MAN NARRA TIN G: There's a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea.
He is a fisher of men,
the last hope of all those who have been left behind.
Many survivors claim to have felt his gripping hands beneath them,
pushing them up to the surface,
whispering strength until help could arrive.
But this, of course, is only a legend.
MAN: Help!
Over here!
Sherilyn!
Help!
Ma'am, I'm a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.
I'm here to help you.
Sir, stay with your flotation. I'll be back for you.
-Don't leave me! -Just stay there.
Don't you leave me!
CREWMAN: Basket is outside the cabin door and going down.
PILO T 1: Roger. Copy you.
Forward and right 30. Forward and right 15.
Right 15.
Ho, ho, ho!
Basket is in the water.
Swimmer and survivor are at the basket.
Put your head in first.
(GASPING )
(COUGHING )
I gotta get out!
Easy, forward.
BEN: Let go! Let go.
Let go. You're drowning her!
Swimmer just popped him in the face.
Okay, he's putting the man in the basket.
The man is in the basket.
We're taking the load.
(SCREAMS )
Whoa, big wave.
Get out! Get out! What's wrong with you?
Sit there and shut up.
Swimmer in sight.
Prepare to take the load.
I have the ready-for-pickup signal.
Swimmer is approaching cabin door.
Survivor looks unconscious.
Swimmer inside the cabin door.
(MAN COUGHS )
Cabin door closing.
I think you just broke my nose.
And you may have killed your wife, sir.
Twenty minutes to Kodiak.
CREWMAN: Roger. He's giving her CPR.
PILO T 1: Comstate Kodiak, this is Coast Guard 6096.
We have two hypothermic survivors onboard.
We'll be there in 20 minutes.
Requesting to have an ambulance on-scene when we land.
CREWMAN: Whoa, there we go.
(CREWMAN LAUGHING )
- PILO T 2: Got her? -Got her!
(COUGHS )
Attaway, baby.
There's dead,
then there's dead.
CREWMAN: I swear, you get better with age.
-Had to hit him, huh? -Yeah.
You are not. You stay over there! You stay over there!
Seems like it's always the big ones that crack.
Lieutenant.
Crew said that she went under. They thought you'd lost her.
Lucky guess.
Luck, my ass.
(MAN CHA TTERIN G ON RADIO )
-I didn't think you were serious. -Of course you didn't, Ben.
How could you possibly think I was serious?
I'm not some nameless drowning victim.
Oh, gee, I'm sorry saving lives doesn't jive with our social...
That's...
That's my chair.
Oh, he's right. Not that chair.
I'm sorry. I was just pointing things out in the living room. He didn't know.
I would never take your chair.
Pick it up, would...
Doesn't have to be messy, Ben.
It's clean, simple for both of us. We don't have kids.
Well, what about Friday?
What about Friday?
We were gonna go with Carl and Bridget, you know,
to that dinner-dance thing at the base.
The base? All-you-can-eat wings?
A dart game to settle the tab? That's the date that we can't break?
-You're right. You're right. -Wow.
Look, we'll... We'll go away, all right? Just us.
It's too late, Ben.
I don't know what I can say to you that I haven't said already.
It's time for me to rescue myself.
(PHONE RINGING )
Maybe... Maybe I should be the one to move out.
HELEN'S VOICE: Hi, you've reached Helen.
BEN'S VOICE: And Ben.
Leave a message.
You don't even know where anything is in this house.
It's much easier this way.
DISPA TCHER ON PHONE: Senior Chief, please report to base.
I can... I can fix this, all right? I...
I can...
I can fix this.
Just tell me what to do.
Tell me what to do.
(PAGER BEEPING )
-Just let me go. -No.
You should answer that.
MAN: Ready rescue helo 6096. Swimmer One, return to base.
-I don't wanna lose her. -Then change.
Ben, how many times have we had this conversation?
The only way for you to save it is to give this up and fly a desk.
Exactly. She just wants to live.
Hey, maybe we can get a hobby. Both of us.
Something like fishing.
-Fishing? -Yeah.
Guys like us don't fish, Carl.
It'll work out. Always does.
Let me ask you something, seriously. Is it too soon for me to ask her out?
I guess so.
BO A T CAPTAIN: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
This is cargo vessel Seaqueen.
We're at 55 degrees, 12 minutes north.
167 degrees, 10 minutes west.
We're taking on water.
We're abandoning ship. I repeat, abandoning ship.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Son, look at me. Look at me. You're gonna be okay. Got that?
Got that? We're gonna be okay.
Okay.
(ALARM BEEPING )
PILO T 2: We have a tail rotor de-ice caution light.
-Any secondaries? -No.
Circuit breakers are in, so it definitely has failed,
but we're not building up any ice.
-How's the fuel? -Forty minutes to bingo.
-All right, take the stick. -Okay, I have the controls.
All right, huddle time, boys.
We have a de-ice fail. We're low on fuel.
The rulebook says we cut our losses. What do you think, Ben?
Well, we go home, they die, Bill.
PILO T: Ops Cent Kodiak, Ops Cent Kodiak, this is Coast Guard 6096.
We have a tail rotor de-ice caution light,
but we are pressing on.
6096, keep us updated on your status.
-6096... -Get the maintenance chief on the line.
I wanna know what he thinks about this.
(MEN SCREAMING )
(HELICOPTER WHIRRING )
PILO T: Computer's saying the winds are 60 to 85 knots.
I'm turning your bear alt off.
-You're on your own with altitude hold. -PILO T 1: Roger.
Lower! Lower! Right side. Debris in water.
-Request to open cabin door. -PILO T 1: Roger. Open door.
PILO T 2: Kodiak Ops, 6096 is on-scene.
We have heavy debris in the water. Commencing cover search.
Mark and note position.
I'm going in.
They're dead, Ben. Ben, they're dead!
We don't know that.
There's six PIWs all tied together. No signs of life.
I think we may be too late.
Not our call. They're on-scene. They'll make the assessment.
Requesting to get wet, sir.
I ain't sending you fishing for bodies, not in this.
Well, how about fathers and sons?
Flare! Flare! We got a live one here. We got a live one!
You got five minutes, then we're hauling your ass back up.
PILO T 1: Kodiak Ops, this is Coast Guard 6096.
We have people in the water, and we are deploying our swimmer.
6096, Kodiak Ops, copy.
CARL: One's holding the flare. I see no other movement.
PILO T 1: Roger that.
CARL: Swimmer's ready to deploy.
-Check swimmer. -Roger. Checking swimmer.
Swimmer's dressed out. Checklist is complete.
Five minutes.
Swimmer's away.
Swimmer's okay.
-Clear to move back and left 30. -Clear back and left.
PILO T 1: How we looking on fuel there?
Two minutes to bingo.
I'm a Coast Guard rescue swimmer here to help you, son.
You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you in that helicopter.
-I have the ready-for-pickup signal. -Roger.
Basket is going out the cabin door.
Bingo. We're at bingo. Gotta go.
CARL: Ease it back.
-Basket is in the water! -We're out of time. We gotta go, Carl.
Hold position. Steady. Hold.
He's putting the survivor in the basket.
Your rad alt's going crazy.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm all over the place.
Come on, Carl, we gotta go now!
I don't have a ready-for-pickup signal yet.
Whoa! Carl! Behind you!
Holy shit!
We lost our tail rotor!
PILO T 1: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
Coast Guard 6096 is going down!
Mayday! Mayday! 6096 is going in.
(GASPING )
Carl. I'm here.
Carl.
Hold on, Carl. Hold on.
They'll be coming for us.
I got you. You're okay now.
You're okay. I'm here, Carl.
(GASPING )
We're okay. Hang on. I got you.
-CARL: You think they're coming? -Oh, yeah, they're coming.
I want a C-130 over that crash site now.
Lieutenant Krauss, start the mishap checklist.
Aye, Captain.
Captain, I've got an EPIRB hit on Randall's survivor suit.
Launch ready helos. Swimmer provide.
We have a C-130 coming off a case off Attu. It's already low on fuel.
I don't care. Have them cut an engine.
I want him to know he's not alone out there.
Listen. Listen.
(AIRCRAFT APPROACHING )
You hear that?
Hold on, Carl. Here we go, Carl. I got you.
What's the ETA on the backup helo?
Helo's en route to Cold Bay.
They should be on-scene, three, maybe four hours.
Make it three.
(COUGHING )
Jesus. How much more of that stuff do you think I got in me?
Feel that?
-You feel that? -Yeah.
That means you're alive. I'm not gonna let go.
-Don't you! -I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna.
(HELICOPTER WHIRRING )
DOCTOR: ...serious fractures, like in the C-spine,
which could cause paralysis.
Mostly what we see is old fractures in the arms, also in the leg,
but nothing acute. Nothing new with this injury, luckily.
We just hope the kidneys kick in
and start to help him resolve a lot of that fluid.
Thank you very much.
We've been friends a long time, haven't we?
I've always been good to you, haven't I?
Didn't promote you to a desk when you turned 40 like everybody else.
That's right.
All right, so now I need you to listen to me.
Okay.
There's an instructor opening at "A" School, that...
No. The answer is no.
You just said you'd listen. Sit down.
I'm not interested, Captain.
Well, it's no longer a request, Senior Chief. Sit down.
You're serious?
You have two choices.
Sign the papers today and you can live life as a civilian here in Kodiak,
if that's what you want.
Or you can take that "A" School opening I'm offering you.
I've already spoken to command down there.
It will be your class. You will be in charge.
You can take the time to work your way back into shape.
I am in shape.
God damn it, that's not what I'm talking about.
Ben, all I'm asking is that you go down there for a few months.
You work with the kids, you recharge.
Download that epic résumé where it's gonna do some good.
You can't always be the one in the water, Ben.
You'll know when you're ready to come back.
You people got 15 seconds to get off this bus.
Move! Move! Let's go! Get off the bus!
(CHATTERING )
INSTRUCTOR 1: Hurry up. INSTRUCTOR 2: Let's go, let's go.
INSTRUCTOR 1: Put your white books in your red bags.
Let's get that squared away now. Put those books away.
INSTRUCTOR 2: Females, grab your bags, fall out to the rear.
Follow Chief Flight and Petty Officer Hall.
The rest of you, pick a bunk, put on your ODUs.
You started with 15 minutes, you are now down to 12.
Move! Move, move, move!
Move it out. Get changed out of those working blues.
Hurry up. Move it out.
Find your rack. Quit wasting my time.
Hey. Hey! That's my stuff, man.
Hey, that's his bunk.
You two a couple?
It's okay. I like the top better anyway.
CAPTAIN: Out of the 39,000 men and women
who make up the United States Coast Guard,
there are only 280 rescue swimmers.
Let's go! Let's go, mermaids!
This is because we are the Coast Guard's elite.
We are the best of the best.
When storms shut down entire ports, we go out.
When hurricanes ground the United States Navy, we go out.
And when the holy Lord himself reaches down from heaven
and destroys his good work with winds that rip houses off the ground,
we go out.
And the attrition rate at this school is well over 50% .
So if by some miracle you actually have what it takes to become one of us,
then you get to live a life of meager pay
with the distinct possibility of dying slow, cold and alone
somewhere in the vast sea.
However, you also get the chance to save lives,
and there is no greater calling in the world than that.
So, ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Welcome to "A" School.
Are there any questions?
JAKE: Captain, Airman Fischer. Just have one question.
That guy who holds all them records, is he still alive?
Why do you ask?
I just thought you ought to let him know
I'm about to knock his name off that board.
CAPTAIN: Really? Why don't you let him know yourself?
He's standing right behind you in the back of the room.
Class, turn around and greet Senior Chief Ben Randall.
Senior Chief Randall will be your lead instructor for the next 18 weeks.
Senior Chief Randall is one of the most decorated rescue swimmers
in the history of the United States Coast Guard.
Ben, would you care to address the class?
No, I think there's been enough talk for one day.
Chief Skinner, they're all yours.
SKINNER: Attention on deck.
-Carry on. -Aye, Captain.
PT test begins at 0700 tomorrow.
Class dismissed. You will file through the front door.
First row first, followed by the second.
Frank.
"When God rips houses off the ground"?
I was rolling.
And I didn't mean to put you on the spot up there.
And I was real sorry to hear about your crew.
Come on. I'll show you around.
-So I hear you're staying in a single? -Yeah.
Helen's got some family business she's gotta take care of up there.
MAN ON RADIO: Mayday, mayday, mayday!
This is Ballmariner! Ballmariner!
We are on fire! We are on fire!
(GRUNTS )
(ALARM BEEPING )
(WHISTLE BLOWING )
INSTRUCTOR: Go!
-Let's go, let's go, let's go! -Let's go, logs.
Let's move it out! Let's move it out!
Work as a team! Work as a team!
-Two lines. -Two lines.
Do you understand me?
Yes, Petty Officer Hall.
Very well, let's try it. Lean and rest!
Pop tall.
CADETS: Oorah!
-What the hell was that? -HALL: That was terrible.
INSTRUCTOR: That was the worst I've ever seen.
That was terrible.
Let's try that again.
CADETS: Twenty-two. SKINNER: Come on!
-Up! -Twenty-three.
Down. Up.
-Twenty-four. -Get that ass down, Cable!
-Up! -Twenty-five.
That is absolutely horrible.
Pop tall to the lone pine and back! Go!
Move your ass! Let's move it! Get it going!
Let's go.
Bring them back.
-Circle back! -HALL: Let's go! Get back here!
-Get back in line! -INSTRUCTOR: Let's move!
-Back in formation. -Let's move, move, move!
Back in formation.
Lean and rest. Senior Chief on deck.
(GRUNTS )
(CADETS PANTING )
Pop tall.
CADETS: Oorah!
I don't care who you are,
where you are from or where you are going.
I care about one thing and one thing only.
That is the future victims that you will be asked to save.
If I feel that you will fail them, I will fail you, understood?
Yes, Senior Chief!
Hodge. Where are you from, Hodge?
I'm from Teaneck, New Jersey, Senior Chief!
Hodge is our triple repeat.
Do you plan on making it this time, threepeat?
I really hope to, Senior Chief.
Yeah, well, hope don't float, Hodge.
You better start to learn to swim against the current and not with it.
Aye, aye, Senior Chief.
Fisch.
Fisch. Why are you here, Fisch?
I'm here to exceed your expectations, Senior Chief.
I'm a rescue swimmer at heart, born, bred and water-fed. Oorah!
Wow. I bet you practiced that all morning.
Mr. Fischer is our high school swim champ.
He's had scholarships to every lvy League.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that he was so qualified.
I mean, you set records in a pool?
That's amazing.
I'll bet it was like, what, eight feet deep in the deep end?
What if your nose plug didn't work?
What if another swimmer had cut into your lane?
(SNICKERING )
For the love of God, you could have been killed.
Your schedule says that you will perform a PT test this morning.
That will not be necessary.
Water is where you've been called to serve.
Water is where you will be tested.
(WHISTLE BLOWS )
This will serve in place of your PT in-test.
This is a golno-go exercise.
You will tread water for one hour.
You touch the wall, you fail. You touch the bottom, you fail.
You fail and you go home.
Senior, this school operates on a two-challenge rule.
You can't throw them out on their first day.
If you cannot survive in a warm pool of water,
then you have no business being here. Does this class understand?
CADETS: Yes, Senior Chief!
Oorah, Class 5506.
Now, who here can tell me the rescue swimmer's motto?
"So others may live," Senior Chief!
Oh, I feel safer already.
You willing to sacrifice your life so others may live, Goldfish?
Yes, I am, Senior Chief.
You will have to earn that right. I want all of you to think about that.
There's going to come a time
when you reach the point of exhaustion and you wanna give up.
Question is, will you?
SKINNER: There are three letters that will set you free.
DOR. Drop on Request.
Look at that.
Waste of time.
-You all right? -Hey. Come on, stay up.
(CADETS GRUNTING )
CADET 1: Somebody help him out.
Hey, he's going under, man!
CADET 2: Help him out.
Come on!
-Help him out. -Help him out!
Guys, relax, man!
Come on.
CADET 3: Come on, man.
You're dismissed.
-I cramped up. -You're gone.
INSTRUCTOR 1: Let's go, Lyons, out of the water. Hurry up.
-Let's go. -INSTRUCTOR 1: Let's go.
On your feet.
First lesson in physics, people: muscle does not float.
Petty Officer Watson, pull them out of the pool.
Aye, aye, Senior Chief.
Let's go, people, out of the water.
(WHISTLE BLOWS )
Hurry up! Let's move, people!
Hurry up! Hurry up!
Class leader, right here.
I thought you said you were willing to sacrifice your life for another.
I am, Senior Chief.
Then why didn't you save your teammate
when he reached out for you?
I wasn't aware we were working as a team, Senior Chief.
That's the only way we work, swim champ.
Aye, aye, Senior Chief.
( O Z O MA TLI PLA YIN G SATURDAY NIGHT)
Asshole.
-Come again? -You heard me.
Hey, hey, hey! Ease up! Ease up!
-It's not worth it. -Come on.
Good news, Lyons. I think there's an opening on my buoy tender.
I'll put in a word for you, huh?
I'm really gonna miss that guy.
-Hey, man, what are you doing? -Got your bunk back.
-Captain. -CAPTAIN: Ben. Come in.
You work fast.
Lyons, he was one of our top candidates.
Sometimes you gotta shoot a hostage.
Look, we all know that you're a legend and all,
but our program has been proven to work.
There's a gap between training and what really happens out there, Cujo.
-Oh, really? -That's right.
My intention is to narrow that gap.
Now, if someone has a problem with that idea,
I'd like to hear about it.
Is this how it's gonna be, sir?
Yes, it is.
-Permission to be dismissed, sir? -CAPTAIN: Granted.
Let's go. Let's go. Keep it together. Look tight!
Keep it together. Let's go. Let's move.
You've got three minutes to get this gear on. All of it.
WATSON: Set! Go!
(KASABIAN PLA YIN G CLUB FOOT)
INSTRUCTOR: Let's go.
Are you ready?
(WHISTLE BLOWS )
Come on, rescue swimmer!
Don't quit on me.
Do you hear me?
Pop tall! Pop tall! Pop tall!
(CADETS ROARING )
If you make a mistake, just fess up to it. Take your licks and we'll press on.
Everybody now is gonna pay for your potty mouth.
-Down. Up. -CADETS: One!
Down.
-Up. -CADETS: Three!
Down. Up.
CADETS: Five! Six!
-Forward. -Seven!
Are you crazy?
I'm the commander! Get up!
-CADETS: Oorah! -Get down! Get down!
CADETS: Oorah!
(CADETS SHOUTING )
Go.
(GRUNTS )
Oorah.
Oorah!
Can you die from chlorine poisoning?
I can't feel my legs. I'm serious.
I don't know about you guys, but I feel good.
This Randall guy, he's operating on some whole other cylinder.
What is it, two weeks, and he's failed almost half the class already?
He's a legend.
They say he's got something like 200 saves.
I heard it was 300.
Who cares what his number is?
If he's such a stud, what's he doing here?
How we feeling, boys?
Hey, Z, where you going?
My sister's best friend is getting married,
and they're having a big reception downtown.
I promised her I'd go.
Wait, you said wedding reception?
(TIRES SCREECHING )
(LISA LA VIE PLA YIN G THE MOCKINGBIRD)
-Congratulations. -Thanks.
Hi.
-Congratulations. -Hi.
Nice to meet you.
BEN: Yes, Kodiak, Alaska. The number for Helen Randall.
Okay, try Helen Freeman.
You betcha.
(PHONE RINGING )
HELEN'S VOICE: Hi, you've reached Helen. Leave a message.
BEN ON PHONE: Helen, it's Ben. Jesus, that was weird.
Haven't had to use your maiden name since we were kids.
Helen, if you're there, just pick up. We need to talk.
Please.
(PHONE BEEPS OFF)
All right. All right.
To those who have fallen, to those who have survived Phase 1.
-Cheers. -LINDSE Y: Cheers.
-Oorah, oorah, oorah. -Guys, this is great.
And to our gal Lindsey. You can rescue me anytime.
-Did he just say that? -You did not just say that.
You know what, Doran? You, I think I might actually let drown.
ALL: Oh!
(MAGGIE SINGING HOLD ON I'M CO MIN G)
Hey, Senior Chief.
Ben, she's hot tonight.
This place has not changed.
-From Kodiak, Alaska... -Don't.
...Senior Chief Ben Randall is in the house,
big as day and still alive.
I must owe somebody money.
-You're terrible. -Oh, Ben.
I heard a rumor you were gonna be teaching here in town.
If that ain't the karmic wheel spinning, I don't know what is.
Well. To the prodigal's return.
-Where's your better half? -She decided to stay home.
-Oh. -Work stuff.
Yeah. Winter in Kodiak. Let me see. Winter in Louisiana.
-All right, stop. Stop. -"She decided to stay home."
Well, it's a good thing we got a full bottle and half the night.
Yes, we do.
Check it out. She's staring at you.
That girl right there is not staring at me.
Did you just point at her?
-Did she see you point? -I don't know.
All right, now you gotta go talk to her. You gotta go make a move.
-Yeah. -I can't.
I just don't feel comfortable right now talking to women.
You're telling me you wanna jump out of helicopters
-for a living... -You're talking to me.
...but you can't go talk to a girl?
-That's exactly what I was telling you. -You're smooth.
All right, look, I'm gonna help you out here.
I'll show you how it's done.
Pick out the hottest girl in here. I'll take her home.
-Oh, gosh. -Okay.
-Here he go, now. -No, how about I will find the girl?
All right.
-Okey-doke. -Who you thinking?
Make sure she's hot.
-Where you looking? -Okay.
At the bar. Two o'clock.
-Yes. -That's a good one.
CADET: There's no way in hell she's talking to you.
-That one? -Yeah, that one.
Hundred bucks says she shuts you down
in less than a minute.
Boom.
-That looks like a bet to me, Jake. -That's a bet.
All right. All right.
Hundred bucks says I close in less than a minute.
Oh, absolutely.
-Hats off, man. -Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Clock starts when I talk to her.
That's fine.
CADET: This is gonna be embarrassing.
All right, buddy.
CADET: What do you think? What do you got?
-You think he's gonna do it? -CADET 2: Yeah.
(TAD ROBINS ON PLA YIN G HOLD TIGHT)
Evening, ma'am. Can I buy you a drink?
I don't think so.
You don't know what you're missing.
You sure you wanna go with that one?
That's, like, your top-of-the-line, A-game material?
See, the way I see it, you got two choices here:
walk away from me,
or walk out of here with me and split the cash.
Cash?
What cash?
The money you bet your friends you could pick me up.
See, that makes me nervous.
She's shutting him down.
How much time you got left?
-About 20 seconds. -Shall we?
-LINDSE Y: Oh, my gosh. -No way.
It looks like they're leaving the bar together, is what I see.
CADET 2: No way!
You have got to be kidding me.
-Unbelievable. -How did he do that?
-I'm impressed. -I'm impressed.
There's a bar outside your base called Maggie's. You know it?
Yeah.
Good. Meet me there next Friday around 8:00?
-You got a name? -Yeah.
Don't forget my money.
(ENGINE STARTING )
You got a middle name?
You do realize I can't go back in there.
(ALARM BUZZING )
This is the sound of death knocking.
SAR alarms and sleep deprivation are part...
Where the hell are they?
You know, the first stages of hypothermia are the most critical.
Why?
Because you still have the ability to think. Say it.
CADETS: You still have the ability to think.
The decisions you make during this stage
are gonna determine whether you live or die.
There a reason you're not breathing, Goldfish?
Is there a reason why you're not breathing?
(SHUDDERING )
I don't know anyone who can stay alive without breathing
for 15 minutes, Senior Chief.
Are you a coroner?
Because pronouncing people dead is not part of our job description.
What do we always say?
CADETS: There's dead and then there's dead.
We never stop, Jake, not from the cabin to the tarmac.
-We never stop. -Aye, aye, Senior Chief.
-Understood? -CADETS: Yes, Senior Chief.
Okay, Jake, in the pool. Hodge, you're up.
You're with the dummy.
All right, now. Three letters.
Three letters will get you people a cup of hot coffee and a blanket.
What do you say, Goldfish?
I'm actually not that cold anymore, Senior Chief.
You're not cold anymore because blood is moving
from your outer extremities to your heart.
That's why your arms won't work.
You can plan on spending roughly 60% of your career
in a mildly hypothermic state.
Senior Chief, may I have a word?
Sir?
Why wasn't I informed of this? You know, we have classrooms.
Your assignment is to simply teach the stages of hypothermia.
Sir, in about two and a half minutes, they'll understand.
Permission to carry on, sir?
Go ahead.
(GROANING )
Three letters, people, will get you a hot cup of coffee and a warm blanket.
What do you say, Class 5506?
CADETS: Oorah.
BEN: This is an oxygen-deprivation anaerobic exercise.
You and your partner will push your brick
along the bottom of the pool, down and back.
If you need air, you may surface. One breath.
Your partner must remain underwater until you return.
Your brick can only move while both of you are touching it.
If you both surface, you both fail.
This exercise is designed to teach you teamwork.
On my whistle, drop your gear, enter the pool and pair up.
I said one breath, Sunkist. Let's go!
-I can't. -Come on!
-I can't. -"I can't."
Get your ass out of the pool! Let's go!
Come on! Lean and rest.
You wanna quit, just quit now. I could use those new shoes.
Senior Chief, we got a problem.
Somebody's missing.
Jesus Christ.
That's gotta be a new record. Oorah.
I'm so sick of records. Go get him.
You think I'm impressed because you can hold your breath, Goldfish?
I wouldn't venture to say what would impress you, Senior Chief.
All right. Get him out of the pool. We're done for the day.
Out of the pool, Fischer. Let's move.
-Oorah! -Move your ass.
Pop tall, Sunkist.
INSTRUCTOR: Out of the pool. Out of the pool.
Records.
Never stare directly into the flame, people.
It will impair your night vision.
SKINNER: This is a Mark 58 flare. This is what it looks like.
It'll light up a 50-foot swath of water
and can be detected by infrared miles out.
This is a demonstration model.
The normal one will burn for 40 to 60 minutes.
INSTRUCTOR: Hey, pay attention.
The Mark 58 is used to reference the wind, to detect a current.
Petty Officer Watson is gonna talk a little bit more about that.
(ECHOIN G)
Five minutes.
WATSON: The vessel you're looking at right now,
people, is listing to the port side.
As a rescue swimmer, when you get to the door of the helicopter,
you need to look down and pay attention
to what you really have down there.
It's very important that you understand your limitations.
Limitations without understanding are gonna get you killed.
Case in point, this vessel's trapped in pancake ice in the Bering Sea.
And as you can see, the crew are out on the deck
in a relatively manageable hoisting position.
But suddenly...
Those pieces of ice can weigh in upwards of thousands of pounds.
Now imagine yourself trapped in between 2,000-pound pieces of ice
trying to free-swim.
Thank you, Chief.
Next scenario, Petty Officer Watson.
WATSON: Before you leave that helicopter, going down to a...
Standardization is one of the reasons we were so successful during Katrina.
We had crews come in from all over the country,
but it didn't matter, because we have all been trained the same way.
I didn't know my pilot, I didn't know my copilot,
I didn't know my flight mechanic. But guess what?
It didn't matter, because...
That's why we do it.
So you have to get your mind wrapped around that idea.
When that helicopter starts going, when the wind starts coming...
CADETS: Twenty! HALL: Down! Up!
-Twenty-one! -Down! Up!
-Twenty-two! -Down! Up!
Twenty-three!
-Two! -Down!
-Up! -Three!
(CADETS CHANTING )
Don't need no land Don't need no tree
Out in the water That's where I wanna be
( SHeDAIS Y PLA YIN G SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT)
-Hey, Mags, can I have a beer? -MAGGIE: Sure.
Well, well.
So you are gonna have a drink with me.
No, I'm having a drink near you. Entirely different thing.
You're a regular lightning rod, aren't you?
-What's your name? -Daisy Buchanan.
You're lying, Daisy Buchanan.
-There is that possibility. -No.
That was a sure-fire lie.
So I take it you've read The Great Gatsby.
-Where's my money? -It's not on me.
But it is close. In a very safe place.
Now, I've drawn a map with a complex set of clues.
Each one is more fiendishly clever than the last.
That works, too.
This is just a picture of your pants.
Yeah, but it's a bad picture, which is what makes it so fiendishly clever.
Nice.
How did Emily Thomas become a schoolteacher?
Well, how does Jake Fischer become a guy
who wants to jump out of helicopters?
I killed a couple guys and had to get out of Dodge.
-You're lying. -There is that possibility.
The truth.
My bull-riding career was going down the drain.
-Okay, that's better. -All right, now you.
(MAGGIE SINGING LO VE AND HAPPINESS)
I really should go.
Go? What? No, you're not going.
We're just starting to have fun. You're insulting my drawing.
No, you were insulting your drawing.
Although, to be fair, it's a pretty lame drawing.
All right. Well, you can't go, 'cause you owe me a dance.
No, I don't think so.
Well, then, I'm gonna have to take that money back,
'cause I wouldn't feel right taking the money...
Look, every 18 weeks, a new bunch of you guys comes in,
all looking to score with the local talent.
I live here. I work here.
It's a good thing I'm just asking for a dance, then.
Okay, one dance.
No attachments. Just casual.
I'm a guy. I can do casual.
Mmm-hmm.
I am the king of casual.
There's just one thing, though.
You're gonna have to stop undressing me with your eyes,
'cause there's no way you're getting me into bed.
Hey, you.
I gotta get to work.
-I'm late. I fell asleep. -What...
-They're gonna kill me. -They won't kill you.
This isn't like school.
They don't hand out tardies in the military.
-You smell really good. -I smell like you.
-He never came back? -Nope.
Wow.
Four years as lead instructor, I never had one go missing.
All right, take the others to the pool. I'll catch up.
Aye, aye, Senior.
(DOOR OPENING )
(DOOR CLOSING )
(SKINNER SINGING )
(CADETS SINGING )
Oh, God, there they are. Stop. Stop the car. Stop.
-Here? -Yes.
-Okay. -I'll call you.
You better. Bye.
EMILY: Jake! Jake! Jake!
SKINNER: Airman Fischer's coming in late, yeah
Here.
CADETS: Airman Fischer's coming in late, yeah
Hi.
Must be nice to go out on a date, yeah
Oh, my goodness, look at this.
Look at this. "Freshman Leads Team to State Title."
That's you.
Holy smokes.
"At only 16, Jake Fischer displays the traits of a seasoned athlete.
"One thing's for sure: the future looks bright for this young competitor."
Guess they didn't know you were gonna flunk out of "A" School.
(LOCKER DOOR SLAMMING )
You have a nice evening?
Get dressed.
(CADETS GROANING )
Think we need another brick. Bring it in.
Goldfish.
(CADETS GROANING )
Thanks to Mr. Fischer's extracurricular activities,
you have all now gone 36 hours without sleep.
Blow it.
Class leader, you are done. Form it up in the shallow end.
Aye, Senior Chief!
Class 5506, form it up!
No. No, no, no. You're with me.
I'm a rescue swimmer, yes, I am
I'm here to pull your ass out of this jam
I jump from the helo and swing from the cable
All right, knock it off.
I am having a hard time figuring you out, Fischer.
I mean, you like seeing your picture in the paper.
In it for the glory, maybe a few chicks. Am I right?
But when it comes down to it,
you will choose yourself over them every time,
like you did on the first day in the pool,
like you did yesterday by missing muster.
Won't happen again, Senior Chief!
Why don't you do us both a big favor and quit?
I'm a rescue swimmer, yes, I am
I'm here to pull your ass out of this jam
I jump from the helo and swing from the cable
I'm not Tarzan I'm just willing and able
Give me something else, Senior Chief.
CADETS: Thirty!
Thirty-one!
Thirty-two!
Thirty-three!
Thirty-four!
Thirty-five!
Thirty-six!
Stop. Drop them.
Senior Chief's on deck. Pop tall.
CADETS: Oorah!
Morning, class.
Today we were going to learn
about how to approach a drowning victim in high seas,
but I think there are some here who aren't interested in that victim.
Fact, I think there's some in this class
who aren't interested in saving lives at all.
I believe there are some
who are more interested in setting records.
So today is record day.
(BLACK REBEL MO TORC YCLE CLUB PLA YIN G AIN'T NO EAS Y WAY)
5:28.
Put one on the board for Goldfish.
Wow, he's fast.
He's good.
You got it, man! You got it, Fisch!
Another record. Chalk it up, Chief.
-Get some. -You are the man!
You people do not deserve to be in the same pool as Jake.
He's destroying you.
Wow, look at him go! He's fast!
Wow, he's fast.
Come on, you're all fighting for second. Just first loser.
This is fun.
We'll pass out trophies later.
Unbelievable.
You want me to pull these pansies out?
-You do not wanna hear about my day. -Yeah, I do.
Man, this guy Randall...
You know, it doesn't matter what I do. It's just not good enough.
Well, maybe he's just trying to push you to be better.
You know, we teachers do that to the ones we believe in.
No, it's personal with me.
He knows that I'm better than he was.
I mean, today, I broke every one of his records.
I own them all.
Not all of them.
There's one record you won't break.
This is the Aegis.
Medical ship. Caught on fire.
It was a nightmare. People burning in their beds.
And Ben Randall got every one of those people off there,
except for this one guy.
And right when the ship started to go down,
he reaches down and grabs this guy.
He's hanging from the cable with this man's life in his hands,
and the winch jams.
It's 20 minutes to the base. The man's screaming.
Ben looks him dead in the eye, and you know what he said?
He said, "I won't let go."
What happened?
MAGGIE: Dislocated his shoulder, tore every tendon in his hand.
But he didn't let go.
Twenty minutes, just fingertips.
You break that record and you give me a call.
My day was all right.
( ABB Y AHMAD PLA YIN G TRl-ME)
So here's my thinking. We should go on a date.
-Well, what do you call this? -No, no, no.
I'm talking about, like, a real date.
You know, with, like, a nice restaurant, some nice clothes.
I'll get you some flowers.
I thought we agreed to keep this casual.
Look, it's one steak. What is...
One steak is not gonna forge some kind of a lasting emotional bond.
I'm serious.
Yeah?
-Yeah. -So am I.
It's one dinner. What's it gonna hurt?
Well, if you ordered a steak, I'd imagine a cow would be involved.
What do you have, an art gallery over here? What is this "2"?
It's so the guy behind me knows what place he's coming in.
What about this one?
That is the initials of the guys on my high school relay team.
A drunken celebration gone wrong?
Something like that.
-So, about this date. -God. It's just dinner, right?
No flowers, where we will discuss nothing emotional or important?
I am fully prepared
to do an entire hour on nothing but the Chicago Bears.
And we can have completely meaningless sex
immediately afterwards.
You think I'm gonna sleep with you on our first date?
Think again.
(CHUCKLING )
You just head-butted me.
I'm gonna teach you the breaststroke.
It's pretty complicated, different than that of the butterfly.
I guess I can't sleep.
Well, of course you can't.
Your wife left you. Your best friend died.
You sound like a damn country song.
If you had a dog, he'd be run over by now.
-So, did she send you papers? -Yeah.
And did you read them?
No, I did not.
Well, you think you might ought to?
You know, there never was anyone else, Mags.
Like hell, Ben.
You're a bigamist.
You been married to the Coast Guard all along.
Give me that shoulder.
You probably swum it out of socket trying to prove you're still 19.
Am I right?
When the heck did we get old?
Hell, I've always been old, Ben.
You know what, though? I don't mind.
I mean, if my muscles ache, it's 'cause I've used them.
If it's hard for me to walk up them steps now,
it's 'cause I walked up them every night to lay next to a man who loved me.
I got a few wrinkles here and there,
but I've laid under thousands of skies on sunny days, yeah.
I look and feel this way, well, 'cause I drank and I smoked,
I lived and I loved, and danced, sang, sweat
and screwed my way through a pretty damned good life,
if you ask me.
Getting old ain't bad, Ben.
Getting old, that's earned.
(GRUNTS )
BEN: There will come a time when you might have to decide
who lives and dies out there.
It's a terrible responsibility,