Taps Page #4

With the stroke of a pen, sir.

Their field of honour was a desk top.

They didn't consult me.

Never hinted at what their plans were.

They just papered it and pencilled it

and went ahead and did it

because that's what the numbers said.

Sir, all they want is money.

Let them raise the tuition. We'll pay it.

I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, son.

There's a feeling on the outside

that schools like this are anachronistic

and leaders of men

like you and me are dinosaurs.

Sir?

Well, you go to the movies, you read books.

A military leader is always portrayed

as slightly insane.

Very often more than slightly.

That's because it is insane to cling to honour

in a world where honour is held in contempt.

Sir, I don't know

if I really deserve the rank of major.

My first thought was for myself.

I didn't think about the others or the school...

- Sit down, Mr Moreland.

- Sir.

Never be ashamed of being human.

Without humanity, a leader becomes a tyrant.

I was relieved. I figured I had another year.

I could graduate and go on to West Point.

So you will. And the others too.

I haven't spent a lifetime fighting

just to turn over and play dead now.

I came to Bunker Hill when I was 12 years old.

Just like you.

With the exception of those 12 years,

I've been in uniform all my life.

I know men younger than myself

who take their pensions

and put on stupid little white shirts

with cut-off sleeves,

alligator on the tit,

and spend the rest of their days

beating the hell out of a little white ball

with an iron club.

My God!

The thought of it makes me want to puke.

They like it like that, civilians.

Well, the one thing civilians know

is their rights.

And they're within their rights

to push us out

to make way

for their goddamned condominiums.

But we have one little advantage on them.

- What's that, sir?

- We're here.

And the condos aren't.

We have a foothold.

You boys are my purpose. You're my family.

And I'm not going to let them

take you away from me.

We won't either, sir. We won't let them.

- I knew something like this would happen.

- Sure.

I figured after one whole year of being

sh*t on, I'd get hit by a bus or something

and never get a chance

to sh*t on the next bunch.

So you didn't get hit by a bus. So what?

Thank you, sir.

They'll find me another school for next year.

It'll be another year of getting sh*t on.

Will your folks

let you come back here for one year?

Maybe. I don't know.

- Snow White and the two dwarves.

- I'm not in any mood for your sh*t, Dwyer.

- Just trying to be friendly.

- Yeah.

So... what's Moreland say about all this?

He says it'll never happen.

Bache'll come in and save the day.

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