A Soldier's Story Page #3

Captain Taylor questioned

two white officers from this fort that night.

How do you know?

I delivered his report to Colonel Nivens, sir.

And on the way over, the jeep hit a hole.

The papers flew all over the road, and...

I just happened to notice it, sir.

Who are they?

No names, sir. Just the mentioning

of the questioning.

It seems they were on the road that night.

Well...

...don't let any more reports

fly away from you, Corporal.

No, sir.

Sir, may I say something, though?

It sure is good seeing one of us

wearing captain's bars, sir.

Call in the first man, Corporal.

Yes, sir.

Private Wilkie, Captain wants to see you!

Yes, indeedy. On my way.

Private Wilkie reports as ordered, sir.

Close the door.

- Have a seat.

- Yes, sir.

- I'm Captain Davenport. I'm conducting...

- We all know that, sir.

Word went out on the grapevine

you were here the minute you hit the fort.

I'm conducting an inquiry into the events

surrounding the death of Sergeant Waters.

The report I file will be confidential.

How long did you know the sergeant?

About a year, sir.

You see, this company, sir,

was basically a baseball team.

Most of the guys had played

in the Negro League, so...

...naturally, the Army put us all together.

The Army sent Sergeant Waters here

to manage the team in the summer of '42...

...right after the invasion of North Africa.

He'd been in Field Artillery,

a gunnery sergeant.

He had a FEF and an ETO,

a Croix de Guerre from World War I.

What kind of man was he?

He was all spit and polish, sir.

He took my stripes, sir,

but I was in the wrong.

Sergeant Wilkie.

You're a noncommissioned officer

in the Army of a country at war.

The penalty for being

drunk on duty is severe.

So don't bring me no:

"Us colored folks can't do nothin'

unless they're drunk" sh*t as an excuse.

You're supposed to be

an example to your men.

I'm going to put you in the stockade

for 10 days and take those stripes.

- Wait a minute, Sergeant...

- Teach you a lesson.

You're in the Army.

Colored folks always talkin'

about what they'll do...

...if the white man give 'em a chance.

You get it, and what do you do with it?

You wind up drunk on guard duty.

I don't blame the white man.

Why the hell should he put

colored and white together?

You can't even guard your own quarters.

- Wait a minute, Sergeant...

- Where's your pride?

Where's your respect for this uniform?

Get out of my sight, Private.

How was he with the other men?

Sometimes the Southern guys caught hell.

Sergeant wasn't too big

on guys from the South.

Me, I'm from Detroit.

Did you know that Joe Louis

got his start in Detroit?

What about the Southern men?

Sarge didn't like 'em. Except for CJ.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes