Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 4, Episode 20 - Semper-Fidelis - full transcript
Casey, where are ya?
I got business for ya.
- You want me to
autopsy a boat?
- A dead Marine.
What you call
rigorous training, sir,
can also be called sadistic training in
the hands of the wrong drill instructor.
The recommendation
for Sergeant Adams
be of involuntary manslaughter
The man dug his own grave,
and now it's our
job to bury him in it.
This report says that Casey
became separated from the others,
and he drowned in
a couple of minutes.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about deliberate,
premeditated murder.
Up and at 'em. Up
and at 'em, maggots.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Get up, you! Come on!
Let's go. This ain't no
boarding school for girls here.
Let's do it!
Casey, Washington.
Bragg. All of you goldbricks.
You wanna be Marines? I'm
gonna teach ya how to be Marines.
We're gonna do it.
Ain't no boarding
school for girls. Let's go.
All right company. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
What's with that
guy? It's 2:00 a.m.
Forget 2:00 a.m. We're gonna
be in the boondocks all night.
You know, everybody keeps
talkin' about how many medals
this guy got in Nam.
The only thing he got was crazy.
All right, let's go.
C'mon, look alive, look alive.
There ain't no sharks in the water.
Hansen, keep movin'.
We ain't got all night.
Stay to the sides.
It gets deep when
you get out here.
Hansen, move it, come on.
Stay to the sides.
It gets deep in
the middle. Move it.
Move it.
Come on, move.
You're right, man, he is crazy.
We're gonna be spread
all over the place out here.
Hey, Gunny, the guys are fallin' out
back here. We're losing our distance.
Gunny. Deep water.
Somebody gimme a hand.
Everybody go to the right. Move.
Do it now.
Stay together.
Come on. Come on.
All right. Stay close.
Stay close. Stay together.
Come on, move it.
Move it.
Pass close to my
shoulder. Hansen, move.
Come on. Move.
Move it. Move it.
Come on, Washington,
where are ya?
- Over here, sir.
- Hennesey, I can't see ya.
- I can't see you either, sir.
- All right.
Forward, forward.
Hold it, hold it.
Hey, Casey, where are ya?
Hey, come on, slacker.
Goldbricker.
Casey. Hey, slacker.
Goldbricker. Where are ya?
Casey, answer me.
You finally gonna come out
of your own boat, hey, Quincy?
Harry? Harry Collier,
I don't believe it.
- Oh, yeah.
- How ya doin'?
What are you gonna do? You gonna stand
there or are you gonna pipe me aboard?
The best doctor in the Navy doesn't
have to wait for a whistle aboard my boat.
- Come on, come on.
- Wow, look at you.
Look what you've
done for yourself.
You know, you oughta be ashamed.
Oh, come on, she's
gonna be overhauled.
I'm gonna paint her red
and white with a green trim.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- Will you do me a favor?
- What?
Forget the green.
- The wheel's almost finished.
- The wheel is beautiful.
And you're terrific,
and I'm kidding.
Well, you look great.
You haven't aged a day.
And ya made Captain, huh?
You know, I never figured
you for a career man.
I thought you were gonna be one of
those "Wednesday afternoon off" doctors.
Oh, yeah? I never
thought you'd be an M. E.
I thought you'd be running
your own hospital five years.
Well, all those dreams
we had over all those beers.
They've kinda
changed, haven't they?
- Yeah,
yeah, not for the worse.
- Oh, no, no.
Listen, I gotta go to work, but
I have time for a cup of coffee.
If you're gonna stay
for a couple a days,
you gotta use my
place. I got an extra bunk.
I know you're gonna go to
work and that's why I'm here.
I got business for ya.
- You want me to
autopsy a boat?
- Nope.
A dead Marine.
The kid I read about?
The one who drowned?
Yeah.
Charles Casey, the second
son of Colonel Casey.
I don't know him.
Oh, the Colonel was a big
hero in the Vietnamese War.
Worked himself up from recruit
to full colonel. He's a real tiger.
Well, what do you
guys want from me?
The Navy has the best
doctors. They have you.
What's the matter, you
guys can't handle it?
No, it's not a question of
us not handling it, Quince.
Ah, the autopsy's already
been done on the boy by me.
And it looks like a
simple case of drowning.
But we got a national story. We got
congressmen comin' out of our ears
and I wanna make sure my department
or the military is not accused of cover-up.
So you just want me
to review your findings?
Yeah, I was not
forced into this, Quincy.
I was the one who asked for a second
opinion by a civilian and I want you.
Oh, Harry, I'd do anything in
the world for you, you know that,
but I've been swamped
with so much work lately,
my boss has been screaming. Now,
I don't think you can clear it with him.
We can clear it with anybody.
Oh, but you don't know my boss.
I mean, there's no way he'll
go for this, there is no way.
Right. Anything you need, sir.
Lab time, special equipment.
I'll rush it through priority.
- Oh, thank you.
- All right.
Somehow, I didn't think
you'd be this enthused.
Of course I'm enthused.
Why wouldn't I be enthused?
He misjudges me so.
It's an honor to work with
the United States Government.
Ah, you see Doctor Quincy is worried
that we'll fall another half day behind,
but what's half a day?
We'll make that up in no time.
What's a half a day?
- You mean it?
- Of course I mean it.
I mean, I thought
you'd be angry.
Me? Angry? Never. Never.
Never angry at
justifiable work. Never.
Well, I certainly want to
express my appreciation, Doctor.
Well, if you'll excuse me.
Now listen, this job will
probably bring interviews,
so just remember where you work
and this time, for
Pete's sake, with whom.
Well now, anything
you need, sir.
The body is that of
Private Charles Casey,
a well-developed,
male Caucasian.
Slight abrasions
evident on the face,
on the hands, on the legs.
He could've gotten
those on the march.
Yeah. Probably did.
Superficial abrasion forming a ring around
the calf about two-thirds of the way down.
That's odd. Looks
like friction burns.
It's not really odd.
His boots caused them.
His socks probably slipped down
and the friction of the boot tops
rubbing back and forth
abraded the skin off.
I've seen it before.
There's an irregular contusion
present above the left ear.
Some skin and hair
has been abraded away.
Could that have killed him?
Well, there's no fracture.
I don't think so, Sam.
All his teeth seem intact.
Get me a Petri dish
and a spatula, will ya?
- Find something?
- I don't know.
There's some particles
here in his mouth.
Looks like some
kind of organic growth.
Detritus? Maybe decayed leaves?
Probably. Do a test for
me anyway to make sure.
- Right.
- I'm goin' inside.
Sam.
- Anything unusual?
- No, not a thing.
A simple suffocation
due to drowning.
No water in the lungs?
Naw, unless Harry found some, but
I doubt it. No, it was a dry drowning.
The boy was probably tired
from hiking, gasping for air,
a good slug of water in the back of
his throat produced a laryngeal spasm.
Casey's glottis
was paralyzed shut.
That's why there was no liquid.
None could get into his lungs.
How about the tox screen?
Well, clean on all counts.
Oh, that material you
found in the boy's mouth.
When I opened him up, I also found
it in his esophagus and his stomach.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Turned out to be mostly
organic, some particles of sand,
and a bottom algae.
Bottom algae? Are you sure?
Keyed them myself.
Mainly benthic diatoms.
But the name itself says growth at
the bottom. I wanna see that report.
Well, you finished the autopsy.
Marc was right. It
only took a half a day.
- Who said
anything about finished?
- What do you mean?
I thought I saw this, Sam.
This report says that Casey
became separated from the others,
and he drowned in
a couple of minutes.
Yeah. So?
Well, what are
you talking about?
Sam, if it happened like that, he
couldn't have picked up that algae,
or any other growth from
the bottom of the water.
It was fifteen feet
deep in places.
He didn't have
time to sink that far.
Quince, there could be
a thousand explanations.
Maybe water turbulence
lifted the algae to the surface.
Well, maybe doesn't cut it.
And I'm not gonna find
the explanation here.
Well, what do you mean, here?
Where do you think you're goin'?
- San Diego.
- Oh, no. You're not
goin' to San Diego.
When you went in for a penny,
buddy, you went in for a pound.
Now Quince, Quincy.
Quincy, you know
how much that costs?
Maybe I can bill the Pentagon for
his overtime. Everybody else does.
I don't know. The bottom algae
we found just doesn't feel right.
It doesn't sit right with me.
You are a forensic
pathology expert and I am not.
And I happen to think
your assistant is right.
There are a thousand reasons
why bottom algae could be present.
It is not a big deal.
Yeah, but I have to
check out every possibility.
It's no reflection on
your work, but Harry,
- if you don't want me
to do it, I won't do it.
- Wait.
If I didn't value your
opinion, if I didn't think
you had something good to offer, I
wouldn't have called you in. All right?
- Huh? Okay. Now come on.
- Where are we going?
There's an informal press
conference in this room
and as soon as it's over, you and I
are gonna talk to Colonel Emmett,
the investigating officer.
This isn't gonna be another
military whitewash, Colonel.
As a United States
Congressman, I can guarantee that.
I came down here to see
this thing through personally.
And let me tell
you something else,
the American people are
tired of the way the military
have handled these
things in the past.
They're tired of the senseless brutality
that they've been forced to witness
and live with.
- We are tired of
the sadistic acts...
- He's really on, huh?
You said it. Congressman Able's
really young but he's got a lot of clout.
He's already moved his Board
of Inquiry ahead two weeks.
But all the facts aren't in yet.
- Quince, please don't, don't.
- Colonel?
Quince.
Colonel. Please excuse us.
This is Doctor Quincy, the
civilian pathologist whom I called in
for an outside opinion.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I performed the autopsy on Private
Casey. Now before the press gets here,
I think you oughta know
all the facts are not in.
All the medical
facts are not in?
That's right.
If he died the way the report
said, he should have drowned
at the surface of the
water, I don't think he did.
We found bottom algae in him.
I don't think we
should rush into this.
I think we should
investigate it very thoroughly.
You think?
For a few bits of weed?
Excuse me, Doctor, I don't know
who you are or where you come from,
but this case is far too important to
suspend for a couple of particles of algae.
No.
This has gone on long enough.
The Marine Corps' gotta be stopped
from this excessive
and brutal training.
No.
The Corps must not be stopped.
It is not excessive, it's not useless.
- Who are you?
- Colonel Charles Casey,
Congressman.
I just flew in. The boy
who drowned was my son.
Believe me, sir, no matter
how difficult it is in basic training,
it's a thousand times more
difficult in actual combat.
Do you realize how many
boys lost their lives in Korea
because they couldn't
climb a mountain,
they couldn't ford a stream,
they couldn't stand the sun?
And these are all lives
that could've been saved
had they had more
rigorous training.
What you call
rigorous training, sir,
can also be called sadistic training in
the hands of the wrong drill instructor.
Now there should be more
officers overseeing this kind of thing.
You mean nursemaiding, sir.
Well, you call them what you want,
Colonel. Nursemaids, chaperons,
or by their rightful
titles: officers in charge.
Now I'm sorry, Colonel, but
somebody has to make sure
that no other American boy suffers
the same fate that your son did.
The Marine Corps
must be held responsible.
No, sir, no, no.
The Marine Corps, no, they're
not on trial. A man is on trial here,
and if there is a
judgment to be made,
let it be made against this
man, not against the Corps.
As long as he wears your
uniform, isn't he your representative?
No, not if he violates
what the Corps stands for.
Well, maybe he is what
the Corps stands for.
I mean, after all,
this isn't the first time
that we've heard of senseless tragedy
that has fallen on one of these boys.
But I promise you
this, if I've got anything
to say about it,
it will be the last.
There is no way I can grant more time.
I simply don't have the authority to do it.
You saw what happened
at that press conference.
Now, from here on out it's
a military discipline problem,
as I'm sure Major
Phillips here will agree.
Doctor, the entire
platoon was there.
They're all witnesses.
He became intoxicated, took his platoon
out on an unscheduled night manuever,
and one of his charges died.
It's clear cut.
I'm afraid there's
nothing clear cut here, sir.
I'm not even sure the
Sergeant was drunk.
No, now wait a
minute, hold on, Quince.
Now, I am not trying to
nail Adams, you know that.
But it's a fact that a sentry saw
him stagger out of the operations hut.
He was reeling, he was
trying to keep his balance,
and almost every man in the company
stated that the man smelled like a brewery.
C'mon, Harry, you took
his blood sample yourself,
the alcohol level was .08%.
Too low to call him drunk.
Now listen, Doctor,
I appreciate your concern,
honestly I do,
but no one here except
possibly Congressman Able
is trying to nail Gunnery
Sergeant Adams to a cross unjustly.
He's a Marine, he's outstanding,
he's one of the few true heroes
to come out of the Vietnam War.
And the Marines
take care of their own.
But the man dug his own grave,
and now it's our
job to bury him in it.
I'm sorry. You don't
know how sorry.
But we have to continue
with the Inquiry Board.
I know you do and I
know how you must feel.
I didn't mean to imply there was
something dishonorable going on here.
If I did, I apologize.
But it seems that everyone
involved with this thing
would rather get it over
with than find the answers.
You can be sure, Doctor,
that the answers will be found.
If you have to proceed with the Board,
do you mind if I continue my investigation?
If I'm wrong, if all of
this means nothing,
at least we'll be sure
that it means nothing.
The base is yours.
What do you want?
I want to talk to
Sergeant Adams.
The Congressional
Medal of Honor.
I've never seen one
before except for pictures.
It's so much silk and metal.
Hardly worth what it cost.
- It must've cost a lot.
- Yeah, more than you know.
Look, I don't know
what more I can tell you.
Why don't ya tell me
what happened. In detail.
Then maybe I can figure out
what's bothering me about this case.
Bothering you, huh? Man,
what do you think's bothering me?
I cost that kid his life.
Look, I just want
to get this over with.
I'm responsible for what
happened. I'm ready to pay the price.
Look, everyone of those young
men had made it through boot camp.
But this is Advanced
Infantry Training.
This is where we make it real.
They'd been goldbricking,
not taking it seriously,
so I decided to show
them the error of their ways.
So I took them out.
To the river?
- Yes, to the river.
- Why?
Because it was the toughest,
dirtiest place I could think of.
That's where the kid bought the
farm. Just like it says in the report.
I don't know, maybe I
had too much to drink.
Maybe. Maybe not.
What is that supposed
to mean, Quince?
That means I think
you're hiding something.
- Hiding what?
- You tell me.
Look, I've recounted
everything that happened
and I've assumed
responsibility for my actions.
Now it is up to the Board of
Inquiry to determine whether or not
I was within my authority
as an instructor to do as I did.
Sir, why am I telling this man this?
He's not Navy. He's not Marines.
He's a civilian.
It happened the way I
said it did. It is that simple.
Nothing is that simple.
Sir, I have a meeting with my
attorney before the Board begins.
Is there anything else?
No, Sergeant, there is nothing
else. Thank you very much.
Sorry you brought me on board?
Testimony will now be heard
pertaining to the investigation
of alleged Uniform Code
of Military Justice violations
against Gunnery
Sergeant Alistair Adams.
This formal Board of
Inquiry is now in session.
We are ready to hear the facts.
Major Levy as council for
the accused, you may proceed.
Thank you, Colonel.
I'd like to call Private First
Class Nathan Washington.
So, Private, training here
is pretty tough, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
They make it really rough?
Drive you guys pretty hard?
You could say that, yes, sir.
Marine sergeants can
be pretty tough, can't they?
The toughest.
Well, how about Sergeant Adams?
Was he so tough, so hard,
that you would call him brutal?
No, sir.
Well, why not? I mean, he really
kicked butt out there, didn't he?
Made you guys really hate him.
We're supposed
to hate him, I think.
Look, Sergeant Adams
got tough sometimes, sure,
but only when we were falling
off and only when we needed it.
He's just doing his
job, that's all, sir.
Well then, Private,
how would you describe him?
Fair, sir.
What is your function within
Company C, Lieutenant?
I'm the Executive Officer,
under Captain Blakely.
It is my job to handle
the paper work that
goes with the operation
of a military unit.
So you keep tabs on what the
various platoons in the company
are supposed to be doing, and
when they're supposed to do it.
Yes, sir, that's correct.
So the night march which Sergeant
Adams took the First Platoon,
was that scheduled?
No, sir. It was not.
Do the other sergeants in
the company take their men out
on unscheduled night exercises?
No, sir. Not that I know of.
Good thing, too.
Because an unscheduled night exercise,
what we may call a mass punishment,
is against the Uniform Code
of Military Justice, isn't it?
I believe so.
I know so. It is.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
The boy died simply
from drowning.
There was a glottal paralysis, but that
is normal in most victims of drowning.
Nothing else could have
attributed to his death?
There were no drugs, no wounds?
There were a few contusions,
most notably one above the left ear,
but no, sir.
The civilian consultant,
Doctor Quincy, and I
both agree that the death
was due solely from drowning.
Thank you, Captain.
And as nearly as we could tell, Quince,
about forty or fifty feet down there
is where Adams led his
platoon into the water.
It was about 2:25 a.m.
and it was very dark.
The water must've
been very cold.
- Where did they find the body?
- Over these rocks.
And right about in here is where
the column started to split apart
and the lead man hit the
deep water in about the middle.
So I figure what happened
was he got very tired
and they started to lose
each other in the dark
and then Casey got a little further out
and the cold gave him the muscle cramps.
Is it possible to get a boat?
I'd like to get some depth samples of
the water for my lab to analyze them.
Sure, you mean for
algae concentration?
I'm not lookin' for sardines.
Hi, Quince.
How'd you know it was me?
Well, who else would be calling
at this time of the morning?
Well, how's San Diego?
Who's seen anything of
San Diego? I've been workin'.
Listen, I had some
samples of river water
flown up to you last
night. Did you get 'em?
Yeah, I picked them up at
the front desk on the way in.
All right. I wantcha to check
for algal content in each sample.
Now, how many samples do I have?
Well, I took 'em at five-foot intervals
from the surface to the bottom,
different places.
You've got eight.
Eight.
Quince, you're talkin'
about a lot of lab time
and Asten's been
grumpy enough as it is.
Your boss has been
grumpy. Gee, that's rough.
May I talk to Doctor
Quincy, please?
Quincy, what is this
about more lab time?
It's important. I need
Sam to run those tests.
Do you realize that
since you've been gone,
that's only yesterday,
forty-five new cases
have come in, eight of which
I need you desperately for.
We've falling even farther
behind. Lab time's at a premium.
No tests. Absolutely not.
Hey, what happened
to priority and patriotism
and it's an honor to
cooperate with the government?
Besides, the President
would appreciate it.
The President?
Of the United States?
Of course.
Quincy?
He hung up.
Well, what'll I do?
Now Quincy would say
anything to push a case through.
Well, you better go
run those tests, Sam.
Okay.
The President.
It was a disciplinary matter.
The platoon had been goofing off, so I
decided they needed a little tightening.
In direct violation
of a standing order?
If you goof off on the
battlefield, you're dead.
This isn't the battlefield.
No, sir. So we make it as
tough as we can to compensate.
And that's what you do,
make it as tough as you can?
Yes, sir.
Do you like making it tough?
I do what I have to.
Not because I want to.
I'm afraid, Sergeant, I would
have to disagree with you.
I think you like
things to be tough.
I think you like the brutality.
You're entitled to
your opinion, sir.
Maybe it's more than opinion.
1969. September,
October, November.
I can give you specific dates.
What does this time
in your life mean?
I don't know, sir. I'm
not very good at dates.
Well, let me help you.
Fights. Many fights. In fact
there were so many fights
that the Navy psychologist assigned
to your case removed you from duty
and had you hospitalized
for, and I quote:
"a low-grade
emotional instability
"resulting in an unreasoning
tendency toward violence."
- May I see those, please?
- Yes, sir.
Major Phillips, although
what you said is true,
a year after that hospitalization,
Gunnery Sergeant Adams
was pronounced fit
and returned to duty
and follow-up examinations every
six months since then up to the present
have confirmed his
health and his stability.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That's true.
But the precedent
is there, nonetheless.
When I interviewed the
psychologist in charge,
who will be available for testimony
upon his return from Washington,
I broached him as to the
possibility of a recurrence.
- And?
- And he said that
it was possible.
And because of this, and
for the sake of our Corps,
that I suggest it mandatory
that the recommendation
for Sergeant Adams
be one of a general court martial on
the charges of involuntary manslaughter.
All right, all right.
My secretary says you
two sound like life and death.
I think Quincy is
rubbing off on you.
Now, what's so important that
I should postpone my meeting
with the comptroller?
Plenty. Marc just completed the workup
on the water samples Quincy sent up.
- And?
- Here, let me show you.
I've got the samples right here.
This is a sample
taken from the bottom.
Right. I see diatoms
indicating plant matter.
Quincy took this sample at
about five feet from the bottom.
Right, the population changed.
Mostly floating.
Planktonic green algae.
The sample Quincy took
at the surface tells it all.
Planktonic, no algae
from the bottom.
The concentration of bottom
algae present at the surface
is less than a
tenth of a percent.
The material that Quincy took from
the body is almost all bottom algae.
The Navy's report said that the
man drowned near the surface
- in just a few minutes.
- That's what it said.
Sam, I think you better get these
results down to Quincy. This is important.
I'm gonna drop my own work
and go over this case again.
But what about the
backlog we already have?
Forget the backlog.
This is important.
Now, you be at Pendleton
first thing in the morning.
Cease firing. Cease firing.
Not too bad,
people, not too bad.
But we're gonna do it one more time
and this time we're gonna do it perfect.
Squad leader, saddle 'em up.
Right, hup. Swing, hup.
Forward, hup.
You really work 'em, don't ya?
It's my job. Get them
people combat ready.
Treat 'em hard here right now
and maybe save their lives one day.
What about Adams?
I've been billeted with Sergeant
Adams about eight months.
Got to know him pretty well.
He's a good man,
outstanding Marine.
Tell me what happened that
night. What you remember of it.
Well, there's not
that much to tell.
I didn't get back until
maybe 10:00, 10:30.
He had his fair share to
drink. I can tell you that.
How do you know,
you weren't there?
I got eyes and ears.
I mean, he was staggering
around, swaying by the numbers.
You know, that kinda stuff.
He'd polished
off most of a fifth.
There was maybe,
well, an inch of booze left.
It didn't take long.
Well, did he tell you what he was
gonna do? Anything about his plans?
Nah. We just shot the breeze for
a little while and then we turned in.
He passed out?
Yeah.
A funny thing though,
he must've set his alarm.
The darn thing woke me
up in the middle of the night.
Do you know what time?
No chance.
Soon as he turned
it off, I conked out.
Hey look, Doc,
I gotta get back down
and take care of my troops.
Thank you.
- It doesn't make any sense.
- It sure doesn't.
Why would he set the alarm?
Why would he go on a march?
He was supposed to
be in a drunken stupor.
He should have wanted to
sleep more than anything else.
If he was as drunk
as everyone says.
I don't think he was,
but he must've had a pretty good
reason for wanting people to think he was.
What kind of a reason?
Well, if I'm right, it's the
worst reason in the world.
State your name
and rank, please.
Charles Casey. Colonel.
United States Marine Corps.
- What's he doing up there?
- Character witness. For Adams.
I'd like it entered into
the record, Colonel,
that Colonel Casey
is a voluntary witness.
In light of his relationship
to the deceased,
his testimony was not solicited,
but is most certainly welcomed.
Very well. Charlie,
you sure?
Ever known me not to be?
Proceed.
Colonel, how long have you
known Gunnery Sergeant Adams?
Twelve years.
He was under your command
in Vietnam, wasn't he?
Yes, sir. Two tours.
A good combat Marine?
One of the best. His
decorations bear that out.
Colonel,
how would you describe the way
he worked with the men below him?
He kept his men prepared.
Of all the units in my battalion,
his suffered the fewest casualties.
Well, he ran a tight ship.
You bet he did.
And that's why I'm here.
Even though it was
my son who lost his life.
I think it's important,
no, mandatory that if this Board
is to pass findings on this man,
it judge him solely on the
propriety of his leadership
and not simply on whether that
night march was unscheduled.
Because I say it was within
his right to do what he did.
Our training has to be tough,
we have to teach our
people to stay alert.
We owe that to every
youngster we send into combat.
We even owed that to my son.
Charlie?
That's it. I don't have
anything more to say.
I have nothing else to ask.
Thank you, Colonel. Very much.
And that concludes
my presentation.
- Major Phillips?
- Nothing to add, sir.
Very well.
Colonel, you may step down.
This Board has
reached a decision.
It was not an easy one.
Especially when someone like Colonel
Casey, who suffered this tragic loss,
came forward to plead
the defendant's case.
But the evidence
is overwhelming,
it leaves no room for discussion
and no room for leniency.
This Board of Inquiry will recommend
that Gunnery Sergeant Alistair Adams
be subjected to a general court martial
on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The Board is adjourned.
He got off too easy.
What do you mean
he got off too easy?
I gave him the strongest,
harshest decision I could.
Well, it wasn't strong enough. I
think you should reopen the Board.
What are you talking about?
Well, according to our findings
of the water samples Quincy took,
we found the same algae
and decaying plant matter
that we found in his mouth,
esophagus and stomach.
And it was only in the water
that came from fifteen feet down.
He had to of swallowed 'em while
he was still alive and drowning.
So he thrashed
around and he sank.
No, he sank to the
bottom like a weight.
Now wait a minute.
Are you telling me that
somebody threw him in?
Why not?
Don't forget about the
contusion on the back of his neck.
And from what Sergeant
Archer told me today,
I'm more convinced than
ever that he was not drunk,
that he was faking it.
Faking being drunk?
That's right.
- Why?
- Because he murdered that boy.
We know that.
No. I'm not talking
about an accidental death.
I'm talking about deliberate,
premeditated murder.
These are serious charges,
Sergeant, that Doctor Quincy makes,
and I'll tell ya, they
make good sense.
You're saying that I
murdered Private Casey?
- That you murdered that boy.
- You're crazy.
Am I?
A Marine is supposed to master
at least the basic swimming strokes.
Isn't that required
for basic training, sir?
It is. All recruits must.
So he was taken on a
forced march, and drowned.
If it happened the
way you say it did,
he would have drowned at the
surface of the water not at the bottom.
He sank, then he drowned.
Quincy has already explained
that he could not have sunk.
Your son had a bruise
just above his left ear.
Now, the blow wasn't
strong enough to kill him,
but it was strong
enough to knock him out.
Now if somebody had done that,
tied some weights to his body...
Can you prove that a weight
was fastened to Private Casey?
Not yet, but I am
sure I'll be able to.
When I did the initial autopsy, I found
circular abrasions around each calf.
Now I dismissed it just like the Navy
did, as being caused by the boots.
I called my superior in Los Angeles,
told him to reexamine the body.
I'm willing to bet he's gonna tell us
that boots did not cause those marks.
But why? For what reason?
There are a hundred
and two reasons.
He got the Congressional Medal of
Honor for what happened at Ben Ho.
It also cost the lives
of 102 of his buddies.
You sent him on that mission.
So my son didn't
die in training.
He was killed,
murdered.
Recruit training couldn't do
it to him, he was too tough.
Advanced Infantry couldn't kill
him because he was too strong.
So you murdered him.
You took the one thing I had, the
one dream, the one hope, my son,
and you murdered him.
- Charlie,
maybe you should just...
- Maybe I should just nothing.
I thought I knew you.
After all we went through,
I believed in
you. I trusted you.
And because of that I was even willing
to overlook the death of my own son
to defend you, for
the good of the Corps.
But no more. No more.
You sent me into hell.
You sent a hundred and ten men
into hell and only eight came back.
Eight.
For nothing.
You sent us out like
sacrifices for nothing
because Ben Ho was
supposed to be easy.
It was supposed
to be defenseless.
It was suicide. And you
knew it when you did it.
You think I sent you
on a suicide mission?
A hundred and two
men paid the price.
We didn't know.
Our intelligence said
that area was clear.
You think I'd send a company of
men to their deaths If I would've known?
Tell it to Buddy Johnson, tell it to
Fred Larber and all the rest who died.
They're still around... I take
'em to bed with me every night.
You tell it to their wives.
And tell it to their kids.
And that's why?
Did you murder
Private Charles Casey?
I guarantee you this, Mister
we'll prove it,
and when we do,
I'll see that you hang.
Do you have a microscope
stand more stable than this?
Sorry. That's the
best I could find.
Wait a minute.
I think there it is.
There's a definite
rope pattern on the leg.
- Think that's what
Quincy was talkin' about?
- I'm sure of it.
Look, I want high magnification
pictures of the details of the abrasion.
And Marc,
if you have anything going
on tonight, you better cancel it.
There's a lot of
work to do here.
I think I'm gonna go over
this body top to bottom.
To tell you the truth, now
that I have to think about it,
I can't positively remember whether I
saw Casey the night of the march or not.
Adams had us moving so fast,
you know, scared, that we didn't
have any time to look around.
We were just trying to keep
busy, to stay on his good side.
You men were with Casey
from boot camp, right?
Yes, sir.
Did Adams treat Casey
any different from you?
Did he show any special
animosity toward him?
That's funny, ya know, sir.
Sergeant Adams was never
mean or anything to Casey,
- but he sure rode him. He rode him hard.
- How do you mean?
Well, he was always
on Casey's back.
He was always hovering
over him, watching him.
Really exploding any
time Casey fouled up.
But you can't say
he didn't deserve it.
Well, what does that
mean? Was Casey a foul-up?
You could say that, yes, sir.
He wasn't exactly what you'd call
your Grade A Marine material, sir.
All the guys in the company
were pretty much surprised
that Casey graduated boot camp.
The only reason that he did
was Adams' force of personality.
The sergeant made him cut it.
That took a lot of riding.
Was that happening here?
Was Sergeant Adams
forcing Casey over the hump?
Yes, sir.
So much so that a lot of
the other guys in the outfit
were even starting to
get a little tense about it.
If Casey couldn't cut it,
he should've been bounced out
before he got somebody killed, sir.
All right, that's all for now,
gentlemen. Thank you.
Aye, aye, sir.
It looks like Casey wasn't the
Marine his father thought he was.
Yeah,
men sometimes
exaggerate, Doctor.
The relationship between a recruit
and an instructor is a love-hate one.
Adams is their Sergeant.
They're standing by him.
Are there any more survivors
from Ben Ho here at Pendleton?
Yes. Bob Simmons.
And we're very proud of him.
I sure would
like to talk to him.
Yeah, I heard that the brass decided
to push for a murder charge on Adams.
I also heard that the civilian doctor
they brought in was the cause of it.
Word travels fast.
Yeah, especially
on a military base.
Now, look, you want me
to help you cut Al's throat,
forget it.
And you can push that
all the way to the brass
and if they don't like
it, they can bust me.
I don't want to cut anybody's throat.
I just want to find out what happened.
Do you think Sergeant Adams
would've murdered that boy?
- No.
- Even with
the kind of hate he has
for Colonel Casey?
- Now, you gotta be kiddin' me.
- No, I'm not kidding.
Now look, I don't know
who you been talkin' to,
but Al doesn't hate the Colonel.
Me, I hate the Colonel.
I been talking to Adams.
No way. Look, when
we came outta Ben Ho,
I was gonna frag that crumb.
They set us up. To this
day, I believe they set us up.
Me, Rotolo, McAffrey,
all of us guys,
we all blamed the
Colonel and that's hate.
But Al,
you know, I don't
understand it now.
He loved that crumb.
He absolutely loved him.
Colonel Casey? Are you sure?
How could I not be sure?
He defended the Colonel all the time,
saying that the Colonel couldn't know,
or we couldn't blame the Colonel
because of bad intelligence.
Well, what the hell, we could.
But Al, as I told you before,
no way.
And if he's been
tellin' you that,
he's pullin' your leg.
The Colonel was his damn hero.
I rechecked the leg abrasions
as you asked, and you were right.
The marks were definitely caused by
a rope bound tightly around his legs.
Boy, oh, boy.
Things couldn't be more
confused and yet that clinches it.
Will you hold on a minute?
You know, you have no patience.
There's more.
Now, I also found
minute bits of hemp fibers
imbedded in the palms
and fingers of Casey's hands.
Are you sure?
What do you mean am I sure?
Do you think I just graduated from
medical school? Of course I'm sure.
Quincy? Quincy, did
you hang up again.
He didn't even say thank you.
Well, if you'd tell me what
you are looking for Quince,
maybe I could help.
If I knew what I was looking for
Harry, you'd be the first one I'd tell.
I just know there
has to be something.
They walked along the bank...
then out there, they
strayed into the middle.
Right.
They came back,
walked along the bank,
- and the body was found there.
- Correct.
The rock, the bridge has
accessibility to the deep part...
A contusion.
Sam, is it possible?
It could be.
Harry, could I use
the boat again?
Sam, how far do you figure
this rock is from the bridge?
I'd say about fifteen feet.
That's far, isn't it?
It is?
Look at this, Sam.
Blood,
some skin
and some hair.
Do you think that's
from Private Casey?
That's what we're gonna
find out at Harry's lab.
I know, I know, I made a lot of
mistakes and I apologize for them.
But Sergeant Adams did
not kill your son, did ya?
I never said it. You said it.
Well, what about your proof? You
said it couldn't happen the way he said.
It didn't. He lied.
Quincy you're not
making any sense.
It either happened
one way or the other.
No, it didn't happen either way.
It appeared to be murder
because all the initial evidence
pointed that way.
I was also thrown because I
knew he was lying about something.
But he virtually admitted that he
killed my son to get back at me.
You were here. You heard him.
No, he lied about that too.
He didn't blame you for
what happened at Ben Ho.
He's the only one that didn't.
You should have gotten an
Academy Award for that performance.
Why didn't ya leave
well enough alone?
That's not my job.
Well, what is your job, to cloud
the facts? To free a murderer?
You established what
happened yourself.
Adams slugged Charlie with a rock, tied
weights to him and threw him in the river.
Now, that's the only
way you said fits.
I found out how your
son got that contusion,
his head hit the rock
when he fell into the river.
Okay, okay. Fine.
But Adams still threw him in.
Something slipped inside
him like it did ten years ago.
He went nuts, threw my boy in.
No, you're wrong.
The Navy psychological
evaluations of Adams is correct.
There is nothing wrong with him.
Now, the bridge is too far away from
the rock for Adams to have thrown him,
but the bridge had the only accessibility
to the deep part of the water.
No, your son did not fall
and he was not thrown.
He jumped.
What are you trying to say?
I'm sayin' your son
committed suicide.
Are you crazy? Sui...
My son? My Charlie?
No, he wouldn't, he wouldn't.
Tell him what happened, please.
He couldn't be the type
of Marine you wanted.
You're a liar.
He didn't fit.
You're lying.
No, sir. I pushed
him. I carried him.
I did everything I could, because I
knew the torment he was going through,
the alienation,
the not belonging.
I've lived with it every day
since I came back from Nam.
A hero.
I'm a showpiece.
They turned me into
something I wasn't. I lost me.
Just like your son
was losing himself.
On his own he could've been a good
Marine. But that wasn't enough for him,
he wanted to be as good as you.
But he couldn't, who could?
He loved you, Colonel.
He wanted to measure up
to your level, to your ideal.
It was just too much.
He said me and
him were the same.
Maybe that's why
he talked to me.
That's why I knew
he was suicidal.
That night I ran a bed
check. He was gone.
But he left a note, telling
me what he was gonna do.
I got there as fast as
I could. It was too late.
And then he set
the whole thing up,
the feigned drunkenness, the night
march, to cover for your son's suicide.
I'm sorry.
I would've done everything I
could to keep you from knowing.
I got business for ya.
- You want me to
autopsy a boat?
- A dead Marine.
What you call
rigorous training, sir,
can also be called sadistic training in
the hands of the wrong drill instructor.
The recommendation
for Sergeant Adams
be of involuntary manslaughter
The man dug his own grave,
and now it's our
job to bury him in it.
This report says that Casey
became separated from the others,
and he drowned in
a couple of minutes.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about deliberate,
premeditated murder.
Up and at 'em. Up
and at 'em, maggots.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Get up, you! Come on!
Let's go. This ain't no
boarding school for girls here.
Let's do it!
Casey, Washington.
Bragg. All of you goldbricks.
You wanna be Marines? I'm
gonna teach ya how to be Marines.
We're gonna do it.
Ain't no boarding
school for girls. Let's go.
All right company. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
What's with that
guy? It's 2:00 a.m.
Forget 2:00 a.m. We're gonna
be in the boondocks all night.
You know, everybody keeps
talkin' about how many medals
this guy got in Nam.
The only thing he got was crazy.
All right, let's go.
C'mon, look alive, look alive.
There ain't no sharks in the water.
Hansen, keep movin'.
We ain't got all night.
Stay to the sides.
It gets deep when
you get out here.
Hansen, move it, come on.
Stay to the sides.
It gets deep in
the middle. Move it.
Move it.
Come on, move.
You're right, man, he is crazy.
We're gonna be spread
all over the place out here.
Hey, Gunny, the guys are fallin' out
back here. We're losing our distance.
Gunny. Deep water.
Somebody gimme a hand.
Everybody go to the right. Move.
Do it now.
Stay together.
Come on. Come on.
All right. Stay close.
Stay close. Stay together.
Come on, move it.
Move it.
Pass close to my
shoulder. Hansen, move.
Come on. Move.
Move it. Move it.
Come on, Washington,
where are ya?
- Over here, sir.
- Hennesey, I can't see ya.
- I can't see you either, sir.
- All right.
Forward, forward.
Hold it, hold it.
Hey, Casey, where are ya?
Hey, come on, slacker.
Goldbricker.
Casey. Hey, slacker.
Goldbricker. Where are ya?
Casey, answer me.
You finally gonna come out
of your own boat, hey, Quincy?
Harry? Harry Collier,
I don't believe it.
- Oh, yeah.
- How ya doin'?
What are you gonna do? You gonna stand
there or are you gonna pipe me aboard?
The best doctor in the Navy doesn't
have to wait for a whistle aboard my boat.
- Come on, come on.
- Wow, look at you.
Look what you've
done for yourself.
You know, you oughta be ashamed.
Oh, come on, she's
gonna be overhauled.
I'm gonna paint her red
and white with a green trim.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- Will you do me a favor?
- What?
Forget the green.
- The wheel's almost finished.
- The wheel is beautiful.
And you're terrific,
and I'm kidding.
Well, you look great.
You haven't aged a day.
And ya made Captain, huh?
You know, I never figured
you for a career man.
I thought you were gonna be one of
those "Wednesday afternoon off" doctors.
Oh, yeah? I never
thought you'd be an M. E.
I thought you'd be running
your own hospital five years.
Well, all those dreams
we had over all those beers.
They've kinda
changed, haven't they?
- Yeah,
yeah, not for the worse.
- Oh, no, no.
Listen, I gotta go to work, but
I have time for a cup of coffee.
If you're gonna stay
for a couple a days,
you gotta use my
place. I got an extra bunk.
I know you're gonna go to
work and that's why I'm here.
I got business for ya.
- You want me to
autopsy a boat?
- Nope.
A dead Marine.
The kid I read about?
The one who drowned?
Yeah.
Charles Casey, the second
son of Colonel Casey.
I don't know him.
Oh, the Colonel was a big
hero in the Vietnamese War.
Worked himself up from recruit
to full colonel. He's a real tiger.
Well, what do you
guys want from me?
The Navy has the best
doctors. They have you.
What's the matter, you
guys can't handle it?
No, it's not a question of
us not handling it, Quince.
Ah, the autopsy's already
been done on the boy by me.
And it looks like a
simple case of drowning.
But we got a national story. We got
congressmen comin' out of our ears
and I wanna make sure my department
or the military is not accused of cover-up.
So you just want me
to review your findings?
Yeah, I was not
forced into this, Quincy.
I was the one who asked for a second
opinion by a civilian and I want you.
Oh, Harry, I'd do anything in
the world for you, you know that,
but I've been swamped
with so much work lately,
my boss has been screaming. Now,
I don't think you can clear it with him.
We can clear it with anybody.
Oh, but you don't know my boss.
I mean, there's no way he'll
go for this, there is no way.
Right. Anything you need, sir.
Lab time, special equipment.
I'll rush it through priority.
- Oh, thank you.
- All right.
Somehow, I didn't think
you'd be this enthused.
Of course I'm enthused.
Why wouldn't I be enthused?
He misjudges me so.
It's an honor to work with
the United States Government.
Ah, you see Doctor Quincy is worried
that we'll fall another half day behind,
but what's half a day?
We'll make that up in no time.
What's a half a day?
- You mean it?
- Of course I mean it.
I mean, I thought
you'd be angry.
Me? Angry? Never. Never.
Never angry at
justifiable work. Never.
Well, I certainly want to
express my appreciation, Doctor.
Well, if you'll excuse me.
Now listen, this job will
probably bring interviews,
so just remember where you work
and this time, for
Pete's sake, with whom.
Well now, anything
you need, sir.
The body is that of
Private Charles Casey,
a well-developed,
male Caucasian.
Slight abrasions
evident on the face,
on the hands, on the legs.
He could've gotten
those on the march.
Yeah. Probably did.
Superficial abrasion forming a ring around
the calf about two-thirds of the way down.
That's odd. Looks
like friction burns.
It's not really odd.
His boots caused them.
His socks probably slipped down
and the friction of the boot tops
rubbing back and forth
abraded the skin off.
I've seen it before.
There's an irregular contusion
present above the left ear.
Some skin and hair
has been abraded away.
Could that have killed him?
Well, there's no fracture.
I don't think so, Sam.
All his teeth seem intact.
Get me a Petri dish
and a spatula, will ya?
- Find something?
- I don't know.
There's some particles
here in his mouth.
Looks like some
kind of organic growth.
Detritus? Maybe decayed leaves?
Probably. Do a test for
me anyway to make sure.
- Right.
- I'm goin' inside.
Sam.
- Anything unusual?
- No, not a thing.
A simple suffocation
due to drowning.
No water in the lungs?
Naw, unless Harry found some, but
I doubt it. No, it was a dry drowning.
The boy was probably tired
from hiking, gasping for air,
a good slug of water in the back of
his throat produced a laryngeal spasm.
Casey's glottis
was paralyzed shut.
That's why there was no liquid.
None could get into his lungs.
How about the tox screen?
Well, clean on all counts.
Oh, that material you
found in the boy's mouth.
When I opened him up, I also found
it in his esophagus and his stomach.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Turned out to be mostly
organic, some particles of sand,
and a bottom algae.
Bottom algae? Are you sure?
Keyed them myself.
Mainly benthic diatoms.
But the name itself says growth at
the bottom. I wanna see that report.
Well, you finished the autopsy.
Marc was right. It
only took a half a day.
- Who said
anything about finished?
- What do you mean?
I thought I saw this, Sam.
This report says that Casey
became separated from the others,
and he drowned in
a couple of minutes.
Yeah. So?
Well, what are
you talking about?
Sam, if it happened like that, he
couldn't have picked up that algae,
or any other growth from
the bottom of the water.
It was fifteen feet
deep in places.
He didn't have
time to sink that far.
Quince, there could be
a thousand explanations.
Maybe water turbulence
lifted the algae to the surface.
Well, maybe doesn't cut it.
And I'm not gonna find
the explanation here.
Well, what do you mean, here?
Where do you think you're goin'?
- San Diego.
- Oh, no. You're not
goin' to San Diego.
When you went in for a penny,
buddy, you went in for a pound.
Now Quince, Quincy.
Quincy, you know
how much that costs?
Maybe I can bill the Pentagon for
his overtime. Everybody else does.
I don't know. The bottom algae
we found just doesn't feel right.
It doesn't sit right with me.
You are a forensic
pathology expert and I am not.
And I happen to think
your assistant is right.
There are a thousand reasons
why bottom algae could be present.
It is not a big deal.
Yeah, but I have to
check out every possibility.
It's no reflection on
your work, but Harry,
- if you don't want me
to do it, I won't do it.
- Wait.
If I didn't value your
opinion, if I didn't think
you had something good to offer, I
wouldn't have called you in. All right?
- Huh? Okay. Now come on.
- Where are we going?
There's an informal press
conference in this room
and as soon as it's over, you and I
are gonna talk to Colonel Emmett,
the investigating officer.
This isn't gonna be another
military whitewash, Colonel.
As a United States
Congressman, I can guarantee that.
I came down here to see
this thing through personally.
And let me tell
you something else,
the American people are
tired of the way the military
have handled these
things in the past.
They're tired of the senseless brutality
that they've been forced to witness
and live with.
- We are tired of
the sadistic acts...
- He's really on, huh?
You said it. Congressman Able's
really young but he's got a lot of clout.
He's already moved his Board
of Inquiry ahead two weeks.
But all the facts aren't in yet.
- Quince, please don't, don't.
- Colonel?
Quince.
Colonel. Please excuse us.
This is Doctor Quincy, the
civilian pathologist whom I called in
for an outside opinion.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I performed the autopsy on Private
Casey. Now before the press gets here,
I think you oughta know
all the facts are not in.
All the medical
facts are not in?
That's right.
If he died the way the report
said, he should have drowned
at the surface of the
water, I don't think he did.
We found bottom algae in him.
I don't think we
should rush into this.
I think we should
investigate it very thoroughly.
You think?
For a few bits of weed?
Excuse me, Doctor, I don't know
who you are or where you come from,
but this case is far too important to
suspend for a couple of particles of algae.
No.
This has gone on long enough.
The Marine Corps' gotta be stopped
from this excessive
and brutal training.
No.
The Corps must not be stopped.
It is not excessive, it's not useless.
- Who are you?
- Colonel Charles Casey,
Congressman.
I just flew in. The boy
who drowned was my son.
Believe me, sir, no matter
how difficult it is in basic training,
it's a thousand times more
difficult in actual combat.
Do you realize how many
boys lost their lives in Korea
because they couldn't
climb a mountain,
they couldn't ford a stream,
they couldn't stand the sun?
And these are all lives
that could've been saved
had they had more
rigorous training.
What you call
rigorous training, sir,
can also be called sadistic training in
the hands of the wrong drill instructor.
Now there should be more
officers overseeing this kind of thing.
You mean nursemaiding, sir.
Well, you call them what you want,
Colonel. Nursemaids, chaperons,
or by their rightful
titles: officers in charge.
Now I'm sorry, Colonel, but
somebody has to make sure
that no other American boy suffers
the same fate that your son did.
The Marine Corps
must be held responsible.
No, sir, no, no.
The Marine Corps, no, they're
not on trial. A man is on trial here,
and if there is a
judgment to be made,
let it be made against this
man, not against the Corps.
As long as he wears your
uniform, isn't he your representative?
No, not if he violates
what the Corps stands for.
Well, maybe he is what
the Corps stands for.
I mean, after all,
this isn't the first time
that we've heard of senseless tragedy
that has fallen on one of these boys.
But I promise you
this, if I've got anything
to say about it,
it will be the last.
There is no way I can grant more time.
I simply don't have the authority to do it.
You saw what happened
at that press conference.
Now, from here on out it's
a military discipline problem,
as I'm sure Major
Phillips here will agree.
Doctor, the entire
platoon was there.
They're all witnesses.
He became intoxicated, took his platoon
out on an unscheduled night manuever,
and one of his charges died.
It's clear cut.
I'm afraid there's
nothing clear cut here, sir.
I'm not even sure the
Sergeant was drunk.
No, now wait a
minute, hold on, Quince.
Now, I am not trying to
nail Adams, you know that.
But it's a fact that a sentry saw
him stagger out of the operations hut.
He was reeling, he was
trying to keep his balance,
and almost every man in the company
stated that the man smelled like a brewery.
C'mon, Harry, you took
his blood sample yourself,
the alcohol level was .08%.
Too low to call him drunk.
Now listen, Doctor,
I appreciate your concern,
honestly I do,
but no one here except
possibly Congressman Able
is trying to nail Gunnery
Sergeant Adams to a cross unjustly.
He's a Marine, he's outstanding,
he's one of the few true heroes
to come out of the Vietnam War.
And the Marines
take care of their own.
But the man dug his own grave,
and now it's our
job to bury him in it.
I'm sorry. You don't
know how sorry.
But we have to continue
with the Inquiry Board.
I know you do and I
know how you must feel.
I didn't mean to imply there was
something dishonorable going on here.
If I did, I apologize.
But it seems that everyone
involved with this thing
would rather get it over
with than find the answers.
You can be sure, Doctor,
that the answers will be found.
If you have to proceed with the Board,
do you mind if I continue my investigation?
If I'm wrong, if all of
this means nothing,
at least we'll be sure
that it means nothing.
The base is yours.
What do you want?
I want to talk to
Sergeant Adams.
The Congressional
Medal of Honor.
I've never seen one
before except for pictures.
It's so much silk and metal.
Hardly worth what it cost.
- It must've cost a lot.
- Yeah, more than you know.
Look, I don't know
what more I can tell you.
Why don't ya tell me
what happened. In detail.
Then maybe I can figure out
what's bothering me about this case.
Bothering you, huh? Man,
what do you think's bothering me?
I cost that kid his life.
Look, I just want
to get this over with.
I'm responsible for what
happened. I'm ready to pay the price.
Look, everyone of those young
men had made it through boot camp.
But this is Advanced
Infantry Training.
This is where we make it real.
They'd been goldbricking,
not taking it seriously,
so I decided to show
them the error of their ways.
So I took them out.
To the river?
- Yes, to the river.
- Why?
Because it was the toughest,
dirtiest place I could think of.
That's where the kid bought the
farm. Just like it says in the report.
I don't know, maybe I
had too much to drink.
Maybe. Maybe not.
What is that supposed
to mean, Quince?
That means I think
you're hiding something.
- Hiding what?
- You tell me.
Look, I've recounted
everything that happened
and I've assumed
responsibility for my actions.
Now it is up to the Board of
Inquiry to determine whether or not
I was within my authority
as an instructor to do as I did.
Sir, why am I telling this man this?
He's not Navy. He's not Marines.
He's a civilian.
It happened the way I
said it did. It is that simple.
Nothing is that simple.
Sir, I have a meeting with my
attorney before the Board begins.
Is there anything else?
No, Sergeant, there is nothing
else. Thank you very much.
Sorry you brought me on board?
Testimony will now be heard
pertaining to the investigation
of alleged Uniform Code
of Military Justice violations
against Gunnery
Sergeant Alistair Adams.
This formal Board of
Inquiry is now in session.
We are ready to hear the facts.
Major Levy as council for
the accused, you may proceed.
Thank you, Colonel.
I'd like to call Private First
Class Nathan Washington.
So, Private, training here
is pretty tough, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
They make it really rough?
Drive you guys pretty hard?
You could say that, yes, sir.
Marine sergeants can
be pretty tough, can't they?
The toughest.
Well, how about Sergeant Adams?
Was he so tough, so hard,
that you would call him brutal?
No, sir.
Well, why not? I mean, he really
kicked butt out there, didn't he?
Made you guys really hate him.
We're supposed
to hate him, I think.
Look, Sergeant Adams
got tough sometimes, sure,
but only when we were falling
off and only when we needed it.
He's just doing his
job, that's all, sir.
Well then, Private,
how would you describe him?
Fair, sir.
What is your function within
Company C, Lieutenant?
I'm the Executive Officer,
under Captain Blakely.
It is my job to handle
the paper work that
goes with the operation
of a military unit.
So you keep tabs on what the
various platoons in the company
are supposed to be doing, and
when they're supposed to do it.
Yes, sir, that's correct.
So the night march which Sergeant
Adams took the First Platoon,
was that scheduled?
No, sir. It was not.
Do the other sergeants in
the company take their men out
on unscheduled night exercises?
No, sir. Not that I know of.
Good thing, too.
Because an unscheduled night exercise,
what we may call a mass punishment,
is against the Uniform Code
of Military Justice, isn't it?
I believe so.
I know so. It is.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
The boy died simply
from drowning.
There was a glottal paralysis, but that
is normal in most victims of drowning.
Nothing else could have
attributed to his death?
There were no drugs, no wounds?
There were a few contusions,
most notably one above the left ear,
but no, sir.
The civilian consultant,
Doctor Quincy, and I
both agree that the death
was due solely from drowning.
Thank you, Captain.
And as nearly as we could tell, Quince,
about forty or fifty feet down there
is where Adams led his
platoon into the water.
It was about 2:25 a.m.
and it was very dark.
The water must've
been very cold.
- Where did they find the body?
- Over these rocks.
And right about in here is where
the column started to split apart
and the lead man hit the
deep water in about the middle.
So I figure what happened
was he got very tired
and they started to lose
each other in the dark
and then Casey got a little further out
and the cold gave him the muscle cramps.
Is it possible to get a boat?
I'd like to get some depth samples of
the water for my lab to analyze them.
Sure, you mean for
algae concentration?
I'm not lookin' for sardines.
Hi, Quince.
How'd you know it was me?
Well, who else would be calling
at this time of the morning?
Well, how's San Diego?
Who's seen anything of
San Diego? I've been workin'.
Listen, I had some
samples of river water
flown up to you last
night. Did you get 'em?
Yeah, I picked them up at
the front desk on the way in.
All right. I wantcha to check
for algal content in each sample.
Now, how many samples do I have?
Well, I took 'em at five-foot intervals
from the surface to the bottom,
different places.
You've got eight.
Eight.
Quince, you're talkin'
about a lot of lab time
and Asten's been
grumpy enough as it is.
Your boss has been
grumpy. Gee, that's rough.
May I talk to Doctor
Quincy, please?
Quincy, what is this
about more lab time?
It's important. I need
Sam to run those tests.
Do you realize that
since you've been gone,
that's only yesterday,
forty-five new cases
have come in, eight of which
I need you desperately for.
We've falling even farther
behind. Lab time's at a premium.
No tests. Absolutely not.
Hey, what happened
to priority and patriotism
and it's an honor to
cooperate with the government?
Besides, the President
would appreciate it.
The President?
Of the United States?
Of course.
Quincy?
He hung up.
Well, what'll I do?
Now Quincy would say
anything to push a case through.
Well, you better go
run those tests, Sam.
Okay.
The President.
It was a disciplinary matter.
The platoon had been goofing off, so I
decided they needed a little tightening.
In direct violation
of a standing order?
If you goof off on the
battlefield, you're dead.
This isn't the battlefield.
No, sir. So we make it as
tough as we can to compensate.
And that's what you do,
make it as tough as you can?
Yes, sir.
Do you like making it tough?
I do what I have to.
Not because I want to.
I'm afraid, Sergeant, I would
have to disagree with you.
I think you like
things to be tough.
I think you like the brutality.
You're entitled to
your opinion, sir.
Maybe it's more than opinion.
1969. September,
October, November.
I can give you specific dates.
What does this time
in your life mean?
I don't know, sir. I'm
not very good at dates.
Well, let me help you.
Fights. Many fights. In fact
there were so many fights
that the Navy psychologist assigned
to your case removed you from duty
and had you hospitalized
for, and I quote:
"a low-grade
emotional instability
"resulting in an unreasoning
tendency toward violence."
- May I see those, please?
- Yes, sir.
Major Phillips, although
what you said is true,
a year after that hospitalization,
Gunnery Sergeant Adams
was pronounced fit
and returned to duty
and follow-up examinations every
six months since then up to the present
have confirmed his
health and his stability.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That's true.
But the precedent
is there, nonetheless.
When I interviewed the
psychologist in charge,
who will be available for testimony
upon his return from Washington,
I broached him as to the
possibility of a recurrence.
- And?
- And he said that
it was possible.
And because of this, and
for the sake of our Corps,
that I suggest it mandatory
that the recommendation
for Sergeant Adams
be one of a general court martial on
the charges of involuntary manslaughter.
All right, all right.
My secretary says you
two sound like life and death.
I think Quincy is
rubbing off on you.
Now, what's so important that
I should postpone my meeting
with the comptroller?
Plenty. Marc just completed the workup
on the water samples Quincy sent up.
- And?
- Here, let me show you.
I've got the samples right here.
This is a sample
taken from the bottom.
Right. I see diatoms
indicating plant matter.
Quincy took this sample at
about five feet from the bottom.
Right, the population changed.
Mostly floating.
Planktonic green algae.
The sample Quincy took
at the surface tells it all.
Planktonic, no algae
from the bottom.
The concentration of bottom
algae present at the surface
is less than a
tenth of a percent.
The material that Quincy took from
the body is almost all bottom algae.
The Navy's report said that the
man drowned near the surface
- in just a few minutes.
- That's what it said.
Sam, I think you better get these
results down to Quincy. This is important.
I'm gonna drop my own work
and go over this case again.
But what about the
backlog we already have?
Forget the backlog.
This is important.
Now, you be at Pendleton
first thing in the morning.
Cease firing. Cease firing.
Not too bad,
people, not too bad.
But we're gonna do it one more time
and this time we're gonna do it perfect.
Squad leader, saddle 'em up.
Right, hup. Swing, hup.
Forward, hup.
You really work 'em, don't ya?
It's my job. Get them
people combat ready.
Treat 'em hard here right now
and maybe save their lives one day.
What about Adams?
I've been billeted with Sergeant
Adams about eight months.
Got to know him pretty well.
He's a good man,
outstanding Marine.
Tell me what happened that
night. What you remember of it.
Well, there's not
that much to tell.
I didn't get back until
maybe 10:00, 10:30.
He had his fair share to
drink. I can tell you that.
How do you know,
you weren't there?
I got eyes and ears.
I mean, he was staggering
around, swaying by the numbers.
You know, that kinda stuff.
He'd polished
off most of a fifth.
There was maybe,
well, an inch of booze left.
It didn't take long.
Well, did he tell you what he was
gonna do? Anything about his plans?
Nah. We just shot the breeze for
a little while and then we turned in.
He passed out?
Yeah.
A funny thing though,
he must've set his alarm.
The darn thing woke me
up in the middle of the night.
Do you know what time?
No chance.
Soon as he turned
it off, I conked out.
Hey look, Doc,
I gotta get back down
and take care of my troops.
Thank you.
- It doesn't make any sense.
- It sure doesn't.
Why would he set the alarm?
Why would he go on a march?
He was supposed to
be in a drunken stupor.
He should have wanted to
sleep more than anything else.
If he was as drunk
as everyone says.
I don't think he was,
but he must've had a pretty good
reason for wanting people to think he was.
What kind of a reason?
Well, if I'm right, it's the
worst reason in the world.
State your name
and rank, please.
Charles Casey. Colonel.
United States Marine Corps.
- What's he doing up there?
- Character witness. For Adams.
I'd like it entered into
the record, Colonel,
that Colonel Casey
is a voluntary witness.
In light of his relationship
to the deceased,
his testimony was not solicited,
but is most certainly welcomed.
Very well. Charlie,
you sure?
Ever known me not to be?
Proceed.
Colonel, how long have you
known Gunnery Sergeant Adams?
Twelve years.
He was under your command
in Vietnam, wasn't he?
Yes, sir. Two tours.
A good combat Marine?
One of the best. His
decorations bear that out.
Colonel,
how would you describe the way
he worked with the men below him?
He kept his men prepared.
Of all the units in my battalion,
his suffered the fewest casualties.
Well, he ran a tight ship.
You bet he did.
And that's why I'm here.
Even though it was
my son who lost his life.
I think it's important,
no, mandatory that if this Board
is to pass findings on this man,
it judge him solely on the
propriety of his leadership
and not simply on whether that
night march was unscheduled.
Because I say it was within
his right to do what he did.
Our training has to be tough,
we have to teach our
people to stay alert.
We owe that to every
youngster we send into combat.
We even owed that to my son.
Charlie?
That's it. I don't have
anything more to say.
I have nothing else to ask.
Thank you, Colonel. Very much.
And that concludes
my presentation.
- Major Phillips?
- Nothing to add, sir.
Very well.
Colonel, you may step down.
This Board has
reached a decision.
It was not an easy one.
Especially when someone like Colonel
Casey, who suffered this tragic loss,
came forward to plead
the defendant's case.
But the evidence
is overwhelming,
it leaves no room for discussion
and no room for leniency.
This Board of Inquiry will recommend
that Gunnery Sergeant Alistair Adams
be subjected to a general court martial
on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The Board is adjourned.
He got off too easy.
What do you mean
he got off too easy?
I gave him the strongest,
harshest decision I could.
Well, it wasn't strong enough. I
think you should reopen the Board.
What are you talking about?
Well, according to our findings
of the water samples Quincy took,
we found the same algae
and decaying plant matter
that we found in his mouth,
esophagus and stomach.
And it was only in the water
that came from fifteen feet down.
He had to of swallowed 'em while
he was still alive and drowning.
So he thrashed
around and he sank.
No, he sank to the
bottom like a weight.
Now wait a minute.
Are you telling me that
somebody threw him in?
Why not?
Don't forget about the
contusion on the back of his neck.
And from what Sergeant
Archer told me today,
I'm more convinced than
ever that he was not drunk,
that he was faking it.
Faking being drunk?
That's right.
- Why?
- Because he murdered that boy.
We know that.
No. I'm not talking
about an accidental death.
I'm talking about deliberate,
premeditated murder.
These are serious charges,
Sergeant, that Doctor Quincy makes,
and I'll tell ya, they
make good sense.
You're saying that I
murdered Private Casey?
- That you murdered that boy.
- You're crazy.
Am I?
A Marine is supposed to master
at least the basic swimming strokes.
Isn't that required
for basic training, sir?
It is. All recruits must.
So he was taken on a
forced march, and drowned.
If it happened the
way you say it did,
he would have drowned at the
surface of the water not at the bottom.
He sank, then he drowned.
Quincy has already explained
that he could not have sunk.
Your son had a bruise
just above his left ear.
Now, the blow wasn't
strong enough to kill him,
but it was strong
enough to knock him out.
Now if somebody had done that,
tied some weights to his body...
Can you prove that a weight
was fastened to Private Casey?
Not yet, but I am
sure I'll be able to.
When I did the initial autopsy, I found
circular abrasions around each calf.
Now I dismissed it just like the Navy
did, as being caused by the boots.
I called my superior in Los Angeles,
told him to reexamine the body.
I'm willing to bet he's gonna tell us
that boots did not cause those marks.
But why? For what reason?
There are a hundred
and two reasons.
He got the Congressional Medal of
Honor for what happened at Ben Ho.
It also cost the lives
of 102 of his buddies.
You sent him on that mission.
So my son didn't
die in training.
He was killed,
murdered.
Recruit training couldn't do
it to him, he was too tough.
Advanced Infantry couldn't kill
him because he was too strong.
So you murdered him.
You took the one thing I had, the
one dream, the one hope, my son,
and you murdered him.
- Charlie,
maybe you should just...
- Maybe I should just nothing.
I thought I knew you.
After all we went through,
I believed in
you. I trusted you.
And because of that I was even willing
to overlook the death of my own son
to defend you, for
the good of the Corps.
But no more. No more.
You sent me into hell.
You sent a hundred and ten men
into hell and only eight came back.
Eight.
For nothing.
You sent us out like
sacrifices for nothing
because Ben Ho was
supposed to be easy.
It was supposed
to be defenseless.
It was suicide. And you
knew it when you did it.
You think I sent you
on a suicide mission?
A hundred and two
men paid the price.
We didn't know.
Our intelligence said
that area was clear.
You think I'd send a company of
men to their deaths If I would've known?
Tell it to Buddy Johnson, tell it to
Fred Larber and all the rest who died.
They're still around... I take
'em to bed with me every night.
You tell it to their wives.
And tell it to their kids.
And that's why?
Did you murder
Private Charles Casey?
I guarantee you this, Mister
we'll prove it,
and when we do,
I'll see that you hang.
Do you have a microscope
stand more stable than this?
Sorry. That's the
best I could find.
Wait a minute.
I think there it is.
There's a definite
rope pattern on the leg.
- Think that's what
Quincy was talkin' about?
- I'm sure of it.
Look, I want high magnification
pictures of the details of the abrasion.
And Marc,
if you have anything going
on tonight, you better cancel it.
There's a lot of
work to do here.
I think I'm gonna go over
this body top to bottom.
To tell you the truth, now
that I have to think about it,
I can't positively remember whether I
saw Casey the night of the march or not.
Adams had us moving so fast,
you know, scared, that we didn't
have any time to look around.
We were just trying to keep
busy, to stay on his good side.
You men were with Casey
from boot camp, right?
Yes, sir.
Did Adams treat Casey
any different from you?
Did he show any special
animosity toward him?
That's funny, ya know, sir.
Sergeant Adams was never
mean or anything to Casey,
- but he sure rode him. He rode him hard.
- How do you mean?
Well, he was always
on Casey's back.
He was always hovering
over him, watching him.
Really exploding any
time Casey fouled up.
But you can't say
he didn't deserve it.
Well, what does that
mean? Was Casey a foul-up?
You could say that, yes, sir.
He wasn't exactly what you'd call
your Grade A Marine material, sir.
All the guys in the company
were pretty much surprised
that Casey graduated boot camp.
The only reason that he did
was Adams' force of personality.
The sergeant made him cut it.
That took a lot of riding.
Was that happening here?
Was Sergeant Adams
forcing Casey over the hump?
Yes, sir.
So much so that a lot of
the other guys in the outfit
were even starting to
get a little tense about it.
If Casey couldn't cut it,
he should've been bounced out
before he got somebody killed, sir.
All right, that's all for now,
gentlemen. Thank you.
Aye, aye, sir.
It looks like Casey wasn't the
Marine his father thought he was.
Yeah,
men sometimes
exaggerate, Doctor.
The relationship between a recruit
and an instructor is a love-hate one.
Adams is their Sergeant.
They're standing by him.
Are there any more survivors
from Ben Ho here at Pendleton?
Yes. Bob Simmons.
And we're very proud of him.
I sure would
like to talk to him.
Yeah, I heard that the brass decided
to push for a murder charge on Adams.
I also heard that the civilian doctor
they brought in was the cause of it.
Word travels fast.
Yeah, especially
on a military base.
Now, look, you want me
to help you cut Al's throat,
forget it.
And you can push that
all the way to the brass
and if they don't like
it, they can bust me.
I don't want to cut anybody's throat.
I just want to find out what happened.
Do you think Sergeant Adams
would've murdered that boy?
- No.
- Even with
the kind of hate he has
for Colonel Casey?
- Now, you gotta be kiddin' me.
- No, I'm not kidding.
Now look, I don't know
who you been talkin' to,
but Al doesn't hate the Colonel.
Me, I hate the Colonel.
I been talking to Adams.
No way. Look, when
we came outta Ben Ho,
I was gonna frag that crumb.
They set us up. To this
day, I believe they set us up.
Me, Rotolo, McAffrey,
all of us guys,
we all blamed the
Colonel and that's hate.
But Al,
you know, I don't
understand it now.
He loved that crumb.
He absolutely loved him.
Colonel Casey? Are you sure?
How could I not be sure?
He defended the Colonel all the time,
saying that the Colonel couldn't know,
or we couldn't blame the Colonel
because of bad intelligence.
Well, what the hell, we could.
But Al, as I told you before,
no way.
And if he's been
tellin' you that,
he's pullin' your leg.
The Colonel was his damn hero.
I rechecked the leg abrasions
as you asked, and you were right.
The marks were definitely caused by
a rope bound tightly around his legs.
Boy, oh, boy.
Things couldn't be more
confused and yet that clinches it.
Will you hold on a minute?
You know, you have no patience.
There's more.
Now, I also found
minute bits of hemp fibers
imbedded in the palms
and fingers of Casey's hands.
Are you sure?
What do you mean am I sure?
Do you think I just graduated from
medical school? Of course I'm sure.
Quincy? Quincy, did
you hang up again.
He didn't even say thank you.
Well, if you'd tell me what
you are looking for Quince,
maybe I could help.
If I knew what I was looking for
Harry, you'd be the first one I'd tell.
I just know there
has to be something.
They walked along the bank...
then out there, they
strayed into the middle.
Right.
They came back,
walked along the bank,
- and the body was found there.
- Correct.
The rock, the bridge has
accessibility to the deep part...
A contusion.
Sam, is it possible?
It could be.
Harry, could I use
the boat again?
Sam, how far do you figure
this rock is from the bridge?
I'd say about fifteen feet.
That's far, isn't it?
It is?
Look at this, Sam.
Blood,
some skin
and some hair.
Do you think that's
from Private Casey?
That's what we're gonna
find out at Harry's lab.
I know, I know, I made a lot of
mistakes and I apologize for them.
But Sergeant Adams did
not kill your son, did ya?
I never said it. You said it.
Well, what about your proof? You
said it couldn't happen the way he said.
It didn't. He lied.
Quincy you're not
making any sense.
It either happened
one way or the other.
No, it didn't happen either way.
It appeared to be murder
because all the initial evidence
pointed that way.
I was also thrown because I
knew he was lying about something.
But he virtually admitted that he
killed my son to get back at me.
You were here. You heard him.
No, he lied about that too.
He didn't blame you for
what happened at Ben Ho.
He's the only one that didn't.
You should have gotten an
Academy Award for that performance.
Why didn't ya leave
well enough alone?
That's not my job.
Well, what is your job, to cloud
the facts? To free a murderer?
You established what
happened yourself.
Adams slugged Charlie with a rock, tied
weights to him and threw him in the river.
Now, that's the only
way you said fits.
I found out how your
son got that contusion,
his head hit the rock
when he fell into the river.
Okay, okay. Fine.
But Adams still threw him in.
Something slipped inside
him like it did ten years ago.
He went nuts, threw my boy in.
No, you're wrong.
The Navy psychological
evaluations of Adams is correct.
There is nothing wrong with him.
Now, the bridge is too far away from
the rock for Adams to have thrown him,
but the bridge had the only accessibility
to the deep part of the water.
No, your son did not fall
and he was not thrown.
He jumped.
What are you trying to say?
I'm sayin' your son
committed suicide.
Are you crazy? Sui...
My son? My Charlie?
No, he wouldn't, he wouldn't.
Tell him what happened, please.
He couldn't be the type
of Marine you wanted.
You're a liar.
He didn't fit.
You're lying.
No, sir. I pushed
him. I carried him.
I did everything I could, because I
knew the torment he was going through,
the alienation,
the not belonging.
I've lived with it every day
since I came back from Nam.
A hero.
I'm a showpiece.
They turned me into
something I wasn't. I lost me.
Just like your son
was losing himself.
On his own he could've been a good
Marine. But that wasn't enough for him,
he wanted to be as good as you.
But he couldn't, who could?
He loved you, Colonel.
He wanted to measure up
to your level, to your ideal.
It was just too much.
He said me and
him were the same.
Maybe that's why
he talked to me.
That's why I knew
he was suicidal.
That night I ran a bed
check. He was gone.
But he left a note, telling
me what he was gonna do.
I got there as fast as
I could. It was too late.
And then he set
the whole thing up,
the feigned drunkenness, the night
march, to cover for your son's suicide.
I'm sorry.
I would've done everything I
could to keep you from knowing.