Over There (2005): Season 1, Episode 5 - Embedded - full transcript

- Previously on Over There.
- Yep, you grow up in a gang

you spend half your life sittin' in
the dark, lookin' out that window

waitin' on guys
who are comin' to do you harm.

- I still wanna get back to my unit.
- Don't even say that around me.

- What are you reading?
- It's the story of a guy who lost a leg but went back to combat.

Between you and me,
I hate that book.

I wish I had my husband here.

He's got a tool kit makes this government-issue
shit look like the second-rate shit it is.

- Hi, Sergio.
- Hey.

We keep bumping
into each other. It's weird.

- Do you mind if I join you?
- Um.



How about you just deal with the miscarriage,
and I will deal with the drinking?

- They're not unrelated.
- Shut up, goddamn you. Just shut the hell up.

Hi, Mommy.

Ready to give up being the angel
you think you are?

Be the angel of death instead, bro?

- I ain't your brother.
- So you on the side of the goat people?

I ain't got a goat nor a son nor a wife,
but I know I'm a sinner.

So if you're asking me
if I got more in common with my enemy

than I do with you,
the answer's yes.

Shut up, all of you!
There's no time for talk!

What you think you believe in,
what you think you live for

it's time to put that shit aside!

It's killin' time!

Maurice Williams,
Private, U.S. Army, a.k.a. Smoke.



- Why do they call you Smoke?
- Why do you think, bro?

Tell me yourself, for the camera.
I gotta cut myself out of this,

so if you wanna make it to television,
you gotta tell me yourself

in a whole sentence
by yourself, understand?

Yeah.

- They call me Smoke 'cause if you mess with me, you get smoked.
- That's good. That's great.

- I'm a devil in drab.
- I love that!

I got me a license to kill.

All right!

- I'm your worst nightmare.
- Yeah!

I'm a nigga with a trigger.

I don't think the network
will go for that one.

I think the nice lady at Standards
and Practices might wet herself.

Hmm. I hear you.

You show a dude
gettin' his head chopped off

you just can't let a nigga
say "a nigga," am I right?

- Yeah.
- Huh.

- Makes sense to me.
- Good.

I love television.

Hostage taking is quite different
in the Islamic tradition than in the West.

The Arabs have been taking hostages
as a way of resolving local disputes

since long before Muhammad.

Don't forget that the story of 1,001 Nights
is the story about a princess taken hostage.

Has to tell her captors another story
every night just to survive.

The Middle East is more like Chicago
in the 1930s than it is like anywhere else.

- First time I ever heard you run out of words.
- I didn't.

I just realized he's using an old
interviewer's trick. They leave a long silence

hoping you'll fill it with something
you hadn't meant to say

something that's more revealing
or just dumber.

Can't get much dumber than this.
It's like a goddamn P.B.S. Show.

I'd rather watch The Simpsons.
Simpsons are a black family, man.

- Everybody in the hood know that. Check it out.
- A'ight.

- That's a pretty interesting theory you have there.
- Thanks.

You're wrong about 1,001 Nights though.
It's about a young queen

who tells her story
so her husband won't kill her.

You have to pick another example.
How'd you know about the silence thing?

- My dad.
- Oh, yeah? Who's your dad?

I'm hit!

Oh, my God!

Outside now!

Go! Go!

My eye! My eyes!

Go!

You're gonna die, you mother.

Man, get that goddamn thing
out of my face!

My eye! My eye!

I can't see! My eye!

- Come on, Doublewide. Get down, Max.
- I can't see! I gotta get up!

I'm doing the best I can, okay, Doublewide?

Sergeant!

- I can't see!
- I said, "Take cover."

That means leave my
goddamn wounded alone,

or I'll stick that camera
up your ass, you got me?

We will not stop. I say again

we will not stop until we've
accomplished our strategic objectives

no matter what the cost.

Sir, don't you feel that as an officer
and a gentleman, you owe a debt of honor

to your wounded soldiers to get them
medical attention as rapidly as possible?

We could send Doublewide back to the
field hospital with Mr. Moffet right now.

While I owe it to my wounded men
and women to get them

medical attention
as rapidly as possible

they know as well as I do
that my first job is to make sure

this kind of vicious attack
never happens again.

And I take that job very seriously.

Tonight at 0300 hours,
Sergeant Holland will lead his men

through the irrigation ditch
to the south.

You'll lead yours
to the north road.

The second we hear morning prayers,
we move in.

We?

Will you be joining us
in this assault, sir?

We attack at dawn.

That's right, Sergeant.
We attack at dawn.

Man, this is a hell of a squad
to be embedded with.

- You're embedded with us?
- Sure.

Indefinitely, in fact.
Could be weeks. I'm your new best friend.

Why? What did you think
I was doing here?

- Making us all look bad.
- Come on.

- You think it's me?
- Yep.

- Let's get this show on the road, okay, Doc?
- Absolutely.

- Tight enough?
- Yeah.

I got it.

Okay. Balance on both legs.

- Place looks better from up here.
- Ready to try a few steps?

- How about a few jumping jacks?
- How 'bout we start with one step, soldier?

How 'bout that?

Shit.

I'm surprised, Bo. There's a skinny kid
from Oklahoma in the next room did better.

Oklahoma, huh?
We'll see about that.

- I got it.
- Okay.

- How's that?
- Awesome.

Oklahoma boy is gonna have to get up goddamn
early in the mornin' to stay up with me.

- Yes, he is.
- He gets up at 5:00.

- Lieutenant says we have to take out the mortar.
- Alone?

We got these guys from the escort
to back us up, Sergeant Holland's guys.

- What about Doublewide?
- Medic's on the way.

Know anything about this town?

Mad Cow's got the U.A.V. Photos.
About the only thing he's good for.

They got U.A.V. Photos
in the last six hours?

This town's been photographed before.

- Hot spot, huh?
- I guess.

- Funny nobody warned us when we were driving by.
- Yeah. Funny.

- What about the reporter?
- The reporter stays.

- While we try to clear a town?
- Lieutenant likes having him around.

Babysitting a reporter during an assault
could get somebody killed.

If it's the reporter,
he could film himself dying, get an Oscar.

Broadcast journalism?
He'd get an Emmy or a Pulitzer.

Thanks, Dim.
Thanks for clarifying that for us.

Anytime.

Let's go. Let's move!

Clear!

You see what I see?

I got a bad feelin'

Why?

You come from a tiny little town,
don't you?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Is it ever this quiet
on a weekday mornin'?

- No.
- That's why.

- Oh, God.
- Stay still. Stay still.

- Ow!
- I've been in a bunch of car crashes worse than this.

Remind me to never get
in a car you're driving.

- Open your eyes.
- I can't. I can't. I'm afraid!

I know. You wanna go blind?
Open your eyes.

We need to get this woman
to a hospital. Lieutenant!

- Where's Holland's guys?
- They're approaching from the other side.

There's one of 'em.

What's he doing with that table?
Don't touch that, soldier.

Leave it alone. Leave it alone.
Leave it alone! Leave it alone!

No!

- Let's go. Let's move!
- What about Sergeant Holland's team?

They'll make it! Let's go!

- What do we got?
- Possible hot spot 20 meters on the right.

- Other than that, it looks clear.
- All right. Tariq, take a position

behind that berm
and cover our withdrawal.

You-your turn. Go.

Now the camera's on you.
Let's see if you got the guts.

Let's go!

Ever since we come within 100 yards of
this hellhole, things been goin' wrong.

Killin' women and children
ain't my idea of a fight.

They run right out
in the middle of it.

They were waitin' for us.

Come nightfall, we gotta get back to
the lieutenant and Sergeant Holland's guys.

- What's left of 'em.
- I gotta get back too, man, upload my video. It's awesome.

Allah!

Allah! Allah!

Put your chin on the bar, please.

- It is on the bar.
- It is on the bar, sir.

It is on the bar, sir. It's been on the bar
for two and a half hours, sir.

I'm sorry, soldier.
I didn't know. I was in surgery.

Thank you, sir.

Open your right eye
as wide as you can.

- Yes, sir.
- Okay.

Good. Can you see
out of this eye, soldier?

No, s-No, sir.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.
You're gonna be fine.

I'll have this taken
care of inside of an hour.

You have my word. I'm the best
ophthalmologist in the entire state of Ohio.

Okay.

- So, you married, soldier?
- Mm-hmm.

You're gonna be on the phone tellin' your
husband you don't know why you were so scared

within the hour, understand?

- Yes, sir.
- Good.

- Hi.
- Hey.

Oh, gosh. Sorry I'm late.
El ni?o was fussy this morning.

- Yeah. I know how that goes.
- Really?

Every time I see Spooky,
he's dead to the world.

Well, that's during the day.
At night, he airs all of his complaints.

- Oh.
- Mainly, I just think he misses his mom.

- Hey, if this is a bad time-
- No, no, no.

- No. I don't wanna make you-
- No. Don't go.

I've been looking forward to this

just to eat with somebody
who won't spit up on me.

Yeah. Okay.

- Okay. Where's the baby?
- Home.

You've reached
the Del Rio residence. Leave a message.

Hi, sweetheart. It's me again.

I'm sorry to leave
so many messages. I just

I really wanna hear your voice.

I'm fine.

I'll try you again later maybe.

In our top story, disturbing images
from Iraq are igniting a furor

across the Arab world this morning.

This footage, shot with a digital camera
by an embedded journalist

in the El Anzal province, has sparked
angry protest from Pakistan to Paris.

I got me a license to kill.

In Riyadh, a mob has gathered
outside the U.S. Embassy.

A spokesman for the White House
has called the incident "regrettable."

Oh, my God.

And now an update
on what continues to be our top story.

In the third day of international reaction
to the murder

of two Iraqi civilians
by American troops

the Pentagon has finally
issued a brief statement.

It reads, in whole:
"An investigation is under way."

Now that footage of the funeral
of the mother and child has surfaced...

Arab protests have redoubled.

By the time I saw her,
she was already dead, sir.

How can that be, soldier? You're
the second man who's come in here,

and said
he missed the whole thing.

- How could I have missed her death, sir?
- Yes.

I blinked, sir.

Do you have any idea how long
an unprotected human being can

stand up to automatic rifle fire?

Do you know how long a human being can
stand up to automatic rifle fire, sir?

I was talking
to your camera operator, sir.

- You may direct your remarks to me, Private.
- Yes, sir.

How long?

For those people
who are gonna see this video

who don't know anything
about battle or killing,

or facing the imminent possibility
of being killed themselves.

How long can an unprotected human being
stand up to automatic rifle fire?

A heartbeat, sir.

One second you're there, and the next,
you'll never see your son's face.

You mentioned
automatic rifle fire, soldier.

There's only one man
in your fire team who carries a SAW.

Private Maurice Williams. Is he the man
who killed the woman and child?

As I said, I didn't see
what happened, sir.

You're dismissed.

- Hello?
- Hey, buddy. It's me, Frank.

Mommy, it's Frank. It's Frank.

- Are you coming home?
- Not yet, but soon, okay?

- I'm coming home just as soon as I can.
- Okay.

- How's your mom?
- She's sleeping.

She's sleeping?
What time is it there?

I'm awake.

I was just, um, resting my eyes.

- You all right?
- Yeah.

How's the baby?

Um, he's

he's fine.

Vanessa, what is it?

I just, um, miss you so much.

Geez. I miss you too.

I miss you more than I can say.

Eddy asks about you
all the time.

He misses you.

I miss him too.

- I-
- Listen, um

this is probably costing
a ton of money, and, uh, you know, uh.

- Yeah.
- All right.

- Bye.
- Bye.

Sergeant, why didn't you
immediately inform...

Lieutenant Taylor that
two civilians had been killed?

- Sir, I didn't know they were civilians.
- A child and his mother?

Sir, Sergeant Wilson of Charlie Company

was killed by a bomb strapped
to an 11 -year-old girl.

He was a friend of mine. Sergeant
Hitchings, who I went to Ranger school with

was shot to death by a woman who'd
just served him dinner in a mess hall.

He was a friend of mine.

- Sergeant Bissel ofThird Squad-
- Thank you, Sergeant.

I don't mean to cut you off.
I just mean that I get your thought.

Thank you, sir.

There's the matter of Private Williams
and his "spray and pray" firing style.

- Sergeant?
- Sorry, sir. Was that a question?

Can you tell me what you think of
Private Williams and his wild firing style?

In a firefight, pinned down by
an unknown number of enemy combatants

with the dual advantages
of surprise and position

there is no such thing
as a wild firing style...

Captain.

Can't sleep either, huh?

Uh, yeah. Something like that.

I got five minutes on this phone card

if you got anybody
you wanna call.

- You can't reach nobody?
- Nah. Nah. There's no answer.

Shit, Sergeant,
I'd love to use your five minutes.

Yeah.

Thanks.

I didn't cap nobody, sir.
Not that day.

- You didn't shoot anybody?
- No, sir.

- Who shot the woman and the child?
- I don't know, sir.

It was pretty wild. I.

What were you shooting at,
soldier?

Mostly the guys firing at us
from the window, sir.

If we didn't get rid of 'em,
we might've all got dead.

Leave us alone for a minute,
gentlemen, would you?

Now.

Goddamn it, Private. If I ever hear
of you pulling this goddamn

dumb-ass scattergun bullshit again,
I will have your ass in the brig!

- Understood?
- Yes, sir.

- Hello?
- Moms?

Maurice?

- You hurt?
- Nope.

- Where you at?
- I'm in Iraq. Where you think I'm at?

I don't know.
I was worried you might have

I don't know.

What? I might've run off?

- I didn't say that.
- You think I'm gonna go AWOL, Moms?

I didn't say nothin' like that.

So, you just callin'
for no reason?

- Ain't you been watchin' the news?
- Baby, I'm workin' two jobs.

I ain't got time to watch no TV.

Well, do me a favor
and don't start now, all right?

- What happened?
- Nothin'.

Just... war.

Something bad happened.

- Didn't you hear what I said?
- You in trouble again?

- Why you gotta be like that?
- Why I gotta be like that?

All right. I am in trouble.
I'm in goddamn Iraq.

I pray toJesus for you.

- Shit.
- I pray every day.

Every day.

Look, they tellin' me
I gotta get off now.

Jesus the Savior
will keep you in his hands.

He'll stop the bullets hittin' you,
no matter what you've done.

Two Iraqi civilians
by American troops.

- The Pentagon has finally issued a brief-
- I'm alive, you idiot.

- Pull me in.
- Wait a second.

I'm not saving you unless you promise
to get that breast milk out of the school!

But the gangsters will kill me.

- What the hell you doing here?
- I came here to explain.

- Why'd they even let you in?
- I have all access, remember?

- I think you should go.
- You've been thinking that since you met me.

- I mean now.
- You got your camera?

No. I'm strictly here to talk.

Man, they screwed me
as much as they screwed you.

Hey, come on. Cut this shit.
Cut this shit, Smoke.

- That's an order.
- It's time to go. Now we're goin'. Understand?

Whether you like it or not.

- He's dangerous!
- You're dangerous!

- I got screwed too!
- You made him look like a cold-blooded killer!

- I didn't do anything like that.
- Have you even seen the TV?

- They recut my footage!
- They what?

The wire service I work for
recut my footage.

They took what I uploaded,
and they made a story of it.

- Why?
- For money.

They've made 10 times more
what they've made all year on this.

- Can they do that?
- No. There's gonna be a huge stink,

but it's not gonna help Smoke
and it's not gonna help me.

Can you quit?

I did.

All right? You know,
I don't care what you think of me.

I just know I'm here
to tell the truth when I can.

It's just that the system
is a goddamn mess. That's all.

- Just tell Smoke I'll make it up to him.
- What's that supposed to mean?

Shut the hell up! I'm trying
to get some shut-eye in here,

and if you keep yelling,
I'm gonna take your goddamn head off.

What are you doin' sleepin' in a
Bradley for? It's a hundred degrees out.

Shut up, soldier!

Okay. Okay.

- Thanks for seein' me, Hamzah.
- I can't help you.

- You're helping me just by seeing me.
- I'm not seeing you.

This meeting never happened.

I wanna know
what really happened in that town.

Your soldiers killed a mother
and a child.

It was a setup.

I've been thinking about this a lot,
Hamzah, as you can imagine.

The soldiers were lured
to the town with the mortar.

When the firefight started,
someone told that child

to run out
and throw the bottle, didn't they?

- You're insane.
- They knew the mother would go after him. That part was easy.

- Preposterous!
- They were sacrificed for the camera.

- No one could have known you were going to be there.
- No. That was a stroke of luck.

You're as biased as the network
whose bidding you do.

There was another camera. They didn't get
a camera in there after the firefight

because that town's
been bottled up as tight as a drum.

That camera was already there.

It was a setup, Hamzah.
I know it was.

You talk too much.

Fifty-five.

The story of the death
of a woman and child in Iraq

has taken an even more disturbing turn
in the last 24 hours

as insurgents have now kidnapped the
journalist who shot the original footage.

Conflicting stories about
how two Iraqi civilians were killed

- when they wandered into a firefight in Iraq last week...
- Holy shit.

Have taken a backseat to the story of the
kidnapping of the embedded journalist...

Who was at the heart of the story.

On a personal note,
on behalf ofjournalists everywhere

our hearts go out
to Mr. Moffet and his family.

John Moffet, the television
journalist who shot what might be

the most incendiary video of the war
so far, has been kidnapped, sources say.

He's seen surrounded by
insurgents, who say... Mommy?

- I had a bad dream.
- Join the club, kid.

My foot was stuck
to the bottom of the pool.

I couldn't breathe.

Come here, baby.

What I heard is they gave him
48 hours, and that was last night.

- I hope we find him.
- How do we know where to look, Captain?

We don't. Intel picks up radio chatter,
but it's all contradictory,

and half of it deliberately so.

I think he's in the village where this started,
but I can't get the brass to listen to me.

They think they've had
the village bottled up for five days,

so no one could've
gotten in or out.

By the time I was 12 years old, I was
sneaking out of the house after lights out.

I never got caught.

What's up?
That was as close as they come.

Clouds rolling in
from the northeast.

In the face of mounting pressure

the Department of Defense continues
to refuse to release the names

of any of the soldiers implicated
in the killings of two civilians in Iraq,

but this video footage of one of them
has come to stand for the entire incident.

Got me a license to kill.

Rawhide 1, this is 6.
Hold your position. I'm coming up. Over.

- Private Williams.
- Yes, sir.

- Step down, would you?
- Did I do something again, sir?

No, Smoke, you didn't do anything.
Just step down and talk to me, will you?

- Sir?
- Just come with me.

- He pulled somebody out of the truck.
- It was Smoke.

- What's up, man?
- Mother had a stroke.

- Is she, uh-
- Nah. She's alive.

She's bad though.
She's touch and go.

- He gets to go home if he wants to.
- Really?

Yep. Right now.
Five days if he wants to.

I hate to say it, but I got family,
I wish they'd have a stroke.

The day is comin'

The drums are drummin'

If you know one, say a prayer.

There's mothers cryin'

And fathers sighin' Uh-huh.

War is in the air.

The trains are fillin'up with boys.

Who've left behind
their favorite toys.

They're goin'over there.

Over there.

Where someone has to die.

- Lord, we ask you to hear our prayer for Maurice's mother.
- Shut up.

Bless her and protect her.

- Help her in her terrible struggle, Lord.
- I said shut up!

If she's anything like my mother,
she's been fighting all her life.

Help her fight this time too, Lord,

and while you're at it,
help our friend Maurice.

He needs you just as much as she does.
Ain't nobody deserve to die here.

- Over there.
- Ain't nobody done nothin' that wrong.

Over there - Help him find his
way through this valley of death.

- Amen.
- Amen.

Where ours is not to reason why.

Over there.

Over there.

Where someone has to die