, and then he can be returned to your family and given a proper military funeral.
You could take him back to Vicksburg, burying him with the family.
All these years not having him back having him missing.
No.
I'm sorry, I don't understand.
I took it hard when Joe went MIA.
Then I I hit the road.
You know, in a way it was like, you know, Joe and I just didn't, you know, get back in touch with each other yet.
You know, uh an old friend you keep meaning to call, you just don't get around to it.
I'm gonna give y'all my DNA.
If it's him, I want him buried in a veteran's cemetery.
That's good, baby.
But I don't want to know if it's him.
See, if he's still missing then I can tell myself, you know, that Joe and I just might, you know run into each other again someday.
Gedownload van Bierdopje.
com
Z.
is hot.
Abort extraction.
Will rendezvous at L.
Z.
bravo-niner.
Do you copy, Phantom One? Over.
Negative on canx extraction.
Move out.
I'll keep them busy.
Let's go! Move out! Mayday.
We're going down.
Hel-Hello? Hey, Biff, it's me.
William? Is Mom okay? No, Mom's fine.
Uh Something else.
The government is going to try to paint you as a loose cannon.
For treating an Iraqi child? For administering a drug in short supply and endangering American lives in the process.
Look, Colonel, I'm not regular Navy.
In a civilian E.
R.
, if I hesitate for a split second, people die.
Well, on a battlefield, if military protocol isn't followed, Marines die.
Look, Lieutenant, unfortunately, your civilian status ended when your unit was called up to active duty.
Your obligation is to the military.
But all doctors, military and civilian, have to honor the Hippocratic Oath.
We're sworn to treat patients to the best of our ability.
In your initial statement, you admitted the order your C.
O.
gave you was justified.
Now, the prosecution's definitely going to bring that up.
The order was justified, if you only consider an impersonal supply list.
Sure, we were short of the drug I gave her.
But it was my obligation to help that child.
We all have to make hard choices.
You don't seem very optimistic about my case.
I'm being realistic.
It's going to be an uphill battle, and when you testify, I think you should consider showing some remorse.
So I'm being found guilty by my own defense counsel before my hearing's even started? The Colonel and I are not here to judge your guilt or innocence.
The reason we're here is to strategize to find a way to make sure that the hearing officer doesn't recommend to send you to court-martial.
The remains of a U.
S.
serviceman have been discovered in northern Laos.
The Department of Defense hasn't been able to identify the remains yet.
And what's the holdup, sir? Since the advent of DNA matching, they've even identified the Vietnam War's Unknown Soldier.
Correct, but D.
O.
D.
has a very specific protocol when it comes to identifying remains.
It can take time.
I want you to go to Louisville.
Interview a former SEAL.
He believes he knows the identity of this unknown.
William Cresswell? My brother.
Treat him like anyone else.
Do you want me to file something with D.
O.
D.
? When the time comes.
Do you know how many times my brother has talked to me about Vietnam? Never.
So this must be pretty important.
Maybe this investigation will help him heal some old wounds.
I'll, uh, arrange for a vehicle once you get there.
You'll have five days.
My brother and the military didn't part on the best of terms.
Wear civvies.
General, I-I don't think I'm gonna need five days just for an interview.
I've seen how hard you've been working around here.
Not to mention you almost got your six shot off in Iraq- you earned some R&R.
I think I heard you mention something about the New Orleans Jazz Festival? Well, I always wanted to go.
Well, whatever time you have left, it's yours.
Just bring your, uh, your leave papers to me personally.
That will be all, Lieutenant.
Aye, sir.
Hey, you want to grab some lunch? Um, Bud and I already ordered, but you're welcome to join us.
Uh, no thanks.
Hey I haven't seen much of you lately.
How's Mattie? Well, she's, uh, about the same.
Is there anything I can do? No.
Look, a-all I really want to know is if, uh, you and your client have decided to accept my offer.
Okay, we got broccoli and chicken and sweet and sour Oh, Commander, hi.
Uh, excuse me for interrupting.
The commander was asking if Lieutenant Chang is ready to deal.
She is not gonna budge, sir.
She doesn't really have much of a leg to stand on, though, does she? Actually, I think Lieutenant Chang deserves a medal.
Doctor in the field gives a life-saving drug to a child.
Possibly denying it to our own troops.
But Commander, she's the kind of doctor who goes all out.
The kind you'd want for Mattie.
Uh, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Lieutenant Vukovic for the general.
Good luck.
I rarely see the guy since he started here.
You'd probably have better luck, sir, if you were a woman.
I'll see you two in court, at Lieutenant Chang's Article 32.
Hey, Coates, it's Vic.
Oh, the flight was fine, thanks.
Listen, the, uh, General said that he would have a car waiting here for me.
Did you make a reservation? Never mind.
My ride's here, and, uh thank the general for me.
It's a beauty.
Lieutenant Graves.
Oh.
Catherine.
Do you mind if I drive, Catherine? Actually, I do.
But you let me drive in San Diego.
That was a rental.
This is my baby.
Nobody drives my baby but me.
So, what exactly are you doing here? Oh, well, there are no open billets at JAG, so General Cresswell got me assigned to the Pentagon.
T.
A.
D.
Yeah, but w-what are you doing here? Since I don't have to report in till Monday, the general called me and asked if I could do him a favor, and, you know, get some investigative experience.
And you just happened to be in Louisville, Kentucky? No, I was 33 miles outside of Cincinnati, and so I just, uh, backtracked.
Wow, you must want to work at JAG pretty bad, huh? Let's just say I think I'd get along with the people that work there.
North Vietnamese troops had my SEAL team pinned down.
There was literally no way out, if, uh if that Huey hadn't come along when it did It's okay, Mr.
Cresswell.
Take your time.
That's all there is.
The helicopter went down.
The pilot died, and we lived.
Uh, it was a, uh, a covert operation for us.
There were no dog tags, no IDs.
According to the file, you believe the man was Marine Lieutenant Joe Johnson.
Isn't that something? A man you never met gives his life to save yours, and you never even have a chance to thank him for it.
Look, I-I owe him this, okay? It's been 35 years.
But when I read that those remains were found three clicks east of Kham Keut, exactly where our operation took place, and they weren't able to identify them, I knew this was my last chance.
Well, it should be a simple matter of gathering DNA evidence from relatives.
I tried to find them.
The only thing I know for sure is that he was from Vicksburg, and, uh, both of his parents are deceased.
I've-I've called City Hall checking for records nothing.
Well, what is it exactly you think we can do for you, sir? I don't know, son.
Anything.
I can't sleep nights, thinking that Joe Johnson might end up going from one unmarked grave to another.
And, uh if you do find any relatives, please let me know.
I'd like a chance to talk to them.
So, Catherine, do you like jazz? Well, I'm more into old school R&B.
We're done here.
How about sipping some hurricanes down on Bourbon Street? Cruise down to New Orleans, catch the Jazz Festival? I heard the Marsalis brothers might be making a surprise appearance.
But what do you mean, "We're done here"? No relatives, no DNA.
Well, but he did say the family was from Vicksburg.
Good.
When we get back to D.
C.
, we'll call around Vicksburg.
Hey, maybe we should go to Vicksburg.
After all, the True Crime network does say that the backbone of any investigation is the leg work.
Mixing their anatomical metaphors, I know.
Apparently, they're unaware of a little invention called the telephone.
It's very useful.
You might want to write that down, since it's your first investigation.
It's my third.
Come on.
You and me, hot days, cool jazz.
We can leave Saturday night, and we'll be back in D.
C.
by Monday morning.
Look, I'm not abandoning the investigation.
I'm only saying we can be just as effective by phone.
That a girl.
Maybe I'll even throw you a couple beads on Bourbon Street.
Well any beads that've been thrown to me on Bourbon Street, I have earned.
Buckle up.
Are we there yet? Are you hungry? I got doughnuts.
Um, wait a second.
Where are we? Vicksburg.
Okay, look we could poke around all day and still make it to New Orleans for the start of Jazz Festival.
I thought we agreed that coming here was a waste of time.
You agreed a little more than I did.
And since it's my car and I'm driving, I guess you're just along for the ride.
Okay, look.
This is my chance to impress the general, okay? To show him that I could be useful on investigations.
I'm-I'm sure the general wants to bring this Marine home too, but I don't think he expected us to do it in one day.
Well, when someone gives you a chance, you should just try and exceed their expectations.
Okay, Lieutenant Fortune Cookie.
Here's your coffee.
We should start over there.
The local newspaper is the eyes and ears of a town like this.
Captain Smith, would you please tell us in what capacity you know Lieutenant Chang? I was her commanding officer, and the senior physician at the surgical company that supported the Marines near Ramadi.
Captain, would you please describe the events of March 5, 2005, sir? Iraqi insurgents fired an RPG at a U.
S.
convoy.
Uh, an Iraqi child got caught in the explosion- a six-year-old girl.
And she was brought to your hospital? By her mother.
She had third-degree burns over 60% of her body.
In cases like this, there's a slim chance of survival, even in a state-of-the-art facility, let alone a field hospital.
But you treated her anyway.
Correct.
We do our best with limited resources.
We managed the girl's pain.
But because of burns on the face and the neck, she had trouble breathing.
The lieutenant wanted to administer the paralytic nerve agent vecuronium to help insert a breathing tube.
Did you agree with the lieutenant's proposed treatment, sir? From a purely medical standpoint, yes.
But we were short vecuronium.
It's needed for trauma surgeries.
I instructed Lieutenant Chang to use a standard muscle relaxant instead.
Also effective.
Did the lieutenant follow this order? No.
She administered the vecuronium anyway.
And what was the result of the lieutenant's actions? We ran out of the drug.
A helicopter crew had to brave enemy fire to get to a neighboring medical unit to replenish our supply.
What was the lieutenant's attitude, sir, when you told her that she had endangered U.
S.
military personnel by not following orders? Willful and without remorse.
Thank you, Captain.
I have no further questions.
Captain, you may step down.
This hearing will take a short recess and reconvene at 1400.
Joe Johnson? I haven't heard that name in 35 years.
You remember him? Sure.
How could I forget? That's Joe on the piano.
And that's me on the skins.
We called ourselves the Red Barons.
Wore these fine- looking red coats- Elroy's idea.
The girls really dug him.
Elroy? Uh, fella on the guitar.
He's Joe's younger brother.
A wild man, even as a kid.
Brother? William Cresswell called the Vicksburg Hall of Records and And it was like Lieutenant Johnson and his family never existed.
In the 1950s, blacks didn't always make the registers.
Births, marriages, deaths, you name it- they all happened without anyone taking official note.
Well, is this brother, Elroy- is he still alive? Mmm, who can say? When Joe went M.
I.
A.
, Elroy took it real hard.
He left town without saying a word.
What about, um, other relatives of Joe's- anybody? Mmm, none in Vicksburg.
Sorry, folks.
Is there anybody in town that Elroy might have stayed in touch with? Only woman who ever managed to pin old Elroy down was Loretta McKee.
Last I heard, she moved to Tutwiler.
Oh, I saw that on the map.
It's just north of Highway 61, right? Then turn off on 49.
It's about two and a half hours, if you don't get stuck behind a tractor.
Great.
Thanks for your help.
Oh, uh, one more thing.
Uh, if you find Elroy, give him this, and tell him I hung onto it 40 years.
Now it's his turn.
Oh No, no, don't worry about it.
I'm tired of looking at it, anyway.
I- I'm better looking now.
Are you sure this is the right place? There was only one Loretta McKee in the Tutwiler phone book.
Lady sings the blues.
Well, the blues is usually about a man, not the man upstairs.
Do you have to argue about everything? I'm not arguing, I'm correcting.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Didn't you see that sign on the gate? It says "No salesmen on the premises.
" Miss McKee, we're not here to sell you anything.
Two white folks traipse in my backyard, they either peddling swampland, or they got bad news.
Now, which one is it? Well, we're here about Elroy Johnson, ma'am.
Like I said, bad news.
Well, we just want to speak with him.
I can't help you.
In 1971, when I found the Lord and Elroy didn't, that son of a gun divorced me and eloped with a slutty, juke-joint Jezebel whore.
Ma'am, please.
Uh, could you at least tell us this Jezebel's whereabouts? April-Dawn! My sister and I haven't been on speaking terms since '71, so you'll have to talk to her directly.
Uh, good afternoon, ma'am.
We're with the Judge Advocate General's Office of the U.
S.
Navy.
Well, at least I am.
A Navy man! We're here because we might know the whereabouts of Elroy's brother's remains.
I- I-I don't understand.
Tell her it means they found Joe's bones.
Well, we may have, but to confirm it, we need a sample of Mr.
Johnson's DNA.
Our ex-husband actually good for something? The Lord sure works in mysterious ways.
Mm-hmm! Excuse me, Colonel, do you have a moment? I was hoping to meet with Commander Roberts before our hearing, but I just wanted to apologize for speaking out of turn with Commander Rabb the other day.
You didn't do anything wrong.
Commander Rabb has a lot on his mind, and he hasn't been willing to open up with me.
Has he talked with you? Barely a hello or goodbye.
He's been spending a lot of time at the hospital with Mattie.
Maybe you could plan on being there with him.
If he won't accept help from me, maybe he'll accept it from you.
I hope you're right, ma'am.
You know, Elroy believed that their band would be the next big thing out of Mississippi.
Sure, like Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm.
You sure know your music, honey.
Uh, any idea where Elroy might be nowadays, ladies? Elroy and Joe recorded this in a booth at the '67 Mis-Lou Fair.
Oh, yeah, that's me and April singing with him.
Come on, girl, here we go.
That was great! The lieutenant really loved music, huh? Oh, he loved flying even more.
He dreamed that one day they'd put a man on the moon.
And he even thought it was possible for a black man from Vicksburg to be a decorated pilot.
I didn't believe either one of them.
Shows you what I know.
Lieutenant, why are you doing this for Joe? Well, we received a special request from our commanding officer Because we believe that Lieutenant Johnson also dreamed of coming home.
Listen, if Elroy's anywhere, he's traveling Highway 61.
But who knows what he's calling himself today.
It's the road you came in on.
Snakes through the Mississippi Delta, right on up to Chicago.
They call it the Blues Highway, 'cause all the greats have played every juke joint along the way.
Sonny Boy Williamson Oh, yeah.
B.
B.
King All right, now.
When Elroy and I took off, we played them, too.
He must've been a pretty talented musician if he's still touring.
No.
I was.
He resented it so much, he started auditioning other songbirds behind my back.
Candy Graham? Do you know where she might be? Don't know where she was from.
Don't know where she might be.
The home wrecker.
More tea? Are you sure this was the last room in town? Oh, it's not that bad.
Kind of reminds me of The Bates Motel? Well, I was thinking of something a little more romantic.
I told you I'm on a "guy-atus.
" Come on, do you think I would make a play for you here? Besides, we might be working in the same office together.
That hasn't stopped you before.
Who told you that? Who hasn't told me that? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I called the bed first.
This is against regulations.
We can share the bed, unless you think you can't keep your hands to yourself.
Oh, my God, do you even have any women friends? My sister.
Yeah, that doesn't count.
What is the problem here? Most women enjoy the attention.
You make them smile, you make them laugh Okay, we like the attention.
But if you run around the office like a frat boy, hitting on everybody, it kind of takes away the specialness.
I wasn't in a frat.
I'm talking about the type.
What is it, you didn't get enough love from your Mommy? Or what, you're a late bloomer, overcompensating for some shortcomings? Oh, no, no, let me guess.
You were left at the altar by the one woman who you really loved.
Oh, my God, oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't Who was it? Was it? You know, while we're analyzing each other you want to drag us to every juke joint from here to Chicago looking for Candy Graham just so you can impress General Cresswell.
No, no, no, this isn't about impressing General Cresswell anymore.
I realized we have to do this for William Cresswell.
He's haunted by the memory of that Marine.
I just I thought we could help him together.
I'm sorry, Catherine.
I think we've done all we can.
Well I'm not giving up.
Good night.
Rise and shine, Vic.
To quote the Bombshell Detective, "Keep your gun in your pocket, 'cause we got a plan.
" I'm at the front desk checking out, right, and I see this record player in the corner, so I put on the 45 that the McKee sisters gave us, and guess whose voice I heard singing? Indira Diamond- also known as the Mistress of Soul.
The label says "Candy Graham.
" She must have changed her name, huh? You know, showbiz.
Or the person's name could've been Candy Graham.
Yeah, but it's Indira Diamond.
It's not the best recording, but I would know this voice from anywhere.
I have followed this woman's entire career.
I have every single album except for this one.
This is so great.
So, do you think she knows where Elroy Johnson is? Well, see, I'm thinking he might have stayed in touch with her- you know, for the sake of his career- so I had the desk clerk look up her tour schedule on the Internet, and guess what? Tonight is her last night at the Slim Cat's Lounge in Natchez.
Natchez? Yeah, it's about 200 miles.
Back the way we came? Yes.
This time, I'll let you drive.
That sounded good, Tommy.
Keep it at that level.
Oh, my gosh, Miss Diamond, I am such a big fan.
I'm sorry, I know you hear that all the time, but wow, I'm such a big fan.
Where do I sign, sweetie? Oh, um Actually, ma'am, we're with the Navy.
Oh, do you want me to do a U.
S.
O.
tour? No.
That's not why we're here.
We understand that you were married to Elroy Johnson.
We're trying to locate him.
I haven't heard from him in years.
Well, do you have any idea Hey, even when we were married, I didn't know where he was half the time, honey, so sorry, I can't help you.
Miss Diamond, please.
We're trying to identify the remains of his brother, Joe.
Joe? Oh.
I'm sorry.
You took me off guard when you mentioned Elroy.
Uh I may be able to help you.
Are you trying to protect him? Him? No.
Protect myself.
My heart, really.
I always thought we would get back together.
But well, I got a wedding invitation from him about a year ago from a P.
O.
box in Memphis, I believe it was.
Oh, well, at least it's something.
You'll probably find him playing along Beale Street somewhere.
We should call William Cresswell, let him know to meet us there.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mm-hmm.
Look, I really do hope you find him.
Yeah.
At some of the U.
S.
O.
shows back in the '70s, oh, the Marines would come up and tell Elroy that they had known Joe and they were proud to have served with him.
But the shows started to get hard for Elroy after that.
Oh, I think he started to see Joe in the faces of the other Marines.
Lieutenant Chang, why did you use vecuronium on the Iraqi child you treated? Because medical efficacy called for her to get tubed and breathing.
Didn't you have other drugs that were just as effective? As effective, no.
This was our best bet.
But you disobeyed a direct order.
Why? Because I was sure it would work, and it did.
We were able to keep her airway open.
The next step was to get her stable and on a medivac to the hospital ship.
I took her blood sample to the lab.
It was maybe a hundred yards away.
I was only away from her bed for ten to 12 minutes.
I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
We'd been working so hard to save this girl, and in the course of ten minutes, she went from having a chance to Had you ever lost a patient before? Yes, of course.
But I thought the whole point of us being there was to help these people.
And here's this one little girl, suffering so much.
When she died it seemed like such a failure of everything.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Lieutenant, would it be fair to say you consider yourself a doctor first and a Naval officer second? That would be a fair statement, yes, Commander.
And you joined the reserves in order to pay for medical school, so technically, you took your military oath first, and your Hippocratic Oath second.
That's very clever, sir.
You were given, uh, self-defense and field survival training before being sent to Iraq, correct? Yes.
Could you tell me the correct procedures for keeping an M-16 clean and operational in desert conditions? Uh, you take What were your fam - fire pistol range scores, Lieutenant? I qualified.
After how many attempts? Objection.
Your Honor, I'm trying to establish that Lieutenant Chang considers herself a doctor first and a combat-ready officer not at all.
Look, my job is to patch people back together, not put bullets in them.
You must've realized, Lieutenant, when you joined the reserves, there was a possibility you'd be sent into combat.
Yes.
And that part of saving lives in the military, Lieutenant, requires being a good officer.
Of course And being a good officer and practicing medicine in the military requires following orders from a senior officer.
Objection, Your Honor.
Counsel is testifying.
Withdrawn.
I have no further questions, Your Honor.
We're running out of places to look.
Then we must be getting close.
Oh, you are wonderful.
I thank you all so very much for coming tonight.
I'm Etta.
This is my place.
Did you have a great time? Yeah! Oh! Thank you so much for being here tonight.
You know what? Y'all don't have to go home, but you got to get the heck out of here.
Thank you once again.
Good night, everybody.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
That was even better than the original.
Oh, I know a great song when I sing it.
We're, uh, hitting the bars looking for a guitar player by the name of Elroy Johnson.
Hey, guys.
They're looking for Elroy Johnson.
Oh, oh, I'm sorry, folks.
I mean, um, you all missed him by about a year.
Uh, do you have any idea where he's playing now? Well, um, if he's lucky, he's, uh he's backing the heavenly choir.
He-he passed away.
Uh, you know, his heart just sort of jumped up and attacked him one night right after the show, you know, and that's not a bad way for an old guitar player to go, you know, if you know what I mean.
I know what you mean.
There goes our last hope for a DNA match.
I thought you didn't give up.
I'm sorry we made you come all the way down here.
The only thing I'm sorry about is Elroy died without really knowing what happened to his brother.
I was just a little too late.
There might still be some other relatives out there.
We're going to do some more checking once we get to D.
C.
Hey, I appreciate the effort you both have put in.
Thanks for driving me back to the airport.
Oh, it's the least we could do.
You bought breakfast.
You know, this doesn't look like the way to the airport.
Hold on.
Hey, Vic, you want to hand me the map? No, the photo.
Yeah, no, I've seen it.
No, look- the guitar in the photo.
The guitar player we met on Beale Street had "Lulubelle" painted on his guitar.
It's too small to read in this picture, but Elroy's guitar has something painted in the exact same place on the body.
If that was Elroy's guitar Then that might have been Elroy.
So, do we get anything out of putting Lieutenant Chang back on the stand today? Well, realistically, ma'am, I don't think she has anything to say that would help her.
Well, we can go over her civilian work record.
Bud, do you have any extra legal pads? No, ma'am.
I ordered some more and they sent me Supply's really been screwing up lately.
Ma'am, I think we should recall Captain Smith instead.
Captain, according to your inventory records, you received a supply of vecuronium two days prior to the incident with Lieutenant Chang.
That's correct.
Now, how many patients had been administered with the drug between the time that you received your supply to the time that Lieutenant Chang gave it to the Iraqi girl? None.
Well, how could you have run out? Let's look at the requisition form, shall we? In January, sir, you ordered In February, you ordered 100 units of vecuronium.
Could you tell the court, please, in March, how many units of vecuronium did you order? Ten.
Hmm, now, below the order line for vecuronium is a requisition for ketamine.
And in January you ordered ten units.
In February you ordered ten units.
Can you please tell the court, sir, in March, how many units did you order? So, isn't it possible that you mistakenly over-ordered one drug and under- ordered another? That's exactly what happened.
So there should have been enough vecuronium for the Iraqi girl and any potential American wounded? But there wasn't.
No further questions.
That was my mistake, and I'll take responsibility for it, but my order to Lieutenant Chang was correct under the circumstances.
I'm a doctor, too, Lieutenant.
I know there are children dying outside the gates of our compound and I desperately wish that we could be there to save all of them.
But the military situation we are currently in does not allow us to do that.
Go away.
You've done enough damage.
We just want to talk to your guitar player.
Well, he's not here.
You know, we were fine until you came looking for him.
He was Elroy, wasn't he? Yes, but what does it matter? He left.
The man's been on the road his whole life.
I shouldn't have expected him to stick around.
Do you know where he went, ma'am? He wouldn't tell me.
He didn't want me to have to lie about where he was.
I may never see him again.
Why did he go running off? Because I got three ex-wives and you're a lawyer if I ever seen one.
Elroy! Halfway to the bus station I decided, "Mm-mm, I ain't running.
Not from the best thing that ever happened to me.
" Oh, don't you ever do that to me again.
Mr.
Johnson.
This is actually about your brother.
Joe? I I served with Joe in Vietnam.
I was there the night he was killed.
No, they they told me he went missing during some kind of training exercise.
There's something I need to say.
I've never been able to tell this to anyone before.
I still don't want a deal.
I think you'll be happy with the government's new terms.
Let me guess.
I'll be administratively separated and not serve the last year of my commitment to the reserves.
You'll have to pay back a pro-rata portion of your educational Not interested, Colonel.
I don't want out.
The prosecution is right.
I haven't taken my military training seriously.
All the more reason to get out.
You can go back to being a doctor first and foremost.
Do you know why I'm a good doctor? Because I've worked hard at it.
And I'm a lousy officer because I've applied myself to everything I've ever done except this.
I won my state spelling bee when I was eight.
I finished first in my class.
Undergrad and med school.
I'm even a 250 bowler.
But the one thing I've never excelled at is the military.
It's one thing to find something you're not good at, but to not even try So thank you for your efforts, Colonel.
I'd like to accept the consequences of my actions and finish out my service.
The military needs doctors more than ever.
I'm sure something can be worked out.
The helicopter went up in flames on the other side of a small ridge.
The copilot and the gunner had been thrown clear.
The other members of my team, uh, treated them while I made my way to the wreckage.
Hang in there, Lieutenant.
Don't worry, buddy, you'll be all right.
We're gonna get you out.
No no, you're not.
Don't let me burn.
It's okay.
Do it.
Please.
Everything's gonna be all right.
Do it.
I'm very sorry.
You ain't got nothing to be sorry about.
You did what you had to do.
I mean, what my brother wanted you to do.
The mission.
Did y'all get that P.
O.
W.
back? Yeah, we all got back.
We had to hump it through the jungle for four days, but, yeah, we made it.
Then I'm glad my brother didn't die for nothing.
You okay, honey? Um, Mr.
Johnson, we're here because we believe your brother's remains have been found.
We'll need a DNA sample from you to prove that the remains are your brother's, and then he can be returned to your family and given a proper military funeral.
You could take him back to Vicksburg, burying him with the family.
All these years not having him back having him missing.
No.
I'm sorry, I don't understand.
I took it hard when Joe went MIA.
Then I I hit the road.
You know, in a way it was like, you know, Joe and I just didn't, you know, get back in touch with each other yet.
You know, uh an old friend you keep meaning to call, you just don't get around to it.
I'm gonna give y'all my DNA.
If it's him, I want him buried in a veteran's cemetery.
That's good, baby.
But I don't want to know if it's him.
See, if he's still missing then I can tell myself, you know, that Joe and I just might, you know run into each other again someday.
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