Hawaii Five-0 (2010–…): Season 9, Episode 4 - A'ohe kio pohaku nalo i ke alo pali - full transcript

SO2 Junior Reigns and Jerry Ortega escort U.S. Air Force SSGT Kaliko Christopher coffin from Dover Delaware to Hawaii. Duke is forced to Retirement. Steve and Danno investigate Illegal Black Market sand.

Man, I thought you Navy
boys were early risers.

Figured there was no chance
I'd get the first shower.

Yeah, I didn't sleep too well.

Oh?

It wasn't my sleep
apnea machine, was it?

No, man. It's probably
just jet lag.

Maybe you're nervous
about today?

Yup. Maybe that.

Well, we better get a move on.

We got to be there in an hour.

You know, you should
wear that out.



The ladies would
be all over you.

I do pretty good
in my civvies.

Thanks for your help.

Ties aren't really my jam.

There you go.
All squared away.

This look all right?

I want to make sure
I'm dressed appropriately.

You look great, man.

Thanks, man.

Good morning, ma'am.

S.O. 2 Junior Reigns.

I'm here to bring Staff
Sergeant Christopher Kaliko,

Air Force Combat Controller,
back home to O'ahu.

Lieutenant Colonel Bailey,
Joint Mortuary Affairs.



Nice to meet you.
Is this your first time

serving as an escort officer
for a dignified transfer?

- Yes, ma'am.
- All right, then.

A few things
you should know.

You will remain
with this airman

at all times.

You will render honors
whenever the casket is loaded

or unloaded.
- Yes, ma'am.

These are Staff Sergeant
Kaliko's personal effects.

They must remain
with you at all times.

Thank you.

That file has any pertinent
information you might need,

including the address
of the funeral home.

Wow. Staff sergeant
at the age of 24.

Bronze Star with valor
on his first deployment?

That's impressive.

Noticed that, too.

Graduated top of his class.

Must've been a
natural leader.

Is he family?

I'd like to pay
my respects.

Uh, no, ma'am.
This is Jerry Ortega.

He's my colleague on
the Five-O Task Force.

He just wanted
to accompany me

to honor a friend of his
who died in combat.

That's a nice gesture.

Ma'am, since
neither of us knew

Staff Sergeant Kaliko,
I was just wondering

why he specifically requested
for me to bring him home.

I don't know,
Petty Officer Reigns,

but my best guess is

it's because you're
from the same home town.

Makes sense.

Looks like
they're ready.

Detail. Halt.

Present arms.

Forward march.

Order arms.

Godspeed, sailor.

Higher.

You want higher?
Yeah.

Okay, let's see
what we can do.

How's that, huh?

Hon, someone's here
to see you.

Akela, look who it is.

Uncle Steve!

What's up?
You're enormous.

What have they
been feeding you?

Malasadas.

Malasadas?

Shh! That's our secret.

Okay. I'll tell you what.
Your secret's safe with me

if you let me borrow Grandpa
for a minute. Is that okay?

Yeah, that's fine.

Okay. Hey, can we, uh,
can we chat for a sec?

Sure.

I think you know
why I'm here.

I think I have an idea.

Look, your reinstatement hearing
is tomorrow.

I just want to make sure you
got everything you need.

Make sure you're
prepped and good to go.

Actually, Steve, I've,
um, decided not to go.

Wait. W-What are you
talking about? Why not?

Being away from the job has
given me time to think.

Retirement may not
be such a bad idea.

I-I get to be with
my family more.

I get to watch
Akela grow up.

I've...

I've had a good run.

I'm ready for the
next chapter.

So you're gonna let them
force you out? Is that right?

Steve, you think
I'm a good cop?

Yes, Duke. I think
you're a good cop.

That's right, and so does
everyone else in my life

that matters:
my wife, my daughter,

the men and women
I served alongside.

They understand why
I did what I did.

If you're gonna tell me that
you've had enough of the job,

you want to retire and spend
some more time with your family,

that's fine, no problem.

But this is your reputation.

This is your legacy, Duke,

which is why you got
to get in there tomorrow,

you got to fight and
you got to clear your name.

If, after that,
you still want to retire,

have at it.

At least you get to go
out on your own terms.

You're still young.

Your first instinct
is always to fight.

But at some point in time
you have to ask yourself

what are you fighting for?

I'm at peace with
this decision.

McGarrett.

Yeah, I'll be right there.

Thanks.

Yo.

Well, here's the rundown.

About 9:30 this morning, HPD
spots a truck with no plates,

so they light him up,
driver takes off.

Might've been the shortest
police chase in history

except for the truck
dumped its contents.

Was that how we ended
up with a beach

in the middle
of the roadway?

- That and a body to boot.
- TANI, what do we know?

Wrists are bound,

so it's clearly
a homicide.

No ID yet, which
is not surprising

because his face
is half eaten off.

His hands are a mess

and he's got no feet.

No identifiable body parts.

You know what we used
to call that back in Chicago?

Mr. Potato Head.

- Good technical term.
- What are we thinking?

Cops come along

and interrupt a, uh,
body dump in progress?

Well, I mean, the driver of
the truck probably didn't know

there was a body
in the back there.

Well, why were they
driving around with no plates

trying to escape the cops?

The sand, it's probably stolen.

Get out of here.

Oh, you for real.

Yes, I'm for real.

Black market
sand mining.

It's-it's a huge
business worldwide.

I'm talking
billions of dollars

and O'ahu has a
lot of product.

Well, unless you
building a golf course,

what is the big draw
with sand?

Beach replenishment.

M-Most of all, they use
it to make concrete.

Oh, well, if Waikiki
is any indication,

construction sure isn't
slowing down any time soon.

I've actually
seen those boats,

the dredging boats,
when I'm out surfing.

They anchor in really
shallow waters

and then they suck up sand
for hours.

Yeah, the dredgers are legal.

Surplus sand they sell on
the black market, not so much.

Poor Mr. Potato Head.

Here you are
at the bottom of the ocean,

minding your own business,
bothering nobody,

along comes some sand dredger

and starts
sucking up sand and...

Accidentally sucks up a body.

Yeah. So where's
our crime scene?

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

As we all know, no plan
survives contact with the enemy.

There's a million ways
this op could go sideways,

which is why I need you to
take a couple minutes here

to put your affairs in order.

It'll keep your focus where it
needs to be, on the mission.

I understand, sir, but...

asking someone
to escort my body home,

that's a big burden
to put on them.

It's not a burden.
It's an honor.

People are stronger
than you think, son.

Wow.

Just having to think
about something like that

must've been super intense.

It's part of the job.

How'd he die?

Well, according
to the incident report,

the special ops team
he was attached to

was conducting a night
raid in Afghanistan

and their helo was
shot down by an RPG.

But that's not
what killed him.

When the Blackhawk went down,

he and his unit took fire
from insurgents,

and he and another officer
held them off.

They're the only two
that didn't make it.

If that isn't the definition of
bravery, I don't know what is.

No doubt.

I'm honored to be taking
this man home.

I just wish I knew
why he chose me.

If you don't mind my asking,

who did you choose?

You know,
to escort you back?

My cousin.

He's a Marine.

Right on.

Here's a fun fact:

back in '42, the U.S. developed
the first top secret

jet engine fighter,

the P-59 Airacomet.

But, since propeller-less planes

weren't really
a thing back then,

it was pretty conspicuous
on test runs.

So get this, the pilot wore
a gorilla suit and a derby hat,

and he waved a stogie

at any other pilots
that he came across.

Why?

Because if anyone saw him,
they would just

think that they
were hallucinating.

And the secret of the
first jet engine fighter

is kept under wraps.

How crazy is that?

That is pretty crazy, Jerry.

Hey,

I'm gonna try
and catch some Zs.

Oh, yeah, sure.
The jetlag, right?

Yeah.

Do you want the good news
or the bad news first?

Well, we've had quite the run
of bad news today,

so I say let's keep that coming.

Well, as you know,

our victim didn't leave us
with a lot to work with.

I wasn't able to pull prints
or run dental records.

Of course there's DNA,

but, alas, no matches
in the system.

Okay, I think I'm ready
for the good news.

I did notice
something interesting

about his missing feet.
Take a look at this.

You see these striation marks
on the victim's shins?

That tells me that his feet
were ripped off,

not eaten
by marine life.

Something heavy was
weighing this body down,

so when the sand dredger
sucked it up,

sadly, the feet didn't
come along for the ride.

Well, you're right,
that is interesting,

but tell me how that constitutes
good news.

Because I found something
in the left tibia

that could be useful for an ID.

This is our victim's
lower leg.

All right, so check this out,

Noelani found a small
surgical cavity

in the victim's left shin.

She believes it's there
as a result of an orthopedic pin

that was anchored to the ankle.

Now, this is what
the victim's leg

would've looked like before
the sand dredger got to him.

All right, you see the
surgical pin there connecting

the fibula to the ankle bone?

Great, so assuming
that pin is still there,

we remove it
and run the serial number.

Cross reference that against
hospital records,

I think we'll have an excellent
chance of narrowing down an ID.

Just so I'm clear,

we're talking about
finding a pair of feet

at the bottom
of the ocean, right?

Yes.

I guess you can say
the game is afoot.

You could say that if you want
to make a bad joke, sure.

Why do you hate puns?

Okay, look,
first things first.

We need to find the driver
of that dump truck.

If we can find out exactly where
that sand was dredged,

maybe we have
at chance of finding

- these weighted-down feet.
- Well, not quite, because

the driver got away and there
was no plates on the truck.

Then we're gonna
have to find somebody

who knows who the players are
in the sand game.

Yeah, I, uh, think
we might know somebody.

I'm not trying
to be combative here.

I'm just giving
you my opinion.

Okay, well, in this case,
your opinion's wrong, all right?

Duke has has got to go
to that hearing tomorrow.

Why? Why does
he got to go?

If he doesn't go,
does he lose his pension?

No, he doesn't. He keeps
his pension either way.

Okay, so then, so then
why go? Why go?

You don't go, y-y-you get
to keep your money,

you go play Barbies
with your granddaughter

for the rest of your life.
What's the problem?

What's the problem? I'll tell
you what the problem is,

he doesn't get to
be a cop anymore.

Danny, you understand that?
Not to mention,

he doesn't get
to clear his name.

Okay, let's
say he goes,

and it doesn't go the way
he wants it to go.

He doesn't get
to clear his name,

he doesn't get
to be a cop anymore,

his name gets dragged through
the mud. I wouldn't go, either.

Oh, please. You would never
pass up the opportunity to talk.

You know what?
You'd go defend yourself.

The judge would rule in favor
just to get you to shut up

and-and beat it.
- Never get high

on your own supply, babe,
you ever heard of that?

Been on my feet
seven straight hours.

You think I'm gonna walk

somewhere else
to eat?

Speaking of which,

if you're here for the scampi
special, you're out of luck.

This is the last one.

No, not here for the special.

We're here on business.

Well, here's a business tip

for you two new
restaurant owners.

Don't ever, ever bother

a food service
professional

after his lunch
rush hour.

Sorry for
the intrusion.

We were just wondering if you,
uh, happen to know anybody

who moves black market sand?

Why do you assume that I know

every criminal enterprise
on this island?

Is that a real question?

I might know one guy who
used to move in that circle.

- Shocking.
- Could you maybe

put us in contact?

- I'll make a call.
- Okay, thank you.

We appreciate it.

Anything for you, brother.

You guys don't
have to hang around.

I'll get in touch
after I call the guy.

No, it's okay.
We'll stay here.

You gonna make
the call or what?

Oh, you mean now?

Yes, now, please.

Flippa!

What's up?

So I'm flying down Pali

with 20 tons
of Waimanalo's finest

in the back of my truck

and 15 minutes till the boat
leaves the dock.

I got a huge client
in Dubai,

building one of those
fancy skyscrapers,

but why would Dubai need
imported sand, you might ask?

Here's the thing,

desert sand's no good
for making concrete.

It's pure silica,

too fine.
- This is riveting.

You were the Scarface of sand,
I get it, but can you...

bottom line us,
get to the point?

Word is, when I got out
of the game,

a couple haoles took over.
Okay.

Any chance you can put us
in touch with said haoles?

Hey! Police!

Hey, hey, hey! Hey, don't.

Those blades will
cut you to pieces.

Danny, if he dies,
I got two bodies and no leads.

Well, if you die, I got
three bodies and no partner.

You see?

No, no, no.

That sounded terrible.

Up, up, up.
Hands behind your back.

You happy?
Was it worth it?

Huh? You're gonna
have, uh, sand

in a lot of
unpleasant places.

That load of illegal sand you
dumped on the 93 this morning,

you're gonna tell us exactly
where that was dredged from.

These chairs don't recline.

But look on the bright side,

you got plenty
of leg room.

I'm not complaining.

I'm just grateful
I got to come along.

What you reading?

I picked it up at the airport.

Did you know
Detective Williams's

former mother-in-law
is, like,

a super successful author?

This one even made The Times
best-seller list.

What's it about?

Uh, it's about a restaurant
publicist in Seattle,

who breaks off her engagement
to travel through Europe,

where she meets this count
who invites her to his castle.

And now that I'm
saying it out loud,

it's pretty stupid.

I bought it to just
keep my mind occupied.

Well, I'll tell you the truth,
it's not really working.

You want to talk about it?

All right, man.

Look, anyone you ask

can tell you where
they were on 9/11.

For me, it was
my mom's basement.

My friend Mika called me,
told me to turn on the TV.

I must've watched the news
for 72 hours straight.

I felt so helpless.

I think I was just

desperate to do something that

would make a difference somehow.

I think most people
felt that way.

Yeah, well,
Mika and I got to talking,

and eventually what we
came up with was the best thing

to do would be to enlist,

but when I was at my

recruitment meeting,
something happened.

My chest got tight,
I was short of breath.

I thought I was having
a heart attack.

It got so bad
they called an ambulance.

Turns out it was a panic attack.

The recruiter called me
the next day to check on me,

and I had to tell him the truth.

I felt so ashamed.

He was understanding, but blunt.

He, uh,

told me the service
wasn't for me.

It's true. The service
isn't for everyone,

but there's no shame in that.

Yeah, well, anyway, that's why
I wanted to come along.

I thought, in
some small way,

this could make up for not
having what it takes to enlist.

Jerry, there's a lot of
different ways to be a hero,

and I've-I've seen you do
a lot of brave things.

I'll tell you
what, man,

you sitting right here,
opening up like that

and sharing that with me?

That's brave.

Thanks, man.

That means a lot.

Hey, you know your buddy
that you went

and volunteered with?

Mika?

Was he the one that
was killed in combat?

All right, Danny,
this is where the GPS says

the, uh, dredger dropped anchor.

We should do the same, please.

Do me a favor, give me
a hand with this, will you?

Oh, the-the foot detector.
Trusty foot detector.

Oh, yeah? You know what,
you laugh all you want,

but this thing has pretty sweet
imaging, and it's simple enough

for a monkey to operate,
which is great news,

'cause that's what
you're doing today.

Oh.
All right.

Oh, wow,
it's very heavy.

Yeah.

Hope I don't drop it
on your foot.

All right.

You ready? One, two, three, go.

All right, Danny, check this
out. It's pretty simple stuff.

This screen shows you
a live underwater feed.

We're looking for, uh, you know.

- Feet. I know what we're looking for.
- Yeah.

Feet. There it is.

The foot. The hoof.

So you want to talk
about that thing?

What?

Duke thing.

No, I don't want to talk
about the Duke thing,

'cause there is no Duke thing.
The conversation's over.

- Okay?
- Right.

All right.

I think we got something.
Come here.

This look like
feet to you?

It's worth a closer look.

All right, raise your right hand
if you can hear me.

Good.

You know, I-I just,
uh, had a thought.

I think we should, uh, discuss
this Duke thing right now,

because you can't talk back.

My opinion is that, uh, you are
putting yourself in his shoes,

which you should never do.

Uh, he, uh, he is not you.

You're making this about you,
and it's not. It's about him.

And you're... you also just
went, you went past it, like,

20 yards. Go back,
to your five o'clock, 20 yards.

The-the point
that I'm trying to make

is that Duke is a grown man.

Okay? And he can make
his own decisions.

All right? Not everybody
wants to be fighting crime

out of a wheelchair, you know?

There's something to be said for
knowing when your time is up

and not fighting it anymore.

Okay, mission accomplished.

Now grab those feet,
and let's get out of here.

Oh, one more thing.

The designer for the restaurant
told me that you don't think

that I should be involved
in the menu design,

which is hurtful,
and, uh, insane,

because I am good
at that kind of stuff.

Uh, I would like to be a part

of picking the typeface,
not the font.

Okay? It is not called the font.

It's called the typeface.
I know that, I'm pretty sure

you do not know that,
which is another reason why

I should be involved in this,
in this, uh, design process.

So what, big mouth,
you got something to say?

Yeah, I got something to say.
I do.

I chose the Tarantella.

Okay? Because
the designer said

that it was an elegant font
for an Italian menu.

Typeface, not a font.

And I disagree.
We got the feet.

Let's go.

Oh, oh, oh, Danny.

Yeah, they don't
really look like

the feet of a six-foot male.

That's 'cause
they're women's feet.

You know what this means, right?

We got a double homicide.

Ready to get going?

My cousin wasn't
the first person I asked.

To escort my body if something
ever happened to me.

I wanted it to be my dad.

But when I asked him,

he said no.

Well, it was probably
just too hard for him

to imagine doing something
like that.

He never wanted me to serve.

Actually, he made
a point of saying

if I was ever killed over there,

he wouldn't even
be at my funeral.

People can say some hurtful
things when they're upset.

I'm sure he was just
afraid of losing you.

He kind of already lost me
at that point, you know?

After I enlisted,

our relationship
was never the same.

You're both still here,
aren't you?

It's never too late
to make things right.

All right. That's all the feet
we got? We don't need more feet?

No, no, no, this is it.

You're just gonna
dig in there like a,

like an animal?

Disgusting.

Just getting all in there, huh?

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

One surgical pin.

Only you could refer to food
after doing what you just did.

Let's shoot it, come on.

See that number?

Yeah.

We ran the serial number
on that surgical pin,

and we got a hit.

Our Mr. Potato Head

is Kaimi Alana, 34 years old,
no criminal record.

We're gonna send

this evidence back to the lab.

Hopefully, they can pull
some DNA on our female Vic,

get an ID,
but in the meantime, get HPD

and CSU down to that

sand processing facility,
all right?

Make sure they take the dogs.

If both of these bodies
were sucked up by the same

sand dredger, it's possible
her body is still there,

buried under a pile of sand.

Okay, we'll look into Mr. Alana.

Let's see what we
can find. Come on.

Hmm.

Looks like two, three weeks'
worth of mail to me.

Looks like Mr. Alana
lived alone.

Explains why no one
reported him missing.

Yeah. Let's do a sweep.
Why don't you start in here?

I'll check the other rooms.

TANI, come in here
a second, would you?

Nothing of mention in the
first room, but in here,

he got a whole closet
full of women's clothing.

He got hats and jewelry here,

and in that bathroom,
there's a pile of makeup

and your garden variety of your
ladies' lotions and potions.

Doesn't seem like
much of anything

belong to Mr. Alana here.

Maybe he was subletting
to a woman.

Right, but it's only his name
on all the mail.

Right.

Look at this.

Hold on.

So this looks like

an old graduation photo.

But now, look at the
more recent photos.

Wait a second.

- It's both the same person.
- Mm-hmm.

Okay, looks like our Vic
was transgender.

Well, not transgender, but mahu.

Mahu? What's that?

In traditional Hawaiian culture,

mahu are people who identify

with both male
and female spirits.

Gender is fluid.
So whatever that means to you,

that's cool with us.

In this case, it looks
like our Vic presented

as traditionally female.
- Well, the fact

that she was mahu probably
doesn't have anything to do

with why she was murdered,
but, um...

...what if it did?

Kaimi and I have taught dance
together here for about...

uh, three years now.

When was the last time you
were in contact with her?

Couple weeks ago.

Uh, at the recital.

And she hadn't returned
to work since?

Uh, no, the school
shuts down for a few weeks

after the fall recital.
I'm just here

doing some bookkeeping. Um...

Kaimi mentioned wanting

to take a vacation.

I just thought
that's where she was.

Was she on the outs

with anyone?

I mean, in her personal life

or even here at the studio?

No, uh, Kaimi didn't have
any drama.

The students and parents,

they loved her.

Everyone's gonna be devastated.

Malie, I'm sorry, but we are
going to have to consider

the possibility
of this being a hate crime,

so are you aware of anyone

who may have possibly had
some sort of a problem

with Kaimi or her lifestyle?

It's not a lifestyle.

It's who she was.

I can't speak for Kaimi,

but I personally
have never experienced

any kind of discrimination

here in Hawaii.
I did live

briefly on the mainland,

and the attitude there
was definitely different.

But here...
no one gives us any issues.

Thank you so much
for your time, Malie.

And again, we're
sorry for your loss.

We'll reach out
if we hear anything.

Thank you.

I'm not buying
the whole hate crime thing.

I mean, mahu are very
respected and revered.

How then do you suppose
our victim ended up

at the bottom of the ocean?

We got something over here.

Noelani, what's up?

We found
the second victim's body.

Okay. We get an ID?

I did and you're never
gonna believe this.

Her name is Kaimi Alana.

I'm sorry. Did you just say
that both our victims

have exactly the same name?

Yes.

What do you think?
Some-some wacko's,

uh, going after people
with that name?

Either that or it's a case
of mistaken identity.

Right. All right.

So if a killer makes a mistake,
he kills the wrong person

and then corrects their mistake.

All right, whatever the case,

we need to figure out which one
was the intended target.

Prepare yourself for
the worst, you know,

but it's still a shock.

Can't believe Kaimi's gone.

Yeah. Uh, listen,

we're-we're very sorry
for your loss, Mr. Alana.

Listen, if it's
okay with you,

we need to ask you
a couple of questions.

Yeah, of course.
Anything I can do to help.

When you reported

your wife missing,
you were out of town.

- Right?
- That's right.

Right. That's, uh,
that's a little suspect.

- Excuse me?
- Mr. Alana, do you know

Hailey Adams?

Yes, of course.

She's my wife's friend.

So, she just recently
booked a trip to Bali.

It was a first-class trip,
very fancy trip.

And according to the airline,
you were supposed

to be on that flight
with her.

I didn't mean
to ruin the surprise.

I hate surprises.

I don't get it.
Why would

your recently deceased wife's

very close friend

book what seems
to be a romantic trip

for the two of you?

I have no idea why Hailey
would do something like that.

Okay, uh, no,

I'm gonna just
ask you flat out:

did you arrange
to have your wife murdered?

- I want a lawyer.
- Good. You need a lawyer.

But here's the thing:

the deal that you think
you're gonna cut, it's too late.

Yeah, this guy already made one.

Now, it wasn't too hard

to trace the wire
transfer that you used

to employ
Mr. Contract Killer.

I mean, $2,000, that's-that's...
what'd you get, a Groupon?

He rolled on you
very quickly as well.

Unfortunately,
this guy had to kill

an innocent person before he found
the right Kaimi Alana.

You see, if he hadn't
have messed up,

you wouldn't be sitting where
you are looking at 20 to life.

Look, buddy, you get
what you pay for, right?

Okay, Edward,
just relax.

Relax, relax.

Just relax.
It's okay, okay, Eddie.

Hey, Duke.

Can I come in?

Good boy.

I talked
to my daughter earlier.

Couple of days ago,
she caught Akela

taking money out of her wallet.

That doesn't sound like Akela.

That's what I thought,

until she explained
why she did it.

It was for a friend in school.
His backpack had fallen apart,

and she wanted
to get him a new one.

I don't condone stealing,

but she did the wrong thing
for the right reason.

And that got me thinking
about something that you said,

about my legacy.

That legacy is gonna be

her road map someday
when I'm not around.

This all to say, I'm going
to my hearing tomorrow.

I'm gonna fight
to get my job back.

And if the offer's
still open,

I'd appreciate you
coming with me.

One thousand percent.

You okay?

I know why he chose me.

People underestimate
what they're capable of.

I went into the Navy
a shy, scrawny

18-year-old kid
with no direction and no clue.

And I came out a man.

I learned the value
of discipline,

hard work and self-respect.

But it's not just about what
the service can do for you,

it's about what you can do
for the people

that you care about,
and defending our country

and the values
that we hold dear.

And I'll tell you guys

from personal experience...

there is no greater honor.

Sir.

My name is Chris Kaliko.

I just wanted you to know
that was a really great speech.

Thank you, Chris.

I appreciate that.

So what...

what am I supposed to say
to his parents, huh?

I encouraged their
son to enlist.

If it wasn't for me,

Christopher
would still be alive today.

You encouraged him
to serve his country.

He did that with distinction
and died a hero.

I can't go in there.

You know my friend
I told you about, Mika,

who I tried to enlist with?

Well, what I didn't tell you is
I'm the reason he joined up.

I convinced him...

and when he died,
I blamed myself.

I was in such a
low, dark place

that I didn't leave my
mom's basement for months.

I couldn't even bring myself
to be at his funeral.

And I was supposed to be
a pallbearer.

That mistake will follow me
for the rest of my life.

It kept me from honoring

my friend's memory.

Which is why I'm here.

Which is why

you need to face his parents.

You need to finish
what you came here to do.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaliko.

Special Operator
Second Class Junior Reigns.

I had the honor
of escorting

your son back home to Oahu.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

These are
his personal effects.

Thank you
for bringing our boy home.

It was my honor, sir.

And I want you
both to know

that during his journey home,

your son was treated
with dignity and respect.

Chris wrote
this for you.

He wanted it
delivered to you

if anything happened to him.

Thank you, ma'am.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaliko,
I'm so sorry for your loss.

We're getting ready
to proceed with the service

so if I can ask you
to step outside...

To Petty Officer Second Class
Junior Reigns,

If you're reading this,

it means things
didn't go my way.

But I want you to know
that the day

you came to talk to my school

was the day
I found my life's purpose.

I enlisted in the Air Force
and became a combat controller.

I was so proud
to put on the maroon beret.

I needed to write and tell you
about my proudest moment.

My unit was attached
to Task Force 210

in the Siagard district
of Parwan Province.

We were working alongside
Afghan forces to take back

an area under Taliban control.

When the last insurgent
was gone,

I'll never forget the look
on the villagers' faces.

I don't speak Pashto,

but I still understood
how grateful they were.

On that day,

nothing mattered more than
giving them back their home.

My team did that.

I know everyone's
grieving right now,

and that's understandable,

but on this sad day, please
remember to celebrate my life,

and all the good I did.

Serving my country was the
greatest privilege of my life.