Women of Valor (1986) - full transcript

The executive
commission on women in the draft

is here by called to order.

Our first witness, Colonel
Margaret Ann Jessup,

US Army Nurse Corp, retired,
will make the opening remarks.

Colonel Jessup.

- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It has long been the contention of those

who oppose women in the draft

that should women be
captured they would break.

Well, the fact is, women
have been prisoners of war

and their experiences are a testimony



to their strength, endurance, and courage.

104 Army and Navy nurses
stationed on the Philippines

were incarcerated by the Japanese

between 1942 and 1945.

Yet, their courage has
been virtually invisible

to the public and has gone
unrecognized by the military.

In December of 1941, I was
stationed at Camp Pershing

on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

Located near the resort town of Rosario,

the camp was used for
what today is called R&R

or rest and relaxation.

It was paradise.

Go around, go around.

Go get him, Greg.



- Okay, let's get to the good part.

- Me first.

- Would you open the box already?

The suspense is killing me.

- Don't rush me.

This is my first wedding shower.

- My grandmother moved faster
on her time in jubilee.

- Oh.

Gracie, it's so...
- Religious.

- Beautiful.

I love it, thank you.

- Here.

I was gonna apologize
for not having it wrapped

but seeing how fast you open presents,

I think we all made out.

It's a Greek fertility god.

- It looks like a hat rack.

- If worse comes to worse,

you always can hang your jewelry on it.

- Hey, bite your tongue.

- You know, I met this
intern at Walter Reed once,

he invited me up to his place
to see this ancient Buddha,

he said if you wanted
something really bad,

all you had to do was
make a rush and rub it's...

Gracie.

- Really?

What is wrong with you?

- Nothing, honey.

Just a bunch of dirty minds.

Oh, you're all so wonderful.

I really wish I didn't have
to resign to get married

'cause I'm gonna miss you all so much.

- I can't take this anymore.

What are you doing?

- Just open the box already.

- It's lovely.

- It's black.

- I bet I'd look great in this.

- I tried to find a
white one but I couldn't.

- And all along I thought
you were a virgin.

I am.

- Well, look at this way.

If there's a war, there
are bound to be black outs,

and if there black outs,

you'll be right in fashion.

- Yeah, leave it to you see
war as a fashion experience.

Who is it?

Maggie, open up.

It's Helen.

4:30?

Helen, all right I'm coming.

I'm coming.

Helen, do you realize what time it...

- The Japs have bombed Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese didn't stop

at Pearl Harbor.

Later that morning, they hit Clark Field

in the Philippines where
Helen's fiance, Chris,

and my Tom flew with the
17th pursuit squadron.

MacArthur had grounded all our planes.

So when the Japs came in,
it was like shooting ducks

in a penny arcade.

- Keep it high, keep it high.

Take him to the bed.

Gently, gently.

Okay, it's on.

Okay, good.

Let's get to triage.

- Easy, easy, easy.

Watch that IV.

Why doesn't he have a tourniquet?

Hey.

He's dead, he's dead.

- Here they come.

- Get undercover.

Get down!

- What the hell are they bombing us for?

The...
- Where are you going?

- I've got to get out of here.

- Gracie, don't be stupid.

- I got to get out of here!

- She's lost her mind.

Not you, too.

You're all nuts.

All right, let's
get ready to move him.

Grab that IV bottle for me there.

- Yes, doctor.
- All right, here we go.

I'll monitor
him for 24 hours, doctor.

- Need some more sterile
bandages down there.

See if you can find something.

You want two more units, doctor?

That's good, yeah.

- Gracie, are you okay?

- Yeah.

Just thinking about this guy I met today.

Didn't catch his name.

He was real handsome.

Kind of like John Garfield,
but with more muscles.

- That's just great.

Here I am practically giving it away

to find a hunk like that

and miss goody two shoes
over here walks away

with the prize without
so much as lifting a hem.

- What happened?

- So, Mata Hari what's your secret,

how'd you meet this heartbreaker?

- He just showed up.

Kinda helping me with the wounded.

Then when the planes came
in on their strafing run...

I hit the ground, I wasn't
really sure what was going on.

I turned to ask him what we should do,

him being a soldier and all,

I looked up to ask him what we should do.

He'd been hit.

Right below the eye.

Side of his face was blown away.

He wasn't falling, he was just standing.

Then he kind of half turned and fell.

Someone was screaming at me to stay down

but all I could do was look at him.

Honey, I'm so sorry.

- I'm a nurse!

I should of done something but I couldn't.

- No, Gracie, you did
exactly what anyone of us

would of done under
the same circumstances.

You're being much too hard on yourself.

- I was scared to death.

- The way you ran out
from under that truck,

I never would of known.

- I had no choice.

I'm claustrophobic.

- What would of you done if they assigned

to tunnel hospital in Corregidor?

- They did.

- No.

- I got out of it.

I said I'd kill myself first.

- It's a wonder they didn't ship you home

on a section eight.

- Sent me here instead.

Said the rest would do me good.

- Oh good.
- Oh.

- One more week and we
would of been married.

Just one more week.

- What's important is that he loves you.

- I know that.

I just can't help thinking that

if we had been.

I'd feel much better now.

- Believe me, it's just a piece of paper.

It's not a painkiller.

- Yeah, what do you mean?

- Tom and I were married last summer.

- You were married?

- When we went for vacation.

- Why didn't you tell me?

- I wanted to but,

I just, I didn't want you
to have to lie for me.

- I can't believe it.

I mean, I just assumed that
you would be in for life.

- So, did I until I met Tom.

- What about your career?

- I don't have to be in
the military to be a nurse.

Oh, of course not.

So when were you gonna tell them?

- We planned to tell them
when Tom's tour was up.

- So you think they're all right?

- Sure, I think they're fine.

For the next two weeks,

the Japs hit us with everything they had.

Morale plummeted.

My girls never let it show.

Then on the 22nd of December,

they invaded the Lingayen Gulf.

It was total chaos.

Men in trucks and cars, on horseback,

and on foot racing south to Bataan.

Come on, get on now!

- Ms. Jessup?

Ms. Jessup?

Yes.

- Names John Rader.

Colonel Morton ordered me to evacuate you

and your team immediately.

- To where?

- Bataan.

- Why Bataan?

- It's the only place we can defend.

- What about our patients?

- They're being shipped to
a hospital in San Manuel.

Why aren't we going there?

- Look, ma'am.

You're the last of the nurses,

I've been ordered to get you out.

Now there's a Jap battalion a couple

of miles from here and I
aint even got enough guys

to play them in baseball.

- Somebody has to stay with the wounded.

- You want to stay here
and be taken prisoner,

that's your business.

Either way I'm leaving in 15 minutes.

Come on, let's go ladies,
let's go, let's go.

- Be careful with that stuff, you guys.

Go, go.

- Come on, Jessup, wake up.

Ramos, pull her out.

- No hold it, I'm still
missing one of my girls.

- That's a mortar and it's not ours.

- Just a minute more.

- Look, we are never going to
catch that convey as it is.

Now either we pull out now

or start waving a white flag

and I'm not about to surrender.

- 60 seconds is not gonna...

- That does it.

Ramos.

- No, then you're gonna
have to leave without me.

- Here she comes.

- Sorry.

- We leave now.

- As long as you're ready.

- What happened to you?

- I forgot something.

- What could of been so important?

A woman after my own heart.

- Hey, slow down before you get us killed.

- Better dead than the Japs.

- The Japs are miles behind us.

Then who are they?

- Look out, look out,
you're gonna hit 'em.

- Of course I'm gonna hit them.

- Oh, that's just great.

Everybody out.

Grab those jerry cans.

Ladies first.

Would you get a load of them?

You'd think they were on a picnic.

Is there any fish in here?

- Come on!

- Turn around.

Turn around!

- That's not really necessary.

- Turn around!

What the hell?

- All of you!

Now!

All right, you can turn around, then.

What the hell's going on?

- I've been following Tojo over
here for the last few hours.

It looked like he was
gonna take a few prisoners,

so I slowed him down a little.

- And who are you?

- T.J. Nolan.

I was a rigger with Ram tech
until the Japs blew it up.

- Had to have a swim, didn't you, Jessup?

I knew something like this would happen.

Well, come on, let's get out of here

before his buddies come looking for him.

You can join us if you like.

Give him a hand, will you, Ramos?

- Yes, sir.

- Nolan.

Since when did a tough
outfit like Ram tech

start hiring boys to do a man's work?

- I'm not a boy.

Yes, sir.

We
reached the Bataan peninsula

and hospital number
three on New Year's Eve.

There was nowhere left to run.

Rader took off with
Ramos for parts unknown

while Nolan figured
she'd be safer with us.

Lieutenant, there's
an empty bed down at the end.

All right.

Just rest up, son.

You got a cigarette?

You guys.

We worked 20 hour days

and lived on half rations
for the next two months.

When we ran out of supplies we improvised.

Jungle vines for traction,
banana leaves for beds,

gasoline cans for stoves.

Let's take another look

into this side here.

Some of the girls came

down with malaria

but somehow, morale stayed high.

Then in March, the bottom fell out.

MacArthur had been ordered to Australia.

The president
of the United States

ordered me to break
through the Japanese lines

and proceed from Corregidor to Australia

for the purpose, as I understand it,

of organizing the American
offensive against Japan,

a primary objective of which

is the relief of the Philippines.

I came through and I shall return.

You have been listening

to an address by General
Douglas MacArthur.

We now return you...

- I knew it.

He's gone to get reinforcements.

- I don't believe it.

- Well, believe it.

The rats are leaving the ship

and the king rat just got off first.

- You're out of line, Nolan.

I know General MacArthur,

he would never have left

if he wasn't ordered out.

- I bet he'll be back before we know it.

- Why don't you guys just face it?

MacArthur has left us holding the bag.

- What us?

You're not a nurse, you're not a soldier

and the way you're acting,

I don't even think you're an American.

- That's enough.

It's all over but the shouting.

- I can't believe that.

- Haven't you heard the
song that's going around?

We're the battling bastards of Bataan.

No mamas, no papas, no Uncle Sam.

Don't you get it?

Nobody's coming because
nobody gives a damn!

- Nolan, we don't need you
to spell it out for us.

We're not blind.

- No, you're just deaf.

We hear what we need to hear.

- Oh and even if it means
lying to yourselves, right?

- All we've got is hope.

And what happens
when that runs out?

- Then we've got each other

and if you can't understand that

then maybe it's better if you go it alone.

- Fine, I will.

- Hey, you mind if I have a drag of that?

Afraid you're gonna have to do it for me.

Thanks.

Seems the only thing I can
still work is my mouth.

What's a nice looking girl like you

doing in a place like this?

- It's the only finishing
school I could get into.

- Hey, did you get the word

on that scuttlebutt about
Dugout Doug leaving the rock?

- Yeah, I just heard him on
the radio from Australia.

- Well, I guess that
does it for me then, huh?

I mean, with MacArthur gone,

Japs are gonna hit us
with everything they got.

Unless the ships come in.

There aren't any ships.

Screw them.

- Hey.

I got a hot flash for ya.

The ships are coming.

That's why MacArthur left.

He went to organize a rescue.

- Don't lie to me.

- I'm not lying.

He said, "I shall return."

So, he's coming back.

You can count on it.

- "I shall return."

"I shall return."

Hey, cutie pie.

After MacArthur left,

things calmed down for a while.

Nightly bull sessions were filled

with talks of food and news of rescue.

For the first time since Pearl

we began to hope.

Perhaps the ships would come after all.

- Tom.

- Maybe I won the Irish sweepstakes.

- Maybe you did, then you'd have

to take us all out for
a night on the town.

- It's bad?

Say it.

- You've been drafted.

- Mac, I've been drafted.

Congratulations.

- Tom, isn't it?

Well what happened?

- Come on!

- Hey, Maggie.

- How did you manage to get in here?

We're completely surrounded.

- Huks brought us in.

Chris and I joined them after
the planes were destroyed.

- I thought that the Huks hated Americans.

- Well, they do but not
as they hate the Japanese.

Let me take a look at you.

Well.

The face is familiar but
where did you come up

with this getup?

- What do you mean?

I kind of like it, it
hides a multitude of sins.

- What sins?

You're all skin and bone, Maggie.

- You're not exactly chubby yourself.

- Come here, skinny.

- I was so afraid you'd been killed.

- Killed?

Killed.

Mags, I was born to die in bed

and that's a fact.

With you beside me.

- I'm gonna hold you to that.

- You do that.

- Chris and Helen, since you wish

to contract holy matrimony

please join your right hands

and express your intention
before God and his church.

Helen, do you take Chris, here present,

for your lawful husband according

to the right of our
holy mother, the church?

- I do.

And Chris, do you
take Helen, here present,

for your lawful wife according

to the right of our
holy mother, the church?

- I do.

- I know pronounce you man and wife.

Want someone to tuck you in?

- Oh, wait a minute.

♪ Goodnight sweetheart ♪

♪ We will meet tomorrow ♪

♪ Goodnight sweetheart ♪

Set her down over here.

Easy, easy.

- You okay?

- Sure, I'm fine.

- You're awful quiet.

- I'm worried, that's all.

- Well, don't worry.

- What do you know about
surviving in the jungle?

You're a pilot.

- What I don't know
the Huks will teach me.

- They scare me.

- Yeah, they scare me, too.

But if I got to be grounded,

I'd rather be with them
than any other outfit

in this war.

Besides, I'm a very fast learner.

You should know that.

- I'd like you to have my West Point ring

and my father's watch for safe keeping.

- No.

- I'd feel a lot better if you took them.

- It's like saying you're
never gonna come back.

- Okay, I'll bring them back myself.

- Got room?
- Let's go.

Stay together.

Let's keep moving, keep moving.

By April eighth,

the Japs had broken through on all fronts.

We were out of everything.

Food, morphine, hope.

- Doctor, the artery in
the leg is bleeding again.

- Plasma, stat.

- There isn't any.

What are you talking about?

I'm up to my knees in blood.

- That was the last of it.

- Get in here.

- I'm not sterile.

- Get in here!

Press on that bleeder

so I can see what I'm doing.

- No, I'm not a nurse.

- I don't need a nurse.

I need an extra finger.

You got one of those, don't ya?

- Now I know how the Dutch kid felt

when he tried to hold back
the dike with his finger.

What a way to make a living.

- You know, you'd make a wonderful nurse.

You're a natural.

- With an eighth grade education?

Well, you can back to school,

you're still young.

Not anymore.

He asked me.

- Maggie, Maggie.

Pack your gear and get the nurses.

You're being evacuated to Corregidor.

- When?

- Immediately.

- What's happening?

I just saw Helen.
- We're being evacuated

for the tunnel hospital.

- Not me.

- What about you, what about our patients?

- There aren't enough bolts.

Then you'd
better call the general

and tell him we're not going.

- Look, I wasn't going to tell you this

but we're surrendering
Bataan in the morning.

- Surrendering Bataan?

- You either leave now or
you'll be taken prisoner.

You're needed on Corregidor.

- Sorry.

- Is it Chris?

If he can walk, move him.

Trucks over there.

Can he walk?

Get him out.

He can walk, move him.

- Jessup, can I talk
to you a second please?

- I can't.

- Oh, you got to.

Look at me.

I can't move.

I can't feed myself,

I can't even go the latrine without help.

What do you think the
Japs are gonna do to me?

- Then we'll get you to
Corregidor right away.

- No, why?

It's gonna fall!

You know it.

Please give me something I can fight with.

- I can't.

Ask somebody else please...

- I have.

You're my last hope.

I'm begging you.

Let me die like a soldier.

- Come on!

We're right behind her.

- Come on, get in the bus.

Get in, hurry up.

Come on.

Where's Maggie?

Leave it.

Just get on the bus.

Come on.

- Where's Maggie?

- Thank you.

Maggie!

Get that truck moving.

The convoy's not gonna wait forever.

Chop chop.

Get the lead out, move it.

Go, go, go!

- Ramos?

- Maggie, come on, we gotta go now.

- Ms. Jessup.

I forgot to duck.

- And Rader?

- He lives.

- Come on!

- Let's get him to the OR.

- We're gonna miss the boat.

Come on!

- Maggie, come on.

Where are you going?

- Where are you going?

Where do you think you're going?

- Not underground!

- Helen!

- Get moving, Nolan.

You women get out of here.

- Come back, come back, come back!

Move out, move out, move out.

Come on,
get the bus out of here.

Go, go, go!

- Maggie, I need a little
more traction right here.

Another hemostat.

Oh, no.

I can't see.

I need some lights

in here now.
- Lights!

- Thank you.

- What you think I'd leave
and miss all the fun?

Bataan had fallen.

After three months under constant

and grueling enemy fire,

we had finally surrendered.

Our boys had stood their ground,

throwing themselves at the enemy

when they had run out of ammunition.

Now, it was over.

- Okay.

It's all right, we surrender.

It's okay.

For the love of God, no.

- I surrender.

We surrender.

Don't shoot, don't shoot!

- Please.

- Oh my God, no.

- Okay, closer together.

Everybody, closer together.

Closer, hurry up.

Hurry up, please.

Hurry up.

Hurry up, hurry up.

Move.

And put your hands over your head,

just like this, okay?

All right, up, up.

Okay and make more depressed, all right?

Make more depressed?

All right, don't move.

We
never made it to Manila

where all our fellow
nurses would be interned.

Instead, we ended up one
of the many death marches

that would take place throughout the war.

Six days till the rail
station in San Miguel.

A trek that would be
measured in lives, not miles.

- Wanted me to start it.

Didn't say anything about stopping.

- Served up hot on our best china.

- What about you?

- I've already eaten.

- Thanks.

- Please don't.

Please.

Please don't.

- No, don't touch me.

- How are you doing?

- I don't think I'll
ever feel clean again.

- All you need is time.

- I don't think I'm gonna make it, Maggie.

- You have to.

I'll help you.

We'll help each other.

Come on, get up.

- Gracie.

- I can't.

I won't be able to breathe.

- Get on.

Get on!

♪ God bless America ♪

♪ Land that I love ♪

♪ Stand beside her ♪

♪ And guide her ♪

♪ Through the night ♪

♪ With the light from above ♪

♪ From the mountains ♪

♪ To the prairies ♪

♪ To the oceans ♪

♪ White with foam ♪

♪ God bless America ♪

♪ The land I love ♪

Stop her, stop her.

Get her back.

- Hey.

No, she doesn't know what she's doing.

Come on.

I'll take care of her, I promise.

Hey, stop her.

- No!

- Take your friend back to the ranks.

I am Captain Nakayama,
your camp commander.

Our rules are simple.

You'll salute and bow to all
Japanese military personnel

regardless of rank.

You will obey all orders
without hesitation.

Any resistance will be met by force.

The punishment for escape is death.

The bulk of the food you grow here

will feed the imperial Japanese
forces in the Philippines.

Any excess over your quota will be yours.

If nothing remains.

You will starve.

In the Japanese Army to be taken prisoner

while still able to resist

is considered a criminal act.

Suicide rather than
surrender is preferred.

Reflect upon this.

Consider your situation.

- Please.

These bunks are open.

Please take your choice.

Gone off, has she?

- Afraid so.

- Don't be.

It's a blessing.

The Japanese are a superstitious lot.

Possession and insanity to them

are one in the same.

She'll have nothing to fear from them.

- But won't they just kill her?

- Gracious, no.

They'd be terrified that her devil spirit

would possess them.

I'm Judith Easton.

My husband, Lord Cecil Easton,

was the former director

of the Batangas Agricultural station.

- Maggie Jessup, this is Helen Wyatt.

Pleasure.

- Lord Easton?

That makes you a lady, doesn't it?

- In Batangas, my dear, we're all ladies.

- I'm Nolan.

And that's Katherine Grace,

we call her Gracie.

- I don't suppose any of you were able

to pick up some food along the way?

We passed a but
they wouldn't let us stop.

- We were lucky to get rice and water.

- Notice that there
aren't any children here.

Were they taken away from here?

- No.

All the women with children were taken

to the Santa Tomas University in Manila.

- Are we the only Army Nurses here?

- The only nurses and the only
female military personnel.

I'm Molly Carstairs.

My husband, John, and I owned
a sugar plantation near here.

- You don't have any other medical staff?

- There is a civilian
doctor, Charles Morgan,

in the main compound.

He comes whenever he
can but it's not enough.

- Between the beriberi, dengue fever,

dysentery, and malaria,

we're losing at least one of us per day.

- Where's the hospital?

- In the men's compound they have an area

they like to call a hospital

but it's really just a place to die.

- Why does the camp commander
speak with an American accent?

- He's a countryman of yours.

- He's an American?

- Born in San Francisco, I believe.

- You're kidding.

- He was studying in Japan

when he was inducted into
the military service.

I don't think he had a choice.

- How come you know so much about his guy?

- Know thine enemy.

- Well, at least he's an American.

- I shouldn't expect too much from that.

He is, as you say, between
a rock and the hard place.

His men won't trust him
because he's American

and we can't trust him
because he's Japanese.

- It's not him I'd be
worried about if I were you.

It's Kodama.

- Who?

- That terrible little man

who was going to kill your friend.

You made him lose face in front
of his commanding officer.

He'll never forgive you for that.

- Ohayo.

- Cincinnati?

- Ohayo.

- Cincinnati, I'm from Cincinnati.

- Cin?

- What's so funny?

- Ohayo in Japanese means good morning.

♪ Goodnight sweetheart ♪

♪ Till we meet tomorrow ♪

♪ Goodnight ♪

- I can't believe that.

Goodnight sweetheart?

I'd like to give them all
a goodnight, permanently.

- Don't let it bother you, my dear.

It's just their way of
lowering our morale.

- How much lower do they think we can go?

- A thousand times lower.

That's how many records they found

when they took over the camp.

- Oh that's just great.

Never paid much attention
to the hit parade

before I got in this dung hole

but now I'm gonna become an expert.

Thanks.

Goodnight.

- Goodnight, my dear.

♪ Goodnight sweetheart ♪

♪ Still my love will guide you ♪

- Maggie?

You asleep yet?

- No, I'm still awake.

- You and Tom ever
think about having kids?

- That's why we got married.

- Chris and I wanted kids.

We talked about it all the time.

- You're still young,
there'll be somebody else.

- No there won't.

There'll never been anyone else.

- Don't think like that.

Really, it's just gonna
make things much worse.

Try to get some sleep, okay?

- Yeah.

- Goodnight.

- Maggie.

Hmm?

- I'm pregnant.

I don't know, God help me,

I don't know if it's Chris'.

- Look at the way they're
hauling stuff in those blankets.

What a great way out of here.

- Only if you're dead, my dear.

That's the morning burial detail.

- How can you be so sure?

- I'm as regular as clockwork.

- But you know that stress sometimes...

- Beginning today, all work parties

will be divided into groups of 10.

The color armbands you've been given

will help us expedite executions

in the event of escapes.

The mathematics are simple.

If one prisoner in a work party escapes,

the remaining nine will be shot.

If all 10 escape, 100 will be executed.

- I got an idea.

Let's take some of this corn back to camp

and start our own garden.

- How?

Good idea.

- What does he want us to do, swat flies?

You pig.

He wants us to hit each other.

Hit me.

Do it!

- Give him the satisfaction.

- Do it or he'll kill us both.

Harder!

Harder.

- She's right over there.

- I'm Dr. Morgan.

- Maggie Jessup.

- There's a man in the men's compound,

he says he's your husband.

- Tom Patterson?

That's right.

- Is he all right?

- I'm afraid not.

He's in the zero ward.

- What's that?

- Zero chances of survival.

- I'm going.

Get out of my...

- No.

- Let go of me, you're hurting me.

- Nobody's trying to hurt you

we're trying to keep
you from getting killed.

- Crazy.

- All right, let me ask
you all just one question.

If someone you loved were over there,

what would you do?

If you could of been
with Chris before he died

would you let anyone or anything stop?

Would you?

- Are you crazy?

She'll get us all killed.

You heard what Nakayama
said about escaping.

- I'm not escaping.

- Let her go.

- No.

- You can't hold on to me forever.

- You're all insane.

Well, if you won't listen to me.

- Hey, hey, hey back off.

Because Maggie's going

and if you run to the Japs,
you're gonna deal with me.

- And me.
- And me as well.

- Thank you.

All of you.

- Give him my love.

- I'm gonna go with you.

- No.

- Someones gotta distract the guards.

It's me.

Hi.

Do you have a light?

Come on, let's go over here and smoke.

- Maggie.

Is it really you?

- Were you expecting someone else?

- How did you get in here?

- That's not important.

What's important is that we're together.

Are you in pain?

- No, no.

I was hoping you got out.

- Don't worry about me, I'm fine.

- I want you to do something for me.

- Name it.

- When you get back home...

- When we get back home.

- When you get back home,

I want you to find somebody else.

I don't want you to give up.

- Looks who talking about giving up.

What about that promise
that you made to me?

That we were gonna die together in bed

after we made love?

- Yeah, okay.

I'm feeling stronger already.

- That's better.

- I love you, Maggie.

- I love you, too.

- You kiss so good.

They'll kill us.

Don't move.

Once again, Nakayama

had saved my life.

However, this time I wasn't sure

he had done me a favor.

Tom was dead and now more than ever,

Kodama was my sworn enemy.

- That was a very foolish thing you did,

risking your life to be with your husband.

Kodama could have shot you on the spot.

- It's just as foolish
as risking your life

for an emperor.

- Emperor Hirohito is a living god.

- My husband wasn't such a bad guy either.

- Your lack of respect and sentimentality

is typically American.

- You should know.

- I'm Japanese.

What we do is out of duty.

Not emotion.

A lesson you'd do well to learn.

I'm putting you in charge
of the woman's compound.

- I don't understand.

- As of today, as ranking female officer,

I'm putting you in charge
of the female prisoners.

You'll help me bring in the crops.

- I'm a nurse, not a farmer.

Nevertheless,
you're in charge.

- Then why don't you put me in charge

of something I can do?

Give me a hospital.

- You have a hospital.

- A place to die.

- Enough of this.

I'm putting you in
charge and that's final.

Disobey and all your people will suffer.

- You do it!

- What is she trying to
do, get herself killed?

- What do you think you're doing?

You're here to work, now do it.

Here.

What if it's Chris'?

- What if it isn't?

- You lost him once.

Are you willing to lose him again?

- Maggie.

Come here.

Look.

Where'd it come from?

- The Huks.

The run the resistance
operation in this area

and from time to time leave
us things in the fields.

Food, medicine, news of the war.

They're a fierce lot.

The Japanese are frightened to death...

- Excuse me.

I, too, am a big fan
of National Geographic

and I'm sure that the Huks
are a real interesting bunch

of primitives but can we
just open the package now?

We needed.

Good we needed.

Medicine.

- We've invaded Guadalcanal.

What are you doing?

- What's happening?

Your men are out there killing people.

How can you allow this?

- Do you know what this is?

This is the sword of the samurai.

One who lives by the code of bushido.

One would rather die than live in shame.

It's been in my family for 400 years.

My father and mother lived by that code

and now, because of your president,

they've died by it.

- I don't understand.

- All Japanese American's have been placed

in concentration camps.

Not because of crimes against their flag

but because of the color of their skin.

My father and mother chose
not to endure that shame.

- I'm truly sorry about what
happened to your parents

but killing us won't bring them back

and your parents chose
to take their own lives.

Here, we have no choice.

- There's always a choice.

- Not for us.

Either your men kill us or you leave us

to rot in that excuse you call a hospital

and you know that suicide's
not an option for us.

You know our values.

They're yours.

- I'm Japanese!

- Then you shouldn't be
ruled by your emotions.

Please.

Stop the killing.

- This is your baby's.

Maggie.

Maggie.

- Baby, it's time.

Yeah.

Don't panic, okay.

- Whoa.

- Easy, easy, easy.

Okay.

You got it.

That's it.

Good, good Helen, that's right.

Just a little bit more now.

Push, push.

Hard!

Come on.

That's right, good.

Push, good, good, good, good.

Okay, keep her head down.

Push, push.

Come on, Helen, push.

- Maggie, I can't.

- Yes you can.

Yes you can.

It's almost there.

Come on, I can see the head.

One more, take a deep breath, Helen.

Push.

Bear down.

That's it, that's it.

That's it, that's it.

We got the shoulder.

You got it.

Good, good.

Suction.

- What is it?

- A girl.

- I understand that one of your nurses

has given birth to a baby.

- Yes, last night, a little girl.

- And it's father?

- He was a captain in the Army Air Corps.

He died in Bataan.

- As soon as you can get them ready,

I'll have Kodama take
them to the civilian camp

at Santo Tomas.

- That may not be for a few months.

- That's impossible.

- It was a very difficult birth.

- This is no place for a baby.

- Or an adult, for that matter,

but if you move the mother and child now,

they'll both die.

They're suffering from malnutrition.

- I'll give you a month.

Kodama can take them to Manila.

- We'll never get to Manila alive.

Kodama will walk us to
death just for spite.

- We got a month.

- We'll get you out of here.

- How?

- The guerrillas.
- Leave them a note.

Where we found the radio.

- Will they help?

- Yup.

- So when do we go?

- April 9th, the first
anniversary of the Fall of Bataan.

- I love you.

- Baby okay?

Yes, yes, yes.

Go on, Gracie.

Give it to them.

Let 'em see it, Gracie.

You sent for me?

- I've ordered the warehouse cleared.

Do whatever you like with it.

- Thank you.

We
finally got our hospital.

A week later, we received word

that Helen and the baby had made it.

During the next year of captivity,

life in Batangas become almost tolerable.

Two months after Nakayama
let us set up a hospital,

we celebrated our first
24 hours without a death.

Taking charge of the
PA speakers came next.

At first, I was against
doing Nakayama's dirty work

but Nolan convinced me otherwise.

Using records, we were
able to pass on more news

to the camp.

"There'll always be an
England" meant that the British

were still hanging on.

"Waltzing Matilda" meant
that the Australians

were working with us and so on.

In March of '44, Gail Polson arrived

from Mindanao where she
had been taken prisoner

after escaping from Corregidor.

Haggered and drawn, she'd
finally ran out of lipstick.

Following a poor spring harvest,

the camp was put on half rations.

Starvation ran rampant as
deaths from dry beriberi

reached epidemic proportions.

With no medical supplies
of any consequence,

animal protein became our
only chance for survival.

Once again, Nakayama came to the rescue.

You getting
anything on the radio?

- I'm worried about Gail.

If she doesn't eat
soon, she won't make it.

- Princess Gail won't eat, huh?

Well maybe you'd rather we sent out

to a restaurant for some chicken soup,

or better yet, a drug
store for some lipstick.

We wouldn't want our fashion plate

looking too pale when we bury her.

- Just let me die in peace.

Well, why didn't you say so?

- What the hell do you think you're doing?

- We cannot let a good pair
of shoes go to waste, Gail.

- You nuts?

- No, I'm alive.

- Well, so am I.

Well, then
you're gonna need this.

- Don't you think you were
just a little hard on her?

- Got her to eat, didn't I?

- The allies have invaded Normandy.

- The allies have invaded Normandy.

- Thank god.

- To start the morning off,

an oldie but a goodie,

that old World War One
classic, "Over There."

♪ Over there ♪

♪ Over there ♪

♪ Send the word ♪

♪ Send the word ♪

♪ Over there ♪

Planes?

Do you see 'em?

Do you see 'em?

Wait a sec.

Oh there, right there.

Do you see?

I can see.

I can't, I can't.

Can you make it?

They're ours!

- And now, for all you
battling bastards of Bataan,

on this bright October morning,

an old favorite of yours and mine.

"I'm Waiting for Ships
That Never Come In."

Better late than never.

♪ I'm waiting ♪

- All I have is records.

Hey, Tojo.

Oh my god.

- Get her.

Get her to the bed over there.

Careful, careful.

Easy.

I know about the records.

- What do records have to do anything?

- Where's the radio?

The radio.

- What radio?

- Whose is it?

- I don't know.

- Whose is it?

- I don't know.

- Once more.

Who does this radio belong to?

- It's mine.

- I want the truth now or she dies.

- It's mine.

The radio's mine.

I brought it with me from Mindanao.

- The radio was not hers.

We got it from the guerrillas long before

she even arrived at the camp.

Please, take her down.

Any day now, everything's gonna be over.

What will you gain by taking her life?

Anyone ever tell you you
look great without makeup?

You're a real beauty inside and out.

Listen.

- Planes, just planes.

- No, no.

It sounds like tanks.

All right.

Don't touch her, don't touch her.

Attention.

You are completely surrounded.

Either you come out unarmed
and surrender immediately

or we're coming in.

You've got 10 minutes.

- No, please don't hurt him.

I'll take care of him.

I'll take care of him.

- You're not insane?

See anything?

Not here, sergeant.

- Over there.
- Look over there.

Watch that tree line.

Get down.

What the hell?

Hold up.

- Lieutenant Margret
Jessup, US Army Nurse Corps.

- What are you doing here?

All you women were supposed to
be liberated at Santo Tomas.

- Not all of us.

If you don't allow the Japanese
to leave with their weapons

and give them a four hour headstart,

they'll kill over 100 hostages.

- Are you nuts?

General would have my hide if I did that.

- Well, he's gonna have over
100 corpses if you don't.

- I would like you to have this.

- I can't.

- Please.

- I can't, it's,

it's been in your family
for 100s of years,

it should be for your sons.

- There won't be any.

If you don't take it,

it'll hang on the wall
of a stranger's house

who will lie about how
he won it in battle.

Samurai sword belongs with a samurai.

- But I'm a woman.

- And a samurai like my mother.

Please.

What would
your father have thought?

- He would be honored.

That was the last time

I saw Nakayama.

A few days later, we heard that he died

the way he wanted to.

Like a samurai.

We're free.

We're free.

After two years,

10 months and 24 days,
we were finally free.

- Of the 104 Army and Navy nurses

incarcerated by the
Japanese during the war,

not one failed to survive the ordeal.

For that, we were awarded the
bronze star for gallantry.

The bronze star without the V for valor.

I would like to ask the committee

we're we not valorous?

Were those who risked everything

to preserve life any less courageous

than those that carried a weapon?

How does one measure courage?

I could only speak from my own experience.

You measure against yourself

and that can only be done once
you strip away civilization.

Plain courage is a shining
thing when you see it.

A glowing reflection of the spirit

of those women with whom I served.