It was a long time ago.
Sometimes I can still hear their voices
across Sally's woods.
There was Billy, Steve, Tommy,
and the tall kid from down the street...Joey.
Yeah, it was Joey Walsh.
My best friend was Timmy Burns
who lived two blocks away from me.
We turned the woods into a battlefield
and dreamed that someday we would become men.
Did you hear it?
What?
Let's go, Timmy! Let's go!
Come on, Major!
They've got to be somewhere, Ronnie.
Watch out.
You've got to stay in the ravine.
Shh.
Go! Go! Go!
Look, there they are!
Wipe them out!
Aah!
You're dead, and you know it!
No, I'm not!
Ronnie's dead!
No, I'm not! No, I'm not!
Look at the mayor.
I wonder where your mom is.
Where is that woman?
Hey!
Hi.
3 o'clock, 4 o'clock rock
5, 6, 7 o'clock
8 o'clock rock
9, 10, 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock rock
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
Put your glad rags on
And join me, hon
We'll have some fun when the clock strikes 1:00
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
Donna!
Donna, come back here!
Get out of the way!
Hey, you boys! Stop that!
When the band slows down
We're gonna yell for more
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
Donna! Donna!
Stevie Boyer just gave Mary Barnett a ring.
Can you believe it?
Over there.
O.K.
Come here, come here.
What is this?
Is this a firecracker? What's wrong with you?
Hey!
This is boring.
Yeah, square, man.
Look, Daddy, the soldiers!
Happy birthday, Ronnie Kovic.
For me?
Yes. Open it.
That's really nice, Donna. Say thank you, Ronnie.
Thanks, Donna, but you didn't have to.
Going to the woods tonight?
They'll have fireworks there.
Should be a real blast.
Yeah, O.K.
What is it? Open it.
Leave him alone.
Beautiful.
Hey, it's the real thing, Ronnie.
Feel that.
Just like Mickey Mantle, Ronnie.
Ain't he a 4th of July firecracker in that hat?
Yeah. He's my little Yankee-Doodle boy.
Hey, get it! Get it!
Come on!
Let's go!
Did you like it?
I don't know. I don't know.
Hey, look how many push-ups I can do.
Wow! Yeah!
Yeah!
Come on, Ronnie!
Go, Ronnie, go!
Go, Ronnie! You can do it!
Go!
Yes!
Yes! That's my boy!
That's my boy!
Yes!
Ronnie, you made it!
Yeah, all right!
Tommy! Ronnie! Come on!
You're going to miss it!
Michelle! Barbara!
You've got to see this!
Not as a call to bear arms,
though arms we need,
but a call to bear the burden
of a long twilight struggle,
a struggle against the common enemies of man...
tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
You'll get a licking if you're late!
In the long history of the world,
only a few generations have been granted the role
of defending freedom...
Look, President Kennedy, Daddy.
That's right.
He's so handsome.
I do not shrink from this responsibility,
I welcome it.
Let the word go forth from this time and place
that the torch has been passed
to a new generation of Americans
born in this century.
Let every nation know
that we shall pay any price,
bear any burden,
support any friend, oppose any foe
to assure the survival
and the success of liberty.
I had a dream, Ronnie, the other night,
and you were speaking to a large crowd
just like him.
Just like him.
And you were saying great things.
And so, my fellow Americans,
ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country.
Right! Right up!
Get out! Got to get out!
You got to get out!
Hit that switch! Hit the switch!
All right, hit the ropes!
Go, go, go!
Hand over hand over hand!
Get those legs off those ropes!
Come on, ladies, let's come down!
Let's come down!
That rope is like life!
You grab it and hang onto it! Next!
I want you to kill!
You hear me?
Yes, sir!
Kill!
I want that conference championship!
Do you want that conference championship?
Yes, sir!
Get up! Heads!
Get them up! Do you hear me?
Get your heads up, ladies! Get your heads up!
I want that conference championship!
If you want to win, you got to suffer!
You want to be the best?
You got to pay the price for victory,
and the price is sacrifice!
Susanne, no homework at the table, please.
No, Tommy. After supper.
Dad?
Yeah?
Can I come with you?
There's the next conference champion.
Sorry I'm late, Ma.
There's rice on the stove
and fruit in the icebox.
I can't.
It's on your diet, right?
I got to drop 3 pounds by Saturday.
Your brother's a hard worker, Tommy,
'cause he wants to be the best.
Win or lose... in school, in sports, in life...
as long as you do your best,
that's what matters to God.
Win or lose, we still love him.
Can I go to my room?
Yeah, sure.
Thank you, God, for this food.
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, amen.
Daddy, Jimmy took my doll!
I'll get the doll.
I hate his guts!
Just go to bed.
I didn't take anything!
Where's your sister's doll?
Jackie? Why is Jackie not in bed?
Ronnie.
Where'd you get this?
Why are you in my room?
Don't change the subject.
I don't allow Playboy magazine in this house.
Stevie gave it to me.
You have filthy, impure thoughts!
God's going to punish you.
I haven't even looked at it yet, all right?
Go to confession. I want you to tell Father McKenna.
I don't want to see this filthy magazine
in my house again.
Now, take this away!
What's going on?
Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing?
Nothing, Dad. O.K.?
You're out of bounds, guys. Back inside.
Come on, Kovic, back inside. Come on, Kovic.
Go, Ronnie.
Kovic, back inside. Come on, Kovic.
Back inside. Let's go.
I want to see some explosion!
Come on, Ronnie!
No messing around!
You're great, Ronnie! You're great, Ronnie!
Stay with him!
Come on down! All right!
O.K. Get off the mat.
You're going to get...
Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him!
Reversal. 2 points!
All right!
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
Ohh, you!
One, red! You're both up.
All right, fresh start. Fresh start.
Stand up. Don't let him get you!
Don't let him get you!
Pull him out! All right!
Watch those legs. Watch him!
Get him down! Don't let him get the neck!
No! No!
No!
You can beat him, Ronnie!
Come on! Come on! Come on!
Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie!
Bridge! Bridge!
You can win! Don't give up!
Aah!
Oh, no!
O.K., son?
Oh, no.
Come on, get up.
Attention!
Forward march!
Left, left.
Left, right, left.
Seats!
Good morning.
I am Gunnery Sergeant Hayes.
This is Sergeant Bowers.
United States Marine recruiting station, Levittown, New York.
We are here today
at the request of your principal, Mr. Richards
and other members of the faculty
to tell you a little bit about the Marine Corps.
First off, young men,
let's get one thing straight.
Not everybody becomes United States Marines.
We want the best,
and we'll accept nothing but the best,
because there is nothing prouder,
nothing finer, nothing standing as straight
as a United States Marine.
Now, they've got the army.
They got the navy.
They got the air farce.
And if you want to join them,
be my guest.
But if you want a challenge...
if you want to try something difficult...
if you want to try to achieve the impossible...
you try 13 weeks of hell
at Parris Island, South Carolina,
and you'll find out if you got what it takes.
You'll find out if you really are a man,
then the marines may be what you're looking for.
Tarawa...
Iwo Jima...
Belleau Wood...
the frozen Chosin reservoir.
First to fight. We have never lost a war.
We have always come when our country's called us.
Now, Sergeant Bowers and I
would like to open this up to questions.
So if any of you young men do have questions,
go ahead and raise your hands.
Come on, now. Don't be afraid.
Don't forget, a good marine's a thinking marine.
Billy Vorsovich, sir.
When would I get to wear a uniform like you?
You can be wearing this in 13 weeks.
Go! Go!
Go, Massapequa!
Go! Go! Go!
Yay! Yay!
Hi, Donna.
Go! Go!
Go, Massapequa!
Go!
My brother's at school at Adelphi.
He said there will be a war in... What is it?
Vietnam.
The marines will be the first in,
and it won't last long.
So if we don't sign up soon, we'll miss it.
I've already decided. I'm going in.
Really?
Just like that?
I'm not waiting. I'm going in now.
You're crazy.
Our dads got to go to WW II.
This is our chance to be part of history.
Yeah, just like our dads.
Think about what you're doing.
It could be dangerous over there.
You could get yourself killed.
Where are you going, squirrel head? College?
I want to do something with my life.
I can get a degree in business administration.
You don't need to serve your country?
Don't you care about anybody but yourself?
Better dead than red.
They got missiles pointed at us everywhere. ICBMs.
Coming in all around us.
Cuba now. 90 miles away.
They're taking over.
When will we stop them?
You can't stop them by yourself.
Communism is moving in everywhere.
Where, Ronnie? I don't see them.
They're not here in Massapequa,
so I'll just take care of number one.
That's right. Me... Stevie, number one.
Someone's got to stay with the women and children
while the men go do the fighting.
All I'm saying is, think about it.
Think about it, Ronnie.
Stevie, who are you taking to the prom?
Wendy Daniels.
Wendy Daniels? Wendy Daniels?
Didn't the S.P.C.A. take her away?
Well, who are you taking, Joey, your mother?
Ronnie, who are you going to take to the prom?
You don't know her.
She's a pretty girl from Ronkonkoma.
What's her name?
You don't know her.
What's her name, Ronnie?
Her name is Lombardi.
Lombardi? Yeah.
Vince Lombardi?
Rosanna Lombardi.
She's from out of town, right?
She going to get a motel?
'Cause I'd like to get in on that.
Ronnie, would you take this to section three?
Check the stock for dog food.
Dog food.
Then finish stacking the potatoes.
Come on. Let's go.
Let's do some work for a change.
This goes in section three?
Section three.
O.K., Dad.
Hey, Donna.
Hi, Ronnie.
How you doing? How's...
Good.
I heard that you were going into the marines.
Yeah, yeah.
It's better than working at A&P.
That's great, Ronnie.
That's wonderful.
I'm going to boot camp soon.
I joined for four years,
so I go to Vietnam,
probably on the front line.
Really?
I'll see a lot of action.
Wow. That's neat.
Heard you got into that school.
The letter?
Yeah.
Yeah, Syracuse.
It's going to be really hard.
Could I... Could I talk to you in private?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
I've been meaning to call you.
I was wondering,
are you going with someone to the prom?
Yeah. I'm going with Jed.
Oh, yeah? That's great.
I mean, he's a nice guy... Jed.
Stevie Boyer told me
that you were taking some girl from Lake Ronkonkoma.
Yeah. No, no.
No?
No. I don't have time for that stuff.
There's a lot of things to take care of
before you go in the marines.
I didn't even know how much stuff.
Maybe I'll see you before I leave, O.K.?
Soldier boy
Oh, my little soldier boy
I'll be true to you
You were my first love
And you'll be my last love
I will never make you blue
I'll be true to you
In this whole world
You can love but one girl
I told you I love you.
You promised.
Let me be that one girl
For I'll be true to you
The batter is Mickey Mantle.
Mickey has two strikes
and the chance to put the Yankees
ahead in this game.
The pitcher gets his sign,
takes his stretch, checks the runners.
Here's the pitch.
Mickey swings, and he connects!
There's a long drive deep to center field!
It is going, going!
It is gone into the bleachers,
455 feet away
for Mickey's 491st home run!
How about that?
The crowd is on its feet,
giving Mickey a standing ovation.
And rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changin'
Come, senators and congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't lock up the hall
For the times, they are a-changin'
There's absolutely no question.
The First Cavalry Division
is the latest concept in mobile warfare.
One division is worth
21/2 Russian and 6 Chinese divisions.
How well will the individual soldier
stand up here in Vietnam?
What do you think, Dad, about that?
I don't know.
13,000 miles...
That's a long way to go to fight a war.
They fought the French and the Japanese
for 30 years.
Can they be weeded out?
Anything that lives in a cave
can be weeded out.
I just hope they send you to Europe or Korea or...
They can't.
Someplace safe.
Every marine has a tour of duty there.
It's not like the army.
What's wrong with you?
You served. Uncle Bob served.
I know, Ronnie. I know.
Remember what President Kennedy said?
There won't be an America anymore
unless people are willing to sacrifice.
I love my country.
I know.
And you're right, Ronnie.
You're doing the right thing.
Communism has to be stopped.
It's God's will you go.
We're proud of you. Be careful, that's all.
Up there in Hanoi,
they don't allow magazines, newspapers, and televisions
to cast doubts on the military system.
Don't you know what being a marine means to me, Dad?
Ever since I was a kid,
I've wanted to serve my country,
And I want to go.
I want to go to Vietnam,
and I'll die there if I have to.
The attitude of people on the home front
is very important in this war.
Not a nice night for the prom.
Can the South Vietnamese government
stand up to the north?
We wouldn't be here
if we didn't think so.
Sometimes, God, I'm so confused.
Sometimes I think I'd just...
like to stay here in Massapequa
and never leave...
but I got to go.
Just help me, Jesus.
Help me to make the right decision.
Please, dear God.
Ron.
Ronnie, what happened to you?
Ronnie.
What...
Oh, jeez.
Donna.
Ronnie.
Will you dance with me?
Oh, yes.
Yeah, sure.
Moon river
Wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style
Someday
Old dream maker
You heartbreaker
Wherever you're goin'
I'm goin' your way
Two drifters
Off to see the world
There's such a lot of world
To see
2- Alpha, 2-Alpha, this is 6, over.
6, 6, 2-actual, over.
2- actual, this is 6. That's a roger.
You have "boo-coo" gooks.
They're coming at you.
Echo-1's pushing them. Over.
6, 6, 2-actual.
Sit rep as follows...
Two set in on the beach.
The tracks are moving this way.
Sounds like "boo-coo" gooks in there.
I'm finally going to see one.
Relax, you'll be all right.
Where you from, Wilson?
First Battalion, Ninth Motor "T."
The sergeant major said the grunts needed replacements,
so they took me out of battalion supply.
Where are you from in the world?
Oh, Venus, Georgia.
This is my second tour.
I haven't seen a Georgia boy get hurt yet.
You'll be all right.
Echo-6, Echo-6, Snake 1-9er...
All right.
Echo-1 's taking incoming northwest edge of the ville.
We got gooks moving this way.
Look out there, Sergeant.
Can you see them?
Right there. You see them?
They got rifles.
Can you see the rifles?
Right there. You see them?
Can you see the rifles?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Pass the word.
When I give the order,
I want to light up this ville
like a mother fucking Christmas tree.
This time I think we got them! Move out.
Pass the word! Fire on command!
Wilson, come with me.
Cover that big hooch!
Fire on my command! Pass the word!
Corporal, start ranking. Fire on my command!
Cease fire!
What happened?
What the fuck are you doing?
Cease fire!
What happened?
Cease fire!
I want to know what happened!
I don't know, sir.
Possible accidental discharge, sir.
We better get a sweep team in there.
Take five men. Tell me how many we got.
Yes, sir.
Motherfucker! Baldy, on me!
Brooks! Martinez! On me!
Wilson! Wilson, on me!
2-Alpha, moving on the ville at this time. Over.
Line! Line! Line!
Ironhand for fire mission.
Stand by.
Grid... 1- 5-6-3-7-9er.
Direction...5- 800.
Gooks in the ville, Battery 6.
Victor, tango in effect.
How copy? Over.
Baldy! Baldy!
Lai dai! Lai dai!
Get him out! Get him out!
Come on, Baldy, come on.
Check it out over there! Everything out!
Baldy, get everything out!
Baldy! There! Check it out!
Echo-2, Alpha.
Echo-2, send your sit rep. Over.
Lai dai! Lai dai!
Get him out!
Check those hooches and clear ASAP.
We've got a fire mission inbound. Over.
Oh, my God.
We didn't do this, did we?
Oh, my God.
Jesus Christ.
Oh, my God.
2-Actual-2, better get down here quick,
and bring the corpsmen.
We got "boo-coo" wounded. Civilians.
Martinez, help me!
We wasted them.
Motherfucker, we wasted them!
Oh!
Det roy.
Where are the rifles?
There ain't no fucking rifles.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Well, help him then!
Help him! Help him! Help him!
Oh, what the...
I want you to help him.
Forgive us.
Help me! Somebody help me!
6, 6, 2-Actual.
Request emergency medevac.
We got a lot of friendly wounded. Over.
Get out of there!
Leave those wounded! You got arty inbound!
Get out! Get out!
Get back to the dunes!
We got gooks in the ville! Move out!
Get out! Move out!
That's a direct order!
I want you out that door!
It wasn't your fault!
They got in the way!
Get off the deck!
We got gooks in the ville!
The baby!
Get back to the dune!
The baby!
No! Move out! Let's move!
Kovic, move!
Move out!
Move! Move!
The ville is going to blow!
Aah!
Red! Abbot!
Aah!
Wilson!
Wilson's hit!
What happened?
Where's First Platoon?
For God's sake, corpsman!
Where's my "A" gunner?
Sergeant Kovic here to see you, sir.
Stand easy, Sergeant.
Yeah, Kovic, the lieutenant told me
that was a pretty rough time.
Yes, sir. It was pretty bad.
Ran into a few of them?
Yes, sir.
You want to see me about something, Sergeant?
Yes, sir.
Like I said to the captain, uh, sir...
it was a very confusing day.
The villagers...
Yeah. I know about the villagers, Sergeant.
They... The villagers...
It was very, very unfortunate.
The enemy used the villagers as cover.
Yes, sir.
They popped up, started firing.
We were running back, sir.
It was real glary.
Very confusing,
and that's when it happened, sir.
What happened?
Sir, that was when Wilson was killed, sir.
Yeah, I know about Wilson.
Sir, see...
he was the last one out,
and that's when it happened, sir.
Sir, I think I might...
I might have killed him, sir.
I don't think so.
He was coming up over the dune.
I think I might have killed him.
It's hard.
I was out a couple of weeks ago.
Sometimes it's... very hard to tell what's happening.
Yes, sir.
But, sir, I think I killed Wilson.
I don't think so, Kovic.
But, sir, I want you to know that...
Don't talk like that!
Don't tell me this shit.
I'll take your head off. Is that clear?
Yes, sir.
That clear?
Yes, sir!
All right.
Carry on.
XO ought to court-martial his ass.
Sergeant K.
Get some sugar in the blood.
Ain't no thing, Dog.
Ain't nothing but a thing, baby.
Shit, it's so hot out here I want to kill some gooks.
Dog, you're sounding like a bitch.
Ain't nothing but a thing.
Nothing but a thing.
It's so hot in this motherfucker,
this must be hell!
Or purgatory.
Where the mother fuckin' devil at?
Take cover!
Snake 1-9er airborne,
be advised machine guns
now approaching at your 12. Over.
No. No, people!
Move forward! Move forward!
Gun up! Gun up!
2! 2! 2-Alpha! Contact! Contact!
Heavy incoming from both treelines. Over.
Uhh!
Son of a bitch!
Aah!
Fuck, man!
Uh.
Aah!
Fuck!
Son of a bitch!
2-Actual!
Heavy incoming from the ville!
I'm in trouble!
2, 2, Charlie,
be advised there's more of them.
We see two squads moving in
from the left treeline.
Aah!
I'm in trouble out here!
2, Echo-6! Get out of that ville!
They're going to cut you off! Get out!
I need everything you got!
Motherfucker!
We're going down! We're going down!
I can't hold this!
Help us! Pull up! Pull up!
Aah!
God damn it!
Corpsmen...
Corpsmen... corpsmen.
Goddamn motherfucker.
Motherfucker! Motherfucker!
Motherfuckers!
We got six sucking chest wounds
and 12 crispy critters coming in!
Zap him with 250 mils of happy juice
until he crashes out.
Just get him to sleep.
Open table!
What do we have?
His kidney and liver are gone.
We better just kiss this one good-bye.
All right, take off.
There's something wrong with me.
Code blue! Code blue!
Let's go! He's code blue!
Code blue! Code blue!
Get the machine! Get the machine!
Let me in. Let me in.
Stay with me, marine. Stay with me!
Give me the shock defibs!
Stay with me now.
We're going to jump-start you. Clear!
Where's the priest? Get me a priest.
Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!
I took the Packers at minus 7.
They ain't got a chance.
How are you?
You tell them they've got to operate.
There's something wrong with me.
The doctors are real busy.
There's a lot of wounded here.
There's no time for anything
except trying to stay alive.
You got to try and stay alive. O.K.?
Try and stay alive.
I've come to give you your last rites.
Are you ready?
I'm ready, Father.
I am the resurrection and the life.
He that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live.
We brought nothing into this world,
and it's certain we can take nothing out.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I got sunshine
On a cloudy day
And when it's cold outside
I got the month of May
Eddie, I need some help in room 13.
Give me a second, man.
His catheter's plugging up.
It's backing up into his kidney.
I said I'd be there. Give me a break.
Man, what's going up?
Nothing, man.
You ain't supposed to be having this.
Oh!
Didn't I tell you not to do that to him
in the a. m?
Take the needle out of my arm.
Good morning, Nurse Washington.
How are you today?
You up bright and early today.
Everybody up!
Good morning, gentlemen.
Let's rise and shine.
Peņa!
Can I have some aspirin?
I ain't feeling well.
I'd like some aspirin.
Hmm. I'll get to you.
Leon! How you doing today?
Look at this shit.
Mm-hmm!
My catheter's clogged.
Give it a minute.
They're getting bigger every day.
You don't bother them,
they ain't going to bother you.
That's why I'm feeding him.
Keep on feeding him, and everything'll be fine.
Up and at 'em! Frankie's here!
Hey, Frankie. What's up?
Hopkins, come on, wake up.
All you guys, 6:00 special.
Fuck you.
Fenaday, I'm looking at you.
Keep looking.
My man Kovic. Up already?
That's good. Let's go.
Let's do it. Let's go.
Give me a hand over here.
How you doing, Eddie?
Hey, where did we go
Days when the rains came...
I think my stomach is bloated.
Just take it easy.
Eddie going to take care of all you boys.
It's like a car wash.
Bernstein, what's wrong today?
You got shit up you ain't coming out.
See what the problem is.
Your piss bag's cloudy, too.
You been drinking enough water?
You gots to flush them kidneys every day.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Frankie, I think I'm done.
I think I'm ready.
Are you fucking with me again?
You better chill out.
I'm not fucking with you.
I'm not fucking with you, man.
My man Kovic!
Mr. 4th of July.
Politicians, protesters, and police
are all here in Chicago
for the 1968 presidential election.
Chicago police tonight charged the crowd...
Gook-lovers. They ought to die.
Hey! Hey!
There he goes, man. It's Leon.
Hey!
They're coming through the wire!
Hey!
Chieu hoy! Chieu hoy, Leon.
They're going to overrun us!
Shut up!
They're going to overrun us!
Hey, John!
Hey, hey, hey, chieu hoy, Leon.
Chieu hoy, man!
Shut the fuck up, Leon!
Hit him with some morphine.
Chicago has an Alice In Wonderland quality about it.
Things are getting curiouser and curiouser.
Everywhere you go, there's a sign reminding you...
Love it or leave it, you fucking bastards!
Hey, you ready, Kovic?
They're burning the flag.
They're burning the American flag.
Come on. Let's look alive.
Looking good. Looking good.
Come on, Kovic. Real nice.
How many did I do yesterday?
Three.
Three?
You had enough?
Let's do seven.
There you go. Let's go for seven, then.
Come on, Ronnie. That a way.
Get up there. Get up there.
Keep going. Come on, fucking marine.
There you go. Real nice.
This'll be the day that I die
We want to make one thing very clear to you, Ron.
The possibility of your ever walking is minimal.
Almost impossible.
You're a T-6, paralyzed from the midchest down.
Probably you'll be in a wheelchair
for the rest of your life.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Well, Doctor, will...
Hmm?
Will I ever be able to, uh...
to have children?
No.
No, but we have a very good psychologist here.
He's helped...
Oh, I'll walk again. I know I'll walk again.
Let me tell you something.
You will never walk again.
Let's go.
Uhh!
You're walking good in these things.
What am I looking like, good?
You're one crazy marine.
So gung ho,
but you don't know shit
about what's going on in this country.
Fuck you.
It ain't about burning the flag and Vietnam.
Why fight for rights there?
We ain't got rights at home.
It's about Detroit and Newark.
It's about racism, man,
but you can't get no job at home.
Vietnam's a white man's war, a rich man's war.
Where's my money?
You got to read some books.
There's a revolution going on.
If you ain't part of the solution,
then you's part of the problem.
Will you just get my chair for me?
You got to watch for her.
Oh, man.
Good stuff.
Take the bra off.
I'll give you another 10.
Why, sure, sugar.
Like this?
Oh, shh! Shh! Yeah. Yeah.
Suck on my tits.
Honey, anything you want.
Shh!
Oh!
Oh.
I guess you'd say
What could make me feel this way
My girl
Talking 'bout my girl
My girl
Good.
Easy now.
Very good.
Hey, Doc...
it's really beautiful up here.
Ha ha ha!
I'm walking out of here, guys.
You'll see. Right, Willie?
Right.
Easy.
Oh... I'm all right. I'm all right.
O.K. That's enough for today.
O.K. Now, good. good.
Easy, now. Easy, now. Don't go too far.
Don't do too much.
Looking good today. Looking good.
Don't go too far.
All right!
Way to go, Kovic.
Amazing, huh?
Nothing from the chest down.
It can be done. It can be done.
Semper fi, motherfucker!
All right!
All right, Harry, man.
Keep it going. Let's go!
Let's go. Let's go.
Let's go.
Aah!
Oh!
Willie!
I think I need...
Oh! Oh.
Get him up. Somebody...
Something snapped. It's my neck.
All right.
Just my neck.
Harry!
Hang on. Hang on.
What was that sound?
Oh shit.
What?
Oh!
It's fine. We're doing fine.
Is that my bone?
Harry, Harry, get a doc.
Am I O.K.?
It's O.K. Everybody relax. Harry! Let's go!
Oh, no.
Oh, my God.
Washington!
Washington, where were you?
I've been pushing this call button
and staring at my vomit for two hours.
What's the matter with you people?
I'm laying in my own shit.
Why don't you change the sheets?
This damn place.
I need a bath.
Don't be raising your voice to me!
You watch your mouth.
Why don't you help me?
What's the matter with you?
I don't feel right.
I need to see the doctor now!
He's not available now.
I want to see him now!
He's always too busy.
What's eating you now?
You going off the deep end?
We'll amputate that leg,
you go on like this.
Don't put your hands on me.
I want to be treated like a human being.
I don't want any of this.
Trying to keep me drugged
so I don't know what's going on.
This is a fucking slum.
We take that leg,
you're out in two weeks.
I want my leg.
Why? You can't feel it.
It's my leg. I want my leg.
Can't you understand that?
I want to be treated like a human being.
I fought for my country.
I'm a Vietnam veteran!
I fought for my country!
Shut the fuck up!
I should be treated decent!
Vietnam don't mean nothing to me, man,
or any of these other people. You got it?
You can take your Vietnam
and you can shove it up your ass, you hear?
No! I don't need this!
Hey, you fuck!
Hey! Hey, goddamn you!
I am a Vietnam veteran!
This isn't...
Marvin!
Marvin, now!
Marvin!
What's up? What's up?
Marvin, look!
Oh, fuck!
It's off.
It ain't going to work.
Start!
Washington, get the doctor.
Wait a minute.
O.K. Yeah. All right. I will.
How you doing, Eddie?
Let's see what's wrong with this.
If we don't get this pump working,
they'll cut my leg off. I want my leg.
Do we have another pump?
It's the only one, Eddie.
Ron. It's Ron Kovic.
Sorry, man. Ron.
You... You are a doctor?
It's the Vietnam War.
The government's not giving us the money we need
to take care of you guys.
We're doing our best. It's really too bad.
It's not fair.
I've tried hard to keep this leg.
I've been strapped in this bed for four months
so I could keep this leg.
Maybe I can rig up a substitute.
I'll look in the basement and see what we got.
You're coming back?
Soon.
Let go, Ron. Let go.
We really did try to help Mr. Kovic.
Aah!
Susanne, he's here.
Ronnie's home.
O.K. Out on 3.
All right, 1...
2...
3.
Oh, that's great.
Did you paint the house, Dad?
Yeah. I painted it.
Yellow. It looks good.
It looks pretty good.
I got that. That's all right. Let's go.
The kids have been talking about you.
They can't wait to see you.
It's great to be back in the neighborhood.
I got it. I got it.
Everything looks so different.
Major.
Hey, Major.
Major, you know who this is?
Yeah.
You know who this is?
He's gotten old, huh?
Just like your old man.
Hey, Tommy.
Good to see you.
Look at that hair.
Dad lets you look like that?
I don't have much say.
How are you, Jimmy?
Good to have you home. You're out for good?
I'm out for good.
Patty, gee, look at you.
Timmy.
That's Jackie.
I wanted to visit you in the hospital.
How many pull-ups you do, huh?
You know, I did 23... 23 pull-ups.
23 pull... I'm O.K. I'm O.K.
I'm all right.
Ronnie.
Susanne.
Good to have you home.
You didn't tell me she was this beautiful.
She's a woman, huh?
I'm sorry.
That's O.K. I can't feel anything anyway.
I'm only paralyzed.
You look great.
Yeah?
Ronnie.
Mom.
Ronnie.
Hey, Mom.
Oh, look at your hair.
It looks great.
You like it?
Oh, you look beautiful.
Thanks.
It's good to be home.
It's better than seeing me
at that hospital, huh?
It's O.K.
I know.
I'm O.K.
It's good to have you home, Ronnie.
Gee, everybody looks so good.
Everybody looks so good.
I'm going to go inside for a minute.
Mom, wait.
She'll be O.K.
Ronnie, how are you, man? You look good.
Ronnie, you look good.
Welcome home.
It's so good to see you.
Welcome home. Nice to see you.
Look at Harry. You look good.
Let's go in the house and help.
Come on, Mom. It's all right.
Looks good.
Yeah?
You need some help?
No. I'm O.K., Dad.
Fixed up a bathroom for you, Ronnie.
Put a wider doorway in.
I built a shower for you, too.
You can get in here pretty easy.
Oh, and I put some handles
on the toilet for you.
Ronnie.
Thanks, Dad.
It's really great to be back in my room.
It's good to have you.
It's good to have you, Ronnie.
Come on, I'll show you...
I'll show you some new stuff we got
in the bedroom over here.
My Happauge Boyer's grossed 85 grand last six months.
My competitor's rushing in to build, but I was first.
The people are loyal.
You probably think it's just a hamburger.
A patty's just a piece of meat,
but it can have character.
See that doughnut hole?
Gets 18 patties to the pound instead of 16.
Saves me about $40,000 a year.
That's serious money, Ron.
I plug the hole
with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spices.
I cover it with a pickle.
They'll never miss a thing.
Give me a good one for Ronnie. Thanks.
Good job. Try this.
You don't find that at McDonald's on Sunrise.
I got a drive-in window, too.
It's Long Island's first.
It's clean, it's cheap, it's fast.
Feed the family for $3.95.
Check out these chicks.
They're wearing those new miniskirts.
It's my idea. It's good for tips.
The customers always come back.
Massapequa's changed. Watch yourself.
It's no mom and pop operation anymore.
This is our town.
You're doing a nice job. Keep up the good work.
Good.
Copiague, Ronnie, Jericho, Bayville, Valley Stream, man.
I want to turn Boyer's
into a whole Long Island thing.
I want you to come to work for me.
What can I do?
This is our town now.
You're a war hero, and you can benefit.
You should benefit, Ronnie.
You mean, like partners?
We open a place together?
You got to walk before you run.
I could start you out as a cashier.
Then you could learn the business,
work your way up to be manager,
just like your dad.
I get 1,700 a month from the government.
I'll take my time.
That's charity money. This isn't.
Charity?
Here's your cola.
You got to put the war behind you.
Forget about this chair you're in.
Sometimes, you know, Stevie,
I think people know
you're back from Vietnam,
and their face changes, the eyes...
the voice, the way they look at you.
I know, but people here,
they don't give a shit about the war.
It's just a million miles away. It's bullshit.
The government sold us a bill of goods.
We got the shit kicked out of us.
What do you mean "we"? You were in college.