Welcome Home (1989) - full transcript
Jake died in Vietnam; his family mourned him, then moved on. When he reappears, quite alive, the question is, what must he do and how will his family respond to him?
(helicopter)
(woman shrieks)
(man shouts)
Agh !
Left!
To your left! To your left!
To your left! Right! Left!
To your left!
Company! To the rear...
Turn!
(drill sergeant hollering)
Pick it up, people!
You should know how to make
all these moves in your sleep!
To your left!
Thomas, you just lay back and
let old Dwayne do all the work.
Hell, that's what old Dwayne gets paid for.
(beeping)
(irregular beeping)
Mm-mm! Lunchtime!
I bet you thought old Dwayne
would never get here.
Now, I hope you like this,
cos I made it myself.
But if it needs more salt
or somethin ', just...
...sing out. You hear me, Thomas?
Relax, Thomas.
Come on, just relax.
Wait a minute, Thomas. Wait a minute!
Jake.
What did you say?
Talk to me, Thomas. Come on!
Robbins...
...Jeremiah T .
Jesus!
Welcome back to planet Earth.
Do you know where you are, son?
Where's Leang ?
Leang is who, son?
- Where am I?
- You're home.
What's happened to Leang ?
- Come on. It's okay.
- Listen to me carefully, son.
Right now we don't know
where this Leang is...
...but we'll find out. Do you hear me?
I gotta get outta here.
You just rest now.
You've been through quite an ordeal.
Where are they?
They're fine, son.
We'll tell you all about them
when you wake up.
Everything is fine now.
Nothing you heard gets out of this room.
- You got that, Sergeant?
- Yes, sir.
This camp was in the Stung Treng ?
I think they never moved me
very far from where I went down.
They kept saying
they'd take me to Hanoi...
...if I'd sign a confession I'd been
bombing Cambodian civilians...
...or some crap like that.
And you never had contact
with other Americans?
No.
They had me in a goddamn
cage for four years.
There was a lot of bombing.
I don't know what was going on.
I don't even know
if I ever signed anything.
When the camp was hit I got out.
I think they were Khmer Rouge.
I was hit...
...but I got through to the jungle.
And that's all I know till Leang found me.
And then?
And then I just tried to stay alive.
For 13 years?
For 13 years.
You know we have to do this, Lieutenant.
Her people took me in.
Hill people.
And nobody went out.
The ones who got in later said there was
a blood bath when Pol Pot took over.
You know Vietnam took Cambodia in '79?
I heard.
And I know we already had Kim.
I had a wife and son, Colonel.
And then Siv was born.
I tried to get my fingerprints out
with Leang's brother in '79.
He actually made it into Thailand.
They put him on a bus,
drove him to the border...
...and forced him back into Cambodia
through a fuckin' minefield.
His wife made it home a year later.
He didn't.
Even if I'd had thoughts
about trying to escape...
...I couldn't take a chance on what'd
happen to my family if we got caught.
According to your records...
...you were married to
Sarah Renee Marsten ...
...May 1970 on your R&R in Hawaii...
...one month before you went down.
Have you contacted her?
Do you want us to?
My family's over there, Colonel.
I just want them out.
I didn't play ball with the Vietnamese...
...if that's what you're trying
to get at with this.
The only thing we're trying to get at
is the situation, Lieutenant...
...so it's best for everyone involved.
I figure my ass is shit
for telling you this...
...but I also figure you're getting
one hell of a royal screw...
...and it doesn't help any that
you're one dumb son of a bitch.
Now, look. it isn't now,
but when you came in...
...the name on your chart was Morgan.
Thomas Morgan.
I had a friend of mine look you up,
Jeremiah T, and you know what?
You are dead, my man.
What the hell are you talking about?
You been wondering why they got you
stashed away out here in God's country?
Jeremiah T Robbins bought it.
Bagged and buried.
Killed in action. June 12th, 1970.
This whole thing
is just fuckin' weird, man.
It's just fuckin' weird.
I wanna see my records.
You were listed as Missing In Action
12 June, 1970.
In 1973, after the peace accords...
...the Vietnamese released a set of
remains and your personal effects...
...said to have been recovered
from the crash site.
Our lab confirmed the lD .
You should also know that...
...Sarah Robbins remarried 12 years ago.
I'm beginning to get the idea
that my being alive...
...is not exactly a cause for
celebration around here.
There's a lot going on here
that you aren't aware of, Robbins.
And before this hits the 6 O'clock News,
we all better know our positions.
We've got almost 2,400 people
still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.
82 of them in Cambodia...
...which is still a goddamn hot spot
with the Vietnamese calling all the shots.
Now they've exploited the MIA issue
all the way down the line...
...trying to bring about a normalisation
of relations with the US.
Now... you...
...come waltzing out alive after 17 years.
And every goddamn over-the-hill hippy
and back-yard Rambo in the country...
...will be screaming to go over there
and look for more.
And the Vietnamese will have
a fuckin ' field day.
Colonel Barnes, with all due respect
I'd like to request a discharge.
Under the circumstances,
that would be a little difficult.
Of course, we'll settle your claim
for back pay immediately...
- I haven't made a claim.
- ..If you cooperate.
We need time to develop a policy position
to deal with your reappearance.
Something that won't jeopardise
our current negotiations...
Colonel...
...or the lives of other Americans
who may be over there.
You want me to keep quiet.
We'd like to call the shots on this.
What about my parents?
Any objection if I decide
to let 'em know I'm not dead?
And your wife?
She's in Thailand.
You know what I mean, Robbins.
I'm dead, remember?
We consider this a matter of
national security, Lieutenant.
If you choose to contact your parents,
it's imperative they understand that.
You help me get my wife and
children out of Thailand...
...and I'll cooperate
as long as you want me to.
Well, from what we've
been able to determine...
...they were probably sent to one
of the Thai holding camps at Site 2.
Now they've got almost
200,000 people in there, but...
...if that's where they are, we'll find them.
(knocking)
Your new lD's in there.
Consider yourself on condition to leave.
You're not to leave the country
under any circumstances...
...and you're to keep me
informed of your whereabouts.
♪ No parade
♪ No marching band
♪ No banners catching the breeze
♪ No cheering crowd to warm your heart
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ No hurrah's
♪ No tears of joy
♪ No ribbons round the trees
♪ Time has picked your pockets clean
♪ And time will take your
welcome home
♪ Schoolyards
♪ Railroad tracks
♪ Memories laid end to end
♪ Seems only you have changed
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home, my friend
(board creaks)
(doorbell)
Can I help you?
I'm looking for the Robbins.
Harry and Martha Robbins?
Oh, gosh! Sure!
We bought the house from
Harry Robbins... um... six years ago.
Right after his wife passed away.
The last I knew he was living out
at the house he had on Lake Cali so.
Jim helped him move
some of his stuff out there.
Do you know where that is?
After his wife passed away?
Yeah. lt was a stroke
or something like that.
We never knew her.
Thank you.
Do you want to use the phone
to see if he's still listed out there?
No, thank you.
♪ Sidewalks
♪ Garden gates
♪ Back roads you used to roam
♪ They're old friends who ought to say
♪ Welcome home, stranger
♪ Welcome home
♪ Life is cruel and life is strange
♪ And fate is not ours to know
♪ There's one thing you know for sure
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
Here. I got something inside
if your head's hurtin '.
No, I'm fine, Dad.
You had enough to eat?
I can make something else.
No, that was plenty.
You want a jacket?
That feels good.
I need to know about Sarah.
Well, she's doing real well, Jake.
Her husband's a good man.
I think I'll walk a little.
That's Tyler.
He's almost 17 now.
He's your boy, Jake.
He's with Sarah and
her husband in River Falls.
I didn't know what was best.
Still don't.
- (meowing)
- Oh, Tweetie !
Tweetie !
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
(starts engine)
(stops engine)
- I'll call you later.
- Yeah.
- See ya.
- Yeah, okay.
You said you'd buy one
when you got back.
God, Jake!
(sighs) Jesus!
I didn't want this to happen.
I know. l ... l just can't think...
I... I don't know...
Maybe I did want it.
I don't know what the hell I want.
I thought if I could just look at him
without him knowing it...
And not screw your life up.
I should never have come here.
If he ever needs anything...
Supper's ready.
You go ahead.
I almost didn't come home.
Jake, you haven't done anything...
...to deserve this hurt
you're putting yourself through.
I know you're worried.
Maybe I was wrong
telling you about Tyler.
You're right, you know.
I didn't do anything.
Not a goddamn thing.
When the camp was hit I just ran.
I got shot running.
I was so scared, I didn't even know it.
Son...
I don't even remember getting anyplace.
I woke up some place else.
It was safe and I didn't do anything.
There wasn't anything you could do, son.
Are you listening to me?
I had a woman who pulled me
out of the jungle...
...and treated me
like I was some kinda god.
Two great kids.
A goddamn hammock in my back yard.
Do you think I was deprived over there?
We had everything we needed.
Life was swell.
Couldn't have been more swell
if we were sitting in fuckin' Syracuse!
Every once in a while...
...I had a dream of what
it was like back here.
It was the only way I could even
remember what you looked like.
(man) I just can't believe Mel.
Two weeks late, then showing up
with a load of rosewood so warped...
...you couldn't get a toothpick
for a pygmy out of it!
Are you sure you won't come
with us this weekend?
You're the only one
who ever catches anything.
Um... I've got a food drive at school
next week. A lot of calls to make.
You're not hungry?
I think I'll stay home, too.
I'm going to study for a test on Monday.
Well, hell!
What?
Well, I'm not going by myself.
You're not going?
I tell you what. We'll all go.
What do you say? I'll do the cooking.
You guys can do your stuff
and I'll take charge of the kitchen.
- Can I have the keys to the car?
- You've got school tomorrow.
- Forget it. I'll take my bike.
- Where?
Tyler!
I didn't say you couldn't have it.
Just don't be too late, okay?
Thanks, Dad.
Is he okay?
Tyler?
Yes, Tyler.
The person who was sitting
across the table from us. Our son.
I think so.
You know what I did during my service.
I was a dentist's assistant in Louisiana
for the whole goddamn war.
Dad...
I missed out on all the fightin '.
When you came home with your orders,
I was so goddamn proud...
...cos I believed the movies
and the politicians...
...and the war stories at the Rotary Club.
Now I had my boy, the flyer, to talk about.
Cos, God knows, Mom and apple pie
don't mean a damn thing...
...unless you got a boy in uniform
fighting for 'em, huh?
Until we got that box with the flag on it.
And all of a sudden I didn't give a damn
about any of that stuff any more.
We just wanted our son back,
not a goddamn box.
Right then I knew, instead of being so
proud of you in that John Wayne suit...
...I should have tied you up
and driven you to Canada...
...or the goddamn North Pole if I had to!
I had no idea about whether
that war was right or wrong.
All I knew was that they were
telling me you were dead!
And that was wrong!
And I couldn't even try
to believe in what you died for.
It was like... lt was like
me declaring personally...
...that you died for nothing.
Not just some soldier some place,
but my son!
So don't think you've got
a corner on the guilt market.
You're alive, Jake! That's what's right!
And, unless you can accept that
and start feeling alive...
...then it's the same as being dead.
You might just as well be
in that box next to your mother.
And then I'd have done all this goddamn
soul-searching for nothing!
Jesus, Jake! I'm sorry.
This whole thing...
What, son?
...is getting pretty fuckin' weird!
You son of a bitch!
You were willing to let me die in vain?
You were swinging in
a goddamn hammock?
Drinking mango-ade .
(laughing)
(car draws up)
(whispers) Tyler!
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Do you know the time?
Sorry. Okay?
Tyler!
Well, I'm glad you decided to get up.
Listen, I was, uh... thinking about
fixing up the attic for Kim and Siv .
It just needs some insulation.
You used to like it up there in the summer.
I don't wanna put you out.
Hell, I'm not thinking about being put out.
There's plenty of room.
School bus goes right by
the highway up there.
I just thought maybe Leang would need
a little time to get herself adjusted.
Until you find something else.
Just a thought.
Okay.
Okay?
Sure. Thanks.
I gotta introduce you to PAC-Man.
(thunder)
I knocked. The door was unlocked.
I wanted...
I thought I could talk to Harry.
He's gone into town.
Probably a couple of hours.
It still fits.
I should have called first.
Sarah...
Why did you have to come back?
Do you have any idea what
I went through those first years?
Not knowing if you were alive,
if I'd see you again.
It was almost a relief when
they told me you were dead.
At least I could get on with it,
for our son's sake.
But I made one mistake.
I promised myself
I would never stop loving you.
And I didn't.
That's the joke.
I never stopped.
I made a stupid, safe,
romantic promise to a dead man.
But you aren't dead any more.
Do you think I ever could have
hurt you like this on purpose?
That I had any control over
what was happening to me?
After a while...
...all this...
Everything back here seemed like it was...
something from another lifetime.
Something I'd dreamed.
Sarah, don't go.
Phew! Ooh!
That's one helluva day out there!
You got caught too, huh?
Yeah.
Phew! Oh!
How you doin ', sweetheart?
You're a little bit flushed.
Did you catch a cold out in all that?
No, I'm fine. Just sitting
too close to the fire, maybe.
You want some coffee, Dad?
I was going to make a pot.
No.
Well...
...I got all the drywall under a tarp
in the truck. You get the fiberglass in?
Just about.
These are pretty much dry.
This kinda reminds me of the night...
...your mother and I came home
a little early from bingo.
Dad...
That was a helluva long time ago.
You're not kids any more.
I guess you know that.
Is there a reason why the DIA would
have been interested in you in '79?
Defense intelligence?
You remember that friend of mine?
The one who looked you up for me?
Well, he did a little more
looking on his own, Jake.
He thought I might be interested
in an item he came up with.
A State Department report
of a possible live sighting...
...referred to the DIA for investigation.
That was in '79.
Well, the rest is locked up so tight
he can't get at it.
That mean anything to you?
No.
If this thing's so spooky...
...would they have just let me
drive off into the sunset?
They didn't know what the fuck to do.
You seem to be giving them the answers.
You are one paranoid son of a bitch!
Well, fuckin ' A, man!
There's other ways, Jake.
There are other people involved.
And maybe a helluva lot of other people!
What makes you so sure
you're the Lone Ranger?
How do you know there aren't other guys
over there they know about?
And nobody's doing anything. Is that it?
What the hell can they do?
They gonna start another war
with the Vietnamese?
With the Russians sitting on
the fuckin' bases that we built?
We'd have to pay 'em off.
And admit to a helluva lot of things
nobody's willing to admit.
You don't think they'd be tempted
to cover it up...
...if they knew for sure
there were other guys over there?
Wake up and smell the shit, Rip.
(Tyler) Ready!
Set! Hike!
(whistle)
All right. Try it again!
Come on, Robbins! Come on, move it!
S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
That's the way we spell success!
Success! Uh! Uh! Success!
Go, you mother!
Ready!
Set! Forward!
(whistle)
(whistle)
What the hell's going on!
Robbins! Are you nuts!
Colonel Barnes?
Have you found them?
Tell me.
Jake...
...Leang ...
She's dead.
Two weeks ago, the Vietnamese
shelled the border camp.
11 people were killed.
Leang ?
Kim? And Siv ?
They weren't listed among the casualties.
The camp's been evacuated.
One of the relief agencies picked up
the unaccompanied minors.
- Do you know where they are?
- We're working on it.
- You're working on it?
- lt's just a matter of time.
You were working on getting Leang out!
Christ!
We're sure they're safe.
I wanna go over there.
- That's not possible.
- I don't give a damn!
I want a passport
and I wanna go over there.
It wouldn't do any good.
We're doing all we can.
Just get the fuck outta here, Barnes!
Your goddamn deal is off!
I don't know what deal
you're talking about, Lieutenant.
You son of a bitch!
I think you should know there's
been some talk of an inquiry.
A Marine came out of Vietnam in '79.
He was court-martialled on charges
of collaboration with the enemy.
I didn't collaborate.
I know that.
I want my children safe.
We're doing everything possible.
The situation's very confused.
Did you hear what I said?
I want my kids here!
Don't do anything to make it worse, Jake.
Just trust me on this.
Let us handle it.
(footsteps)
Sorry I'm late.
Tyler...
Where have you been?
Out.
Do you have some kind of problem
we need to talk about?
Tyler, look at me.
He's been drinking.
Let it go till the morning.
I don't know what the hell's going on.
Is he all right?
I'm pretty sure
he'll be worse in the morning.
Let me see if he's okay.
Get some sleep. I gotta go in early.
You get to wake him up for school.
- Woody...
- Mm?
Nothing.
Tyler, come on. Wake up.
You're going to be late for school.
- Here. Drink this.
- Just leave me alone.
Don't talk to me like that!
- Look, I know you're sick...
- Yeah, I'm sick!
Leave me alone.
I don't want to go to school.
Well, you should have
thought of that before.
Here. Drink this.
I swear it'll make you feel better.
I don't want anything from you!
For God's sake, what is wrong
with you! What did I do?!
I saw you with that guy. Nice Porsche.
Honey...
...you don't understand.
Does Dad understand?
Oh, God, Tyler! It's not what you think.
What am I supposed to think?
That he's your long-lost cousin?
Am I supposed to call him "Uncle"?
He's your father.
He came to see you.
Just to see what you look like.
To find out if you need anything.
(train's whistle)
Hey, Woody!
You wanna tell that jerk of a shithead
Harris to get off my back?
I'm moving this crap as fast as I can.
Whistle while you work, Willy!
You know how to whistle, don't you?
Just pucker up and kiss ass.
He's a customer, boy!
- What's wrong with you?
- You kiss it!
I'll drive this goddamn forklift up it!
That's the spirit, Willy.
- Not good?
- I let him go in after lunch.
I thought we might get off easy.
He's been such a good kid.
He still is. He was upset.
About what?
What's so big he has to get drunk and
risk killing himself, or somebody else?
(buzzer)
I can't take any calls now, Cindy.
He just came to see Tyler.
Not even to talk to him.
He wasn't trying to screw up our lives.
- Has he?
- Has he what?
Has he screwed up our lives?
He doesn't know Tyler saw us.
He's still waiting for me to decide
whether he should talk to him.
Sarah.
Has he screwed up our lives?
He ought a be home by now.
Look, Woody, I feel...
He'll see your car.
He'll come in if he wants to.
Thanks.
You don't think he's gone out again?
It's a helluva lot we're asking him
to deal with... out of the blue.
Maybe it'd be better if I wrote him.
I could explain things better.
I don't wanna put him through this.
(door opens)
- Honey...
- Let me go up.
Can I talk to you?
All I want is for you to go back
to wherever you came from...
...and leave us alone.
I'll do that, if that's what you want.
That's all I want.
Can I just talk to you first?
Five minutes?
I made a mistake coming here.
I know that.
I didn't mean for this to happen.
When I found out about you...
All those years I never knew about you...
And what about Mom?
You knew about her, right?
Tyler, you don't understand.
- There's no way...
- Are you a deserter?
A what?
I asked somebody what would happen
if a guy who was supposed to be dead...
...showed up from Vietnam after 17 years.
He said that guy would either be
a hero or a deserter.
If you're a hero, I guess I ought a
have seen you on TV, right?
I'm not a deserter. I'm no hero, either.
Tyler, look at me!
There are things I can't talk about now.
Fine!
So just leave, then, okay?
If you're feeling sorry for me, don't.
I've got a father. The only one I want.
I'm not trying to take Woody's place.
You couldn't.
All you can do is hurt him. And Mom!
Tyler...
You know what this is?
Woody took me to the Vets' Memorial
in Washington...
...so I could find your name there.
Well, that's it.
Right up there
with 50,000 other dead guys.
Now would you just get outta here?
I'm sorry.
Jake!
Jake, wait!
Don't leave it like this.
I can't believe I've done this to you.
It had to happen.
Tyler had to know.
I had to know.
Did you?
I had to know, Jake.
Where are you going?
I don't know.
Senator Camden? I've gotta talk to you.
My name's Jake Robbins.
Lieutenant, Air Force.
What can I do for you
on my vacation, Lieutenant?
I was shot down over Cambodia
in June, 1970.
I came out of Cambodia
three months ago.
I don't know what you hope to gain
by this political grandstanding, Camden.
Except another term in office,
if you pull it off.
I also don't know what you want from me.
I have managed to arrange a diplomatic
passport for Lieutenant Robbins.
We assume you have
the paperwork necessary...
...to allow his children to leave Thailand
and enter the United States.
That is what we want from you,
Colonel Barnes.
You realise if you go through with this...
...you may be returning
to face charges of desertion?
Colonel...
...let's say that in 1973
a body is misidentified.
It's happened before.
And Lieutenant Robbins here
is listed as Killed In Action.
Six years later, Defense intelligence...
...investigates a reported sighting,
backed up by fingerprints...
...and determines that
the Lieutenant is indeed alive.
Now this could get a little embarrassing.
But you can't get to him without
risking an international incident...
...and he can't get out.
So all you have to do to cover
your ass is bury the evidence...
...and hope he stays put.
But eight years later Jake pops up,
and now we've got a major fuck-up...
...that has been compounded by cover-ups
all the way down the line.
I should remind you that an inquiry on
collaboration charges is still pending.
What you do at this point could greatly
influence any decisions in that matter.
Colonel, I don't care what
your people try to do to me.
I told you all I wanted
was my family back.
But I was wrong.
I want something more.
I want me back.
And I want whoever that man is
who's buried next to my mother...
...back with his family.
They deserve to know
he's been accounted for...
...not just missing in some
goddamn bureaucratic limbo.
Colonel...
...my committee has no way of knowing...
...that Lieutenant Robbins
is an isolated case...
...that there may not be others whose
whereabouts have been likewise known...
...but not acknowledged.
We're not going to let go of this.
You are making
a very big mistake, Senator.
This could reach a helluva lot
further than you realise.
What you're doing could cause
a great deal of embarrassment.
It would all be a great deal
less embarrassing...
...if it involved only an old cover-up
during a previous administration.
Wouldn't you agree, Colonel?
Unless necessitated
by your lack of cooperation...
...or by his defense
in a court-martial proceeding...
...I see no reason that Lieutenant Robbins
would pursue allegations...
...of the more recent attempts
to suppress this evidence.
This is not my decision to make.
We will be in the lounge
tomorrow evening at 6 o'clock.
There's a flight connecting for Bangkok,
and a flight for Washington.
Lieutenant Robbins and I
will be on one of them by seven.
♪ "Your Song"by Elton John
♪ lt's a little bit funny
♪ This feeling inside
♪ I'm not one of those
who can easily hide
♪ I don't have much money
♪ But, boy, if I did
♪ I'dbuya big house
where we both could live
♪ if I was a sculptor
♪ But then again, no
♪ Ora man who makes potions
in a travelling show
♪ lknow it's not much
♪ But it's the best l can do
♪ My giftis my song
and this one's for you
♪ And you can tell everybody
♪ This is your song
♪ lt maybe quite simple
♪ But now that it's done
♪ l hope you don't mind,
I hope you don't mind
♪ That l put down in words
♪ How wonderful life is
while you're in the world
♪ So excuse me forgetting
♪ But these things I do
♪ You see, I've forgotten
if they're green or they're blue
♪ Anyway, the thing is
♪ What l really mean...
I wish I knew how to deal
with this thing better.
It's like something's
coming apart inside me.
Of all the things that
could have happened to us!
How do you deal with
something like this?
I just dealt with it, Woody.
I love you.
(PA) Now boarding at gate 36
for Chicago flight 686.
There's plenty of time.
You'd think I'd be
better at waiting by now.
- Colonel Barnes.
- Senator.
Good luck, Jake.
You're going to have to
deal with this, Tyler.
- I don't want to talk about it.
- I know you don't want to.
You want to feel sorry for yourself...
...and make sure that everyone else
feels sorry for you, too.
I was a kid. I know the MO.
- Bullshit!
- Bullshit?
Bullshit is taking the easy road
of mourning for a dead hero...
...instead of coming to grips
with the reality of a human being...
...who may not live up to your fantasies.
It's getting a bigger charge
from a shrine of souvenirs...
...than from the miracle that
allowed your father to survive...
...and come back alive!
And bullshit...
It's bullshit with a capital B-S...
...to think that this family doesn't
have the necessary strength...
...or enough love among us
to survive this crisis.
I didn't mean to hurt you, Woody.
I don't mean to sound old-fashioned...
...but... if you can't manage "Dad"
any more, I'd prefer "Sir"!
It's a big thing.
I know that.
But 10 to 1 the sun'll rise
and the wood'll warp.
We've got our health
and we've got each other.
There's room, Tyler.
Are you all right?
Can I borrow the car?
Just be careful.
I love you, Dad.
I love you, too, Tyler.
♪ No parade
♪ No marching band
♪ No banners catching the breeze
♪ No cheering crowd to warm your heart
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ No hurrah's
♪ No tears of joy
♪ No ribbons round the trees
♪ Time has picked your pockets clean
♪ And time will take your welcome home
♪ Schoolyards
♪ Railroad tracks
♪ Memories laid end to end
♪ Seems only you have changed
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home, my friend
♪ Sidewalks
♪ Garden gates
♪ Back roads you used to roam
♪ They're old friends who ought to say
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ Life is cruel and life is strange
♪ And fate is not ours to know
♪ But there's one thing
you know for sure
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
♪ Now leave the past behind
♪ And turn your eyes toward today
♪ You've reached your journey's end
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home to stay
(woman shrieks)
(man shouts)
Agh !
Left!
To your left! To your left!
To your left! Right! Left!
To your left!
Company! To the rear...
Turn!
(drill sergeant hollering)
Pick it up, people!
You should know how to make
all these moves in your sleep!
To your left!
Thomas, you just lay back and
let old Dwayne do all the work.
Hell, that's what old Dwayne gets paid for.
(beeping)
(irregular beeping)
Mm-mm! Lunchtime!
I bet you thought old Dwayne
would never get here.
Now, I hope you like this,
cos I made it myself.
But if it needs more salt
or somethin ', just...
...sing out. You hear me, Thomas?
Relax, Thomas.
Come on, just relax.
Wait a minute, Thomas. Wait a minute!
Jake.
What did you say?
Talk to me, Thomas. Come on!
Robbins...
...Jeremiah T .
Jesus!
Welcome back to planet Earth.
Do you know where you are, son?
Where's Leang ?
Leang is who, son?
- Where am I?
- You're home.
What's happened to Leang ?
- Come on. It's okay.
- Listen to me carefully, son.
Right now we don't know
where this Leang is...
...but we'll find out. Do you hear me?
I gotta get outta here.
You just rest now.
You've been through quite an ordeal.
Where are they?
They're fine, son.
We'll tell you all about them
when you wake up.
Everything is fine now.
Nothing you heard gets out of this room.
- You got that, Sergeant?
- Yes, sir.
This camp was in the Stung Treng ?
I think they never moved me
very far from where I went down.
They kept saying
they'd take me to Hanoi...
...if I'd sign a confession I'd been
bombing Cambodian civilians...
...or some crap like that.
And you never had contact
with other Americans?
No.
They had me in a goddamn
cage for four years.
There was a lot of bombing.
I don't know what was going on.
I don't even know
if I ever signed anything.
When the camp was hit I got out.
I think they were Khmer Rouge.
I was hit...
...but I got through to the jungle.
And that's all I know till Leang found me.
And then?
And then I just tried to stay alive.
For 13 years?
For 13 years.
You know we have to do this, Lieutenant.
Her people took me in.
Hill people.
And nobody went out.
The ones who got in later said there was
a blood bath when Pol Pot took over.
You know Vietnam took Cambodia in '79?
I heard.
And I know we already had Kim.
I had a wife and son, Colonel.
And then Siv was born.
I tried to get my fingerprints out
with Leang's brother in '79.
He actually made it into Thailand.
They put him on a bus,
drove him to the border...
...and forced him back into Cambodia
through a fuckin' minefield.
His wife made it home a year later.
He didn't.
Even if I'd had thoughts
about trying to escape...
...I couldn't take a chance on what'd
happen to my family if we got caught.
According to your records...
...you were married to
Sarah Renee Marsten ...
...May 1970 on your R&R in Hawaii...
...one month before you went down.
Have you contacted her?
Do you want us to?
My family's over there, Colonel.
I just want them out.
I didn't play ball with the Vietnamese...
...if that's what you're trying
to get at with this.
The only thing we're trying to get at
is the situation, Lieutenant...
...so it's best for everyone involved.
I figure my ass is shit
for telling you this...
...but I also figure you're getting
one hell of a royal screw...
...and it doesn't help any that
you're one dumb son of a bitch.
Now, look. it isn't now,
but when you came in...
...the name on your chart was Morgan.
Thomas Morgan.
I had a friend of mine look you up,
Jeremiah T, and you know what?
You are dead, my man.
What the hell are you talking about?
You been wondering why they got you
stashed away out here in God's country?
Jeremiah T Robbins bought it.
Bagged and buried.
Killed in action. June 12th, 1970.
This whole thing
is just fuckin' weird, man.
It's just fuckin' weird.
I wanna see my records.
You were listed as Missing In Action
12 June, 1970.
In 1973, after the peace accords...
...the Vietnamese released a set of
remains and your personal effects...
...said to have been recovered
from the crash site.
Our lab confirmed the lD .
You should also know that...
...Sarah Robbins remarried 12 years ago.
I'm beginning to get the idea
that my being alive...
...is not exactly a cause for
celebration around here.
There's a lot going on here
that you aren't aware of, Robbins.
And before this hits the 6 O'clock News,
we all better know our positions.
We've got almost 2,400 people
still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.
82 of them in Cambodia...
...which is still a goddamn hot spot
with the Vietnamese calling all the shots.
Now they've exploited the MIA issue
all the way down the line...
...trying to bring about a normalisation
of relations with the US.
Now... you...
...come waltzing out alive after 17 years.
And every goddamn over-the-hill hippy
and back-yard Rambo in the country...
...will be screaming to go over there
and look for more.
And the Vietnamese will have
a fuckin ' field day.
Colonel Barnes, with all due respect
I'd like to request a discharge.
Under the circumstances,
that would be a little difficult.
Of course, we'll settle your claim
for back pay immediately...
- I haven't made a claim.
- ..If you cooperate.
We need time to develop a policy position
to deal with your reappearance.
Something that won't jeopardise
our current negotiations...
Colonel...
...or the lives of other Americans
who may be over there.
You want me to keep quiet.
We'd like to call the shots on this.
What about my parents?
Any objection if I decide
to let 'em know I'm not dead?
And your wife?
She's in Thailand.
You know what I mean, Robbins.
I'm dead, remember?
We consider this a matter of
national security, Lieutenant.
If you choose to contact your parents,
it's imperative they understand that.
You help me get my wife and
children out of Thailand...
...and I'll cooperate
as long as you want me to.
Well, from what we've
been able to determine...
...they were probably sent to one
of the Thai holding camps at Site 2.
Now they've got almost
200,000 people in there, but...
...if that's where they are, we'll find them.
(knocking)
Your new lD's in there.
Consider yourself on condition to leave.
You're not to leave the country
under any circumstances...
...and you're to keep me
informed of your whereabouts.
♪ No parade
♪ No marching band
♪ No banners catching the breeze
♪ No cheering crowd to warm your heart
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ No hurrah's
♪ No tears of joy
♪ No ribbons round the trees
♪ Time has picked your pockets clean
♪ And time will take your
welcome home
♪ Schoolyards
♪ Railroad tracks
♪ Memories laid end to end
♪ Seems only you have changed
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home, my friend
(board creaks)
(doorbell)
Can I help you?
I'm looking for the Robbins.
Harry and Martha Robbins?
Oh, gosh! Sure!
We bought the house from
Harry Robbins... um... six years ago.
Right after his wife passed away.
The last I knew he was living out
at the house he had on Lake Cali so.
Jim helped him move
some of his stuff out there.
Do you know where that is?
After his wife passed away?
Yeah. lt was a stroke
or something like that.
We never knew her.
Thank you.
Do you want to use the phone
to see if he's still listed out there?
No, thank you.
♪ Sidewalks
♪ Garden gates
♪ Back roads you used to roam
♪ They're old friends who ought to say
♪ Welcome home, stranger
♪ Welcome home
♪ Life is cruel and life is strange
♪ And fate is not ours to know
♪ There's one thing you know for sure
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
Here. I got something inside
if your head's hurtin '.
No, I'm fine, Dad.
You had enough to eat?
I can make something else.
No, that was plenty.
You want a jacket?
That feels good.
I need to know about Sarah.
Well, she's doing real well, Jake.
Her husband's a good man.
I think I'll walk a little.
That's Tyler.
He's almost 17 now.
He's your boy, Jake.
He's with Sarah and
her husband in River Falls.
I didn't know what was best.
Still don't.
- (meowing)
- Oh, Tweetie !
Tweetie !
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
(starts engine)
(stops engine)
- I'll call you later.
- Yeah.
- See ya.
- Yeah, okay.
You said you'd buy one
when you got back.
God, Jake!
(sighs) Jesus!
I didn't want this to happen.
I know. l ... l just can't think...
I... I don't know...
Maybe I did want it.
I don't know what the hell I want.
I thought if I could just look at him
without him knowing it...
And not screw your life up.
I should never have come here.
If he ever needs anything...
Supper's ready.
You go ahead.
I almost didn't come home.
Jake, you haven't done anything...
...to deserve this hurt
you're putting yourself through.
I know you're worried.
Maybe I was wrong
telling you about Tyler.
You're right, you know.
I didn't do anything.
Not a goddamn thing.
When the camp was hit I just ran.
I got shot running.
I was so scared, I didn't even know it.
Son...
I don't even remember getting anyplace.
I woke up some place else.
It was safe and I didn't do anything.
There wasn't anything you could do, son.
Are you listening to me?
I had a woman who pulled me
out of the jungle...
...and treated me
like I was some kinda god.
Two great kids.
A goddamn hammock in my back yard.
Do you think I was deprived over there?
We had everything we needed.
Life was swell.
Couldn't have been more swell
if we were sitting in fuckin' Syracuse!
Every once in a while...
...I had a dream of what
it was like back here.
It was the only way I could even
remember what you looked like.
(man) I just can't believe Mel.
Two weeks late, then showing up
with a load of rosewood so warped...
...you couldn't get a toothpick
for a pygmy out of it!
Are you sure you won't come
with us this weekend?
You're the only one
who ever catches anything.
Um... I've got a food drive at school
next week. A lot of calls to make.
You're not hungry?
I think I'll stay home, too.
I'm going to study for a test on Monday.
Well, hell!
What?
Well, I'm not going by myself.
You're not going?
I tell you what. We'll all go.
What do you say? I'll do the cooking.
You guys can do your stuff
and I'll take charge of the kitchen.
- Can I have the keys to the car?
- You've got school tomorrow.
- Forget it. I'll take my bike.
- Where?
Tyler!
I didn't say you couldn't have it.
Just don't be too late, okay?
Thanks, Dad.
Is he okay?
Tyler?
Yes, Tyler.
The person who was sitting
across the table from us. Our son.
I think so.
You know what I did during my service.
I was a dentist's assistant in Louisiana
for the whole goddamn war.
Dad...
I missed out on all the fightin '.
When you came home with your orders,
I was so goddamn proud...
...cos I believed the movies
and the politicians...
...and the war stories at the Rotary Club.
Now I had my boy, the flyer, to talk about.
Cos, God knows, Mom and apple pie
don't mean a damn thing...
...unless you got a boy in uniform
fighting for 'em, huh?
Until we got that box with the flag on it.
And all of a sudden I didn't give a damn
about any of that stuff any more.
We just wanted our son back,
not a goddamn box.
Right then I knew, instead of being so
proud of you in that John Wayne suit...
...I should have tied you up
and driven you to Canada...
...or the goddamn North Pole if I had to!
I had no idea about whether
that war was right or wrong.
All I knew was that they were
telling me you were dead!
And that was wrong!
And I couldn't even try
to believe in what you died for.
It was like... lt was like
me declaring personally...
...that you died for nothing.
Not just some soldier some place,
but my son!
So don't think you've got
a corner on the guilt market.
You're alive, Jake! That's what's right!
And, unless you can accept that
and start feeling alive...
...then it's the same as being dead.
You might just as well be
in that box next to your mother.
And then I'd have done all this goddamn
soul-searching for nothing!
Jesus, Jake! I'm sorry.
This whole thing...
What, son?
...is getting pretty fuckin' weird!
You son of a bitch!
You were willing to let me die in vain?
You were swinging in
a goddamn hammock?
Drinking mango-ade .
(laughing)
(car draws up)
(whispers) Tyler!
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Do you know the time?
Sorry. Okay?
Tyler!
Well, I'm glad you decided to get up.
Listen, I was, uh... thinking about
fixing up the attic for Kim and Siv .
It just needs some insulation.
You used to like it up there in the summer.
I don't wanna put you out.
Hell, I'm not thinking about being put out.
There's plenty of room.
School bus goes right by
the highway up there.
I just thought maybe Leang would need
a little time to get herself adjusted.
Until you find something else.
Just a thought.
Okay.
Okay?
Sure. Thanks.
I gotta introduce you to PAC-Man.
(thunder)
I knocked. The door was unlocked.
I wanted...
I thought I could talk to Harry.
He's gone into town.
Probably a couple of hours.
It still fits.
I should have called first.
Sarah...
Why did you have to come back?
Do you have any idea what
I went through those first years?
Not knowing if you were alive,
if I'd see you again.
It was almost a relief when
they told me you were dead.
At least I could get on with it,
for our son's sake.
But I made one mistake.
I promised myself
I would never stop loving you.
And I didn't.
That's the joke.
I never stopped.
I made a stupid, safe,
romantic promise to a dead man.
But you aren't dead any more.
Do you think I ever could have
hurt you like this on purpose?
That I had any control over
what was happening to me?
After a while...
...all this...
Everything back here seemed like it was...
something from another lifetime.
Something I'd dreamed.
Sarah, don't go.
Phew! Ooh!
That's one helluva day out there!
You got caught too, huh?
Yeah.
Phew! Oh!
How you doin ', sweetheart?
You're a little bit flushed.
Did you catch a cold out in all that?
No, I'm fine. Just sitting
too close to the fire, maybe.
You want some coffee, Dad?
I was going to make a pot.
No.
Well...
...I got all the drywall under a tarp
in the truck. You get the fiberglass in?
Just about.
These are pretty much dry.
This kinda reminds me of the night...
...your mother and I came home
a little early from bingo.
Dad...
That was a helluva long time ago.
You're not kids any more.
I guess you know that.
Is there a reason why the DIA would
have been interested in you in '79?
Defense intelligence?
You remember that friend of mine?
The one who looked you up for me?
Well, he did a little more
looking on his own, Jake.
He thought I might be interested
in an item he came up with.
A State Department report
of a possible live sighting...
...referred to the DIA for investigation.
That was in '79.
Well, the rest is locked up so tight
he can't get at it.
That mean anything to you?
No.
If this thing's so spooky...
...would they have just let me
drive off into the sunset?
They didn't know what the fuck to do.
You seem to be giving them the answers.
You are one paranoid son of a bitch!
Well, fuckin ' A, man!
There's other ways, Jake.
There are other people involved.
And maybe a helluva lot of other people!
What makes you so sure
you're the Lone Ranger?
How do you know there aren't other guys
over there they know about?
And nobody's doing anything. Is that it?
What the hell can they do?
They gonna start another war
with the Vietnamese?
With the Russians sitting on
the fuckin' bases that we built?
We'd have to pay 'em off.
And admit to a helluva lot of things
nobody's willing to admit.
You don't think they'd be tempted
to cover it up...
...if they knew for sure
there were other guys over there?
Wake up and smell the shit, Rip.
(Tyler) Ready!
Set! Hike!
(whistle)
All right. Try it again!
Come on, Robbins! Come on, move it!
S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
That's the way we spell success!
Success! Uh! Uh! Success!
Go, you mother!
Ready!
Set! Forward!
(whistle)
(whistle)
What the hell's going on!
Robbins! Are you nuts!
Colonel Barnes?
Have you found them?
Tell me.
Jake...
...Leang ...
She's dead.
Two weeks ago, the Vietnamese
shelled the border camp.
11 people were killed.
Leang ?
Kim? And Siv ?
They weren't listed among the casualties.
The camp's been evacuated.
One of the relief agencies picked up
the unaccompanied minors.
- Do you know where they are?
- We're working on it.
- You're working on it?
- lt's just a matter of time.
You were working on getting Leang out!
Christ!
We're sure they're safe.
I wanna go over there.
- That's not possible.
- I don't give a damn!
I want a passport
and I wanna go over there.
It wouldn't do any good.
We're doing all we can.
Just get the fuck outta here, Barnes!
Your goddamn deal is off!
I don't know what deal
you're talking about, Lieutenant.
You son of a bitch!
I think you should know there's
been some talk of an inquiry.
A Marine came out of Vietnam in '79.
He was court-martialled on charges
of collaboration with the enemy.
I didn't collaborate.
I know that.
I want my children safe.
We're doing everything possible.
The situation's very confused.
Did you hear what I said?
I want my kids here!
Don't do anything to make it worse, Jake.
Just trust me on this.
Let us handle it.
(footsteps)
Sorry I'm late.
Tyler...
Where have you been?
Out.
Do you have some kind of problem
we need to talk about?
Tyler, look at me.
He's been drinking.
Let it go till the morning.
I don't know what the hell's going on.
Is he all right?
I'm pretty sure
he'll be worse in the morning.
Let me see if he's okay.
Get some sleep. I gotta go in early.
You get to wake him up for school.
- Woody...
- Mm?
Nothing.
Tyler, come on. Wake up.
You're going to be late for school.
- Here. Drink this.
- Just leave me alone.
Don't talk to me like that!
- Look, I know you're sick...
- Yeah, I'm sick!
Leave me alone.
I don't want to go to school.
Well, you should have
thought of that before.
Here. Drink this.
I swear it'll make you feel better.
I don't want anything from you!
For God's sake, what is wrong
with you! What did I do?!
I saw you with that guy. Nice Porsche.
Honey...
...you don't understand.
Does Dad understand?
Oh, God, Tyler! It's not what you think.
What am I supposed to think?
That he's your long-lost cousin?
Am I supposed to call him "Uncle"?
He's your father.
He came to see you.
Just to see what you look like.
To find out if you need anything.
(train's whistle)
Hey, Woody!
You wanna tell that jerk of a shithead
Harris to get off my back?
I'm moving this crap as fast as I can.
Whistle while you work, Willy!
You know how to whistle, don't you?
Just pucker up and kiss ass.
He's a customer, boy!
- What's wrong with you?
- You kiss it!
I'll drive this goddamn forklift up it!
That's the spirit, Willy.
- Not good?
- I let him go in after lunch.
I thought we might get off easy.
He's been such a good kid.
He still is. He was upset.
About what?
What's so big he has to get drunk and
risk killing himself, or somebody else?
(buzzer)
I can't take any calls now, Cindy.
He just came to see Tyler.
Not even to talk to him.
He wasn't trying to screw up our lives.
- Has he?
- Has he what?
Has he screwed up our lives?
He doesn't know Tyler saw us.
He's still waiting for me to decide
whether he should talk to him.
Sarah.
Has he screwed up our lives?
He ought a be home by now.
Look, Woody, I feel...
He'll see your car.
He'll come in if he wants to.
Thanks.
You don't think he's gone out again?
It's a helluva lot we're asking him
to deal with... out of the blue.
Maybe it'd be better if I wrote him.
I could explain things better.
I don't wanna put him through this.
(door opens)
- Honey...
- Let me go up.
Can I talk to you?
All I want is for you to go back
to wherever you came from...
...and leave us alone.
I'll do that, if that's what you want.
That's all I want.
Can I just talk to you first?
Five minutes?
I made a mistake coming here.
I know that.
I didn't mean for this to happen.
When I found out about you...
All those years I never knew about you...
And what about Mom?
You knew about her, right?
Tyler, you don't understand.
- There's no way...
- Are you a deserter?
A what?
I asked somebody what would happen
if a guy who was supposed to be dead...
...showed up from Vietnam after 17 years.
He said that guy would either be
a hero or a deserter.
If you're a hero, I guess I ought a
have seen you on TV, right?
I'm not a deserter. I'm no hero, either.
Tyler, look at me!
There are things I can't talk about now.
Fine!
So just leave, then, okay?
If you're feeling sorry for me, don't.
I've got a father. The only one I want.
I'm not trying to take Woody's place.
You couldn't.
All you can do is hurt him. And Mom!
Tyler...
You know what this is?
Woody took me to the Vets' Memorial
in Washington...
...so I could find your name there.
Well, that's it.
Right up there
with 50,000 other dead guys.
Now would you just get outta here?
I'm sorry.
Jake!
Jake, wait!
Don't leave it like this.
I can't believe I've done this to you.
It had to happen.
Tyler had to know.
I had to know.
Did you?
I had to know, Jake.
Where are you going?
I don't know.
Senator Camden? I've gotta talk to you.
My name's Jake Robbins.
Lieutenant, Air Force.
What can I do for you
on my vacation, Lieutenant?
I was shot down over Cambodia
in June, 1970.
I came out of Cambodia
three months ago.
I don't know what you hope to gain
by this political grandstanding, Camden.
Except another term in office,
if you pull it off.
I also don't know what you want from me.
I have managed to arrange a diplomatic
passport for Lieutenant Robbins.
We assume you have
the paperwork necessary...
...to allow his children to leave Thailand
and enter the United States.
That is what we want from you,
Colonel Barnes.
You realise if you go through with this...
...you may be returning
to face charges of desertion?
Colonel...
...let's say that in 1973
a body is misidentified.
It's happened before.
And Lieutenant Robbins here
is listed as Killed In Action.
Six years later, Defense intelligence...
...investigates a reported sighting,
backed up by fingerprints...
...and determines that
the Lieutenant is indeed alive.
Now this could get a little embarrassing.
But you can't get to him without
risking an international incident...
...and he can't get out.
So all you have to do to cover
your ass is bury the evidence...
...and hope he stays put.
But eight years later Jake pops up,
and now we've got a major fuck-up...
...that has been compounded by cover-ups
all the way down the line.
I should remind you that an inquiry on
collaboration charges is still pending.
What you do at this point could greatly
influence any decisions in that matter.
Colonel, I don't care what
your people try to do to me.
I told you all I wanted
was my family back.
But I was wrong.
I want something more.
I want me back.
And I want whoever that man is
who's buried next to my mother...
...back with his family.
They deserve to know
he's been accounted for...
...not just missing in some
goddamn bureaucratic limbo.
Colonel...
...my committee has no way of knowing...
...that Lieutenant Robbins
is an isolated case...
...that there may not be others whose
whereabouts have been likewise known...
...but not acknowledged.
We're not going to let go of this.
You are making
a very big mistake, Senator.
This could reach a helluva lot
further than you realise.
What you're doing could cause
a great deal of embarrassment.
It would all be a great deal
less embarrassing...
...if it involved only an old cover-up
during a previous administration.
Wouldn't you agree, Colonel?
Unless necessitated
by your lack of cooperation...
...or by his defense
in a court-martial proceeding...
...I see no reason that Lieutenant Robbins
would pursue allegations...
...of the more recent attempts
to suppress this evidence.
This is not my decision to make.
We will be in the lounge
tomorrow evening at 6 o'clock.
There's a flight connecting for Bangkok,
and a flight for Washington.
Lieutenant Robbins and I
will be on one of them by seven.
♪ "Your Song"by Elton John
♪ lt's a little bit funny
♪ This feeling inside
♪ I'm not one of those
who can easily hide
♪ I don't have much money
♪ But, boy, if I did
♪ I'dbuya big house
where we both could live
♪ if I was a sculptor
♪ But then again, no
♪ Ora man who makes potions
in a travelling show
♪ lknow it's not much
♪ But it's the best l can do
♪ My giftis my song
and this one's for you
♪ And you can tell everybody
♪ This is your song
♪ lt maybe quite simple
♪ But now that it's done
♪ l hope you don't mind,
I hope you don't mind
♪ That l put down in words
♪ How wonderful life is
while you're in the world
♪ So excuse me forgetting
♪ But these things I do
♪ You see, I've forgotten
if they're green or they're blue
♪ Anyway, the thing is
♪ What l really mean...
I wish I knew how to deal
with this thing better.
It's like something's
coming apart inside me.
Of all the things that
could have happened to us!
How do you deal with
something like this?
I just dealt with it, Woody.
I love you.
(PA) Now boarding at gate 36
for Chicago flight 686.
There's plenty of time.
You'd think I'd be
better at waiting by now.
- Colonel Barnes.
- Senator.
Good luck, Jake.
You're going to have to
deal with this, Tyler.
- I don't want to talk about it.
- I know you don't want to.
You want to feel sorry for yourself...
...and make sure that everyone else
feels sorry for you, too.
I was a kid. I know the MO.
- Bullshit!
- Bullshit?
Bullshit is taking the easy road
of mourning for a dead hero...
...instead of coming to grips
with the reality of a human being...
...who may not live up to your fantasies.
It's getting a bigger charge
from a shrine of souvenirs...
...than from the miracle that
allowed your father to survive...
...and come back alive!
And bullshit...
It's bullshit with a capital B-S...
...to think that this family doesn't
have the necessary strength...
...or enough love among us
to survive this crisis.
I didn't mean to hurt you, Woody.
I don't mean to sound old-fashioned...
...but... if you can't manage "Dad"
any more, I'd prefer "Sir"!
It's a big thing.
I know that.
But 10 to 1 the sun'll rise
and the wood'll warp.
We've got our health
and we've got each other.
There's room, Tyler.
Are you all right?
Can I borrow the car?
Just be careful.
I love you, Dad.
I love you, too, Tyler.
♪ No parade
♪ No marching band
♪ No banners catching the breeze
♪ No cheering crowd to warm your heart
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ No hurrah's
♪ No tears of joy
♪ No ribbons round the trees
♪ Time has picked your pockets clean
♪ And time will take your welcome home
♪ Schoolyards
♪ Railroad tracks
♪ Memories laid end to end
♪ Seems only you have changed
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home, my friend
♪ Sidewalks
♪ Garden gates
♪ Back roads you used to roam
♪ They're old friends who ought to say
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home
♪ Life is cruel and life is strange
♪ And fate is not ours to know
♪ But there's one thing
you know for sure
♪ War is hell, buddy
♪ Welcome home
♪ Now leave the past behind
♪ And turn your eyes toward today
♪ You've reached your journey's end
♪ Welcome home
♪ Welcome home to stay