The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 5, Episode 19 - The Hero - full transcript
The Waltons find out Sheriff Ep is a decorated war hero and John-Boy wants to write about it. Ep wants to keep it quiet. Also, an old friend of Ep's comes to visit. Jim-Boy likes to talk to her about cars and war.
You know, I think she'd
appreciate it if you'd both pitch in
and do your best for Honor Day.
I know it'd help me out.
John-Boy, you know I
hate the whole idea of war.
Where'd you learn about cars?
Oh, in France, during the war.
You were in the war?
Yes, I was a nurse and
an ambulance driver.
Tell me something.
What did you do in the war?
John-Boy, I figure
that's my business.
It had been my
grandmother's idea
to bring out the first commemorative
issue of The Blue Ridge Chronicle,
but she was still
in the hospital,
and the job of
organizing the event
came to rest on my shoulders.
If I had expected
wholehearted support
from the community
and my family,
how wrong I was.
Hey, everybody.
Hi, John-Boy. Hey.
Erin tells me you two went in
and saw Grandma
at the hospital today.
We just got back. So how is she?
She's improving every day.
She sends her love to everybody.
Oh, that's great.
When do you think
we'll be able to see her?
Oh, maybe next week,
we can go see her.
Curt says that time
is Esther's best friend.
He said so, and I believe him.
I sure do miss her, though.
I can't find anything
where she says she put it.
You know, I think she'd
appreciate it if you'd both pitch in
and do your best for Honor Day.
I know it'd help me out.
Mama?
John-Boy, you know I
hate the whole idea of war.
Mama, this is not
a celebration of war.
Honor Day marks the
day when the war ended
for the people of
Jefferson County.
Now, it seems to me that it's a
very clear celebration of peace.
It's hard for me to
separate the wars
from the soldiers
that fought in 'em
or even to recollect their
different faces nowadays.
I mean, it seems to me it must
have been a day of great joy
when all those people came home.
Oh, it surely was.
Everybody was down at
the station to meet them.
The bands were playing. The bugles
were blowing. The trumpets were blaring,
and the drums were beating,
and the sound of all
those marching feet,
those boys that...
That came home.
I stood there a little while
after they'd all gone by.
Seemed to me I could hear
the suffering sound of
the feet of those boys
that didn't make it home.
Oh, dear me, I...
I plumb forgot to feed
the chickens again.
I mean, Es... Esther
always does that.
He already fed the chickens.
I saw him do it this morning.
Well, just remember,
your daddy come back,
but your uncle Ben didn't.
Must have been the
same with a lot of families.
I remember
getting off the train,
and there was Liv and my folks,
and the little fellow, just
hanging on for dear life.
It's the first time
I ever saw you.
You remember that, do you?
Oh, very clearly. I was all
of four years old at the time.
And I told you about
my brother, Ben.
How we doing, Jim-Bob?
Almost finished.
Hey, Sheriff, what kind of
cars they use in the war?
Well, they had all kinds.
The best ambulances, of
course, were Rolls-Royce.
No kidding? Yeah.
They had a lot of them,
column after column.
How long you gonna be?
I haven't got all day.
Hey, Ep, uh, did you drive
an ambulance in the war?
No, no. Well, that's too bad.
If you had, I could've
used a story on you.
Well, I bet you
could, but I didn't.
Yeah, well, you know, I
got a whole paper to fill, so...
Well, why don't you fill it
with Jefferson County people?
You know, I'm not
even from around here.
Yeah, I know. I know.
Thank you, now,
Jim-Bob. You know,
if... if you think
of anything, uh...
Hall of Records?
Yes, would you please connect me with
somebody who keeps files on the war?
Well, what I need are
the names of the men
who came back to Jefferson
County 19 years ago, 1918.
Yeah, the World
War. That's right.
That's the one
I'm talking about.
Yeah, I imagine that
would be before 1925.
Oh, no.
Are you sure?
You're not sure. But probably.
Yeah, okay, thank you very much.
They do you any good?
They can give me births, deaths
and vaccinations since 1925.
And you figure the World
War was before that?
Apparently, the records I need
either burned up
in the fire of 1925,
or else they were all
transferred to Richmond,
or else they
didn't exist at all.
And I sure don't relish
that drive to Richmond.
If you're going there, though, you...
you ought to look up the Red Cross.
You know, they
were all over that war.
The Red Cross.
That's a good idea.
Thanks, Ike. I
think I'll do that.
Oh, hey, John-Boy,
before you go to Richmond,
you ought to check
with Ep Bridges.
He's got a lot of records
over there in the sheriff's office.
That's a good thought.
I'll see you later, Ike.
Ep?
Ep? Yeah?
Would you mind if I went
through your records for a little bit?
Why?
Save me a trip to Richmond.
You're still on the trail of
stuff on the war, aren't you?
Yes, and I need all
the help I can get.
I called the Hall of Records,
and they can't do
anything for me,
and then Ike Godsey said that
you keep all kinds of files here.
Well, help yourself. Thank you.
I got moonshiners and
swindlers and robberies
and a small collection
of murderers.
Maybe in the next edition, Ep.
Tell me something.
What did you do in the war?
John-Boy, I figure
that's my business.
Oh.
What's all this?
Oh, your Grandma's
a regular pack rat.
These are all things she
saved from the World War.
Is this French money
worth anything?
Ike won't take it, if that's
what you mean. For sure.
Well, if I flew over to Paris,
could I buy anything there?
Oh, you might be able to get
a frog's leg, a couple of snails.
This is Daddy's, isn't it?
Yeah.
What's that for?
Makes you look like your
daddy when he went off to war.
If there's another war,
I'll be wearing an Army...
There's not going
to be another war.
Yeah, but John-Boy says that...
You listen to me
instead of your brother.
Hey, Mama, is this
Daddy's or Uncle Ben's?
Uncle Ben's.
Where are Daddy's
letters to you, Mama?
You don't think I'm going
to put those on display?
Is that because
they're good or bad?
If only he'd just answered my
question one way or the other.
Mmm-hmm. I can
just hear Ep saying,
"What I did in the war is
nobody's business but my own."
Maybe it is none of
your business, Son.
I'll bet Daddy wrote
a good love letter.
Maybe someday when you're older,
I'll show you just how good.
Those are all letters your Uncle
Ben wrote to us from France.
You can read
them if you want to.
Well, thanks, Grandpa.
Did you ever notice how
his writing looks like mine?
Hmm. Oh, it most surely does.
Yes, it does. Hmm.
He sure won a lot of medals.
I know this one. It's
the Victory Medal.
I don't suppose anybody
would want me to wear this?
Not even to Sunday school?
Nice try, Elizabeth.
And this here is the
Certificate of Merit
and the award he
got along with it.
Your Uncle Ben
was proudest of that.
He wore it the last time
he come home on furlough.
This is the Second
Division flag.
Grandma looked high and
low for this before she got sick.
Because we were all afraid
it got burned up in that fire.
I think Grandma prizes this
just about more than anything.
Oh, she does.
We'll stop at that nice
little park in Columbia.
It's pretty. It'll make
the food taste better.
Oh, good. That's a good idea.
Oops!
I hope you're not
looking for your keys.
Oh, no, no, my
keys are in the car.
I'm looking for...
I don't think I can
remember the name of a...
Of a real nice-sounding lady
over at the Red
Cross in Richmond.
Miss Sarah Griffith.
That's her name.
She sounded real nice.
Thank you very
much, Miss Griffith.
I'll take this one, John-Boy.
All right.
Oh, it's heavy.
I hope we find something.
I don't think this looks right.
Here we go.
Hey! I'm sorry!
It's so big I don't
know what to do with it.
Maybe this'll be more help.
It covers just the Second
Division, at least for Virginia.
Thank you, I'm sure it will be.
If I can be of any
more assistance,
I'll be right there.
Thank you.
Let's see what we got here.
I don't think this
is right, either.
No?
Well, this looks...
This looks pretty good.
This has got some stuff in it.
Uh-huh.
Mama, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Listen to this.
"The most celebrated
soldier of the Second Division
"was a man from
Washington County.
"Marmaduke Ephraim Bridges."
Ep Bridges?
I'll bet it is.
"Second Battle of the Marne,
"captured enemy gun
emplacement single-handed,
"critically wounded,
"decorated by General Pershing."
I can believe that about Ep.
He's the kind of man who
wouldn't say a word about it.
Sounds like you've
made a real strike.
Ep Bridges, that's
what we call him.
He's our sheriff.
Marmaduke!
Marmaduke!
Um, just where is
Walton's Mountain?
Oh, you sure it's stuck tight?
Flossie, haven't you
locked this window?
They've been all stuck tight like
that since the last rain we had.
Well, why don't
you try using soap?
You got it open.
I bet Jim-Bob could do 'em all.
Well, come on
ahead. Try 'em all.
Well, look at that now!
Well, you loosened
it up, Grandpa.
Oh, that's because he comes
from hearty pioneer stock!
Jim-Bob, if you
think you can do it,
go ahead with the
rest of the windows.
We can do it, can't we?
Well, if you keep out of my way.
Oh, Zeb, I made some
nice raisin cookies.
I'd like you to bring
some to Esther
next time you
go to the hospital.
Esther is very partial
to your cooking.
I am, also.
Oh, go on!
Jim-Bob, if I was way out on a
lake in a canoe and I tipped over,
would you swim
out and rescue me?
I suppose I would.
Don't you know?
It depends on how
far out you were.
Would you risk your life for me?
I thought you were gonna help.
First, I wanna know if
you'd risk your life for me.
Okay, I'd risk my life for you.
Let's lift.
Sure is a hard way
to open windows.
Look at this.
What a mess, huh, Pa?
Yeah, it's all grown
up with weeds.
Lot worse off than
when I was up here last.
The crosses are all tilted.
Arny Milhaubt. I remember him.
Yeah, he died in training
down at Camp Lee.
Yes, he did.
Had a younger brother
and sister, didn't he?
Yes, and they moved out
of here, looking for work.
You know, you'd think
somebody would remember, Pa.
Yeah. They don't.
We weep and pray for 'em.
As soon as they're under,
we seem to forget all about 'em.
We're the ones who should take
care of this place and remember.
You know,
I still wish I knew where
Brother Ben was buried.
Well, wherever he is, he's
resting easy, Esther says.
That's what she said, resting.
She says if he wasn't,
she would know about it.
She would, too,
wouldn't she, Pa?
What's wrong with it?
What I can't figure out
is how you managed
to keep it a secret for so long.
"Battle of Chateau-Thierry,
"single-handedly took an
enemy gun emplacement,
"decorated by both American
and French governments.
"Medal of Honor, Legion
of Honor, Croix de Guerre,
"Distinguished Service Cross."
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a lot of rock
quarries around there.
Millstone, gypsum
and paving stones.
You talking about
Chateau-Thierry?
Yeah.
They, uh,
got a big cathedral there
from the 15th century, I guess.
That's what they said.
I'm no hand for wine, but my
buddies said it was very tasty.
White, it was. White wine.
John-Boy,
I wish you'd just leave
it all be. Can't you?
Ep, all it means is
that we're gonna know
something more about a man we
already trust and admire very much.
That's all it means.
But that was another
man and another time.
Mama and Grandma
and a bunch of the ladies,
they're looking forward
to having a table out there
with some mementos of the war.
And I tell you, if any of
those medals are lying around,
I sure would appreciate
being able to use them,
just the medals.
Well, all right.
There she is.
Who is this?
That's me when I was a year
and a half, and no wisecracks.
Well...
Oh, no.
You've been keeping
this all to yourself, huh?
Well, you make it
sound so selfish.
Some people would say it was.
There's no glory
in it, John-Boy.
There's no glory.
Ep, these medals
represent honors
given to you by your country.
But does a man deserve to be
honored for killing somebody?
Huh?
Yes, I killed men.
They make it sound
so right when they say,
"Cleaned out a gun
emplacement single-handed."
Do you know what a
gun emplacement is?
You have any idea?
You think it's concrete
and sand bags
and a gun behind it?
No.
No, John-Boy, it's men.
Like me and you.
I saw their faces when I
crawled up there out of the mud.
They were tired and they
were... They were scared.
Old men, kids, who just wanted
to get through the war alive,
who wanted to go home.
So I... I pulled the
pin, and I threw it,
and I didn't feel
anything when I did it.
After all, that's... That's what
I was sent there for, right?
And then the grenade exploded.
And I was hit
by some of the pieces from
it, you know, shrapnel flying,
and the only thing I remember
are the cries from
the men inside.
See, John-Boy, you've...
You've never heard a man
scream with his arm blown off
or a man with half a pound of
lead fragments in his stomach,
and I tell you, those
sounds, they stay with you
in nightmares
for years. For years.
So maybe now you see
why I didn't want to
have it remembered.
I, uh, guess maybe
if you weren't there, you can't
really understand how it was.
Yeah, that's about it.
All the same, Ep, I...
John-Boy, I tell you.
You go ahead. Oh, no.
No, no, no. I want you to.
Are you sure? Yeah, I mean it.
Just one thing.
Don't call me
Marmaduke in there.
You got a deal.
Thank you.
Hi.
Hi.
Have you got a wrench?
No, I got tools at home.
What's the trouble?
It's the fuel line.
I need a five-eighths
socket wrench.
Listen, would you pull me out?
Sure.
Thank you.
You sure it's the fuel line?
Well, I think so.
The engine just slowed
down and died, starved.
You know what that means.
Sure, but I'm surprised you do.
Well, I know a little
bit about engines.
Might be another
way to get it off.
You mind if I take a look?
Please do.
Uh-oh.
Anything I should know about?
Fuel line's bad.
Think it might
be the carburetor.
Well, you were right
about that wrench.
You got a pretty
good eye. Thank you.
Uh, say, you said
you had some tools.
Yeah, they're at my
house. It's not far from here.
Well, could we walk it?
Sure. Okay.
Let's go.
Where'd you learn about cars?
Oh, in France, during the war.
You were in the war?
Yes, I was a nurse and
an ambulance driver.
No kidding? No.
Out there with the shells and the
bombs bursting, just like in the movies.
That's right, and
if it got too bad,
we'd just jump out of
the car and dive in a hole.
Boy!
Well, hey, Daddy.
Hey, Ben.
Busy with something?
Nothing that can't wait, Son.
Well, I was just thinking
about my Uncle Ben.
What was he like?
Well, he was a lot like you.
Red-haired and
smart and full of ideas.
I still can't picture
you with a brother.
Ben and me were a lot
like you and John-Boy.
When I was little, I
looked up to him a lot.
Pa wasn't much
for whipping us kids.
He was too softhearted, so
whenever I stepped out of line,
Ben would give me a whipping.
That's till I got big
enough to whip him back.
We were real close, Ben and me.
Why did you and
Mama call me after him?
To keep his name
alive, to honor him.
That makes me
feel kind of special.
Well, it should, Son.
Is a memorial usually big,
like the Washington Monument
and all the statues on Monument
Boulevard in Richmond?
No, your memorial doesn't have
to be big. It's not size that counts.
It's something that lasts,
something of enduring value.
I see what you mean.
Thanks a lot, Daddy.
All right.
All right, Son.
Well, I sure do want
to thank you, Sheriff.
I think it's gonna be the
highlight of the whole day.
Well... I'll go get my tools.
John-Boy.
Hey. Hey!
Come on, Ep. Well,
this is a surprise.
Nice to see you again.
Golly, good to see you again.
Ep? What... Oh, Ep,
this is Miss Griffith.
Miss Griffith, this is
Ep Bridges, our sheriff.
Ma'am.
The first time I saw you,
I thought you were dead.
1918.
Late spring, Chateau-Thierry.
He delivered his
wounded to the hospital tent
and his captives
to headquarters,
and then he collapsed
in front of my ambulance.
Sarah?
And the last time I saw you,
you promised me an evening
in Paris and a bottle of wine.
It's a little late,
Marmaduke.
I had a sister in Richmond
and no real plans,
so I just settled there.
Yeah, I guess I never did get around
to telling you I was from Virginia.
Of course, there
wasn't much time
for talk at the
hospital, was there?
I got a wrench that'll fit,
but I think you'll need a
new float on the carburetor
after I get the bowl off.
Hey. But I need to
talk to her, Mama.
Not now, you don't. Come inside.
I just... I... I can't
get over this.
19 years. It's a long time.
It took me a minute there
to recognize you. I'll admit it.
Oh, I knew you.
Now, after the war, uh...
I mean, you got
through okay, huh?
Oh, yes. I, um...
I stayed on in
France for a while.
I helped some of the
people find the villages
that had been destroyed
and other people to
find each other again.
And did you ever get to Paris?
Yeah, I got to Paris.
Do you know they say that
if you sit all day out in
front of the Cafe de la Paix,
eventually you'll see everybody
you know? But it's not true.
I sat there a long
time and I didn't see
who I wanted to see.
What about you?
Well, as...
As soon as I was able to travel,
I... I came back to Virginia
and, of course, there was
a big welcome and all that.
But after a while,
it quieted down.
Did you, uh, ever marry?
Yeah.
Of course, she's gone now,
but, uh, I've got two sons.
They're both grown.
19 years.
It's just hard... hard
to believe, isn't it?
Ep can't fix her car for her.
I'm the only one
that can fix it,
except for her.
Uh-uh, uh-uh!
There'll be time enough
for that later, Jim-Bob.
Mama, did you see the way
they looked at each other?
I guess they have a
few things to remember.
Mmm-hmm.
I figure she's about
your age, Mama.
I have a few things
to remember, too.
Yeah, except she can drive
ambulances, and you're just...
Hey, uh, Jim-Bob,
weren't you gonna go over
and help Grandpa again
over at Mrs. Brimmer's?
I may have to go all the way
to Charlottesville for those parts.
I don't know if it was
such a good idea,
coming up here like
this without any warning.
And I know I shouldn't
have called him Marmaduke!
We used to tease him about
his name back at the hospital,
but after all, that
was 19 years ago.
Yeah.
Did you, uh, know his wife?
Oh, yeah.
She was a nice lady.
I would've hoped for that.
I'm gonna have to
go into Charlottesville
and get that float
for the carburetor.
Oh, that's great.
You really think so?
Well, sure. I'll drive you both.
That way, I can get the story
for the paper at the same time.
This isn't turning out
the way I thought it would.
Where's Ep?
Well, he's gone and I'm gonna
drive them into Charlottesville.
I've got a better idea.
How about Miss
Griffith staying with me?
She's already had a
long drive from Richmond.
Oh.
You know, I got lots
of better things to do
than haul you all the
way to Charlottesville.
You can stop off at Rockfish.
I can get the parts there.
I thought I was gonna drive her.
Charlottesville's
farther. That's all.
Hey, look out!
That's no way to treat a lady.
So who's a lady?
You're hopeless.
Who're you spying on now?
Ben. He's got a secret in there.
How do you know?
'Cause the door is locked
and he won't let anybody in.
Ben, what's going on in there?
Well, I'm working.
Working, huh? Need some help?
No, thanks.
Told you he's got
a secret in there.
That's right, Elizabeth. I do.
Hey, would you two mind
just leaving me alone?
All right.
All right.
You know, for a little
sister and a big brother,
you ain't all too bad.
Thank you.
I know where there's a
knothole, we could spy on him.
No, we'd better
go do our chores.
Come on.
Come on.
Jim-Bob's quite a mechanic.
He just can't get over the fact
that you drove an
ambulance during the war.
Oh, well, I wasn't the only one.
I mean, there were 14,000
of us women out there.
What you must have been through!
Well, I don't know.
You just wanna help.
You hate everything
about the war,
but you just have to be there,
or at least I did.
I admire your courage.
I guess you and Ep didn't
get much time to yourselves.
When he was moved
to another hospital,
I took some time
off to care for him,
but I had to go back when
the motor corps moved on.
When I went back
to the hospital,
he was gone.
You two seem to
have a lot together.
Yeah, well, I never forgot him.
That big, quiet shadow of a man
just came between me and
every other man I ever knew.
Huh.
♪ Mademoiselle
from Armentieres ♪
Hi, Grandpa. Hey, hon. Oh?
What have we got
here, some more?
Oh, this is from Curt's family.
Are you sure this is
from only one war?
Several, I think.
Well, Curt says his people
landed at Plymouth Rock,
and I think this is it.
Plymouth Rock, huh?
Well, I have to run.
Curt's going to see
Grandma this afternoon,
and I have to
stay at the office.
Send our love. Well, see you.
Thanks, Sarah. Good meeting you.
Let's have a look here.
Now this must be
from the Baldwin ladies.
Brings back a lot
of memories, I bet.
It surely does.
Well, I've seen this
a number of times.
What's that?
It's the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier.
Oh, yes, it is.
It... It surely is.
It's so quietly impressive.
Oh, I wish Esther
could see this.
You know,
they don't know who's
really buried under there.
You know that?
Now, this looks a lot better.
It's sure an improvement.
Your Grandma would like this.
Hey, fellas, what you got there?
Don't look at me. I'm
just helping him carry it.
You do that, Ben?
Well, yes, I did.
It's real nice work.
Thank you. It's a
memorial for Uncle Ben.
Well, why don't we
put it right over there?
Looks like a good spot.
Right here.
Looks good.
I think Grandma
will be glad it's here.
She sure will.
Ike! Here's a couple
of customers for you.
I'd like to stay on
a couple of days.
If you could arrange it,
I'd appreciate it very much.
Oh, and if you can find what I asked
you about, would you send it to me?
General delivery, care
of Walton's Mountain.
Okay. Thanks, I'll need it.
Bye.
How much do I owe
you for the phone call?
Oh, just make it a nickel.
Oh, thank you very much.
How long will you be with us?
Oh, I think just a
couple more days.
Oh, pity!
Bye. Thank you.
Bye.
When is Corabeth due back, Ike?
Friday.
Well, Zeb, what
can I do for you?
Oh, I come for a
quart of turpentine.
Oh, turpentine. Glad
you came after that,
you know, we got
a special on that.
Oh, you have? Yeah.
Oh, Zeb?
You gonna take it with
you or drink it here?
Oh.
Some people think she's
Mata Hari or somebody like that.
Her name is Sarah
Griffith. I told you that.
Do you know who Mata Hari was?
Here, hand me the wrench.
She was a spy.
Jim-Bob, I know there's to
be refreshments at Honor Day.
Aunt Flossie's making cupcakes
and Erin's making punch.
And what about it?
Will you promise faithfully to
have your refreshments with me?
Hi. Hi.
Hello, there. Hello.
Wanna start your car?
I'd love to!
You're terrific!
Thanks.
I don't think I could
have done better myself,
and I'm a pretty good mechanic.
Oh, listen, I want to
give you something.
Here's for the parts
and here's something
for your time and trouble.
Well, you're sure a
different kind of woman.
You think so?
Most women, you do them
a favor, they just kiss you.
That hardly buys anything.
Wanna give me a ride home?
I thought you'd never ask.
Sure hard to picture you driving around
shell holes and dodging machine-gun fire.
I didn't have much choice.
Bet you saw
some real air fights.
Hmm, during some battles, there
was a lot of plane action up there.
Never got out and looked,
but I'm told there were Camels
and Newports and Fokkers.
I used to build models
of all those planes.
Hmm.
Did you ever get strafed?
Once. Red triplane got me.
That's the kind the
Red Baron used to fly,
a red Fokker triplane.
Well, I'll tell you, I
didn't have time to look.
A bullet went right over my
shoulder and into the dashboard,
and another one
went in the radiator.
Just think, you were
shot at by the Red Baron!
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ She hasn't been
kissed for 40 years
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ About me in my uniform?
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous ♪
Would you like one of
Aunt Flossie's cupcakes?
You helped make these?
Oh, a little bit.
I know you'll have
a taker over there.
You ever drive a truck?
Sure. There were a
lot of them in our unit.
Let's see, there was a Mack
and a Stewart and
even a Sterling, I think.
I sure never knew a
lady like you, though.
They look real good,
especially these green ones.
Did you tell Jim-Bob
you helped make them?
I'm not presently
speaking to your son.
Oh, well, maybe Miss
Griffith would like one.
I don't think she wants one.
I thought Jim-Bob
was kind of soft on her.
He is, but she's not
an ambulance driver.
Would you do me a favor?
Sure.
First time that you see your
grandpa when he's alone,
would you give him
this envelope for me?
Sure. Thank you.
Hey, watch it. Sorry, Jason.
You gonna help us
start the singing, Patsy?
I couldn't sing.
I just couldn't.
I may never sing again.
Excuse me, just a minute.
Sheriff?
John-Boy.
Well, I think it all turned out
to be worthwhile, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm glad you
pestered me the way you did.
And I hope you're not too
uncomfortable being out here.
No, no, no, I...
It... It got a lot of memories out
in the open and aired them out.
Good. I feel good about it.
Well, I'm glad.
Then, too, if you
hadn't stirred all this up,
I might never have known that
Sarah was living over in Richmond.
Oh, yeah, she's
quite a gal, isn't she?
I'll tell you one thing, the
family's taken a liking to her.
It'd be nice to have
someone like that
settle down around
here, wouldn't it?
Well, you never know, John-Boy.
Just never know.
You never know.
I tell you, I... I shouldn't, but I'm
gonna have seconds on that cake.
Well, watch out for yourself.
See you, John. Bye.
♪ It's a long, long
way to Tipperary
♪ But my heart's right there
♪ It's a long way to Tipperary
♪ It's a long way to go ♪
I'm almost used to
seeing you again.
Well, I... I know it's you,
and I know you're here,
but I just don't
believe any of it.
You know, I... I
dreamed again last night
about how I went to
the hospital and they...
They told me that
you'd been moved.
Yeah.
You know, when they
carted me out of there, I...
I thought I was gonna die.
I guess I wanted to.
Well, I'm very
glad that you didn't.
Who was that woman
that used to come
and sing to us in the hospital?
Elsie Jannis.
Yeah.
She sure could take off
on a song, couldn't she?
I want you to know
that I tried every way
I could to find you.
So did I.
But it's been a good
life, hasn't it, Ep?
Well, yeah. Yeah,
it's... It's been...
But you never got married, huh?
No.
I thought about you a lot.
I guess I always will.
Think about you an awful lot.
Well,
you know, I get over to
Richmond pretty regular.
Well, I'm still with
the Red Cross.
Good afternoon.
To all of our friends here, I would
like to speak for my grandmother,
Esther Walton.
You all know that this
Honor Day was her idea,
and I'm sure she'll be very
pleased and very grateful
that you've all showed up.
There are some young
men from Jefferson County
who gave their lives
in the Great War,
who do not lie
in this graveyard.
They lie somewhere in France,
but their memory remains here
along with the memory
of these other young men
who gave the ultimate sacrifice
for their country
in the last war.
Thank you for coming.
Oh.
Oh, I can't tell you how
much this means to me
or how much it'll
mean to your grandma.
I didn't do anything, Grandpa,
but this is for you. What is it?
Sarah... I mean, Miss
Griffith sent it to you.
Oh.
Grandpa, I've got
something to show you.
Come here.
Oh.
"In memory of Ben
Walton, Lester Cardwell,
"Willie Wister and Rob Penders.
"Lest we forget."
Oh, Esther will
love you for this.
Why don't you sit in it?
The last of the chestnut.
They find their
different ways to grow.
Ben.
Ben.
Ben.
♪ There's a long,
long trail a-winding
♪ Into the land of my dreams
♪ Where the nightingales
We were all grateful for
the success of Honor Day
and to Grandma for suggesting that first
commemorative issue of The Chronicle,
but my brother Ben
and his memorial bench
will always be best remembered.
The bench is still
there for all the Waltons
and all the others who
came to remember those
who gave the best they had.
And for Ep and Sarah Griffith,
there was a rekindling
and a new beginning,
if Jim-Bob didn't grow up first.
♪ Down that long,
long trail with you ♪
Jim-Bob? JIM-BOB: Yeah?
Did you know the first valve-in-head
engine was built in 1902?
What about it?
I'll bet you don't know
who Alice H. Ramsey was.
I don't even care who she was.
She drove from New York to
Oakland, California in 1909.
The first woman to
drive from coast to coast.
No kidding? In a
Maxwell-Briscoe.
You sure didn't know
anything a couple of days ago.
Well, I'm not gonna
be just a wife, you know.
Good night, Erin.
appreciate it if you'd both pitch in
and do your best for Honor Day.
I know it'd help me out.
John-Boy, you know I
hate the whole idea of war.
Where'd you learn about cars?
Oh, in France, during the war.
You were in the war?
Yes, I was a nurse and
an ambulance driver.
Tell me something.
What did you do in the war?
John-Boy, I figure
that's my business.
It had been my
grandmother's idea
to bring out the first commemorative
issue of The Blue Ridge Chronicle,
but she was still
in the hospital,
and the job of
organizing the event
came to rest on my shoulders.
If I had expected
wholehearted support
from the community
and my family,
how wrong I was.
Hey, everybody.
Hi, John-Boy. Hey.
Erin tells me you two went in
and saw Grandma
at the hospital today.
We just got back. So how is she?
She's improving every day.
She sends her love to everybody.
Oh, that's great.
When do you think
we'll be able to see her?
Oh, maybe next week,
we can go see her.
Curt says that time
is Esther's best friend.
He said so, and I believe him.
I sure do miss her, though.
I can't find anything
where she says she put it.
You know, I think she'd
appreciate it if you'd both pitch in
and do your best for Honor Day.
I know it'd help me out.
Mama?
John-Boy, you know I
hate the whole idea of war.
Mama, this is not
a celebration of war.
Honor Day marks the
day when the war ended
for the people of
Jefferson County.
Now, it seems to me that it's a
very clear celebration of peace.
It's hard for me to
separate the wars
from the soldiers
that fought in 'em
or even to recollect their
different faces nowadays.
I mean, it seems to me it must
have been a day of great joy
when all those people came home.
Oh, it surely was.
Everybody was down at
the station to meet them.
The bands were playing. The bugles
were blowing. The trumpets were blaring,
and the drums were beating,
and the sound of all
those marching feet,
those boys that...
That came home.
I stood there a little while
after they'd all gone by.
Seemed to me I could hear
the suffering sound of
the feet of those boys
that didn't make it home.
Oh, dear me, I...
I plumb forgot to feed
the chickens again.
I mean, Es... Esther
always does that.
He already fed the chickens.
I saw him do it this morning.
Well, just remember,
your daddy come back,
but your uncle Ben didn't.
Must have been the
same with a lot of families.
I remember
getting off the train,
and there was Liv and my folks,
and the little fellow, just
hanging on for dear life.
It's the first time
I ever saw you.
You remember that, do you?
Oh, very clearly. I was all
of four years old at the time.
And I told you about
my brother, Ben.
How we doing, Jim-Bob?
Almost finished.
Hey, Sheriff, what kind of
cars they use in the war?
Well, they had all kinds.
The best ambulances, of
course, were Rolls-Royce.
No kidding? Yeah.
They had a lot of them,
column after column.
How long you gonna be?
I haven't got all day.
Hey, Ep, uh, did you drive
an ambulance in the war?
No, no. Well, that's too bad.
If you had, I could've
used a story on you.
Well, I bet you
could, but I didn't.
Yeah, well, you know, I
got a whole paper to fill, so...
Well, why don't you fill it
with Jefferson County people?
You know, I'm not
even from around here.
Yeah, I know. I know.
Thank you, now,
Jim-Bob. You know,
if... if you think
of anything, uh...
Hall of Records?
Yes, would you please connect me with
somebody who keeps files on the war?
Well, what I need are
the names of the men
who came back to Jefferson
County 19 years ago, 1918.
Yeah, the World
War. That's right.
That's the one
I'm talking about.
Yeah, I imagine that
would be before 1925.
Oh, no.
Are you sure?
You're not sure. But probably.
Yeah, okay, thank you very much.
They do you any good?
They can give me births, deaths
and vaccinations since 1925.
And you figure the World
War was before that?
Apparently, the records I need
either burned up
in the fire of 1925,
or else they were all
transferred to Richmond,
or else they
didn't exist at all.
And I sure don't relish
that drive to Richmond.
If you're going there, though, you...
you ought to look up the Red Cross.
You know, they
were all over that war.
The Red Cross.
That's a good idea.
Thanks, Ike. I
think I'll do that.
Oh, hey, John-Boy,
before you go to Richmond,
you ought to check
with Ep Bridges.
He's got a lot of records
over there in the sheriff's office.
That's a good thought.
I'll see you later, Ike.
Ep?
Ep? Yeah?
Would you mind if I went
through your records for a little bit?
Why?
Save me a trip to Richmond.
You're still on the trail of
stuff on the war, aren't you?
Yes, and I need all
the help I can get.
I called the Hall of Records,
and they can't do
anything for me,
and then Ike Godsey said that
you keep all kinds of files here.
Well, help yourself. Thank you.
I got moonshiners and
swindlers and robberies
and a small collection
of murderers.
Maybe in the next edition, Ep.
Tell me something.
What did you do in the war?
John-Boy, I figure
that's my business.
Oh.
What's all this?
Oh, your Grandma's
a regular pack rat.
These are all things she
saved from the World War.
Is this French money
worth anything?
Ike won't take it, if that's
what you mean. For sure.
Well, if I flew over to Paris,
could I buy anything there?
Oh, you might be able to get
a frog's leg, a couple of snails.
This is Daddy's, isn't it?
Yeah.
What's that for?
Makes you look like your
daddy when he went off to war.
If there's another war,
I'll be wearing an Army...
There's not going
to be another war.
Yeah, but John-Boy says that...
You listen to me
instead of your brother.
Hey, Mama, is this
Daddy's or Uncle Ben's?
Uncle Ben's.
Where are Daddy's
letters to you, Mama?
You don't think I'm going
to put those on display?
Is that because
they're good or bad?
If only he'd just answered my
question one way or the other.
Mmm-hmm. I can
just hear Ep saying,
"What I did in the war is
nobody's business but my own."
Maybe it is none of
your business, Son.
I'll bet Daddy wrote
a good love letter.
Maybe someday when you're older,
I'll show you just how good.
Those are all letters your Uncle
Ben wrote to us from France.
You can read
them if you want to.
Well, thanks, Grandpa.
Did you ever notice how
his writing looks like mine?
Hmm. Oh, it most surely does.
Yes, it does. Hmm.
He sure won a lot of medals.
I know this one. It's
the Victory Medal.
I don't suppose anybody
would want me to wear this?
Not even to Sunday school?
Nice try, Elizabeth.
And this here is the
Certificate of Merit
and the award he
got along with it.
Your Uncle Ben
was proudest of that.
He wore it the last time
he come home on furlough.
This is the Second
Division flag.
Grandma looked high and
low for this before she got sick.
Because we were all afraid
it got burned up in that fire.
I think Grandma prizes this
just about more than anything.
Oh, she does.
We'll stop at that nice
little park in Columbia.
It's pretty. It'll make
the food taste better.
Oh, good. That's a good idea.
Oops!
I hope you're not
looking for your keys.
Oh, no, no, my
keys are in the car.
I'm looking for...
I don't think I can
remember the name of a...
Of a real nice-sounding lady
over at the Red
Cross in Richmond.
Miss Sarah Griffith.
That's her name.
She sounded real nice.
Thank you very
much, Miss Griffith.
I'll take this one, John-Boy.
All right.
Oh, it's heavy.
I hope we find something.
I don't think this looks right.
Here we go.
Hey! I'm sorry!
It's so big I don't
know what to do with it.
Maybe this'll be more help.
It covers just the Second
Division, at least for Virginia.
Thank you, I'm sure it will be.
If I can be of any
more assistance,
I'll be right there.
Thank you.
Let's see what we got here.
I don't think this
is right, either.
No?
Well, this looks...
This looks pretty good.
This has got some stuff in it.
Uh-huh.
Mama, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Listen to this.
"The most celebrated
soldier of the Second Division
"was a man from
Washington County.
"Marmaduke Ephraim Bridges."
Ep Bridges?
I'll bet it is.
"Second Battle of the Marne,
"captured enemy gun
emplacement single-handed,
"critically wounded,
"decorated by General Pershing."
I can believe that about Ep.
He's the kind of man who
wouldn't say a word about it.
Sounds like you've
made a real strike.
Ep Bridges, that's
what we call him.
He's our sheriff.
Marmaduke!
Marmaduke!
Um, just where is
Walton's Mountain?
Oh, you sure it's stuck tight?
Flossie, haven't you
locked this window?
They've been all stuck tight like
that since the last rain we had.
Well, why don't
you try using soap?
You got it open.
I bet Jim-Bob could do 'em all.
Well, come on
ahead. Try 'em all.
Well, look at that now!
Well, you loosened
it up, Grandpa.
Oh, that's because he comes
from hearty pioneer stock!
Jim-Bob, if you
think you can do it,
go ahead with the
rest of the windows.
We can do it, can't we?
Well, if you keep out of my way.
Oh, Zeb, I made some
nice raisin cookies.
I'd like you to bring
some to Esther
next time you
go to the hospital.
Esther is very partial
to your cooking.
I am, also.
Oh, go on!
Jim-Bob, if I was way out on a
lake in a canoe and I tipped over,
would you swim
out and rescue me?
I suppose I would.
Don't you know?
It depends on how
far out you were.
Would you risk your life for me?
I thought you were gonna help.
First, I wanna know if
you'd risk your life for me.
Okay, I'd risk my life for you.
Let's lift.
Sure is a hard way
to open windows.
Look at this.
What a mess, huh, Pa?
Yeah, it's all grown
up with weeds.
Lot worse off than
when I was up here last.
The crosses are all tilted.
Arny Milhaubt. I remember him.
Yeah, he died in training
down at Camp Lee.
Yes, he did.
Had a younger brother
and sister, didn't he?
Yes, and they moved out
of here, looking for work.
You know, you'd think
somebody would remember, Pa.
Yeah. They don't.
We weep and pray for 'em.
As soon as they're under,
we seem to forget all about 'em.
We're the ones who should take
care of this place and remember.
You know,
I still wish I knew where
Brother Ben was buried.
Well, wherever he is, he's
resting easy, Esther says.
That's what she said, resting.
She says if he wasn't,
she would know about it.
She would, too,
wouldn't she, Pa?
What's wrong with it?
What I can't figure out
is how you managed
to keep it a secret for so long.
"Battle of Chateau-Thierry,
"single-handedly took an
enemy gun emplacement,
"decorated by both American
and French governments.
"Medal of Honor, Legion
of Honor, Croix de Guerre,
"Distinguished Service Cross."
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a lot of rock
quarries around there.
Millstone, gypsum
and paving stones.
You talking about
Chateau-Thierry?
Yeah.
They, uh,
got a big cathedral there
from the 15th century, I guess.
That's what they said.
I'm no hand for wine, but my
buddies said it was very tasty.
White, it was. White wine.
John-Boy,
I wish you'd just leave
it all be. Can't you?
Ep, all it means is
that we're gonna know
something more about a man we
already trust and admire very much.
That's all it means.
But that was another
man and another time.
Mama and Grandma
and a bunch of the ladies,
they're looking forward
to having a table out there
with some mementos of the war.
And I tell you, if any of
those medals are lying around,
I sure would appreciate
being able to use them,
just the medals.
Well, all right.
There she is.
Who is this?
That's me when I was a year
and a half, and no wisecracks.
Well...
Oh, no.
You've been keeping
this all to yourself, huh?
Well, you make it
sound so selfish.
Some people would say it was.
There's no glory
in it, John-Boy.
There's no glory.
Ep, these medals
represent honors
given to you by your country.
But does a man deserve to be
honored for killing somebody?
Huh?
Yes, I killed men.
They make it sound
so right when they say,
"Cleaned out a gun
emplacement single-handed."
Do you know what a
gun emplacement is?
You have any idea?
You think it's concrete
and sand bags
and a gun behind it?
No.
No, John-Boy, it's men.
Like me and you.
I saw their faces when I
crawled up there out of the mud.
They were tired and they
were... They were scared.
Old men, kids, who just wanted
to get through the war alive,
who wanted to go home.
So I... I pulled the
pin, and I threw it,
and I didn't feel
anything when I did it.
After all, that's... That's what
I was sent there for, right?
And then the grenade exploded.
And I was hit
by some of the pieces from
it, you know, shrapnel flying,
and the only thing I remember
are the cries from
the men inside.
See, John-Boy, you've...
You've never heard a man
scream with his arm blown off
or a man with half a pound of
lead fragments in his stomach,
and I tell you, those
sounds, they stay with you
in nightmares
for years. For years.
So maybe now you see
why I didn't want to
have it remembered.
I, uh, guess maybe
if you weren't there, you can't
really understand how it was.
Yeah, that's about it.
All the same, Ep, I...
John-Boy, I tell you.
You go ahead. Oh, no.
No, no, no. I want you to.
Are you sure? Yeah, I mean it.
Just one thing.
Don't call me
Marmaduke in there.
You got a deal.
Thank you.
Hi.
Hi.
Have you got a wrench?
No, I got tools at home.
What's the trouble?
It's the fuel line.
I need a five-eighths
socket wrench.
Listen, would you pull me out?
Sure.
Thank you.
You sure it's the fuel line?
Well, I think so.
The engine just slowed
down and died, starved.
You know what that means.
Sure, but I'm surprised you do.
Well, I know a little
bit about engines.
Might be another
way to get it off.
You mind if I take a look?
Please do.
Uh-oh.
Anything I should know about?
Fuel line's bad.
Think it might
be the carburetor.
Well, you were right
about that wrench.
You got a pretty
good eye. Thank you.
Uh, say, you said
you had some tools.
Yeah, they're at my
house. It's not far from here.
Well, could we walk it?
Sure. Okay.
Let's go.
Where'd you learn about cars?
Oh, in France, during the war.
You were in the war?
Yes, I was a nurse and
an ambulance driver.
No kidding? No.
Out there with the shells and the
bombs bursting, just like in the movies.
That's right, and
if it got too bad,
we'd just jump out of
the car and dive in a hole.
Boy!
Well, hey, Daddy.
Hey, Ben.
Busy with something?
Nothing that can't wait, Son.
Well, I was just thinking
about my Uncle Ben.
What was he like?
Well, he was a lot like you.
Red-haired and
smart and full of ideas.
I still can't picture
you with a brother.
Ben and me were a lot
like you and John-Boy.
When I was little, I
looked up to him a lot.
Pa wasn't much
for whipping us kids.
He was too softhearted, so
whenever I stepped out of line,
Ben would give me a whipping.
That's till I got big
enough to whip him back.
We were real close, Ben and me.
Why did you and
Mama call me after him?
To keep his name
alive, to honor him.
That makes me
feel kind of special.
Well, it should, Son.
Is a memorial usually big,
like the Washington Monument
and all the statues on Monument
Boulevard in Richmond?
No, your memorial doesn't have
to be big. It's not size that counts.
It's something that lasts,
something of enduring value.
I see what you mean.
Thanks a lot, Daddy.
All right.
All right, Son.
Well, I sure do want
to thank you, Sheriff.
I think it's gonna be the
highlight of the whole day.
Well... I'll go get my tools.
John-Boy.
Hey. Hey!
Come on, Ep. Well,
this is a surprise.
Nice to see you again.
Golly, good to see you again.
Ep? What... Oh, Ep,
this is Miss Griffith.
Miss Griffith, this is
Ep Bridges, our sheriff.
Ma'am.
The first time I saw you,
I thought you were dead.
1918.
Late spring, Chateau-Thierry.
He delivered his
wounded to the hospital tent
and his captives
to headquarters,
and then he collapsed
in front of my ambulance.
Sarah?
And the last time I saw you,
you promised me an evening
in Paris and a bottle of wine.
It's a little late,
Marmaduke.
I had a sister in Richmond
and no real plans,
so I just settled there.
Yeah, I guess I never did get around
to telling you I was from Virginia.
Of course, there
wasn't much time
for talk at the
hospital, was there?
I got a wrench that'll fit,
but I think you'll need a
new float on the carburetor
after I get the bowl off.
Hey. But I need to
talk to her, Mama.
Not now, you don't. Come inside.
I just... I... I can't
get over this.
19 years. It's a long time.
It took me a minute there
to recognize you. I'll admit it.
Oh, I knew you.
Now, after the war, uh...
I mean, you got
through okay, huh?
Oh, yes. I, um...
I stayed on in
France for a while.
I helped some of the
people find the villages
that had been destroyed
and other people to
find each other again.
And did you ever get to Paris?
Yeah, I got to Paris.
Do you know they say that
if you sit all day out in
front of the Cafe de la Paix,
eventually you'll see everybody
you know? But it's not true.
I sat there a long
time and I didn't see
who I wanted to see.
What about you?
Well, as...
As soon as I was able to travel,
I... I came back to Virginia
and, of course, there was
a big welcome and all that.
But after a while,
it quieted down.
Did you, uh, ever marry?
Yeah.
Of course, she's gone now,
but, uh, I've got two sons.
They're both grown.
19 years.
It's just hard... hard
to believe, isn't it?
Ep can't fix her car for her.
I'm the only one
that can fix it,
except for her.
Uh-uh, uh-uh!
There'll be time enough
for that later, Jim-Bob.
Mama, did you see the way
they looked at each other?
I guess they have a
few things to remember.
Mmm-hmm.
I figure she's about
your age, Mama.
I have a few things
to remember, too.
Yeah, except she can drive
ambulances, and you're just...
Hey, uh, Jim-Bob,
weren't you gonna go over
and help Grandpa again
over at Mrs. Brimmer's?
I may have to go all the way
to Charlottesville for those parts.
I don't know if it was
such a good idea,
coming up here like
this without any warning.
And I know I shouldn't
have called him Marmaduke!
We used to tease him about
his name back at the hospital,
but after all, that
was 19 years ago.
Yeah.
Did you, uh, know his wife?
Oh, yeah.
She was a nice lady.
I would've hoped for that.
I'm gonna have to
go into Charlottesville
and get that float
for the carburetor.
Oh, that's great.
You really think so?
Well, sure. I'll drive you both.
That way, I can get the story
for the paper at the same time.
This isn't turning out
the way I thought it would.
Where's Ep?
Well, he's gone and I'm gonna
drive them into Charlottesville.
I've got a better idea.
How about Miss
Griffith staying with me?
She's already had a
long drive from Richmond.
Oh.
You know, I got lots
of better things to do
than haul you all the
way to Charlottesville.
You can stop off at Rockfish.
I can get the parts there.
I thought I was gonna drive her.
Charlottesville's
farther. That's all.
Hey, look out!
That's no way to treat a lady.
So who's a lady?
You're hopeless.
Who're you spying on now?
Ben. He's got a secret in there.
How do you know?
'Cause the door is locked
and he won't let anybody in.
Ben, what's going on in there?
Well, I'm working.
Working, huh? Need some help?
No, thanks.
Told you he's got
a secret in there.
That's right, Elizabeth. I do.
Hey, would you two mind
just leaving me alone?
All right.
All right.
You know, for a little
sister and a big brother,
you ain't all too bad.
Thank you.
I know where there's a
knothole, we could spy on him.
No, we'd better
go do our chores.
Come on.
Come on.
Jim-Bob's quite a mechanic.
He just can't get over the fact
that you drove an
ambulance during the war.
Oh, well, I wasn't the only one.
I mean, there were 14,000
of us women out there.
What you must have been through!
Well, I don't know.
You just wanna help.
You hate everything
about the war,
but you just have to be there,
or at least I did.
I admire your courage.
I guess you and Ep didn't
get much time to yourselves.
When he was moved
to another hospital,
I took some time
off to care for him,
but I had to go back when
the motor corps moved on.
When I went back
to the hospital,
he was gone.
You two seem to
have a lot together.
Yeah, well, I never forgot him.
That big, quiet shadow of a man
just came between me and
every other man I ever knew.
Huh.
♪ Mademoiselle
from Armentieres ♪
Hi, Grandpa. Hey, hon. Oh?
What have we got
here, some more?
Oh, this is from Curt's family.
Are you sure this is
from only one war?
Several, I think.
Well, Curt says his people
landed at Plymouth Rock,
and I think this is it.
Plymouth Rock, huh?
Well, I have to run.
Curt's going to see
Grandma this afternoon,
and I have to
stay at the office.
Send our love. Well, see you.
Thanks, Sarah. Good meeting you.
Let's have a look here.
Now this must be
from the Baldwin ladies.
Brings back a lot
of memories, I bet.
It surely does.
Well, I've seen this
a number of times.
What's that?
It's the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier.
Oh, yes, it is.
It... It surely is.
It's so quietly impressive.
Oh, I wish Esther
could see this.
You know,
they don't know who's
really buried under there.
You know that?
Now, this looks a lot better.
It's sure an improvement.
Your Grandma would like this.
Hey, fellas, what you got there?
Don't look at me. I'm
just helping him carry it.
You do that, Ben?
Well, yes, I did.
It's real nice work.
Thank you. It's a
memorial for Uncle Ben.
Well, why don't we
put it right over there?
Looks like a good spot.
Right here.
Looks good.
I think Grandma
will be glad it's here.
She sure will.
Ike! Here's a couple
of customers for you.
I'd like to stay on
a couple of days.
If you could arrange it,
I'd appreciate it very much.
Oh, and if you can find what I asked
you about, would you send it to me?
General delivery, care
of Walton's Mountain.
Okay. Thanks, I'll need it.
Bye.
How much do I owe
you for the phone call?
Oh, just make it a nickel.
Oh, thank you very much.
How long will you be with us?
Oh, I think just a
couple more days.
Oh, pity!
Bye. Thank you.
Bye.
When is Corabeth due back, Ike?
Friday.
Well, Zeb, what
can I do for you?
Oh, I come for a
quart of turpentine.
Oh, turpentine. Glad
you came after that,
you know, we got
a special on that.
Oh, you have? Yeah.
Oh, Zeb?
You gonna take it with
you or drink it here?
Oh.
Some people think she's
Mata Hari or somebody like that.
Her name is Sarah
Griffith. I told you that.
Do you know who Mata Hari was?
Here, hand me the wrench.
She was a spy.
Jim-Bob, I know there's to
be refreshments at Honor Day.
Aunt Flossie's making cupcakes
and Erin's making punch.
And what about it?
Will you promise faithfully to
have your refreshments with me?
Hi. Hi.
Hello, there. Hello.
Wanna start your car?
I'd love to!
You're terrific!
Thanks.
I don't think I could
have done better myself,
and I'm a pretty good mechanic.
Oh, listen, I want to
give you something.
Here's for the parts
and here's something
for your time and trouble.
Well, you're sure a
different kind of woman.
You think so?
Most women, you do them
a favor, they just kiss you.
That hardly buys anything.
Wanna give me a ride home?
I thought you'd never ask.
Sure hard to picture you driving around
shell holes and dodging machine-gun fire.
I didn't have much choice.
Bet you saw
some real air fights.
Hmm, during some battles, there
was a lot of plane action up there.
Never got out and looked,
but I'm told there were Camels
and Newports and Fokkers.
I used to build models
of all those planes.
Hmm.
Did you ever get strafed?
Once. Red triplane got me.
That's the kind the
Red Baron used to fly,
a red Fokker triplane.
Well, I'll tell you, I
didn't have time to look.
A bullet went right over my
shoulder and into the dashboard,
and another one
went in the radiator.
Just think, you were
shot at by the Red Baron!
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ She hasn't been
kissed for 40 years
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the
girls who used to swarm
♪ About me in my uniform?
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous ♪
Would you like one of
Aunt Flossie's cupcakes?
You helped make these?
Oh, a little bit.
I know you'll have
a taker over there.
You ever drive a truck?
Sure. There were a
lot of them in our unit.
Let's see, there was a Mack
and a Stewart and
even a Sterling, I think.
I sure never knew a
lady like you, though.
They look real good,
especially these green ones.
Did you tell Jim-Bob
you helped make them?
I'm not presently
speaking to your son.
Oh, well, maybe Miss
Griffith would like one.
I don't think she wants one.
I thought Jim-Bob
was kind of soft on her.
He is, but she's not
an ambulance driver.
Would you do me a favor?
Sure.
First time that you see your
grandpa when he's alone,
would you give him
this envelope for me?
Sure. Thank you.
Hey, watch it. Sorry, Jason.
You gonna help us
start the singing, Patsy?
I couldn't sing.
I just couldn't.
I may never sing again.
Excuse me, just a minute.
Sheriff?
John-Boy.
Well, I think it all turned out
to be worthwhile, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm glad you
pestered me the way you did.
And I hope you're not too
uncomfortable being out here.
No, no, no, I...
It... It got a lot of memories out
in the open and aired them out.
Good. I feel good about it.
Well, I'm glad.
Then, too, if you
hadn't stirred all this up,
I might never have known that
Sarah was living over in Richmond.
Oh, yeah, she's
quite a gal, isn't she?
I'll tell you one thing, the
family's taken a liking to her.
It'd be nice to have
someone like that
settle down around
here, wouldn't it?
Well, you never know, John-Boy.
Just never know.
You never know.
I tell you, I... I shouldn't, but I'm
gonna have seconds on that cake.
Well, watch out for yourself.
See you, John. Bye.
♪ It's a long, long
way to Tipperary
♪ But my heart's right there
♪ It's a long way to Tipperary
♪ It's a long way to go ♪
I'm almost used to
seeing you again.
Well, I... I know it's you,
and I know you're here,
but I just don't
believe any of it.
You know, I... I
dreamed again last night
about how I went to
the hospital and they...
They told me that
you'd been moved.
Yeah.
You know, when they
carted me out of there, I...
I thought I was gonna die.
I guess I wanted to.
Well, I'm very
glad that you didn't.
Who was that woman
that used to come
and sing to us in the hospital?
Elsie Jannis.
Yeah.
She sure could take off
on a song, couldn't she?
I want you to know
that I tried every way
I could to find you.
So did I.
But it's been a good
life, hasn't it, Ep?
Well, yeah. Yeah,
it's... It's been...
But you never got married, huh?
No.
I thought about you a lot.
I guess I always will.
Think about you an awful lot.
Well,
you know, I get over to
Richmond pretty regular.
Well, I'm still with
the Red Cross.
Good afternoon.
To all of our friends here, I would
like to speak for my grandmother,
Esther Walton.
You all know that this
Honor Day was her idea,
and I'm sure she'll be very
pleased and very grateful
that you've all showed up.
There are some young
men from Jefferson County
who gave their lives
in the Great War,
who do not lie
in this graveyard.
They lie somewhere in France,
but their memory remains here
along with the memory
of these other young men
who gave the ultimate sacrifice
for their country
in the last war.
Thank you for coming.
Oh.
Oh, I can't tell you how
much this means to me
or how much it'll
mean to your grandma.
I didn't do anything, Grandpa,
but this is for you. What is it?
Sarah... I mean, Miss
Griffith sent it to you.
Oh.
Grandpa, I've got
something to show you.
Come here.
Oh.
"In memory of Ben
Walton, Lester Cardwell,
"Willie Wister and Rob Penders.
"Lest we forget."
Oh, Esther will
love you for this.
Why don't you sit in it?
The last of the chestnut.
They find their
different ways to grow.
Ben.
Ben.
Ben.
♪ There's a long,
long trail a-winding
♪ Into the land of my dreams
♪ Where the nightingales
We were all grateful for
the success of Honor Day
and to Grandma for suggesting that first
commemorative issue of The Chronicle,
but my brother Ben
and his memorial bench
will always be best remembered.
The bench is still
there for all the Waltons
and all the others who
came to remember those
who gave the best they had.
And for Ep and Sarah Griffith,
there was a rekindling
and a new beginning,
if Jim-Bob didn't grow up first.
♪ Down that long,
long trail with you ♪
Jim-Bob? JIM-BOB: Yeah?
Did you know the first valve-in-head
engine was built in 1902?
What about it?
I'll bet you don't know
who Alice H. Ramsey was.
I don't even care who she was.
She drove from New York to
Oakland, California in 1909.
The first woman to
drive from coast to coast.
No kidding? In a
Maxwell-Briscoe.
You sure didn't know
anything a couple of days ago.
Well, I'm not gonna
be just a wife, you know.
Good night, Erin.