BE. APT Captain Francois went AWOL while op Liberty. Nobody has seen nim sj SGHN Basrr, (stunned) The captain wog ie Navy Cross on Tarawa. LT. TAPT he jumped ship in San Diego. Maybe he knew something the rest of ug didn’t know. (slight pause) Carry on, Sergeant. EXT. TRAINING POOL/JUMP TOWER - DAYS LATER jt’s,2 cold, rainy day. The Marines are lined up single file beside the pool, waiting their turn to climb a 25 fost towee and then jump into the water below - similating an abandon ship @rius: ‘TOP OF JUMP TOWER - SANE cnet one, Stands on top of the tower, talking each Marine through the drill. Tatum and Evanson arrive’ at the top. St omy sasztoys Sléne Ah, my Advance Cadres. Hold your nose THe Paar fic, with one hand. Grab your nuts with the other. Gravity’ll take care of the rest. Tatum does as he’s instructed and leaps off the platfor™ Evanson steps up but as soon as he Looks down, he turne green, and hurriedly backs away from the edge. JOWN BASILONE It's not as bad as it looks. Go! Ekangon shakes his head. In fact, his whole body ie beginning to shake. JOHN BASILONE The ship is sinking, Evanson. You wanna die? JUMEL VipBut Evan n't Move. fewn kelew, Tatum and everyb. new focused on the drama cn the platform. JOHN BASILONE Qh for christ’s-— Here. We'll du ic together. Basilone grabs the Evanson’s arm and gently pulls him to the edge. STEVE EVANSON T don't think I can do thia! JOHN BRSTLONE Don't think! Just do what I tell ya. Keep your eyes closed. That's right. Grab your nose. Grab your nuts. You're @ Marine, T knew you Gan do that much. Evanson grins a tight nervous grin. JOHN BASILONE On the count of three, we're gonna go together. Ready? One. ‘Two. Three! Basilone iunges but holds back ‘at the last second, faking Evanson out completely. Evanson goes off alone. When he sary asee: the watching Marines break into enthusiastic APPLAUSE, Basilone yells down, grinning. JOWN BASILONE How's the water, marine?! Evanson neds vigorously and gives Basilone the OK sign. Under Besilone’s watchful eye, each Marine ~ we: ghd carrying his conbat gear” climbs clumsily foot net. He helds a handful of pebbles and a time, at the men as they climb down. JOHN BAS: Watch your spagim@? Keep moving! Jap snipers azgeq®nna be trying to pick throws a pekble) on't stop! (throws another) (MORE 1dBasilone demonstrates by FIRING two volleys of th rounds. Ans] then twe ys of two rounda. Then fires singl shots, A machine gun is a beautiful ‘woman. You got to et fas. Alright, Tatum, you - Swo burets, three aces. Tatum, in his nervousness, CLENCHES the fraying a dozen rounds. Basilone YELLS in his ear. JOHN BASILONE Like a woman; not a_be BXT. WOMAN’S OFFICER'S MESS - CAMP PENDLETON - DUSK Basilone strides to the back of the Mess Hall for the Women’s Marines, Ue looks eround quickly, then slips inside. WE FOLLOW BASILONE INSIDE THE KITCHEN Several women are cleaning up. They see Basilone and stop. Lena, who is in charge of the Mesa Hall, comes around a corner. She stops in disbelief when she sees Basilone. LENA is around the Womed's offieeess meet Scene Jon Bastions Then you'd outrank me. Could boss me L around. Gimme extra duties. She smiles in spite of herself. LENA What do you want? JOUN BASTLONE where you from? LENA, Oregon. It’s up North. 3)TLONE T enew where it is. I'm from Jersey. LENA You sea? It'll never work, A whoie continent hetween us. JOHN BASILONE Yeah, but I'm Italian. You're Italian. I’m a Marine, you're Marine... LENA You're famous, I’m not. Basilone is quiet; what can he say? LENA (CONT'D) I sew you once. In Los Angeles. Me and the girls were waiting te bag our way into the Derby when you arrived ‘ the Derby like, f@an inside. Us plain Janes JOHN BASTLONE Tt wae probably publicity fer some Bond Drive or somethin’. That stuff ain't real. LENA That go for the girls, too? JOHN BASILONE T make/om think they're doiuy something nice for the war. rN (pointed) are they? JOHN BASTLONE Tt deesn’t mean anything. LENA Just what a girl wants to hear..JOHN BASTLCNE You've taking this ail wreng. LENA Look, Sergeant... JOHN BASTLONE ++ Jokn... LENA ++-Sergeant. I'm working here...so, if you don’t mind... JOHN BASZLONE I haven't had dinner, alone, with a real woman, without reporters or brass or Hollywood Four Fs leering over my shoulder, in more’n a year. She stares at him. Not unmoved. He picks up a POT. JOHN BASILONE (cont‘D) Let me cook ya a Spaghetti dinner, 1 make a mean gravy. LENA (a beat; she smiles) Make it a steak and you got a deal. ZZ Basilone smiles back. ~~ INT. SMALL ITALIAN RESTAURANT - LATER They sit in a quiet corner. An empty bottle of wine on the table. One waiter picks up their empty plates as another puts down twn cups of coffee, JOHN BASTLONE Seemed to like that steak OK. Ss @ LENA, Cb) ( I thought you were gonna cook it. z JOHN BASILONE TI lied. LENA Do that a lot? FlipJOHN BASILONE yean. Basilene lights cigarettes for them both. A moment. There's a powerful attraction here but both John and Lena feel a little intimidated by it; unsure what to do. LENA Coffee's good, too. JOHN BASTLONE What's the best cup of coffee you ever had in your life? LENA June 17, 1943. off his logk peare real traditional. s'posed to get married, give’m grandkids. So, when I announge Ly @ talking to me. family. A year later, iff, I go home to sea my mom, my befthers. I’m in thie diner by #fand my pop walks in, sits down JOHN BASILONE Why the Marines? LENA If you're gonna do something, you do ‘ it all the way. Basilone nods approvingly. LENA How's about you? JOHN BASTLONE why'd T sign up?A moment. LENA Best ef coffee, SOHN BASZLONE Guadacanal. The morning after the Ridge. Two days earlier, we'd stolen some coffee from the doggies when they came ashore, I’d also liberated some hooch from their officers, too. We'd stashed it all away; forgotten about it, in the fight. The morning after... Evans? Yeah, it was Evans. Crumpet had taken a bullet in the leg and Perkins ++she Was still missing. So, it was Bvans and Powell and me, cooked up the coffee in a mess kit over a fire of green coconut logs. The smoke kept the bugs away and covered the smell of the bodies. Wasn’t any part of me didn't hurt; burns on my hands, ears still ringing from the shelling. But it was real quiet then. And the coffee was perfect. LENA That why you want back into the war sn bad? You miss the coffee? JOHN BASTLONE Who says I'm headed back? Right now, I’m just a glorified Dr. LENA But that’s what you want, right? word is, you had to pull’a whole lot of strings to get into the Figth and pissed off the Brass doing it. How come? JOWN BASTLONE (shrugging) These kids need some veterans to help’em them through it, that’s all. Gena studies Basilone carefully. It makes him nervous. Ipwhat? LENA (gently) Thought you wae trying to quit lying? Basilone is stunned; angry for a moment. Then he breaks into a grins JOHN BASTLONE Goddamn, woman. Where've you been? a CLOSE ON HOTEL BED ~ Basilone and Lena are making love, arms wrapped tightly aroung gach other. This is not gentle. Thie is hungry. This is I more. I want everything. They finish together but remain in their embrace. Basilone rests his cheek against hers and looks di; the camera while Lena strokes the back of his heg falling hard and no one could be more surprised EXT. 8 COMPANY BARRACKS - DAWN Post curfew and Basilone is trying to gyféak into camp but the combination of Lena and booze has leg#his head spinning and he’s not toc etealthy. Two nervous ye near Basilone stumble into an ash can and come running HALT! WHO GOES, Basilone stops and raisghis hands, weaving a bit. JOHN vASTLONE it's pay, fellas! Friendly forces! When the MP's se who their captive is, they lower their rifles immediately. YOUNG ME #2 Gh, hey, Sergeant. Didn't realize it waa you. JOHN BASILONE Missed my bus.HN BASILSNE ves, sire Tn. SEN SoH Don't ever let it happen again, These men look up to you. If Basilone liked Sohn kefore, he respects hin is dressing down was deserved. A moment. LT. BEN SOHN ‘The Fifth is shipping out, your Marines gonna be ry A moment. LY. BEN SOHN EXT. SORN’S OFM{CE - IMMEDIATELY AFTER Basilone cjfses the door and has to take a breath to calm himself én. He's. going to war. The next question is, why aren't # happier about it? @ ramp falls down with a splash of water. Basilone, sgt. Windle, and two squads of Marines, in full combat gear, come pouring out, Camara PULLS BACK to ale EXT. OCEANSIDE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - AFTERNOON The wen wade through the surf and onto the beach where they immediately spread out and assume a defensive position. JON BASILONE ~ THAT WAS CRAP! You're too fucking slow! You're too bunched up! What the fuck are yon quys thinking about?! Five minutes, and then we're gonna do it againt fhe men slump to the ground, exhausted. van conkleburg growls: to his neighbor... 9 IDSchiKLEaUPG is training? I'm sick and tired cf pussy-fcoting around. T wante get overseas and slap me a Jap! Basilone rounds on Conkleburg furiously; grabs him by the shirt and yanks him to hig feet. JOHN BASTLONE “Slap me a Jap.” You-stupid sack of shit, Lemme tell you something about the Japanese soldier. He's not that goofy cartoon in the papers. He's a Combat veteran, an expert with his weapon, with years of experience. He'll live off a handful of maggoty rice and muddy water for weeka and endure hardships that'd have you pissing your pants and crying for your momma. He don't care if he gets hurt er killed so long as he kilie hig enemy. Kills you. You ever hear about “Kamikaze attacks?* He will run through machine gun fire with a bamhoo stick just for the chance to stab you in the gut. I don’t like those crazy fuckers but I respect'em, and I learned that respect the hard way by watching my buddies yet killed! go don't ever let me hear you whine about training again. Do you understand?! VAN CONKLEBURG (abashed) Yes, Sergeant. Basilone turns to the antire company. JOHN BASILONE DO YoU UNDERSTAND! ALL THE MARINES YES, SERGEAND! wa mabagete STORMS OFF down the Leach leaving a lot of confused and embarrassed young Marines in his wake. Ib !o