JAG (1995–2005): Season 5, Episode 3 - True Callings - full transcript
By using a CoD flight from Kosovo, a petty officer smuggles a pregnant Albanian woman aboard Harm's carrier. The CAG talks with Harm about his career prospects. Skates feels her mortality, but she concludes that she can survive anything if she can survive Harm's stunts. Harm does some good flying, and he helps a newbie JAG officer in the defense of the smuggler; he interrupts closing arguments; the CAG expresses approval of his performance and his fervor for justice and the law, then he nudges him back toward the JAG Corps. The gunny starts his new duties at the JAG office, and that causes new competitiveness to arise among other staff members.
Cod incoming, sir.
There's a woman
getting off the cod.
There's a woman in your plane
if you haven't noticed.
Not like this one.
Smuggling pregnant
Albanian women on board ship
is not part of our mission,
Petty Officer Curran.
I know, sir.
But she needed help bad.
Do you know where she is, sir?
In sick bay,
getting checked out.
But I think you'd better worry
about yourself right now, son.
Yes, sir.
How much trouble am I in, sir?
Commander Rabb is
the wing legal officer.
He's going to help
us try to figure that out.
The other officer in the back
of the cod, Petty Officer Strawn,
he said that you
told him Zepa Berisha
was on the manifest.
She was not on the manifest.
No, sir.
Apparently, Petty Officer Strawn
was a last-minute replacement
for your regular partner,
Petty Officer Simpkins?
He missed the
flight this morning?
Yes, sir.
Petty Officer Simpkins
would have known
that Zepa didn't
belong on that flight.
He might have tried to stop her.
Are you saying that's
why he missed the flight?
That's right, sir.
I got him drunk last night
and locked him in a supply shed
at the Pristina Airport.
You want to tell us why
You smuggled the pregnant
woman aboard the ship?
Yes, sir.
Zepa's fiancé was
going to kill her.
She came to the airport
to try and get away,
but the Russian guards
just chased her off.
They didn't care.
But I walked through
the gates just then,
kind of like it was fate.
"Fate"?
Yes, sir.
I mean, we weren't
even supposed to be
overnighting in Kosovo,
but an oil filter chip light
on the plane went bad.
So... fate led you
to Miss Berisha?
Yes, sir.
Well, that and she
was crying so hard.
She told me she was
going to be murdered.
I had to do something, sir.
MacKENZIE: Good morning, Tiner.
Good morning, ma'am.
Good morning, Gunny.
There's enough crap on
that table to hide Jimmy Hoffa.
Square it away, Tiner.
Right away, Gunny.
The admiral's
expecting you, Colonel.
Thank you.
Gunnery Sergeant Galindez
reporting as ordered, sir.
At ease, Gunny.
Glad to see that you chose
us over early retirement.
You offered me a challenge, sir.
I like challenges.
Well, Gunny, that's
what Napoleon said
when he invaded Russia.
I expect better
results from you.
This is Lieutenant
Roberts, one of our
junior attorneys.
Gunny's going to be running
the disaster area
we call JAG Ops.
Well, if you keep it
half as tight as it was,
you'll do a great job.
It's not going to be as tough
as Iwo Jima, Lieutenant.
Well, you know, Colonel,
everything is relative.
In my world, just tracking down
two simple concert
tickets is turning
into the trials of Job.
That's what I get for letting
Admiral Drake's wife enlist me
for the Navy relief auction.
Well, sir, I'm sure that
I can help you with that.
What's the concert, sir?
Uh, something called
"Limp Bizkit."
Sounds like a kitchen accident
or a glandular condition.
Anyway, I called
Ticket Forum...
laughed at me.
Said the concert was
sold out in 15 minutes.
I might be able to utilize
the Marine Corps
pipeline on that one, sir.
I've got a buddy who knows
some people connected
to the rock 'n' roll world.
Actually, Limp Bizkit
doesn't play
rock 'n' roll per se.
They're metal rappers.
"Metal rappers," Lieutenant?
I didn't know you
were such a devotee.
Just someone get
me two tickets, please.
You're dismissed, Gunny.
Aye, aye, sir.
Doctors say
after I feel better,
they send me back.
Well, a ship's sick
bay is no place
for a pregnant woman.
Ismet will kill me.
Did not Sean tell you?
Petty Officer Curran did say that
your fiancé threatened to kill you.
I do not blame him.
He feels such shame.
Maybe you should send me back.
Send me now or
let me jump in sea.
Miss Berisha,
you want to tell me
what this is all about?
What about?
Look at me.
The baby's not your fiancé's?
It is Serb's.
They came to our village
after NATO was bombing.
They shot young
men and they took me
and other girls to
basement of school.
I'm sorry.
The other girls,
they tell their families
Serbs only make
them make coffee.
No matter what, it was just
"they made me make coffee"
to avoid shame.
But look at me.
It is more than coffee.
You have done nothing wrong.
You Americans,
you don't understand.
Sean said he would
be in trouble. Is he?
Well, he might be, yes.
But he just wanted to save me.
Save my baby.
Even so.
Save our lives.
Isn't that why you
Americans come to Kosovo?
She has a point.
You know, you look in her eyes,
you can almost feel
what she's been through.
And the kid?
The petty officer
who helped her?
His heart was in the
right place, I guess.
What place is it going
to go to next, the brig?
That part's not up to me.
I'll send my report in to JAG,
allied forces southern Europe.
I emphasize the
extenuating circumstances
but you know the Navy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
boys and girls
I want you all to check
out a special delivery
from our old friend,
X-Man, di-rect from Dallas.
I give you the original
Texas Tornado,
Miss Patrick Henry!
Never complains,
never talks back,
and all you have to do
at the end of the night is
deflate her.
Oh, Hawkeye, I think she's got
her name written all over you.
Here, have a date. You need one.
If this is the best they
can do for a floor show,
I'm going to go work
on my needlepoint.
Are you offended?
Not as a woman.
As a human being.
To be on the same
planet with these idiots.
Hey, pass, don't hog it.
Hey, Commander, you
want the first dance?
Not with your date, Jonas.
I thought the X-Man was
on corrosion-control
duty in Capodichino.
He resigned his commission, sir.
Commander, you
got Buxton acquitted.
Couldn't you have at
least stood up for him
when they tried to ground him?
Lieutenant, your friend
nearly started World War III.
Attention on deck.
I came to see Commander Rabb.
Yes, sir.
You keep that thing
away from me, Jonas,
or I will personally let
the air out of its tires.
Yes, sir.
Any word yet, sir,
on what they plan to do
with Petty Officer Curran?
No, thank you.
Actually, yes.
He's being charged
with unlawful detention,
causing his buddy to miss
a movement of his aircraft,
and violating the general
order against stowaways
by smuggling his pregnant
"fate" partner on board ship.
A little harsh,
don't you think, sir?
He could be
discharged or jailed.
It's out of our hands, Harm.
And that's not why I
came to talk to you.
Fitness reports are coming up
and I thought we ought to talk
before I signed off on yours.
You're a good aviator, Harm.
Well, thank you, sir.
Now, why do I get the impression
you're building me up
before you let me down?
I think you know what's coming.
Too old, not enough flight
hours, not enough traps.
You've only been back
in the cockpit five months
and already you're
running out of sky.
Another tour or two,
and I'll be flying a desk.
You've been gone
eight years, Harm.
You got a thousand hours.
Some of these guys have 3,000,
plus 600 traps and 50
or 60 combat missions.
You missed a couple of wars.
This numbnuts back
here with the doll will be
commanding a
squadron before you do.
So was it cannon or beckstead
he kept in touch with?
Well, find out, or I'll
get out the pugil sticks
and go upside your head again.
No, don't start, Jonesy.
I never heard of Limp
Bizkit before today either,
but these tickets are
important, trust me.
All right, I knew I
trained you right.
Everything under
control, Lieutenant?
Uh, that desk.
Yes, sir.
Petty Officer Dooley sits there.
He's T.A.D. at Pensacola.
I wasn't aware of that, sir.
There was nothing on it and I
hadn't looked in the drawers.
Well, I would've told you
earlier if I wasn't in court, but...
Not a problem, sir.
I'll make the rest of
my calls right over here.
Uh, you can't sit there either.
I can't, sir?
No, that's Lieutenant
Sims' desk.
I didn't know there was a
Lieutenant Sims working here, sir.
Yes, there is.
She's in inactive reserve.
Inactive reserve.
Doesn't that mean
she isn't here, sir?
Yes, she is.
Two days a month.
Today, Lieutenant?
Well, not today.
But I don't know.
Maybe today.
Well, in that case, sir,
I guess the only place left
for me to sit is the floor.
It's looking freshly
buffed, wouldn't you say?
Uh, uh, wait, uh, Gunny...
I'm sure that Lieutenant
Sims wouldn't mind
if you used her
desk... Temporarily.
Thank you, sir.
I appreciate the slack
you're cutting me.
250 bucks.
$250?! DOOLEY: Yeah.
Now I know why they
call them scalpers.
Well, you want them or not?
Forget about it, Dooley.
I'll go to plan B.
This, ladies and gentlemen,
is enemy territory...
The Serb-held portion of Bosnia.
We have no
friends there... none.
But that is where we're
going to be spending our time,
starting today.
Due to inclement
weather, we are taking over
the reconnaissance
responsibilities of our satellites.
Intel reports that there are
paramilitary units massing
between Foca and Konjic
for a possible incursion
into Muslim territory.
I want pictures.
Lots of pictures.
In retaliation for the
indictment of Milosevich
as a war criminal,
these folks have declared
all NATO pilots war criminals...
to be punished as such.
So if you are shot
down and captured,
do not expect to be given
the honeymoon suite.
Rest assured, however,
you will not be forgotten.
We will come after you.
If we can survive
until dark, sir.
Daylight is dicey, Skates.
These folks might enjoy using our
search and rescue helos as target practice.
So remember what you
learned in survival school:
hunker down for
night extraction.
Let's fly.
Hey, Skates, just
think about dinner.
Gets me back to
the boat every time.
Damn it!
The ladder is greasy.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
I should've wiped it down.
Skates, you got a track
file on that airliner yet?
Hey, Skates, you with us?
Oh, yeah.
This new software's just
strapping a load on me.
So give it a kick.
Okay, it's up now.
What did you need?
Track file on the airliner.
It's Israeli.
Angels 32, headed
080 at 400 knots.
He's no problem.
Lieutenant?
You got a minute?
Commander Rabb.
Thought you were up
at the unfriendly skies.
Made it back down.
That was a good
feeling, I'll bet.
Usually.
I understand you're
representing Petty Officer Curran
on his court-martial.
That's right.
I, uh, was under the
impression you, uh,
you were more in the
administrative side of the law,
Lieutenant. I always wanted
to try criminal cases, sir.
I thought this one would
be a good place to start.
Think that's fair to
Petty Officer Curran?
I know what I'm doing, sir.
Then you know that the obvious
defense in this case would be...
Duress. Got it right here.
"Criminal conduct may be excused
"if the accused party
resorted to such conduct
to prevent death
or serious injury..."
"to himself or to
another innocent person."
I know what the
book says, Lieutenant.
Do you know how to
argue it in a court of law?
I think I can handle
it, commander.
It's an affirmative
defense, Lieutenant.
It has to be airtight.
Under control,
Commander, thank you.
Why, it's a computer
auction, Harriet.
I just need our
credit card number.
No, I will not get caught
up in the bidding frenzy
and lose my head.
Ah.
Thank you.
Damn. $120?
Damn.
Damn.
Harriet, hey, it's me again.
How close are we to
our credit card limit?
Good.
Take that, Cavalier.
What the hell's
going on with Tiner?
I've never seen him
so damned industrious.
Not sure, Admiral,
but there does seem
to be some dissension
among the ranks.
About what?
Competition to get you
those concert tickets.
I like it.
I like it.
But why the sudden
urge to gain my favor?
Well, there's a new
gunny in town, sir.
Glad I brought him aboard.
Right.
We had a one-night liberty
in Pristina, which
is kind of a break.
Usually we sleep on the ship.
And that was because
your aircraft broke down?
Well, it didn't
actually break, sir.
It was something
with the warning lights.
We get along pretty
good with the flight officers
but they don't
tell us everything.
And your job, along
with that of the defendant
Petty Officer Curran
was taking care of
the back of the plane?
Yes, sir.
The equipment, the
paperwork, the passengers.
That's right, sir. Sean and I
were a team until he
locked me in a storage shed.
Please tell us about the events
that led up to that,
Petty Officer Simpkins.
Well, we had the
night off from Pristina.
It wasn't exactly
Paris, but it is pacified.
There's like a
couple of restaurants
and a couple
places to get a drink.
Do you usually drink,
Petty officer Simpkins?
Uh, a little, sir.
If I have more than three or
four beers, I get pretty tired.
Did Petty Officer
Curran know that?
Objection. How can
this witness know
the contents of the
defendant's mind?
Can you, Petty Officer Simpkins?
Well, sure.
Sean saw me pass
out twice in Italy, sir.
Objection overruled.
He saw you pass out
after you'd been drinking?
We had liberty in Genoa
and went out with some guys.
Sean carried me home, sir.
Just like he was my friend.
What happened during
your night out in Pristina?
Sean kept buying me drinks, sir.
When I said I'd better stop,
he bought me more
of the local stuff...
Raki?
He said it wasn't that strong.
It tasted like turpentine.
And then what happened?
Well, it all got
kind of hazy, sir.
Sean helped me
home... I thought.
I woke up with a real bad
headache and a pain in my side,
'cause I was sleeping on a rope.
I looked at my watch, I
saw that it was flight time.
I tried to get out of the
shed but the door was locked.
And if you had
made it to the plane
would you have known
that Zepa Berisha
was not an authorized
passenger and kept her off?
Yes, sir. It's not a public bus.
Thank you.
Let me get this straight,
Petty Officer Simpkins...
You missed the
movement of an aircraft
you were duty bound
to catch, is that right?
That's right, sir.
Which is a serious offense
under the uniform
code of military justice.
I know, sir. That's why I damn
near broke the shed door down.
But you were never
charged, were you?
Sir, why should I be?
Because you committed
a serious crime
that carries a maximum
penalty of a year in Leavenworth.
And yet in exchange for your
testimony against the defendant,
the convening authority
has seen fit to let it go.
Because he got me drunk
and locked me in a shed... sir.
Your Honor, I move
to dismiss the first
charge against my client...
That of causing
Petty Officer Simpkins
to miss the
movement of his plane.
This is an accomplice crime.
It is a clear denial of equal
justice and basic equity
to charge my client
as an accomplice
if the principle who actually
missed the plane
has not been charged.
It's black-letter law, sir.
Manual for Courts-Martial,
Article 77, Paragraph B-6.
"The principle need
not be prosecuted
for the charge against
the accomplice to stand."
That's in the M.C.M.?
I'll lend you my copy if you
don't have one, Lieutenant.
Or you can borrow mine.
Motion denied.
Do you have any more questions?
Yes, sir.
You passed out
because you drank.
The defendant didn't make
you take those drinks, did he?
No, sir. But he did
lock me in the shed.
But you might have missed
the plane anyway if you
were passed out drunk.
No. I wouldn't have, sir.
Come on, Petty Officer
Simpkins, you were semi-comatose.
How could you possibly be sure
you wouldn't have
missed the plane?
Because after we
finished drinking,
I was going to sleep
on the plane, sir.
No further questions.
Well, I did make
a couple points.
You forgot the first rule
of cross-examination,
Counselor...
You don't ask a question
you don't know the answer to.
Well, I think on
balance I did fairly well.
Well, I think on balance,
your client better start
planning his appeal.
With all due respect,
commander, he's my client.
I think he's more
like your guinea pig.
Look, Lieutenant, why don't
you and I sit down together
and we can go over your
strategy for the rest of the trial.
I know you used to
be a JAG, Commander,
but you're an aviator now.
This is my job.
MacKENZIE: So, the new gunny's
a take-charge guy,
don't you think?
If you like that kind
of thing, Colonel.
I thought we in the military
did like that kind
of thing, Lieutenant.
Well, yes, of course, ma'am.
It's just I guess I'm
having a hard time
accepting the fact that
he's replacing Harriet.
So this is just about Harriet?
Well, of course.
I mean, I hope that she
returns here eventually
and I want there to
be a place for her.
This isn't about you?
Me? I'm an attorney.
I have no conflict
with an office manager.
Not even when that
manager has special access
to the attention and
interest of the Admiral?
He does, doesn't he, ma'am?
We'd all like the admiral
to think we're special.
You should see Tiner.
He's behaving like a child.
He even hid the
gunny's postage meter.
Bud, Tiner is a child.
You're not.
The guard was laughing at me.
He said maybe I just
want to go to America
to find a rich father
for my bastard.
And that's when Petty Officer
Curran approached you?
Yes.
He was so kind.
He asked why I was crying.
And what did you tell him?
That Ismet, my fiancé,
he want to kill me.
He feels such shame
because I was raped.
And was it true that your
fiancé wanted to kill you?
Yes.
Other girls, they
killed themselves.
Or their families sent them
to fight the Serbs
and get killed.
There is no way ever to
end shame while you live.
But you wanted to live?
Yes.
So Petty Officer
Curran saved your life
by bringing you on
to this aircraft carrier?
Yes.
Your witness.
Miss Berisha
your fiancé and you, you
lived in the same village?
Yes.
And he wanted to kill you?
Yes.
Then why aren't you dead?
He didn't try yet, but I
know he's coming for me.
So he never actually
tried to kill you?
When I went to Pristina,
he came after me.
Him and his brothers.
I saw one of them
on main street.
How do you know
they didn't just come
to take you home?
I know them.
They are my people.
Did Petty Officer
Curran know them?
No.
He only knew what you
told him, isn't that right?
I suppose.
He didn't talk to your fiancé,
his cousin, his
brother, to the police?
Why should he?
To verify that you
were actually in danger.
I was in danger.
I am in danger.
So you said.
During his stay in Pristina
did Petty Officer Curran see
anybody else who needed help?
Many people need help there.
But he didn't help
anybody else, did he?
I don't know.
Not like he helped you.
No.
The many other
people who need help,
I suppose most of them are
not as attractive as you are.
Objection.
Never mind, Your Honor.
I'm done.
So, here you are.
Court-martial can't be over.
No, we're on recess.
I thought I'd take
this time to talk to you
about blowing up at Griggsy.
Pretty weak, huh?
You want to tell
me what's going on?
It's nothing.
Really?
I don't know, Harm.
I've been shot at,
nearly got killed
in a ramp strike.
Now we're making milk
runs and I'm a basket case.
Bizarre time to realize
I'm not bulletproof.
Hey, you never were.
Thought I was.
Then the catapult
woke me up one night,
and there I was in a sweat.
Like the plane going
off the deck was
taking my luck with it.
I don't know if this helps,
but I know how you feel.
You had a reason:
your night blindness, the crash.
This was before all that.
This was back in the days
when I was sure they were going
to be naming an
airport after me.
Small airport, but...
You know, I woke up one morning
and I was sure
if I got in a plane
I was not coming back alive.
But you flew.
Yeah, and I obviously came back.
But, you know, the next
day I felt the same way
and the next.
How long did it last?
It lasted about a week.
Did it ever come back?
Nope.
You know why it went away?
I don't know.
I just know if you keep
flying, it will go away.
I read the papers, sir.
I knew what happened there:
the murders, the
rapes, the atrocities.
So you believed Miss Berisha
when she told you
she'd been raped?
Yes, sir.
And when she said that
her fiancé was
going to kill her?
I know it's a very
traditional society.
I read an article in Newsweek.
So you did the things that
you're charged with here
because in your
mind, you had no doubt
that Miss Berisha
was telling the truth.
It wasn't just that
she's pretty, sir.
You saw her. You heard her.
Did it sound like she was lying?
No, it didn't.
Your witness.
So you did notice
that she is pretty?
Yes, sir, of course.
Is that why you didn't bother
to check out her story?
I didn't have a
lot of time, sir.
We were leaving
the next morning.
You had time to take your
friend out, get him drunk
and lock him in a shed
so he couldn't challenge
your lie about Miss Berisha
belonging on that flight.
I'm really sorry about that.
I didn't know
what else to do, sir.
And that's your defense?
That you committed the
crimes you're charged with
because you had no other
way to save Miss Berisha's life?
I didn't see any other way, sir.
Did you happen to
notice a big red cross
on a building at
the Pristina Airport?
I think so, sir.
Were you aware
that that building
is filled with
dedicated professionals
working to help people
like Zepa Berisha?
I never went into
the building, sir.
Were you aware of another
building half a mile away
occupied by NATO
war crime investigators,
police officers and
victim counselors?
No, sir, I wasn't.
Did you ask anybody
about the existence
of such services?
No, sir.
So you believed
Miss Berisha needed help...
He has just completely
destroyed your duress defense.
What should I do?
Ask him about the
small town he grew up in
and his Boy Scout values.
You know, his basic
decency, trust, goodness,
and how sorry he is.
Anything else?
I got plenty, Lieutenant,
but I have a plane to fly.
Good luck.
I guess maybe I
could've asked around, sir.
Yes... I guess maybe
you could have.
Gunny...
Oh, sir.
One of the drawers was stuck.
I found this jammed
under the roller.
"I love you.
"Happy Valentine's Day.
Thank you for being
part of my life, Bud."
I didn't think you
put it there for me, sir.
Uh, no. Lieutenant Sims, whose
desk this is... was... is my wife.
I figured, sir.
Guess I seem like
a poacher to you.
Well, no. No, not at all.
In fact, my wife,
Lieutenant Sims...
gave me these to give to you...
Home addresses and phone numbers
for everybody at JAG,
nighttime phone numbers
for the C.N.O.'s
staff, locksmith,
plumbers...
Uh, the admiral's
preferences for restaurants,
airline seats, his daughter's
phone numbers in Italy
and Lieutenant
Sims' special codes
for the filing system.
Outstanding, sir.
The whole Junior
Woodchuck Survival Guide.
Look, Gunny...
this place has
been kind of a mess.
We could really use some help.
Thank you, sir.
JAG Ops, Gunnery
Sergeant Galindez.
Tuna, you're the photo
beanie. You take the lead.
I'll cover your six.
Photo beanie going in.
Camera on.
Your six is clear.
Flak trap!
Hang on.
Brake left!
Reverse your turn.
Took a hit, Pappy.
I'm shutting down
starboard engine.
Head for the beach;
I'll look you over.
Don't waste your time.
This thing is shaking
like a magic fingers bed.
I'll punch out as low as
you want, Tuna. Your call.
You got to get out
of Indian country.
Can you make it feet wet?
Negative.
We're going down, Harm.
Mayday, mayday, mayday.
Big Mother, this is Badman One.
Badman Two has a
battle-damaged aircraft.
Cannot maintain flight.
Attempting to make feet wet.
Big Mother's been
listening, Badman One.
We are en route.
RABB You hear that, Tuna?
All you got to do is get there.
Fat chance. Head for the boat
and let us eject in
peace, would you, Harm?
What, into the arms
of those maniacs?
Forget it.
- We're going down.
- No, you're not!
Drop your tailhook.
Why?
Just do it, Lieutenant.
Hold your course, Tuna.
What are you doing?
I'm going to push them
someplace they can eject
without getting
themselves killed.
If that thing comes
through the windscreen...
Just worry about
Tuna and Archie!
Yes, sir.
Give me the closure rate.
Four knots...
three knots...
two knots...
Contact.
What are you doing back there?
Pushing you.
How are we looking, Skates?
12 miles till feet wet.
Damn it!
Skates!
We're closing at six knots.
Four knots...
two knots...
Here we go again.
Okay.
Is that thing going to hold?
Oh, God.
There's a ridge coming up.
The ocean's got to be
on the other side of that.
Tell me about the ridge, Skates.
It's 3,473 feet high
and 6.2 miles away.
What about us?
We're passing 6,200 feet.
Rate of descent:
1,800 feet per minute.
Time to ridge: two minutes.
We can get them over.
It's going to be close.
Tuna, dump your fuel.
You got it.
Keep talking, Skates.
Rate of descent
down to 1,400 feet.
You got to help me
fly this plane, Skates.
I can't look at anything
but this damn tailhook,
and I don't want us
splattered all over that ridge.
So, keep a
clearance of 500 feet.
Anything lower than that,
we tell them to punch out.
We're three miles away.
Rate of descent: 1,200 feet.
Altitude: 4,800.
We're a minute out.
Keep that cushion at 500.
I can do the math.
Stay above 3,900.
We going to make it?
Talk to me, Skates.
30 seconds out.
4,200.
15 seconds out.
4,000.
39's the limit.
Are we punching out?
No.
Keep talking, Skates.
We're over the ridge
at 3,900 feet.
Yes!
Yeah!
You sure about that cushion?
You gave me the call.
I made it.
Three miles to feet wet.
Two miles.
One-and-a-half.
We're coming up on the line.
Now! Now!
Now!
Tuna, you are cleared
for nylon descent.
Thanks for the lift, Harm.
Big Mother, this is Badman One.
Badman Two has ejected.
Two good chutes.
Awaiting your arrival.
Badman One is on
scene, Commander.
Whoo!
How'd you even think of
trying something like that?
Desperation.
You made it, Skates.
Does this mean you're going
to be flying with us for a while?
Harm, if I can live
through your stunts,
I can live through anything.
Commander Rabb.
We all thought it was time
you got a new call sign.
The CAG told us
about your father.
Sounds as though he was
almost as crazy as his son.
Besides, you're way too
young to be called "Pappy."
"Hammer."
That was his call
sign, wasn't it, sir?
We'll have that
painted up right away.
I don't think your
dad would mind.
And so, Your honor,
I ask you to temper
justice with compassion
and please acquit
Petty Officer Curran.
Very well.
I've heard both cases
and your closing arguments.
I'm ready right now
to deliver my verdict.
Excuse me, Your Honor.
I'd like to make a motion.
Your honor, it's
a little late for motions.
Lieutenant?
Not for a motion for a
finding of a "not guilty"
based on the
prosecution's failure
to make a prima facie case.
I made my case, Your Honor.
Let's eliminate the middleman.
Lieutenant Aldridge,
who's your ventriloquist?
I'm Lieutenant
Commander Rabb, sir.
I'm an attorney, and I've
been assisting in the defense
of Petty Officer Curran.
So I've noticed.
What's the basis of this motion?
Well, sir, on the charge
of being an accomplice
to Petty Officer Simpkins'
missing the movement
of his aircraft,
the prosecution's case is
missing a required element.
We already argued
this, Your Honor.
Petty Officer Curran
can be convicted
if Petty Officer
Simpkins is not charged.
The Manual for
Courts-Martial spells that out
in Article 77, Paragraph B-6.
Well, that's nice, but if you
read Paragraph B-2, Sub B-2...
May I approach, sir?
Yes.
To be convicted,
Petty Officer Curran
would have had to have shared
in Petty Officer Simpkins'
criminal purpose or design.
That's what it says.
By the prosecution's
own argument,
Petty Officer Simpkins
missed the movement of his plane
because he was passed out drunk.
There was no criminal purpose
or design, so
Petty Officer Curran
could not have shared in it.
This is highly technical.
And accurate, it seems.
That still leaves the fact
that Petty Officer Curran
locked Petty Officer
Simpkins in a shed.
For which you have charged him
under Article 97...
Unlawful detention.
It doesn't apply, sir.
Commander,
you're saying
Curran had the right
to lock Simpkins in the shed?
I have no position on that.
I only point to United
States v. Johnson
and the U.S. v. Cuevas-Ovalle,
in which the Military
Court of Review
says Article 97 applies
only to those individuals
acting under the
color of the law
such as a military policeman
who improperly throws
someone in the brig.
What Petty Officer Curran did,
Commander, is still kidnapping.
That may be, Lieutenant,
but you didn't charge
him with kidnapping.
What about the
Article 92 charge...
Disobeying the general
order against stowaways?
Well, sir, on the face of it,
it would appear that he
did disobey that order.
"On the face of it"?
He flat-out disobeyed, sir.
He had a conflicting obligation,
Lieutenant, as a human being
and as a member of the
United States Navy, sir.
Does the commander
have a citation
from the M.C.M. or
case law to back that up?
It's not a matter of
law books, Lieutenant.
It's a matter
of humanity, of decency.
What Petty Officer Curran did...
By coming to the aid
of a defenseless woman
he perceived to have been a
victim of enemy atrocities, sir,
at the risk of his own career...
Is that not the essence
of what our armed
forces are for, sir?
Commander,
we dealt with all that dur...
All right, I've heard enough.
Petty officer Curran,
please rise.
On the charges
under Article 77 and
93, I find you not guilty.
On the charge of
disobeying an order,
I find you guilty,
and sentence you
to forfeiture of pay
$200 a month for two months.
I am very happy for you, Sean.
$400. It's nothing.
But they're still going
to be sending you back.
We'll speak to NATO's
personnel on the ground.
We'll do everything we can
to make sure you're safe.
NATO will be in Kosovo
only for a little while.
Ismet and his brothers
will be there forever.
You know, Lieutenant,
as fleet JAG,
you could launch
an investigation
into the lapse in procedure
that made this event possible.
Well, I'm not really sure
there's any point in launching
an investigation.
That's true.
Miss Berisha would then
have to remain aboard ship
at least long enough to
speak to the investigators.
Oh, right, and they'd
have to come from Italy.
Very backed up in
Italy at the moment.
Could take... Weeks...
maybe a couple of months.
'Course, by then,
her child would
have been born aboard ship.
Which would mean she would be
the mother of an
American citizen.
Does that mean she
could go to the States, sir?
Is that so?
Well, I think that's
the way it works,
although it's not really
my area of expertise.
You know, Lieutenant,
you may make
a halfway decent lawyer yet.
Here you are, Admiral.
Two seats, third row center.
Where the hell
did you get these?
Turns out I know a drill
instructor at Parris Island.
His cousin's a roadie
for some thrash rapper
Limp Bizkit used to open for.
I don't know what
the hell that means
but thank them all for me.
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Roberts
to see you, sir.
Send him in.
Admiral, I have two
Limp Bizkit tickets for you.
I bought them in an
auction on the... Internet.
Your screen name is Mr. Funky?
Sir.
Mr. Funky?
You're Cavalier?
I can't believe
you went to $300.
You two were bidding
against each other?
Apparently so.
You spent $300 on these tickets?
Yes, sir.
How much were yours, Gunny?
Those were comps, sir.
Well, Lieutenant, um, I'll get
you a receipt for the donation...
Unless you want
to go to the concert.
I hear they really rock.
I'm going to miss you.
Am I going somewhere, sir?
Back to JAG.
You got nothing else
to prove as an aviator...
To the world, or
yourself, or your father.
You stay here, you're
flying into a career dead end.
Harm, I saw you defending
that young crewman,
making sure the
right thing happened.
Your heart's in the law.
You love it. I could see it.
This isn't just a way to get
me out of your air wing, is it, sir?
There is no one else I would rather
have flying for me, commander.
But if you stay here,
you're flying toward nothing.
You go back to JAG, you got
a chance to help some people
and have a hell
of a time doing it.
Ah, you already know that.
That's why you've
already decided.
There's a woman
getting off the cod.
There's a woman in your plane
if you haven't noticed.
Not like this one.
Smuggling pregnant
Albanian women on board ship
is not part of our mission,
Petty Officer Curran.
I know, sir.
But she needed help bad.
Do you know where she is, sir?
In sick bay,
getting checked out.
But I think you'd better worry
about yourself right now, son.
Yes, sir.
How much trouble am I in, sir?
Commander Rabb is
the wing legal officer.
He's going to help
us try to figure that out.
The other officer in the back
of the cod, Petty Officer Strawn,
he said that you
told him Zepa Berisha
was on the manifest.
She was not on the manifest.
No, sir.
Apparently, Petty Officer Strawn
was a last-minute replacement
for your regular partner,
Petty Officer Simpkins?
He missed the
flight this morning?
Yes, sir.
Petty Officer Simpkins
would have known
that Zepa didn't
belong on that flight.
He might have tried to stop her.
Are you saying that's
why he missed the flight?
That's right, sir.
I got him drunk last night
and locked him in a supply shed
at the Pristina Airport.
You want to tell us why
You smuggled the pregnant
woman aboard the ship?
Yes, sir.
Zepa's fiancé was
going to kill her.
She came to the airport
to try and get away,
but the Russian guards
just chased her off.
They didn't care.
But I walked through
the gates just then,
kind of like it was fate.
"Fate"?
Yes, sir.
I mean, we weren't
even supposed to be
overnighting in Kosovo,
but an oil filter chip light
on the plane went bad.
So... fate led you
to Miss Berisha?
Yes, sir.
Well, that and she
was crying so hard.
She told me she was
going to be murdered.
I had to do something, sir.
MacKENZIE: Good morning, Tiner.
Good morning, ma'am.
Good morning, Gunny.
There's enough crap on
that table to hide Jimmy Hoffa.
Square it away, Tiner.
Right away, Gunny.
The admiral's
expecting you, Colonel.
Thank you.
Gunnery Sergeant Galindez
reporting as ordered, sir.
At ease, Gunny.
Glad to see that you chose
us over early retirement.
You offered me a challenge, sir.
I like challenges.
Well, Gunny, that's
what Napoleon said
when he invaded Russia.
I expect better
results from you.
This is Lieutenant
Roberts, one of our
junior attorneys.
Gunny's going to be running
the disaster area
we call JAG Ops.
Well, if you keep it
half as tight as it was,
you'll do a great job.
It's not going to be as tough
as Iwo Jima, Lieutenant.
Well, you know, Colonel,
everything is relative.
In my world, just tracking down
two simple concert
tickets is turning
into the trials of Job.
That's what I get for letting
Admiral Drake's wife enlist me
for the Navy relief auction.
Well, sir, I'm sure that
I can help you with that.
What's the concert, sir?
Uh, something called
"Limp Bizkit."
Sounds like a kitchen accident
or a glandular condition.
Anyway, I called
Ticket Forum...
laughed at me.
Said the concert was
sold out in 15 minutes.
I might be able to utilize
the Marine Corps
pipeline on that one, sir.
I've got a buddy who knows
some people connected
to the rock 'n' roll world.
Actually, Limp Bizkit
doesn't play
rock 'n' roll per se.
They're metal rappers.
"Metal rappers," Lieutenant?
I didn't know you
were such a devotee.
Just someone get
me two tickets, please.
You're dismissed, Gunny.
Aye, aye, sir.
Doctors say
after I feel better,
they send me back.
Well, a ship's sick
bay is no place
for a pregnant woman.
Ismet will kill me.
Did not Sean tell you?
Petty Officer Curran did say that
your fiancé threatened to kill you.
I do not blame him.
He feels such shame.
Maybe you should send me back.
Send me now or
let me jump in sea.
Miss Berisha,
you want to tell me
what this is all about?
What about?
Look at me.
The baby's not your fiancé's?
It is Serb's.
They came to our village
after NATO was bombing.
They shot young
men and they took me
and other girls to
basement of school.
I'm sorry.
The other girls,
they tell their families
Serbs only make
them make coffee.
No matter what, it was just
"they made me make coffee"
to avoid shame.
But look at me.
It is more than coffee.
You have done nothing wrong.
You Americans,
you don't understand.
Sean said he would
be in trouble. Is he?
Well, he might be, yes.
But he just wanted to save me.
Save my baby.
Even so.
Save our lives.
Isn't that why you
Americans come to Kosovo?
She has a point.
You know, you look in her eyes,
you can almost feel
what she's been through.
And the kid?
The petty officer
who helped her?
His heart was in the
right place, I guess.
What place is it going
to go to next, the brig?
That part's not up to me.
I'll send my report in to JAG,
allied forces southern Europe.
I emphasize the
extenuating circumstances
but you know the Navy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
boys and girls
I want you all to check
out a special delivery
from our old friend,
X-Man, di-rect from Dallas.
I give you the original
Texas Tornado,
Miss Patrick Henry!
Never complains,
never talks back,
and all you have to do
at the end of the night is
deflate her.
Oh, Hawkeye, I think she's got
her name written all over you.
Here, have a date. You need one.
If this is the best they
can do for a floor show,
I'm going to go work
on my needlepoint.
Are you offended?
Not as a woman.
As a human being.
To be on the same
planet with these idiots.
Hey, pass, don't hog it.
Hey, Commander, you
want the first dance?
Not with your date, Jonas.
I thought the X-Man was
on corrosion-control
duty in Capodichino.
He resigned his commission, sir.
Commander, you
got Buxton acquitted.
Couldn't you have at
least stood up for him
when they tried to ground him?
Lieutenant, your friend
nearly started World War III.
Attention on deck.
I came to see Commander Rabb.
Yes, sir.
You keep that thing
away from me, Jonas,
or I will personally let
the air out of its tires.
Yes, sir.
Any word yet, sir,
on what they plan to do
with Petty Officer Curran?
No, thank you.
Actually, yes.
He's being charged
with unlawful detention,
causing his buddy to miss
a movement of his aircraft,
and violating the general
order against stowaways
by smuggling his pregnant
"fate" partner on board ship.
A little harsh,
don't you think, sir?
He could be
discharged or jailed.
It's out of our hands, Harm.
And that's not why I
came to talk to you.
Fitness reports are coming up
and I thought we ought to talk
before I signed off on yours.
You're a good aviator, Harm.
Well, thank you, sir.
Now, why do I get the impression
you're building me up
before you let me down?
I think you know what's coming.
Too old, not enough flight
hours, not enough traps.
You've only been back
in the cockpit five months
and already you're
running out of sky.
Another tour or two,
and I'll be flying a desk.
You've been gone
eight years, Harm.
You got a thousand hours.
Some of these guys have 3,000,
plus 600 traps and 50
or 60 combat missions.
You missed a couple of wars.
This numbnuts back
here with the doll will be
commanding a
squadron before you do.
So was it cannon or beckstead
he kept in touch with?
Well, find out, or I'll
get out the pugil sticks
and go upside your head again.
No, don't start, Jonesy.
I never heard of Limp
Bizkit before today either,
but these tickets are
important, trust me.
All right, I knew I
trained you right.
Everything under
control, Lieutenant?
Uh, that desk.
Yes, sir.
Petty Officer Dooley sits there.
He's T.A.D. at Pensacola.
I wasn't aware of that, sir.
There was nothing on it and I
hadn't looked in the drawers.
Well, I would've told you
earlier if I wasn't in court, but...
Not a problem, sir.
I'll make the rest of
my calls right over here.
Uh, you can't sit there either.
I can't, sir?
No, that's Lieutenant
Sims' desk.
I didn't know there was a
Lieutenant Sims working here, sir.
Yes, there is.
She's in inactive reserve.
Inactive reserve.
Doesn't that mean
she isn't here, sir?
Yes, she is.
Two days a month.
Today, Lieutenant?
Well, not today.
But I don't know.
Maybe today.
Well, in that case, sir,
I guess the only place left
for me to sit is the floor.
It's looking freshly
buffed, wouldn't you say?
Uh, uh, wait, uh, Gunny...
I'm sure that Lieutenant
Sims wouldn't mind
if you used her
desk... Temporarily.
Thank you, sir.
I appreciate the slack
you're cutting me.
250 bucks.
$250?! DOOLEY: Yeah.
Now I know why they
call them scalpers.
Well, you want them or not?
Forget about it, Dooley.
I'll go to plan B.
This, ladies and gentlemen,
is enemy territory...
The Serb-held portion of Bosnia.
We have no
friends there... none.
But that is where we're
going to be spending our time,
starting today.
Due to inclement
weather, we are taking over
the reconnaissance
responsibilities of our satellites.
Intel reports that there are
paramilitary units massing
between Foca and Konjic
for a possible incursion
into Muslim territory.
I want pictures.
Lots of pictures.
In retaliation for the
indictment of Milosevich
as a war criminal,
these folks have declared
all NATO pilots war criminals...
to be punished as such.
So if you are shot
down and captured,
do not expect to be given
the honeymoon suite.
Rest assured, however,
you will not be forgotten.
We will come after you.
If we can survive
until dark, sir.
Daylight is dicey, Skates.
These folks might enjoy using our
search and rescue helos as target practice.
So remember what you
learned in survival school:
hunker down for
night extraction.
Let's fly.
Hey, Skates, just
think about dinner.
Gets me back to
the boat every time.
Damn it!
The ladder is greasy.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
I should've wiped it down.
Skates, you got a track
file on that airliner yet?
Hey, Skates, you with us?
Oh, yeah.
This new software's just
strapping a load on me.
So give it a kick.
Okay, it's up now.
What did you need?
Track file on the airliner.
It's Israeli.
Angels 32, headed
080 at 400 knots.
He's no problem.
Lieutenant?
You got a minute?
Commander Rabb.
Thought you were up
at the unfriendly skies.
Made it back down.
That was a good
feeling, I'll bet.
Usually.
I understand you're
representing Petty Officer Curran
on his court-martial.
That's right.
I, uh, was under the
impression you, uh,
you were more in the
administrative side of the law,
Lieutenant. I always wanted
to try criminal cases, sir.
I thought this one would
be a good place to start.
Think that's fair to
Petty Officer Curran?
I know what I'm doing, sir.
Then you know that the obvious
defense in this case would be...
Duress. Got it right here.
"Criminal conduct may be excused
"if the accused party
resorted to such conduct
to prevent death
or serious injury..."
"to himself or to
another innocent person."
I know what the
book says, Lieutenant.
Do you know how to
argue it in a court of law?
I think I can handle
it, commander.
It's an affirmative
defense, Lieutenant.
It has to be airtight.
Under control,
Commander, thank you.
Why, it's a computer
auction, Harriet.
I just need our
credit card number.
No, I will not get caught
up in the bidding frenzy
and lose my head.
Ah.
Thank you.
Damn. $120?
Damn.
Damn.
Harriet, hey, it's me again.
How close are we to
our credit card limit?
Good.
Take that, Cavalier.
What the hell's
going on with Tiner?
I've never seen him
so damned industrious.
Not sure, Admiral,
but there does seem
to be some dissension
among the ranks.
About what?
Competition to get you
those concert tickets.
I like it.
I like it.
But why the sudden
urge to gain my favor?
Well, there's a new
gunny in town, sir.
Glad I brought him aboard.
Right.
We had a one-night liberty
in Pristina, which
is kind of a break.
Usually we sleep on the ship.
And that was because
your aircraft broke down?
Well, it didn't
actually break, sir.
It was something
with the warning lights.
We get along pretty
good with the flight officers
but they don't
tell us everything.
And your job, along
with that of the defendant
Petty Officer Curran
was taking care of
the back of the plane?
Yes, sir.
The equipment, the
paperwork, the passengers.
That's right, sir. Sean and I
were a team until he
locked me in a storage shed.
Please tell us about the events
that led up to that,
Petty Officer Simpkins.
Well, we had the
night off from Pristina.
It wasn't exactly
Paris, but it is pacified.
There's like a
couple of restaurants
and a couple
places to get a drink.
Do you usually drink,
Petty officer Simpkins?
Uh, a little, sir.
If I have more than three or
four beers, I get pretty tired.
Did Petty Officer
Curran know that?
Objection. How can
this witness know
the contents of the
defendant's mind?
Can you, Petty Officer Simpkins?
Well, sure.
Sean saw me pass
out twice in Italy, sir.
Objection overruled.
He saw you pass out
after you'd been drinking?
We had liberty in Genoa
and went out with some guys.
Sean carried me home, sir.
Just like he was my friend.
What happened during
your night out in Pristina?
Sean kept buying me drinks, sir.
When I said I'd better stop,
he bought me more
of the local stuff...
Raki?
He said it wasn't that strong.
It tasted like turpentine.
And then what happened?
Well, it all got
kind of hazy, sir.
Sean helped me
home... I thought.
I woke up with a real bad
headache and a pain in my side,
'cause I was sleeping on a rope.
I looked at my watch, I
saw that it was flight time.
I tried to get out of the
shed but the door was locked.
And if you had
made it to the plane
would you have known
that Zepa Berisha
was not an authorized
passenger and kept her off?
Yes, sir. It's not a public bus.
Thank you.
Let me get this straight,
Petty Officer Simpkins...
You missed the
movement of an aircraft
you were duty bound
to catch, is that right?
That's right, sir.
Which is a serious offense
under the uniform
code of military justice.
I know, sir. That's why I damn
near broke the shed door down.
But you were never
charged, were you?
Sir, why should I be?
Because you committed
a serious crime
that carries a maximum
penalty of a year in Leavenworth.
And yet in exchange for your
testimony against the defendant,
the convening authority
has seen fit to let it go.
Because he got me drunk
and locked me in a shed... sir.
Your Honor, I move
to dismiss the first
charge against my client...
That of causing
Petty Officer Simpkins
to miss the
movement of his plane.
This is an accomplice crime.
It is a clear denial of equal
justice and basic equity
to charge my client
as an accomplice
if the principle who actually
missed the plane
has not been charged.
It's black-letter law, sir.
Manual for Courts-Martial,
Article 77, Paragraph B-6.
"The principle need
not be prosecuted
for the charge against
the accomplice to stand."
That's in the M.C.M.?
I'll lend you my copy if you
don't have one, Lieutenant.
Or you can borrow mine.
Motion denied.
Do you have any more questions?
Yes, sir.
You passed out
because you drank.
The defendant didn't make
you take those drinks, did he?
No, sir. But he did
lock me in the shed.
But you might have missed
the plane anyway if you
were passed out drunk.
No. I wouldn't have, sir.
Come on, Petty Officer
Simpkins, you were semi-comatose.
How could you possibly be sure
you wouldn't have
missed the plane?
Because after we
finished drinking,
I was going to sleep
on the plane, sir.
No further questions.
Well, I did make
a couple points.
You forgot the first rule
of cross-examination,
Counselor...
You don't ask a question
you don't know the answer to.
Well, I think on
balance I did fairly well.
Well, I think on balance,
your client better start
planning his appeal.
With all due respect,
commander, he's my client.
I think he's more
like your guinea pig.
Look, Lieutenant, why don't
you and I sit down together
and we can go over your
strategy for the rest of the trial.
I know you used to
be a JAG, Commander,
but you're an aviator now.
This is my job.
MacKENZIE: So, the new gunny's
a take-charge guy,
don't you think?
If you like that kind
of thing, Colonel.
I thought we in the military
did like that kind
of thing, Lieutenant.
Well, yes, of course, ma'am.
It's just I guess I'm
having a hard time
accepting the fact that
he's replacing Harriet.
So this is just about Harriet?
Well, of course.
I mean, I hope that she
returns here eventually
and I want there to
be a place for her.
This isn't about you?
Me? I'm an attorney.
I have no conflict
with an office manager.
Not even when that
manager has special access
to the attention and
interest of the Admiral?
He does, doesn't he, ma'am?
We'd all like the admiral
to think we're special.
You should see Tiner.
He's behaving like a child.
He even hid the
gunny's postage meter.
Bud, Tiner is a child.
You're not.
The guard was laughing at me.
He said maybe I just
want to go to America
to find a rich father
for my bastard.
And that's when Petty Officer
Curran approached you?
Yes.
He was so kind.
He asked why I was crying.
And what did you tell him?
That Ismet, my fiancé,
he want to kill me.
He feels such shame
because I was raped.
And was it true that your
fiancé wanted to kill you?
Yes.
Other girls, they
killed themselves.
Or their families sent them
to fight the Serbs
and get killed.
There is no way ever to
end shame while you live.
But you wanted to live?
Yes.
So Petty Officer
Curran saved your life
by bringing you on
to this aircraft carrier?
Yes.
Your witness.
Miss Berisha
your fiancé and you, you
lived in the same village?
Yes.
And he wanted to kill you?
Yes.
Then why aren't you dead?
He didn't try yet, but I
know he's coming for me.
So he never actually
tried to kill you?
When I went to Pristina,
he came after me.
Him and his brothers.
I saw one of them
on main street.
How do you know
they didn't just come
to take you home?
I know them.
They are my people.
Did Petty Officer
Curran know them?
No.
He only knew what you
told him, isn't that right?
I suppose.
He didn't talk to your fiancé,
his cousin, his
brother, to the police?
Why should he?
To verify that you
were actually in danger.
I was in danger.
I am in danger.
So you said.
During his stay in Pristina
did Petty Officer Curran see
anybody else who needed help?
Many people need help there.
But he didn't help
anybody else, did he?
I don't know.
Not like he helped you.
No.
The many other
people who need help,
I suppose most of them are
not as attractive as you are.
Objection.
Never mind, Your Honor.
I'm done.
So, here you are.
Court-martial can't be over.
No, we're on recess.
I thought I'd take
this time to talk to you
about blowing up at Griggsy.
Pretty weak, huh?
You want to tell
me what's going on?
It's nothing.
Really?
I don't know, Harm.
I've been shot at,
nearly got killed
in a ramp strike.
Now we're making milk
runs and I'm a basket case.
Bizarre time to realize
I'm not bulletproof.
Hey, you never were.
Thought I was.
Then the catapult
woke me up one night,
and there I was in a sweat.
Like the plane going
off the deck was
taking my luck with it.
I don't know if this helps,
but I know how you feel.
You had a reason:
your night blindness, the crash.
This was before all that.
This was back in the days
when I was sure they were going
to be naming an
airport after me.
Small airport, but...
You know, I woke up one morning
and I was sure
if I got in a plane
I was not coming back alive.
But you flew.
Yeah, and I obviously came back.
But, you know, the next
day I felt the same way
and the next.
How long did it last?
It lasted about a week.
Did it ever come back?
Nope.
You know why it went away?
I don't know.
I just know if you keep
flying, it will go away.
I read the papers, sir.
I knew what happened there:
the murders, the
rapes, the atrocities.
So you believed Miss Berisha
when she told you
she'd been raped?
Yes, sir.
And when she said that
her fiancé was
going to kill her?
I know it's a very
traditional society.
I read an article in Newsweek.
So you did the things that
you're charged with here
because in your
mind, you had no doubt
that Miss Berisha
was telling the truth.
It wasn't just that
she's pretty, sir.
You saw her. You heard her.
Did it sound like she was lying?
No, it didn't.
Your witness.
So you did notice
that she is pretty?
Yes, sir, of course.
Is that why you didn't bother
to check out her story?
I didn't have a
lot of time, sir.
We were leaving
the next morning.
You had time to take your
friend out, get him drunk
and lock him in a shed
so he couldn't challenge
your lie about Miss Berisha
belonging on that flight.
I'm really sorry about that.
I didn't know
what else to do, sir.
And that's your defense?
That you committed the
crimes you're charged with
because you had no other
way to save Miss Berisha's life?
I didn't see any other way, sir.
Did you happen to
notice a big red cross
on a building at
the Pristina Airport?
I think so, sir.
Were you aware
that that building
is filled with
dedicated professionals
working to help people
like Zepa Berisha?
I never went into
the building, sir.
Were you aware of another
building half a mile away
occupied by NATO
war crime investigators,
police officers and
victim counselors?
No, sir, I wasn't.
Did you ask anybody
about the existence
of such services?
No, sir.
So you believed
Miss Berisha needed help...
He has just completely
destroyed your duress defense.
What should I do?
Ask him about the
small town he grew up in
and his Boy Scout values.
You know, his basic
decency, trust, goodness,
and how sorry he is.
Anything else?
I got plenty, Lieutenant,
but I have a plane to fly.
Good luck.
I guess maybe I
could've asked around, sir.
Yes... I guess maybe
you could have.
Gunny...
Oh, sir.
One of the drawers was stuck.
I found this jammed
under the roller.
"I love you.
"Happy Valentine's Day.
Thank you for being
part of my life, Bud."
I didn't think you
put it there for me, sir.
Uh, no. Lieutenant Sims, whose
desk this is... was... is my wife.
I figured, sir.
Guess I seem like
a poacher to you.
Well, no. No, not at all.
In fact, my wife,
Lieutenant Sims...
gave me these to give to you...
Home addresses and phone numbers
for everybody at JAG,
nighttime phone numbers
for the C.N.O.'s
staff, locksmith,
plumbers...
Uh, the admiral's
preferences for restaurants,
airline seats, his daughter's
phone numbers in Italy
and Lieutenant
Sims' special codes
for the filing system.
Outstanding, sir.
The whole Junior
Woodchuck Survival Guide.
Look, Gunny...
this place has
been kind of a mess.
We could really use some help.
Thank you, sir.
JAG Ops, Gunnery
Sergeant Galindez.
Tuna, you're the photo
beanie. You take the lead.
I'll cover your six.
Photo beanie going in.
Camera on.
Your six is clear.
Flak trap!
Hang on.
Brake left!
Reverse your turn.
Took a hit, Pappy.
I'm shutting down
starboard engine.
Head for the beach;
I'll look you over.
Don't waste your time.
This thing is shaking
like a magic fingers bed.
I'll punch out as low as
you want, Tuna. Your call.
You got to get out
of Indian country.
Can you make it feet wet?
Negative.
We're going down, Harm.
Mayday, mayday, mayday.
Big Mother, this is Badman One.
Badman Two has a
battle-damaged aircraft.
Cannot maintain flight.
Attempting to make feet wet.
Big Mother's been
listening, Badman One.
We are en route.
RABB You hear that, Tuna?
All you got to do is get there.
Fat chance. Head for the boat
and let us eject in
peace, would you, Harm?
What, into the arms
of those maniacs?
Forget it.
- We're going down.
- No, you're not!
Drop your tailhook.
Why?
Just do it, Lieutenant.
Hold your course, Tuna.
What are you doing?
I'm going to push them
someplace they can eject
without getting
themselves killed.
If that thing comes
through the windscreen...
Just worry about
Tuna and Archie!
Yes, sir.
Give me the closure rate.
Four knots...
three knots...
two knots...
Contact.
What are you doing back there?
Pushing you.
How are we looking, Skates?
12 miles till feet wet.
Damn it!
Skates!
We're closing at six knots.
Four knots...
two knots...
Here we go again.
Okay.
Is that thing going to hold?
Oh, God.
There's a ridge coming up.
The ocean's got to be
on the other side of that.
Tell me about the ridge, Skates.
It's 3,473 feet high
and 6.2 miles away.
What about us?
We're passing 6,200 feet.
Rate of descent:
1,800 feet per minute.
Time to ridge: two minutes.
We can get them over.
It's going to be close.
Tuna, dump your fuel.
You got it.
Keep talking, Skates.
Rate of descent
down to 1,400 feet.
You got to help me
fly this plane, Skates.
I can't look at anything
but this damn tailhook,
and I don't want us
splattered all over that ridge.
So, keep a
clearance of 500 feet.
Anything lower than that,
we tell them to punch out.
We're three miles away.
Rate of descent: 1,200 feet.
Altitude: 4,800.
We're a minute out.
Keep that cushion at 500.
I can do the math.
Stay above 3,900.
We going to make it?
Talk to me, Skates.
30 seconds out.
4,200.
15 seconds out.
4,000.
39's the limit.
Are we punching out?
No.
Keep talking, Skates.
We're over the ridge
at 3,900 feet.
Yes!
Yeah!
You sure about that cushion?
You gave me the call.
I made it.
Three miles to feet wet.
Two miles.
One-and-a-half.
We're coming up on the line.
Now! Now!
Now!
Tuna, you are cleared
for nylon descent.
Thanks for the lift, Harm.
Big Mother, this is Badman One.
Badman Two has ejected.
Two good chutes.
Awaiting your arrival.
Badman One is on
scene, Commander.
Whoo!
How'd you even think of
trying something like that?
Desperation.
You made it, Skates.
Does this mean you're going
to be flying with us for a while?
Harm, if I can live
through your stunts,
I can live through anything.
Commander Rabb.
We all thought it was time
you got a new call sign.
The CAG told us
about your father.
Sounds as though he was
almost as crazy as his son.
Besides, you're way too
young to be called "Pappy."
"Hammer."
That was his call
sign, wasn't it, sir?
We'll have that
painted up right away.
I don't think your
dad would mind.
And so, Your honor,
I ask you to temper
justice with compassion
and please acquit
Petty Officer Curran.
Very well.
I've heard both cases
and your closing arguments.
I'm ready right now
to deliver my verdict.
Excuse me, Your Honor.
I'd like to make a motion.
Your honor, it's
a little late for motions.
Lieutenant?
Not for a motion for a
finding of a "not guilty"
based on the
prosecution's failure
to make a prima facie case.
I made my case, Your Honor.
Let's eliminate the middleman.
Lieutenant Aldridge,
who's your ventriloquist?
I'm Lieutenant
Commander Rabb, sir.
I'm an attorney, and I've
been assisting in the defense
of Petty Officer Curran.
So I've noticed.
What's the basis of this motion?
Well, sir, on the charge
of being an accomplice
to Petty Officer Simpkins'
missing the movement
of his aircraft,
the prosecution's case is
missing a required element.
We already argued
this, Your Honor.
Petty Officer Curran
can be convicted
if Petty Officer
Simpkins is not charged.
The Manual for
Courts-Martial spells that out
in Article 77, Paragraph B-6.
Well, that's nice, but if you
read Paragraph B-2, Sub B-2...
May I approach, sir?
Yes.
To be convicted,
Petty Officer Curran
would have had to have shared
in Petty Officer Simpkins'
criminal purpose or design.
That's what it says.
By the prosecution's
own argument,
Petty Officer Simpkins
missed the movement of his plane
because he was passed out drunk.
There was no criminal purpose
or design, so
Petty Officer Curran
could not have shared in it.
This is highly technical.
And accurate, it seems.
That still leaves the fact
that Petty Officer Curran
locked Petty Officer
Simpkins in a shed.
For which you have charged him
under Article 97...
Unlawful detention.
It doesn't apply, sir.
Commander,
you're saying
Curran had the right
to lock Simpkins in the shed?
I have no position on that.
I only point to United
States v. Johnson
and the U.S. v. Cuevas-Ovalle,
in which the Military
Court of Review
says Article 97 applies
only to those individuals
acting under the
color of the law
such as a military policeman
who improperly throws
someone in the brig.
What Petty Officer Curran did,
Commander, is still kidnapping.
That may be, Lieutenant,
but you didn't charge
him with kidnapping.
What about the
Article 92 charge...
Disobeying the general
order against stowaways?
Well, sir, on the face of it,
it would appear that he
did disobey that order.
"On the face of it"?
He flat-out disobeyed, sir.
He had a conflicting obligation,
Lieutenant, as a human being
and as a member of the
United States Navy, sir.
Does the commander
have a citation
from the M.C.M. or
case law to back that up?
It's not a matter of
law books, Lieutenant.
It's a matter
of humanity, of decency.
What Petty Officer Curran did...
By coming to the aid
of a defenseless woman
he perceived to have been a
victim of enemy atrocities, sir,
at the risk of his own career...
Is that not the essence
of what our armed
forces are for, sir?
Commander,
we dealt with all that dur...
All right, I've heard enough.
Petty officer Curran,
please rise.
On the charges
under Article 77 and
93, I find you not guilty.
On the charge of
disobeying an order,
I find you guilty,
and sentence you
to forfeiture of pay
$200 a month for two months.
I am very happy for you, Sean.
$400. It's nothing.
But they're still going
to be sending you back.
We'll speak to NATO's
personnel on the ground.
We'll do everything we can
to make sure you're safe.
NATO will be in Kosovo
only for a little while.
Ismet and his brothers
will be there forever.
You know, Lieutenant,
as fleet JAG,
you could launch
an investigation
into the lapse in procedure
that made this event possible.
Well, I'm not really sure
there's any point in launching
an investigation.
That's true.
Miss Berisha would then
have to remain aboard ship
at least long enough to
speak to the investigators.
Oh, right, and they'd
have to come from Italy.
Very backed up in
Italy at the moment.
Could take... Weeks...
maybe a couple of months.
'Course, by then,
her child would
have been born aboard ship.
Which would mean she would be
the mother of an
American citizen.
Does that mean she
could go to the States, sir?
Is that so?
Well, I think that's
the way it works,
although it's not really
my area of expertise.
You know, Lieutenant,
you may make
a halfway decent lawyer yet.
Here you are, Admiral.
Two seats, third row center.
Where the hell
did you get these?
Turns out I know a drill
instructor at Parris Island.
His cousin's a roadie
for some thrash rapper
Limp Bizkit used to open for.
I don't know what
the hell that means
but thank them all for me.
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Roberts
to see you, sir.
Send him in.
Admiral, I have two
Limp Bizkit tickets for you.
I bought them in an
auction on the... Internet.
Your screen name is Mr. Funky?
Sir.
Mr. Funky?
You're Cavalier?
I can't believe
you went to $300.
You two were bidding
against each other?
Apparently so.
You spent $300 on these tickets?
Yes, sir.
How much were yours, Gunny?
Those were comps, sir.
Well, Lieutenant, um, I'll get
you a receipt for the donation...
Unless you want
to go to the concert.
I hear they really rock.
I'm going to miss you.
Am I going somewhere, sir?
Back to JAG.
You got nothing else
to prove as an aviator...
To the world, or
yourself, or your father.
You stay here, you're
flying into a career dead end.
Harm, I saw you defending
that young crewman,
making sure the
right thing happened.
Your heart's in the law.
You love it. I could see it.
This isn't just a way to get
me out of your air wing, is it, sir?
There is no one else I would rather
have flying for me, commander.
But if you stay here,
you're flying toward nothing.
You go back to JAG, you got
a chance to help some people
and have a hell
of a time doing it.
Ah, you already know that.
That's why you've
already decided.