Ambush Bay

They were the quietest

bunch of guys I'd ever seen.

I couldn't tell if they'd

been trained that way

or if they just had nothing to say.

Captain Alonzo Davis.

Officer in charge.

Known to his men as "Smokey."

A mustang

commissioned from the ranks.

Consistently demonstrated excellence,

leadership under fire.

Twice decorated...

Guadalcanal, Tarawa.

Eleven years in the corps.

First Sergeant Steve Corey,

second in command.

I knew him only by reputation.

The finest fighting man

in our theatre.

Nine campaigns

in the last 17 months.

Corporal Alvin Ross.

Proven excellence

with M-1 at any distance.

Specialty...

accuracy at long range.

Sniping.

PFC Henry Reynolds.

Demolitions expert.

Combat experience...

One year, ten months.

Age... 19 years, one month.

Platoon Sergeant

William Maccone, garrote.

A garrote is a fine wire

with a handle on each end.

Usage confined exclusively

to the human throat.

Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Wartell.

Career Marine.

Specialty...

automatic weapons.

Proven excellence,

Thompson submachine gun.

Corporal Stanley Parrish.

Knife expert.

Close in combat.

"Stan the man."

130 pounds after dinner.

PFC George George.

Specialty... night vision.

The ability to see

in the absence of light.

By medical statistics, those eyes

will happen once every 200,000 births.

Private First Class James Grenier.

Air crewman radio specialist.

Combat experience... none.

Length of service...

U.S. Marine Corps, six months.

Reason for selection to highly

specialized reconnaissance mission...

dire abdominal attack suffered

by selected radio man

accompanied by high fever.

No time for proper replacement.

Location at time of selection...

radio panel.

Check the water-proofing

on that radio, private.

May run a little rough going in.

No sweat, Sarge.

I used to deliver wedding cakes.

I'll take about 30 seconds head start.

We'll guide on the right edge

of the village.

Like the man said...

"Silence is golden."

I'm sorry, Sergeant.

I'm just not used to walking.

Well, you'd better

get used to it, fly boy.

Because anything happens

to you or this radio,

we turn this party around

and go home.

May I ask the nature

of this mission, Sergeant?

No, you may not.

Amado De Lesa.

Your guide.

I'm Captain Davis.

Sergeant Corey.

- How are you?

- Sergeant Wartell.

Smoke.

Wouldn't you know it... they've got

the whole island and Mindanao

to stuff their faces, and they've

gotta pick the middle of our path.

You wanna try

and go around them?

Can't. There's a reinforcement battalion

somewhere in this vicinity.

Probably part of it.

If we jump 'em,

we'll wake up the whole neighborhood.

Let's do it.

Shooting-gallery style.

Four rifles.

One man missing.

Captain Davis is dead.

I wanna move out right away.

Russ, Reynolds,

go get his body.

Parrish, George,

bury him up there.

Amado.

Try to make this mess look like it

was done by guerillas. Use your knife.

- Ernie.

- Yeah.

I wanna get into heavy growth.

Have George take point.

Amado with him.

- You can bring up the rear.

- Right.

Grenier.

Remain in the middle at all times

giving maximum protection to that radio.

You got that clear?

Damn.

Let's move out.

They must've felt something,

but nobody reacted.

It was like in football

when a guy gets hurt

and none of his teammates

pays any attention.

The point seemed to be to create

the impression that we didn't exist.

To leave things as we found them

whenever possible.

'Course, there are times in life

when you have to improvise.

Too good to be true.

I can't figure it out.

I feel like we're in a stadium

with a bunch of Jap spectators.

You think the Airedale's gonna cut it?

We got two days. The name

of the game's gonna be "hurry."

I don't know. He's not used

to this kind of life.

What'd you find out about him?

You know the stories these days.

He thought blue would go better

with his eyes than khaki,

and now he's a Marine.

Five years ago,

we'd have booted him out on his butt.

Today, he's you and me.

You guys got any powder?

I think my feet are about

to come off in my hands.

I guess I just ain't used to this jazz.

Would you like scented or plain?

Hey, Stub...

You got any of that lavender?

Gee, I forgot whether we got

lavender or sweet pea.

That's no problem.

Hey, would you like us

to draw you a nice hot tub?

Alvin?

Oh, you guys are puttin' me on.

None of you guys

ever seen a bathtub.

You stand out in the rain

like a bunch of horses.

Knock it off!

Look, gentlemen, this is the first

and last friendly little squabble

we're gonna have

amongst each other.

And I do not jest.

Does anyone

wanna question my sincerity?

Bury your cans.

Tank, Sarge.

Just over the rise.

Infantry support?

It's hard to say.

I didn't see any.

All right, we'll bypass them.

You tell them to close up,

keep together, and no conversation.

Reynolds!

That's yours.

Damn noise is gonna bring

every Jap on the island down on us.

Get our people, and let's get

the hell out of here.

Maccone, Parrish, get Reynolds.

Come on, move!

Come on.

All right.

It's 1100.

Run your radio check.

Put them here.

All right, men.

Start digging here.

Diamond Blue,

Diamond Blue, this is Nugget.

Do you read me? Over.

Diamond Blue,

Diamond Blue, this is Nugget.

Do you read me? Over.

Diamond Blue, this is Nugget.

I read you five by five.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes