The Siege of Jadotville
I once heard a man say that, in Africa,
the sun is like a furnace
or forges you.
Everything...
that is underneath this earth
belongs to all our people.
Does not belong to the Belgians.
Does not belong to the Americans.
Does not belong to you, mon Frre.
That's one way to look at it.
Here's another.
The Congo is a provider of over half of...
more than half of the world's copper
and cobalt to the USA and the USSR.
Both of these minerals essential...
Both of these minerals necessary to
the superpowers' weapons-guidance systems.
No. We cannot stand idly by...
while General Tshombe
colludes with the mining companies
to control the province of Katanga.
And with the assassination
we now have a moral imperative
to send in more peacekeepers.
The United Nations,
in deference to the Congo's wishes,
has asked that, once again,
these peacekeepers come from Ireland.
Apart from serving as head
of the United Nations' Congo Division,
I'm an Irishman myself.
Therefore, I am very proud
that we've been asked to serve.
You see Caesar, he knew.
I'll be the first to go.
- Are you lads in the Congo mission?
- We are, yeah.
Sit down.
- Do you want a drink?
- Yeah, Guinness.
P? Four, please.
Everyone else was cracking.
That's why you get 200,000 people
surrendering to 60,000.
That's the difference.
Now, the thing is,
politicians,
they don't understand tactics.
And soldiers,
they don't understand strategy.
But Caesar, he understood both.
Julius Caesar in the corner.
He's read it all.
He knows every battle ever fought.
- Does he know about the real thing?
- None of us do.
Remember who's in charge.
He's your commanding officer.
Yes, sir.
You could have said something.
You're a f***ing idiot!
Commandant.
Sure only my wife calls me that.
One for my friend, please.
- Are you looking forward to it?
- Looking forward to the challenge.
- The men are looking forward to it, too.
- And I hope they're ready for it.
What do you think?
Will we see any action?
Who knows? I don't think any of us
have a clue what's going on out there.
Your dinner's in the dog.
I was being delightful and witty company.
Ah, that's a nice change for you.
A lesser man
might take that the wrong way.
Might he?
Well, I would only be guessing.
I love this song.
Come here. Come here.
- Can we dance to this?
- No.
For me, for me
Cupid, please hear my cry...
That'll be them.
Making it official.
My lover's heart for me...
Now, I don't mean to bother you...
Hold that thought.
There's danger
Of me losing all of my happiness
For I love a girl
Who doesn't know I exist
And this you can fix...
Jadotville.
In the Katanga region.
Yes, General. I understand.
Report 0600 hours.
Okay.
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Nobody but me
Cupid, please hear my cry...
Aren't you excited as all hell to go?
Don't you want to see
if you're as good as you think?
Now, Cupid
Don't you hear me calling you
I need you, Cupid
Hey. Hey. Hey, yes, hey.
Hey. Hey.
Donnelly.
Trousers.
Everybody, young and old
Learn how to rock 'n' roll
Listen here, something new...
Sweet Jesus!
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'...
Is it going to be sore?
I can't watch.
This won't hurt.
Hi.
My fiance is a nurse.
She said this will be all right.
F***.
Is that it?
You know I'm shipping off to war, yeah?
I might die without knowing the love
of a good Irish woman.
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
Foot stompin', foot stompin'
A good time
I'll be all right.
Do you have your coat now?
Ma, we're going to the feckin' equator.
Better watch your feckin' language
in Africa!
So, you are on your way.
Yeah.
Your mother will miss you.
Dad?
Yeah?
I had a dream I'm going to die over there.
There's no chance of that.
Your mother will pray for you.
You know she's got a direct line to God.
Company!
Attention!
The UN was established
to ensure that the nations of the world
We are the second wave of Irish soldiers
to be sent into the Congo.
So far, it has cost nine Irish lives.
So this is where it gets serious
Nobody has shot at you,
tried to kill you before.
You are war virgins.
The UN has given us this great honor,
to serve as peacekeepers.
And we are proud to accept.
We are a country
that has never owned or tried to conquer
another sovereign nation.
As a neutral country,
Ireland has chosen
to never be the aggressor.
That's why they have asked for us.
And if anybody thinks
we're to be taken lightly...
we'll show them
that they are very sadly mistaken.
Am I right, soldiers?
Yes, sir!
Carry on, Company Sergeant.
Yes, sir.
Company!
Left turn!
Quick march!
Hey. Hey.
Hey, yes, hey.
We welcome the forces
of the United Nations here with open arms
but with some confusion.
We don't know why you are here
in Africa...
as we are quite capable
However, we will be thoughtful hosts.
Unless you come here to start trouble,
in which case
you will force us to tutor you
on how things are done here in the Congo.
- General Tshombe!
- Gentlemen, that's it. We're done.
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"The Siege of Jadotville" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_siege_of_jadotville_21308>.
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