NCIS (2003–…): Season 2, Episode 7 - Call of Silence - full transcript
A Medal of Honor recipient from WWII turns himself in and confesses to the team the murder of his friend 60 years ago.
Good morning.
-Gibbs.
-Hey, morning, Henry.
That sushi place you sent me to?
-What, you didn't like it?
-I liked it fine.
Only you didn't tell me
I had to speak Japanese to order.
You don't order.
You eat what you're served with a smile.
Just like being married.
(BEEPING)
I hope that doesn't mean
I can't come in.
Nowjust hold your horses.
I wasn't gonna hurt anybody with it.
It's evidence.
-Yeah, it's okay, Henry.
-Come on in.
(BEEPS)
-You wearing jewellery?
-Oh, I forgot.
Senior moment.
Henry, we're in the presence
of a Medal of Honour recipient.
Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS.
-Mr...
-Yost. Corporal Ernie Yost.
Special Agent, huh?
Just the man I'm looking for.
-It would be an honour to help you, sir.
-Say that after you know why I'm here.
That have something to do
with the evidence you're delivering?
| murdered a Marine with that .45.
The Washington Ballet
is totally sold out.
You're kidding!
People were backed up
trying to hack into the box office.
God, I can't believe that.
Since when are you interested
in the ballet?
Oh, since about an hour ago.
(CHUCKLING) Let me guess.
The cashier at the bakery
was wearing leg warmers.
-How do you know that?
-Must be the profiler in me.
Oh, hey,
there's another ballet in town, DiNozzo.
I can get you two front row easy.
-Really? What ballet?
-The National.
-The National Ballet? Bravo, McGee.
-Oh. Only...
-Only what?
-The nation...
Is not ours.
It's Suriname.
Suriname?
The National Ballet of Suriname.
How good can that be?
Depends how much
you like her buns, Tony.
DiNozzo,
make Mr Yost here comfortable.
If you wanna make me comfortable,
slap a pair of handcuffs on me.
How about something else?
Any good at foot massages?
Kate. McGee.
Let me get that for you.
I found him downstairs.
He claims to have murdered a Marine
with this .45.
You believe him?
Yeah. He's a little foggy
on the where and when,
but he's pretty adamant he did it.
-Gibbs, we're not gonna investigate this.
-Nah! No, no.
-Good.
-Just gonna humour him.
McGee, he says he's been reporting this
to 91 1 ,
can't get anybody to believe him.
Gee. What a surprise.
Trace the call.
I wanna hear one of them.
On it.
Kate, he's a former Marine.
Probably WW II.
Corporal Ernest Yost. Dig up his SRB.
You got a Social Security Number?
They didn't use them for serial numbers
when he served.
So how am I supposed to get his SRB
without a serial number?
Well, Kate, you could ask him.
Gibbs, I doubt
that he could remember his shoe size.
-Corporal Yost!
-Yo!
-Serial number!
-330090, sir!
Or you could just look him up
under "Medal of Honour recipients."
He won the Medal of Honour?
You don't win
the Medal of Honour, Kate.
You're awarded it
for conspicuous gallantry
above and beyond the call of duty.
You got any use for a Metro ticket?
It's got 10 rides left.
Don't wanna waste it.
No, thanks.
Come on. Too much waste in this world.
Everything is disposable now.
Disposable cameras, disposable razors.
I won't be needing them.
-I drive.
-Oh.
They took my licence away.
-How come?
-Got old.
It's a fatal mistake.
But I can fly anywhere for free.
But I don't have
anybody to visit anymore.
I'm sorry. What a waste.
How'd you score a sweet deal like that?
-What do we have here, Gibbs?
-Murder weapon.
-Cold case?
-lcicles.
(LAUGHS)
It's rust from potassium chlorate
in the powder mix.
Hasn't been fired recently.
They didn't even use this kind of ammo
when you were in the Marines, Gibbs.
Check out the muzzle end of the slide.
See that colouring mismatch?
That's from hardening
after the finish was applied.
This weapon is circa early 19403.
A year or two before I joined the Corps.
(SLIDE CLICKING)
Dirt.
Looks like black sand.
-Trace its origin.
-Don't I always?
Hey, Gibbs, are you gonna tell me
what this is about?
A Marine who doesn't clean his weapon
after firing it.
Wow. Things must be
really slow upstairs.
I never said I shot him.
I beat him to death with it.
Over the head.
-Who?
-My buddy.
Corporal Wade Kean.
-Why?
-Why?
Why would you kill your buddy?
Now, I don't think he believes me, kid.
-Me, either.
-Well, what do you know?
You weren't even a gleam
in your old man's eye.
-Mr Yost.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know.
-"Why?" Is that all he's gonna ask me?
-Pretty much, till he gets an answer.
All right.
You want an answer?
I'll give you an answer.
I don't know why.
-You don't know why?
-No.
Okay.
Then I don't believe
you killed him, Mr Yost.
Why won't anybody believe I killed him?
| smashed him over the head.
I beat his brains in.
-Blood was coming out of his brains.
-Calm down, Mr Yost.
Hey, relax.
Where's my .45? Where's my .45?
I had it when I came in here.
l have your .45.
l have your .45. You gave it to me.
Oh, good. Good.
You see, that's evidence. See?
That'll prove that l...
That I...
Tony, get him a drink of water.
All right. Come with me, Mr Yost.
The water cooler's right over here.
It's not a water cooler.
It's called a scuttlebutt.
How long have you been
in the Corps, kid?
Since I met Gibbs. This way.
Boss, Winchester, Virginia P.D.
got seven 91 1 calls from Yost
during the past 1 1 days.
Let me hear the last one.
FEMALE OPERATOR: 91 1.
YOST: Hi, got a pencil and paper ready?
Sir, [have a computer.
What is the emergency
you wish to report?
Well, there’s a dead man.
But actually it’s not an emergency
for him anymore. He '3 dead.
The emergency is for me.
See, it’s getting late in the day,
very late...
Mr Yost, is this you again?
I heard enough.
The police investigated
a couple of times,
found him to be inebriated,
and that he started making the calls
when his wife passed away.
Yeah.
His citation of conspicuous gallantry
above and beyond the call of duty.
"Corporal Ernest Yost,
US Marine Corps, 1st Battalion,
"28th Marine, 5th Marine Division
at lwo Jima, Volcano Island,
"4 March, 1945.
"In terrain studded
with caves and ravines,
"Corporal Yost was standing
point forward of our lines,
"when he spotted Japanese troops
"attempting to infiltrate
under the cover of darkness.
"He immediately waged a fierce battle
during which
"a grenade gravely wounded
his right hand and fractured his thigh.
"Near exhaustion from profuse bleeding,
"he continued to defend
his forward position,
"engaging in hand-to-hand combat
when he was out of ammunition.
"At dawn, Corporal Yost was found amid
the bodies of 26 Japanese soldiers
"he had killed in his self-sacrificing
defence of his fonNard position."
What?
Just heard about your wife, Mr Yost.
-You have our sympathies, sir.
-Thank you.
Buried her two weeks ago.
Ball's Bluff National Cemetery.
We were married 58 years.
Dorothy.
She was a peach.
(STIFLED CRYING)
She was a peach.
-Now, can we get on with this?
-You're not in custody, Mr Yost.
Now, don't say that, Agent Gibbs.
I didn't get anything for dinner tonight.
Gibbs.
I'd love to buy you dinner, Mr Yost.
You would?
-Me, too.
-She asked first.
We don't know yet.
Video conference. Five minutes.
DiNozzo, entertain Mr Yost
a little while longer.
Does that mean you're gonna hold me?
No.
FAITH: Oh, yes, you will.
You see this seal, Special Agent Gibbs?
-You recognise the signature?
-Yeah.
Your eyesight isn't as bad as they say.
How did SECNAV get involved in this?
Apparently, letters from
Medal of Honour recipients get read.
-Yost wrote him?
-More than wrote.
He confessed to murdering
a Corporal Wade Kean, USMC.
-Did he say where?
-No.
-When?
-No.
-Why?
-No.
And that’s why you're going to
open up a case to get those answers.
Commander, this man stood tall in hell.
His wife just died.
(SIGHS)
He does get loaded sometimes.
Even when he's not loaded, he's loaded.
Decisions over competency
to stand trial are not yours to make.
They're for experts in neuropsychiatry
and a court.
Now, let me ask you one question,
Special Agent Gibbs.
Just one?
What's the statute of limitations
on murder?
(RECORDER CLICKS)
Statement of Mr Ernie Yost,
Medal of Honour recipient,
to NCIS Special Agent L. Jethro Gibbs.
Jethro.
| used to know a ballplayer
named Jethro. Negro League.
-You understand your rights?
-Oh, sure. Sure, yeah.
That Italian kid read them to me.
DiNozzo. Tony.
YOST: I think he’d make
a heck of a ballplayer.
-Promised me a tryout.
-G|BBS: Sure.
Said he used to be a scout
for the Senators.
How sad.
You're obviously too old
to be a professional ballplayer.
YOST: That's not why I'm here.
Now, like I told you,
I killed my best friend. Wade.
VVhy?
-Now, not again.
-If you want me to charge you.
You know, Wade could do a kip.
A kip up.
He'd lay flat on his back
on the barracks deck.
And in one move, he'd jerk his body,
land on his feet.
Ever see anybody
do anything like that, huh?
(LAUGHS) Boy, you wouldn't forget.
You know, I got this
Metro card here. I've got 10 rides left.
You want it?
No, thanks.
Yeah, it seems silly.
Wade.
You know, all I remember is killing him.
All right, Mr Yost.
I'll get Tony to give you a ride home.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
I'm trying to remember, you know?
I know you need to know why, but...
That would be nice.
You know, I...
You know, I think...
I think
it was him or me.
Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
Him or me.
I picked up this pistol
and I hit him with it.
[smashed his brains in. lki/led Wade.
| smashed his brains in!
Smashed his brains in!
We were all covered with blood!
You don't have to remember anymore,
Mr Yost.
-Oh, come on.
-Deep breath, man.
Give me get a deep breath.
Breathe. Breathe.
Breathe.
It smells like rotten eggs in here.
Tony, let's get Mr Yost some air.
Up.
Well?
I'm a medical examiner,
not a psychiatrist.
I won't sue you, Duck.
Well, he reminds me
of my great-uncle William, in Bristol.
We'd visit every Christmas.
He was always apologising
for sitting naked at the dinner table.
-He wasn't naked, was he?
-No. Aunt Gertrude was.
I'm sorry, Gibbs.
My point is my uncle was a little dotty,
as is your Mr Yost.
Ducky, what do you think
he smelled in there?
-I hesitate to ask.
-Nothing. It was in his mind.
He was back on lwo, the sulphur island.
Sulphur smells like rotten eggs.
Good news, I think.
It's not good if you have to think about it.
Corporal Wade Kean was killed
in action on lwo Jima, March 3,1945,
according to the Marine Corps
casualty list.
That's the day before
Yost was cited for gallantry.
That means he didn't kill him, right?
If no one witnessed the murder
Yost alleges committing,
they'd assume that Corporal Kean
was killed by the Japanese.
I'm sorry, Kate.
It doesn't really prove anything,
except a brave Marine died.
Ducky, say Yost's best friend
was killed in action. What's he feel?
Pain. Anger. Relief.
Survivor's guilt. He's glad it's not him.
-He hates himself for that feeling.
-Exactly.
The next night Yost
is in hand-to-hand combat.
So he confused killing a Japanese
soldier with killing his friend.
This all started when his wife died.
Survivor's guilt again, Duck?
Now, wait, wait, wait.
You're on to something there.
But how do you prove it to him?
Kate, prepare an affidavit
to exhume the body
of Marine Corporal Wade Kean.
-ln lwo Jima?
-He's not in lwo Jima.
We gave the island back to Japan
in '68.
Every Marine buried there
was brought home.
You find him. Dig him up.
(SNORING)
(CHORTLES) The Sands of lwo Jima.
(lMITATING JOHN WAYNE)
"Guys make mistakes, I guess,
"but every one we make,
"the whole stack of chips goes with it."
-Who said that?
-That's John Wayne. Sergeant Stryker.
Come on.
It's in the flick you're downloading.
John Wayne is in
To the Shores of lwo Jima?
It's "sands," McGee. Not "shores."
No, it's "shores."
You're gonna challenge me on the
name of one of the Duke's finest films?
Tony, this isn't a Hollywood film.
It's a Marine documentary.
To the Shores of lwo Jima.
TONY: Wow, that's the same footage.
TIM: The Corps probably let them use it.
-GIBBS: How's he doing?
-Listen to him.
That To the Shores of lwo Jima?
-Yeah, I thought it might help.
-Good thought.
-When he wakes up, take him home.
-Will do.
Stay with him.
I don't want him to be alone.
Oh, boss! I've got tickets
to the National Ballet tonight.
The National Ballet?
Yeah. And the tickets
were really hard to get.
-Tell him, McGee.
-We|l...
What nation?
It starts with an "S."
Bed him down, DiNozzo. Stay with him.
(GROANING)
GIBBS: It can't be a coincidence.
Yost's wife buried in the same cemetery
as Corporal Kean.
Well, Mr Yost must have requested
the plot
for he and his wife decades ago,
to be buried here.
I mean, this section of the cemetery
has been filled since the '703.
MARINE: Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Detail, halt!
Left face!
Marine burial detail present
as requested, Special Agent Gibbs.
Thank you, Colonel.
Now we're ready.
DUCKY: Skeletal remains as expected.
They were buried
only in a canvas bag or poncho.
Twenty years in sulphuric soil
takes its toll.
-What's that in his teeth?
-Dog tag.
When you were killed in action,
one of your dog tags
was inserted between your teeth
and your lower jaw was slammed shut
locking it in place
so the body could always be identified.
(GROANS) My God!
Traumatised bilateral amputation
of the legs.
-Artillery shell?
-Land mine.
Check the top of the skull, Ducky.
Here.
Don't tell me.
I'm afraid there is a blunt force fracture.
You got to do it.
The pattern mark's a rough fit.
He said he was bringing us evidence.
FAITH: Yost confessed in a letter
to SECNAV.
He surrendered the murder weapon.
Your own medical examiner
matched it to the tool mark
on the victim's skull fracture.
-What more do you want?
-Motive.
-I don't need a motive to prosecute.
-I do.
McGee.
I picked up this pistol
and / hit him with it.
Smashed his brains. lki/led Wade.
l smashed his brains in!
Smashed his brains in!
We were all covered with blood!
You don 't have to remember anymore,
Mr Yost.
-Deep breath, sir. Deep breath, man.
-Oh, come on.
Give me a deep breath.
Breathe. Breathe.
That's it. Breathe.
Look at him, Commander.
Living in agony
over something he didn't do.
How do you know?
-Have you ever been in combat?
-No.
The only one you depend on
is the buddy next to you.
He's closer to you than your brother.
Why would you smash his head in?
-God only knows.
-Well, then he had better tell me
'cause I don't understand
and neither does Yost.
(SIGHS) I'm tired of arguing
with you, Gibbs.
Deliver Yost to the Quantico brig...
-We|l, I can't do that.
-Damn it, Gibbs.
Do you think I want to incarcerate
an 82-year-old man?
I'm following
the SECNAV's direct orders.
He said, "Investigate."
You did, and found enough evidence
to hold him over for a court martial.
Now take him into custody.
I said, "Can't," not, "Wouldn't."
Please don't insult me
by telling me he escaped.
The older they are,
the sneakier they are.
Yost complained of a weak bladder.
He had to use the restroom
every 10 minutes.
We gave up escorting him
and one time he just didn't come back.
TIM: We found a window open.
He must have shimmied
down a drain pipe.
I'd like to have seen that.
We think the weak bladder was a trick
to get us to let down our guard.
We're sick about it, Commander.
Yes, I can see that.
You all look absolutely devastated.
TIM: I put out an APB. Airports.
Train stations. Taxi cabs.
Walker rentals.
All right, Gibbs.
I'll give you 24 hours and that's it.
I want Yost at the Quantico brig
at 0800 tomorrow.
We'll be there.
I don't give a damn if you're there.
Just make sure Yost is.
Gibbs, maybe she's right.
Commander Coleman admits that
JAG doesn't want to incarcerate him,
so what's the worst that can happen?
Dishonourable discharge.
And loss of his Medal of Honour.
-I hadn't thought of that.
-Yeah. Neither has Yost.
And there's worse.
A hero
could go to his grave
carrying a guilt he doesn't deserve.
-I won't let that happen.
-So what do we do?
Find every living Marine
who served with Yost on lwo Jima.
(SCOFFS) If there is one. Right.
-McGee.
-Boss.
I want you and Abby
to reconstruct the battle.
That Marine documentary
you downloaded is a start.
I want to follow Corporal
Yost and Kean minute by minute.
From D-day until Kean was killed
-and Yost was evacuated.
-You got it, boss.
-I want it so real I can smell the sulphur.
-Yeah.
(MARTIAL MUSIC BLARING)
YOST: Hey!
That was fun last night.
You got some arm on you, kid.
-l was lucky.
-What?
Isaid...
(MUSIC STOPS)
I said, "I was lucky."
What's that?
That's Wild Turkey. And milk back.
Want one?
I don't think my stomach could handle it
after the chilidogs last night.
I've been drinking one of these
every morning for almost 50 years.
Semper Fi.
-Got any coffee?
-Percolator in there.
You know, speaking of luck,
let me tell you,
-we almost didn't get to lwo.
-No?
We were in a 40-knot gale.
You know,
and the ship was like a rollercoaster.
Up one wave. Down the next.
You know, and me and Wade
are leaning over the railing puking,
like we had spent
a weekend liberty at the slop chute.
And guess what happens?
-You fell in.
-No.
A torpedo shoots out of the water,
zips over our heads. That close.
Flies right into the sea.
Right over the ship.
I guess our number wasn't up.
-So, what's it feel like?
-Smooth.
-Being a hero.
-Oh, I'm no hero.
Medal says you are.
No. The real heroes never came back.
They deserve that, not me.
Not me.
l was scared to death.
I don't even remember
doing what they said I did.
You don't remember
killing all those Japanese soldiers?
No, it was like someone else did it.
Maybe somebody else did. I don't know.
Maybe it was someone else
who killed Wade.
(CLEARS THROAT) Hey, you want
to look at some pictures?
Sure.
First drawer there.
That's it.
Yeah, that was it.
Now, here you go. Here you go.
There's me.
There's Ferris Bellows. Chip Stearns.
And that's Wade next to me.
Took this on the Canal.
Guadalcanal?
Yeah, two days
before I got hit in the chest.
You got wounded at Guadalcanal
and then they sent you to lwo?
Well, not only me,
but a lot of Marines. You know.
Chip got hit on the Canal.
Caught one in the butt.
They never let him forget it.
Yeah, but...
Nambu cut him down on lwo.
Now, here. Here.
This is my Dorothy.
Oh, man! She's hot.
-|'m sorry, Ernie.
-That's okay, kid. She was hot.
She was the cutest Navy nurse
in Hawaii.
-ls that how you two met?
-Yep.
Now I don't even remember
the hospital ship.
But when I finally opened my eyes
on Oahu,
she was the first thing I saw.
Love at first sight.
So you two get married
before you shipped out to lwo Jima?
No, no.
We had to wait until after the war.
Her being an officer and me enlisted.
I would lay in my rack at night
and ache for her.
I'll bet your buddies were jealous.
-Who told you that?
-Nobody!
She's gorgeous. I'm just saying
who wouldn't be jealous?
l have to take a whiz.
ABBY: lwo Jima, five miles long,
half of that in width.
Twenty seven thousand Japanese
dug in so deep
that 10 weeks of bombardment
couldn't touch them.
One out of every three Marines
at lwo Jima was a casualty.
The Japanese had 800 pill boxes
and three miles of tunnels
on that tiny little island.
TIM: The Marines hoped to take
Mount Suribachi on the first day.
ABBY: It took five
before the famous flag-raising.
And then the battle went on
for about a month after that.
That was actually the second flag
to be raised.
The first was too small to be seen
by all the Marines on the island.
Hey, I am only interested
in two Marines,
Corporals Yost and Kean.
Gibbs, we're trying to give you
a little background here.
I got that, Abby, at Parris Island.
Okay. D-day. 0900. Blue Beach 1 .
Corporals Yost and Kean land with the
25th Regiment of the 4th Division.
They're about to take the airfields
with the 3rd Division,
while the 5th Division takes Suribachi
and advances up the west coast.
First airfield falls on D-day
and they sweep up the east shore
towards the sulphur quarry
and Airfield 2.
Estimates were five days, 10 max.
Over two weeks later, they're still
trying to take that second airfield.
Corporal Kean's body was found here,
Turkey Knob.
The next night, Yost was cited
for the Medal of Honour
here, about 500 yards away.
What's this here?
That's the gap between the 4th
and 3rd Division lines.
The night that Corporal Kean died,
the Japanese had amassed several
hundred troops for a banzai charge.
TIM: They were getting desperate.
See, up until then they'd only fought
from inside the bunkers.
Kean was killed here,
below the cave mouth.
-Within spitting distance.
-He'd stepped on a land mine.
He'd blown off both his legs.
He was in severe pain.
This ditch runs north
where the Japanese were massing.
They had to pass within yards
of Kean and Yost.
You think Yost hit him in the head
to keep him quiet?
Well, that's got to be it.
He had no reason to kill him.
He was his buddy.
-Ernie?
-Hold your horses. I'm coming.
I'll bet you never had
a ham and cheese like this.
You see, I mix mayo with mustard.
Is this Wade and Dorothy?
Looks like a high school photo.
It was their senior prom.
She was queen. He was king.
Wade knew Dorothy before you.
Ernie, were they sweethearts?
-GIBBS: I don't believe it.
-It doesn't matter, boss. He does.
Commander Coleman is gonna use this
to put Yost away for the rest of his life.
Do we have to tell her?
Well, no, Special Agent DiNozzo.
Here at NCIS
we just report evidence we like.
You know, Gibbs,
it doesn't change your theory.
Corporal Kean was in pain
from his wounds.
Yost knocked him out to keep his cries
from alerting passing Japanese.
So over the years,
Yost begins questioning himself.
Did he have to hit him that hard
to silence him?
Or did he do it to get the woman
that they both loved?
Well, | tracked down Private Bellows.
He was in Vegas last month
playing blackjack.
Doubled down on two aces,
caught two queens.
Reached for his chips
and dropped dead.
Bellows' death makes Yost the last
surviving Marine from his unit on lwo.
It's just so hard to believe
that there's nobody left on the planet
who was there that night.
Any of you guys like Benny Goodman?
I'm an Artie Shaw man myself.
Now, don't get me wrong.
Benny Goodman was great.
But Artie Shaw...
When he lifted that clarinet...
(LAUGHS)
Boy, did we argue about that.
Wade loved Goodman.
Me, Artie Shaw, any day.
-You dance?
-YeS, sure.
When they begin the beguine
It brings back the sound
of music so tender
It brings back a night
of tropical Splendour
It brings back a memory ever green
(HUMMING)
An orchestra ’3 playing
(HUMMING)
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Where's Gibbs?
TONY: And a good afternoon to you, too,
Commander Coleman.
He was to deliver Corporal Yost to me
Present and accounted for, sir.
...at 0800.
-You're Ernest Yost?
-Yes, ma'am.
This is Lieutenant
Commander Coleman, Ernie.
JAG Corps. She's here to arrest you.
I can't tell you how much
I appreciate this, Commander.
What's with the Olsen twins?
They're here to escort the accused
to Quantico.
Well, it's about time.
-GIBBS: Right on time, Commander.
-I'm on time?
You're the one who failed
to deliver the accused to me at 0800.
-I found a witness.
-Witness to what?
What happened
the night Corporal Kean died.
TIM: You couldn't have.
I mean, you could have.
Obviously, you did.
What? Did I miss someone in his unit?
-No, all Marines are deceased.
-They look alive.
Gibbs.
Commander, there were
more than Marines on lwo Jima.
There were more than
20,000 Japanese.
-They were all killed.
-Not all. A few were taken prisoner.
Some never returned to Japan.
You found a Japanese soldier
who fought on lwo Jima?
A Japanese lieutenant right here
in this district as it so happens.
-As it so happens.
-Yes.
And where is this miraculous find?
Well, he went to the bathroom
on the way in.
He should be here any...
Lieutenant Commander Coleman.
Hitoshi Yoshida.
Former lieutenant,
Japanese Imperial Army.
-You were an Imperial Army Lieutenant?
-Army of Emperor.
Lieutenant.
Taken prisoner by Marines
on lwo Jima?
Marine.
Two...
-English isn't his thing.
-Gibbs.
-I don't know what you're trying to do.
-Trying to get to the truth, Faith.
You're only delaying the inevitable.
All we have to lose is a little time.
Okay, I will give you a little time.
What's Gibbs doing?
He's creating the smell of sulphur.
-Corporal Yost.
-Sir.
lwo Jima.
Hill 382.
The Meat Grinder.
Start the tape.
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
NARRATOR: Five hundred landing craft
in 10 waves
advance on 3,000 yards of beach.
Night patrol.
Probing Japanese lines.
You, Private Stearns, Private Bellows,
Private Morris,
Corporal Kean.
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
I killed him.
He stepped on a mine.
Blew his legs off.
But I killed him.
(YOSHIDA SPEAKING JAPANESE)
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
YOST: Quiet!
(KEAN CRYING)
YOST: You gotta keep quiet, Wade.
Come on.
(KEAN BAWLING)
-YOST: Suck it up, Wade. Try.
-I can't!
-BELLOWS: Shut him up!
-Ernie, shut him up!
YOST: Wade.
(YOSHIDA SPEAKING JAPANESE)
Ernie, do something!
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)
Shh!
Ernie!
Ernie, shut him up! Shut him up!
(KEAN GROANING LOUDLY)
Ernie, make him stop.
YOST: I'm sorry, buddy.
(THUDDING)
(JAPANESE SOLDIER CHATTERING)
(GASPING)
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)
Sorry, Wade.
I'm sorry.
(YOST SOBBING)
YOST: I'm sorry.
Well?
I will inform the SECNAV
that former Marine Corporal Ernest Yost
is suffering from
Delayed Stress Syndrome.
Corporal Kean was killed in action.
Not by Yost.
-You're not going to arrest me either?
-Nope.
You struck Corporal Kean to quiet him,
not to kill him. You had no choice.
-Sit down.
-How do I be sure?
Tell me that, Gibbs.
How can I ever be sure?
You met Dorothy in Hawaii after
you were wounded on Guadalcanal?
Yeah. She was a Navy nurse.
You decide to get married
before you shipped off to lwo?
No, I told you. It was love at first sight.
We were gonna get hitched
when one of us was discharged.
-Who was gonna be your best man?
-That was going to be Wade. He was...
| asked Wade.
He knew I was gonna marry Dorothy.
He said, "No hard feelings."
He thought
we were meant for each other.
Ernie, you did what you did
to save the rest of your patrol.
No other reason.
Come on, Corporal.
Let a Gunny buy you dinner.
-You were never an officer?
-Oh, hell, no.
I knew there was something about you
I liked.
-Semper Fl!
-Semper Fl!
(CHOKING)
-Sail again?
-Yeah, why not?
(GIBBS SPEAKING JAPANESE)
(YOSHIDA RESPONDING
IN JAPANESE)
(GIBBS THANKING lN JAPANESE)
-You conned me, Gunny.
-Nah. Would I do that to you?
You're damn right you would.
And I want to thank you for it.
And you were never on Iwo Jima.
lwo Jima. No.
Guadalcanal.
-Gibbs.
-Hey, morning, Henry.
That sushi place you sent me to?
-What, you didn't like it?
-I liked it fine.
Only you didn't tell me
I had to speak Japanese to order.
You don't order.
You eat what you're served with a smile.
Just like being married.
(BEEPING)
I hope that doesn't mean
I can't come in.
Nowjust hold your horses.
I wasn't gonna hurt anybody with it.
It's evidence.
-Yeah, it's okay, Henry.
-Come on in.
(BEEPS)
-You wearing jewellery?
-Oh, I forgot.
Senior moment.
Henry, we're in the presence
of a Medal of Honour recipient.
Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS.
-Mr...
-Yost. Corporal Ernie Yost.
Special Agent, huh?
Just the man I'm looking for.
-It would be an honour to help you, sir.
-Say that after you know why I'm here.
That have something to do
with the evidence you're delivering?
| murdered a Marine with that .45.
The Washington Ballet
is totally sold out.
You're kidding!
People were backed up
trying to hack into the box office.
God, I can't believe that.
Since when are you interested
in the ballet?
Oh, since about an hour ago.
(CHUCKLING) Let me guess.
The cashier at the bakery
was wearing leg warmers.
-How do you know that?
-Must be the profiler in me.
Oh, hey,
there's another ballet in town, DiNozzo.
I can get you two front row easy.
-Really? What ballet?
-The National.
-The National Ballet? Bravo, McGee.
-Oh. Only...
-Only what?
-The nation...
Is not ours.
It's Suriname.
Suriname?
The National Ballet of Suriname.
How good can that be?
Depends how much
you like her buns, Tony.
DiNozzo,
make Mr Yost here comfortable.
If you wanna make me comfortable,
slap a pair of handcuffs on me.
How about something else?
Any good at foot massages?
Kate. McGee.
Let me get that for you.
I found him downstairs.
He claims to have murdered a Marine
with this .45.
You believe him?
Yeah. He's a little foggy
on the where and when,
but he's pretty adamant he did it.
-Gibbs, we're not gonna investigate this.
-Nah! No, no.
-Good.
-Just gonna humour him.
McGee, he says he's been reporting this
to 91 1 ,
can't get anybody to believe him.
Gee. What a surprise.
Trace the call.
I wanna hear one of them.
On it.
Kate, he's a former Marine.
Probably WW II.
Corporal Ernest Yost. Dig up his SRB.
You got a Social Security Number?
They didn't use them for serial numbers
when he served.
So how am I supposed to get his SRB
without a serial number?
Well, Kate, you could ask him.
Gibbs, I doubt
that he could remember his shoe size.
-Corporal Yost!
-Yo!
-Serial number!
-330090, sir!
Or you could just look him up
under "Medal of Honour recipients."
He won the Medal of Honour?
You don't win
the Medal of Honour, Kate.
You're awarded it
for conspicuous gallantry
above and beyond the call of duty.
You got any use for a Metro ticket?
It's got 10 rides left.
Don't wanna waste it.
No, thanks.
Come on. Too much waste in this world.
Everything is disposable now.
Disposable cameras, disposable razors.
I won't be needing them.
-I drive.
-Oh.
They took my licence away.
-How come?
-Got old.
It's a fatal mistake.
But I can fly anywhere for free.
But I don't have
anybody to visit anymore.
I'm sorry. What a waste.
How'd you score a sweet deal like that?
-What do we have here, Gibbs?
-Murder weapon.
-Cold case?
-lcicles.
(LAUGHS)
It's rust from potassium chlorate
in the powder mix.
Hasn't been fired recently.
They didn't even use this kind of ammo
when you were in the Marines, Gibbs.
Check out the muzzle end of the slide.
See that colouring mismatch?
That's from hardening
after the finish was applied.
This weapon is circa early 19403.
A year or two before I joined the Corps.
(SLIDE CLICKING)
Dirt.
Looks like black sand.
-Trace its origin.
-Don't I always?
Hey, Gibbs, are you gonna tell me
what this is about?
A Marine who doesn't clean his weapon
after firing it.
Wow. Things must be
really slow upstairs.
I never said I shot him.
I beat him to death with it.
Over the head.
-Who?
-My buddy.
Corporal Wade Kean.
-Why?
-Why?
Why would you kill your buddy?
Now, I don't think he believes me, kid.
-Me, either.
-Well, what do you know?
You weren't even a gleam
in your old man's eye.
-Mr Yost.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know.
-"Why?" Is that all he's gonna ask me?
-Pretty much, till he gets an answer.
All right.
You want an answer?
I'll give you an answer.
I don't know why.
-You don't know why?
-No.
Okay.
Then I don't believe
you killed him, Mr Yost.
Why won't anybody believe I killed him?
| smashed him over the head.
I beat his brains in.
-Blood was coming out of his brains.
-Calm down, Mr Yost.
Hey, relax.
Where's my .45? Where's my .45?
I had it when I came in here.
l have your .45.
l have your .45. You gave it to me.
Oh, good. Good.
You see, that's evidence. See?
That'll prove that l...
That I...
Tony, get him a drink of water.
All right. Come with me, Mr Yost.
The water cooler's right over here.
It's not a water cooler.
It's called a scuttlebutt.
How long have you been
in the Corps, kid?
Since I met Gibbs. This way.
Boss, Winchester, Virginia P.D.
got seven 91 1 calls from Yost
during the past 1 1 days.
Let me hear the last one.
FEMALE OPERATOR: 91 1.
YOST: Hi, got a pencil and paper ready?
Sir, [have a computer.
What is the emergency
you wish to report?
Well, there’s a dead man.
But actually it’s not an emergency
for him anymore. He '3 dead.
The emergency is for me.
See, it’s getting late in the day,
very late...
Mr Yost, is this you again?
I heard enough.
The police investigated
a couple of times,
found him to be inebriated,
and that he started making the calls
when his wife passed away.
Yeah.
His citation of conspicuous gallantry
above and beyond the call of duty.
"Corporal Ernest Yost,
US Marine Corps, 1st Battalion,
"28th Marine, 5th Marine Division
at lwo Jima, Volcano Island,
"4 March, 1945.
"In terrain studded
with caves and ravines,
"Corporal Yost was standing
point forward of our lines,
"when he spotted Japanese troops
"attempting to infiltrate
under the cover of darkness.
"He immediately waged a fierce battle
during which
"a grenade gravely wounded
his right hand and fractured his thigh.
"Near exhaustion from profuse bleeding,
"he continued to defend
his forward position,
"engaging in hand-to-hand combat
when he was out of ammunition.
"At dawn, Corporal Yost was found amid
the bodies of 26 Japanese soldiers
"he had killed in his self-sacrificing
defence of his fonNard position."
What?
Just heard about your wife, Mr Yost.
-You have our sympathies, sir.
-Thank you.
Buried her two weeks ago.
Ball's Bluff National Cemetery.
We were married 58 years.
Dorothy.
She was a peach.
(STIFLED CRYING)
She was a peach.
-Now, can we get on with this?
-You're not in custody, Mr Yost.
Now, don't say that, Agent Gibbs.
I didn't get anything for dinner tonight.
Gibbs.
I'd love to buy you dinner, Mr Yost.
You would?
-Me, too.
-She asked first.
We don't know yet.
Video conference. Five minutes.
DiNozzo, entertain Mr Yost
a little while longer.
Does that mean you're gonna hold me?
No.
FAITH: Oh, yes, you will.
You see this seal, Special Agent Gibbs?
-You recognise the signature?
-Yeah.
Your eyesight isn't as bad as they say.
How did SECNAV get involved in this?
Apparently, letters from
Medal of Honour recipients get read.
-Yost wrote him?
-More than wrote.
He confessed to murdering
a Corporal Wade Kean, USMC.
-Did he say where?
-No.
-When?
-No.
-Why?
-No.
And that’s why you're going to
open up a case to get those answers.
Commander, this man stood tall in hell.
His wife just died.
(SIGHS)
He does get loaded sometimes.
Even when he's not loaded, he's loaded.
Decisions over competency
to stand trial are not yours to make.
They're for experts in neuropsychiatry
and a court.
Now, let me ask you one question,
Special Agent Gibbs.
Just one?
What's the statute of limitations
on murder?
(RECORDER CLICKS)
Statement of Mr Ernie Yost,
Medal of Honour recipient,
to NCIS Special Agent L. Jethro Gibbs.
Jethro.
| used to know a ballplayer
named Jethro. Negro League.
-You understand your rights?
-Oh, sure. Sure, yeah.
That Italian kid read them to me.
DiNozzo. Tony.
YOST: I think he’d make
a heck of a ballplayer.
-Promised me a tryout.
-G|BBS: Sure.
Said he used to be a scout
for the Senators.
How sad.
You're obviously too old
to be a professional ballplayer.
YOST: That's not why I'm here.
Now, like I told you,
I killed my best friend. Wade.
VVhy?
-Now, not again.
-If you want me to charge you.
You know, Wade could do a kip.
A kip up.
He'd lay flat on his back
on the barracks deck.
And in one move, he'd jerk his body,
land on his feet.
Ever see anybody
do anything like that, huh?
(LAUGHS) Boy, you wouldn't forget.
You know, I got this
Metro card here. I've got 10 rides left.
You want it?
No, thanks.
Yeah, it seems silly.
Wade.
You know, all I remember is killing him.
All right, Mr Yost.
I'll get Tony to give you a ride home.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
I'm trying to remember, you know?
I know you need to know why, but...
That would be nice.
You know, I...
You know, I think...
I think
it was him or me.
Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
Him or me.
I picked up this pistol
and I hit him with it.
[smashed his brains in. lki/led Wade.
| smashed his brains in!
Smashed his brains in!
We were all covered with blood!
You don't have to remember anymore,
Mr Yost.
-Oh, come on.
-Deep breath, man.
Give me get a deep breath.
Breathe. Breathe.
Breathe.
It smells like rotten eggs in here.
Tony, let's get Mr Yost some air.
Up.
Well?
I'm a medical examiner,
not a psychiatrist.
I won't sue you, Duck.
Well, he reminds me
of my great-uncle William, in Bristol.
We'd visit every Christmas.
He was always apologising
for sitting naked at the dinner table.
-He wasn't naked, was he?
-No. Aunt Gertrude was.
I'm sorry, Gibbs.
My point is my uncle was a little dotty,
as is your Mr Yost.
Ducky, what do you think
he smelled in there?
-I hesitate to ask.
-Nothing. It was in his mind.
He was back on lwo, the sulphur island.
Sulphur smells like rotten eggs.
Good news, I think.
It's not good if you have to think about it.
Corporal Wade Kean was killed
in action on lwo Jima, March 3,1945,
according to the Marine Corps
casualty list.
That's the day before
Yost was cited for gallantry.
That means he didn't kill him, right?
If no one witnessed the murder
Yost alleges committing,
they'd assume that Corporal Kean
was killed by the Japanese.
I'm sorry, Kate.
It doesn't really prove anything,
except a brave Marine died.
Ducky, say Yost's best friend
was killed in action. What's he feel?
Pain. Anger. Relief.
Survivor's guilt. He's glad it's not him.
-He hates himself for that feeling.
-Exactly.
The next night Yost
is in hand-to-hand combat.
So he confused killing a Japanese
soldier with killing his friend.
This all started when his wife died.
Survivor's guilt again, Duck?
Now, wait, wait, wait.
You're on to something there.
But how do you prove it to him?
Kate, prepare an affidavit
to exhume the body
of Marine Corporal Wade Kean.
-ln lwo Jima?
-He's not in lwo Jima.
We gave the island back to Japan
in '68.
Every Marine buried there
was brought home.
You find him. Dig him up.
(SNORING)
(CHORTLES) The Sands of lwo Jima.
(lMITATING JOHN WAYNE)
"Guys make mistakes, I guess,
"but every one we make,
"the whole stack of chips goes with it."
-Who said that?
-That's John Wayne. Sergeant Stryker.
Come on.
It's in the flick you're downloading.
John Wayne is in
To the Shores of lwo Jima?
It's "sands," McGee. Not "shores."
No, it's "shores."
You're gonna challenge me on the
name of one of the Duke's finest films?
Tony, this isn't a Hollywood film.
It's a Marine documentary.
To the Shores of lwo Jima.
TONY: Wow, that's the same footage.
TIM: The Corps probably let them use it.
-GIBBS: How's he doing?
-Listen to him.
That To the Shores of lwo Jima?
-Yeah, I thought it might help.
-Good thought.
-When he wakes up, take him home.
-Will do.
Stay with him.
I don't want him to be alone.
Oh, boss! I've got tickets
to the National Ballet tonight.
The National Ballet?
Yeah. And the tickets
were really hard to get.
-Tell him, McGee.
-We|l...
What nation?
It starts with an "S."
Bed him down, DiNozzo. Stay with him.
(GROANING)
GIBBS: It can't be a coincidence.
Yost's wife buried in the same cemetery
as Corporal Kean.
Well, Mr Yost must have requested
the plot
for he and his wife decades ago,
to be buried here.
I mean, this section of the cemetery
has been filled since the '703.
MARINE: Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Left, right, left!
Detail, halt!
Left face!
Marine burial detail present
as requested, Special Agent Gibbs.
Thank you, Colonel.
Now we're ready.
DUCKY: Skeletal remains as expected.
They were buried
only in a canvas bag or poncho.
Twenty years in sulphuric soil
takes its toll.
-What's that in his teeth?
-Dog tag.
When you were killed in action,
one of your dog tags
was inserted between your teeth
and your lower jaw was slammed shut
locking it in place
so the body could always be identified.
(GROANS) My God!
Traumatised bilateral amputation
of the legs.
-Artillery shell?
-Land mine.
Check the top of the skull, Ducky.
Here.
Don't tell me.
I'm afraid there is a blunt force fracture.
You got to do it.
The pattern mark's a rough fit.
He said he was bringing us evidence.
FAITH: Yost confessed in a letter
to SECNAV.
He surrendered the murder weapon.
Your own medical examiner
matched it to the tool mark
on the victim's skull fracture.
-What more do you want?
-Motive.
-I don't need a motive to prosecute.
-I do.
McGee.
I picked up this pistol
and / hit him with it.
Smashed his brains. lki/led Wade.
l smashed his brains in!
Smashed his brains in!
We were all covered with blood!
You don 't have to remember anymore,
Mr Yost.
-Deep breath, sir. Deep breath, man.
-Oh, come on.
Give me a deep breath.
Breathe. Breathe.
That's it. Breathe.
Look at him, Commander.
Living in agony
over something he didn't do.
How do you know?
-Have you ever been in combat?
-No.
The only one you depend on
is the buddy next to you.
He's closer to you than your brother.
Why would you smash his head in?
-God only knows.
-Well, then he had better tell me
'cause I don't understand
and neither does Yost.
(SIGHS) I'm tired of arguing
with you, Gibbs.
Deliver Yost to the Quantico brig...
-We|l, I can't do that.
-Damn it, Gibbs.
Do you think I want to incarcerate
an 82-year-old man?
I'm following
the SECNAV's direct orders.
He said, "Investigate."
You did, and found enough evidence
to hold him over for a court martial.
Now take him into custody.
I said, "Can't," not, "Wouldn't."
Please don't insult me
by telling me he escaped.
The older they are,
the sneakier they are.
Yost complained of a weak bladder.
He had to use the restroom
every 10 minutes.
We gave up escorting him
and one time he just didn't come back.
TIM: We found a window open.
He must have shimmied
down a drain pipe.
I'd like to have seen that.
We think the weak bladder was a trick
to get us to let down our guard.
We're sick about it, Commander.
Yes, I can see that.
You all look absolutely devastated.
TIM: I put out an APB. Airports.
Train stations. Taxi cabs.
Walker rentals.
All right, Gibbs.
I'll give you 24 hours and that's it.
I want Yost at the Quantico brig
at 0800 tomorrow.
We'll be there.
I don't give a damn if you're there.
Just make sure Yost is.
Gibbs, maybe she's right.
Commander Coleman admits that
JAG doesn't want to incarcerate him,
so what's the worst that can happen?
Dishonourable discharge.
And loss of his Medal of Honour.
-I hadn't thought of that.
-Yeah. Neither has Yost.
And there's worse.
A hero
could go to his grave
carrying a guilt he doesn't deserve.
-I won't let that happen.
-So what do we do?
Find every living Marine
who served with Yost on lwo Jima.
(SCOFFS) If there is one. Right.
-McGee.
-Boss.
I want you and Abby
to reconstruct the battle.
That Marine documentary
you downloaded is a start.
I want to follow Corporal
Yost and Kean minute by minute.
From D-day until Kean was killed
-and Yost was evacuated.
-You got it, boss.
-I want it so real I can smell the sulphur.
-Yeah.
(MARTIAL MUSIC BLARING)
YOST: Hey!
That was fun last night.
You got some arm on you, kid.
-l was lucky.
-What?
Isaid...
(MUSIC STOPS)
I said, "I was lucky."
What's that?
That's Wild Turkey. And milk back.
Want one?
I don't think my stomach could handle it
after the chilidogs last night.
I've been drinking one of these
every morning for almost 50 years.
Semper Fi.
-Got any coffee?
-Percolator in there.
You know, speaking of luck,
let me tell you,
-we almost didn't get to lwo.
-No?
We were in a 40-knot gale.
You know,
and the ship was like a rollercoaster.
Up one wave. Down the next.
You know, and me and Wade
are leaning over the railing puking,
like we had spent
a weekend liberty at the slop chute.
And guess what happens?
-You fell in.
-No.
A torpedo shoots out of the water,
zips over our heads. That close.
Flies right into the sea.
Right over the ship.
I guess our number wasn't up.
-So, what's it feel like?
-Smooth.
-Being a hero.
-Oh, I'm no hero.
Medal says you are.
No. The real heroes never came back.
They deserve that, not me.
Not me.
l was scared to death.
I don't even remember
doing what they said I did.
You don't remember
killing all those Japanese soldiers?
No, it was like someone else did it.
Maybe somebody else did. I don't know.
Maybe it was someone else
who killed Wade.
(CLEARS THROAT) Hey, you want
to look at some pictures?
Sure.
First drawer there.
That's it.
Yeah, that was it.
Now, here you go. Here you go.
There's me.
There's Ferris Bellows. Chip Stearns.
And that's Wade next to me.
Took this on the Canal.
Guadalcanal?
Yeah, two days
before I got hit in the chest.
You got wounded at Guadalcanal
and then they sent you to lwo?
Well, not only me,
but a lot of Marines. You know.
Chip got hit on the Canal.
Caught one in the butt.
They never let him forget it.
Yeah, but...
Nambu cut him down on lwo.
Now, here. Here.
This is my Dorothy.
Oh, man! She's hot.
-|'m sorry, Ernie.
-That's okay, kid. She was hot.
She was the cutest Navy nurse
in Hawaii.
-ls that how you two met?
-Yep.
Now I don't even remember
the hospital ship.
But when I finally opened my eyes
on Oahu,
she was the first thing I saw.
Love at first sight.
So you two get married
before you shipped out to lwo Jima?
No, no.
We had to wait until after the war.
Her being an officer and me enlisted.
I would lay in my rack at night
and ache for her.
I'll bet your buddies were jealous.
-Who told you that?
-Nobody!
She's gorgeous. I'm just saying
who wouldn't be jealous?
l have to take a whiz.
ABBY: lwo Jima, five miles long,
half of that in width.
Twenty seven thousand Japanese
dug in so deep
that 10 weeks of bombardment
couldn't touch them.
One out of every three Marines
at lwo Jima was a casualty.
The Japanese had 800 pill boxes
and three miles of tunnels
on that tiny little island.
TIM: The Marines hoped to take
Mount Suribachi on the first day.
ABBY: It took five
before the famous flag-raising.
And then the battle went on
for about a month after that.
That was actually the second flag
to be raised.
The first was too small to be seen
by all the Marines on the island.
Hey, I am only interested
in two Marines,
Corporals Yost and Kean.
Gibbs, we're trying to give you
a little background here.
I got that, Abby, at Parris Island.
Okay. D-day. 0900. Blue Beach 1 .
Corporals Yost and Kean land with the
25th Regiment of the 4th Division.
They're about to take the airfields
with the 3rd Division,
while the 5th Division takes Suribachi
and advances up the west coast.
First airfield falls on D-day
and they sweep up the east shore
towards the sulphur quarry
and Airfield 2.
Estimates were five days, 10 max.
Over two weeks later, they're still
trying to take that second airfield.
Corporal Kean's body was found here,
Turkey Knob.
The next night, Yost was cited
for the Medal of Honour
here, about 500 yards away.
What's this here?
That's the gap between the 4th
and 3rd Division lines.
The night that Corporal Kean died,
the Japanese had amassed several
hundred troops for a banzai charge.
TIM: They were getting desperate.
See, up until then they'd only fought
from inside the bunkers.
Kean was killed here,
below the cave mouth.
-Within spitting distance.
-He'd stepped on a land mine.
He'd blown off both his legs.
He was in severe pain.
This ditch runs north
where the Japanese were massing.
They had to pass within yards
of Kean and Yost.
You think Yost hit him in the head
to keep him quiet?
Well, that's got to be it.
He had no reason to kill him.
He was his buddy.
-Ernie?
-Hold your horses. I'm coming.
I'll bet you never had
a ham and cheese like this.
You see, I mix mayo with mustard.
Is this Wade and Dorothy?
Looks like a high school photo.
It was their senior prom.
She was queen. He was king.
Wade knew Dorothy before you.
Ernie, were they sweethearts?
-GIBBS: I don't believe it.
-It doesn't matter, boss. He does.
Commander Coleman is gonna use this
to put Yost away for the rest of his life.
Do we have to tell her?
Well, no, Special Agent DiNozzo.
Here at NCIS
we just report evidence we like.
You know, Gibbs,
it doesn't change your theory.
Corporal Kean was in pain
from his wounds.
Yost knocked him out to keep his cries
from alerting passing Japanese.
So over the years,
Yost begins questioning himself.
Did he have to hit him that hard
to silence him?
Or did he do it to get the woman
that they both loved?
Well, | tracked down Private Bellows.
He was in Vegas last month
playing blackjack.
Doubled down on two aces,
caught two queens.
Reached for his chips
and dropped dead.
Bellows' death makes Yost the last
surviving Marine from his unit on lwo.
It's just so hard to believe
that there's nobody left on the planet
who was there that night.
Any of you guys like Benny Goodman?
I'm an Artie Shaw man myself.
Now, don't get me wrong.
Benny Goodman was great.
But Artie Shaw...
When he lifted that clarinet...
(LAUGHS)
Boy, did we argue about that.
Wade loved Goodman.
Me, Artie Shaw, any day.
-You dance?
-YeS, sure.
When they begin the beguine
It brings back the sound
of music so tender
It brings back a night
of tropical Splendour
It brings back a memory ever green
(HUMMING)
An orchestra ’3 playing
(HUMMING)
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Where's Gibbs?
TONY: And a good afternoon to you, too,
Commander Coleman.
He was to deliver Corporal Yost to me
Present and accounted for, sir.
...at 0800.
-You're Ernest Yost?
-Yes, ma'am.
This is Lieutenant
Commander Coleman, Ernie.
JAG Corps. She's here to arrest you.
I can't tell you how much
I appreciate this, Commander.
What's with the Olsen twins?
They're here to escort the accused
to Quantico.
Well, it's about time.
-GIBBS: Right on time, Commander.
-I'm on time?
You're the one who failed
to deliver the accused to me at 0800.
-I found a witness.
-Witness to what?
What happened
the night Corporal Kean died.
TIM: You couldn't have.
I mean, you could have.
Obviously, you did.
What? Did I miss someone in his unit?
-No, all Marines are deceased.
-They look alive.
Gibbs.
Commander, there were
more than Marines on lwo Jima.
There were more than
20,000 Japanese.
-They were all killed.
-Not all. A few were taken prisoner.
Some never returned to Japan.
You found a Japanese soldier
who fought on lwo Jima?
A Japanese lieutenant right here
in this district as it so happens.
-As it so happens.
-Yes.
And where is this miraculous find?
Well, he went to the bathroom
on the way in.
He should be here any...
Lieutenant Commander Coleman.
Hitoshi Yoshida.
Former lieutenant,
Japanese Imperial Army.
-You were an Imperial Army Lieutenant?
-Army of Emperor.
Lieutenant.
Taken prisoner by Marines
on lwo Jima?
Marine.
Two...
-English isn't his thing.
-Gibbs.
-I don't know what you're trying to do.
-Trying to get to the truth, Faith.
You're only delaying the inevitable.
All we have to lose is a little time.
Okay, I will give you a little time.
What's Gibbs doing?
He's creating the smell of sulphur.
-Corporal Yost.
-Sir.
lwo Jima.
Hill 382.
The Meat Grinder.
Start the tape.
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
NARRATOR: Five hundred landing craft
in 10 waves
advance on 3,000 yards of beach.
Night patrol.
Probing Japanese lines.
You, Private Stearns, Private Bellows,
Private Morris,
Corporal Kean.
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
I killed him.
He stepped on a mine.
Blew his legs off.
But I killed him.
(YOSHIDA SPEAKING JAPANESE)
(EXPLOSIONS SOUNDING)
YOST: Quiet!
(KEAN CRYING)
YOST: You gotta keep quiet, Wade.
Come on.
(KEAN BAWLING)
-YOST: Suck it up, Wade. Try.
-I can't!
-BELLOWS: Shut him up!
-Ernie, shut him up!
YOST: Wade.
(YOSHIDA SPEAKING JAPANESE)
Ernie, do something!
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)
Shh!
Ernie!
Ernie, shut him up! Shut him up!
(KEAN GROANING LOUDLY)
Ernie, make him stop.
YOST: I'm sorry, buddy.
(THUDDING)
(JAPANESE SOLDIER CHATTERING)
(GASPING)
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)
Sorry, Wade.
I'm sorry.
(YOST SOBBING)
YOST: I'm sorry.
Well?
I will inform the SECNAV
that former Marine Corporal Ernest Yost
is suffering from
Delayed Stress Syndrome.
Corporal Kean was killed in action.
Not by Yost.
-You're not going to arrest me either?
-Nope.
You struck Corporal Kean to quiet him,
not to kill him. You had no choice.
-Sit down.
-How do I be sure?
Tell me that, Gibbs.
How can I ever be sure?
You met Dorothy in Hawaii after
you were wounded on Guadalcanal?
Yeah. She was a Navy nurse.
You decide to get married
before you shipped off to lwo?
No, I told you. It was love at first sight.
We were gonna get hitched
when one of us was discharged.
-Who was gonna be your best man?
-That was going to be Wade. He was...
| asked Wade.
He knew I was gonna marry Dorothy.
He said, "No hard feelings."
He thought
we were meant for each other.
Ernie, you did what you did
to save the rest of your patrol.
No other reason.
Come on, Corporal.
Let a Gunny buy you dinner.
-You were never an officer?
-Oh, hell, no.
I knew there was something about you
I liked.
-Semper Fl!
-Semper Fl!
(CHOKING)
-Sail again?
-Yeah, why not?
(GIBBS SPEAKING JAPANESE)
(YOSHIDA RESPONDING
IN JAPANESE)
(GIBBS THANKING lN JAPANESE)
-You conned me, Gunny.
-Nah. Would I do that to you?
You're damn right you would.
And I want to thank you for it.
And you were never on Iwo Jima.
lwo Jima. No.
Guadalcanal.