You know you're sitting on the grave of a hero?
What?
A woman who wasn't much older than you when she died.
Sorry.
I didn't realise.
The young never do.
Not their fault.
It happened long ago.
- Vietnam? - Heh.
World War II.
I never realised women were buried here
- or that any of them are heroes. - They were all heroes.
Especially the nurses.
She was a nurse?
Navy nurse in the Pacific.
- And you knew her? - Mm-hm.
Wanna see her picture?
Sure.
Which one was she?
That was a long time ago.
That it was.
Fourth and 5th Marine Divisions were preparing
for the opening assault on Iwo Jima.
You could see, uh, a Navy hospital ship just offshore.
She stayed with the fleet right where she was needed.
I hope the fleet won't have to keep this up all night.
Japs must be dug in deep.
Looks like the Fourth of July out there.
I don't think it's anything like the Fourth of July, Jonie.
I suppose not.
I can't even look at it.
- You'll have to get used to it, Jane. - Let her look away.
She'll have plenty to get used to tomorrow when the Marines land.
Well, I hope you girls aren't light sleepers.
- Cigarette? - No, thanks.
Jonie, you miscounted the bandage rolls.
Would you please start again and do it right this time?
Yes, ma'am.
How bad is it gonna be?
It's not the northern lights you're looking at, honey.
Worst injury I ever saw was old Mr. Jenkins,
run over by his own tractor.
I haven't even seen that much.
Heh, I just finished my cadet corps training.
If you didn't think you could stomach it, you should have stayed home.
One mistake from you, honey, and it makes the rest of us look bad.
She's just a kid, lieutenant. Why such a hard case?
She's the same age as some of those Marines out there.
Maybe some of them are nervous too.
Did you ever think about that, lieutenant?
They'll rise to the occasion when called on
and Ensign Connors will do the same.
She'd better. You understand, Jane?
Yes, ma'am.
I need him downstairs in Thoracic. Prep him for surgery.
Yes, sir. Okay, take him to Thoracic and prep him.
- Seaman Thomas? Yes, sir.
Get him to the morgue. - I got him, sir.
Hey, buddy.
I need this man débride right now.
- Yes, sir. - Sorry.
Everyone who is conscious, up against the aft bulkhead.
I need some room to move around here.
Yes, commander.
You heard the doctor, ladies. Move anyone...
Nurse?
Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?
You can get that doctor to get Corporal Tanner into a bath
or a Bunyan-Stannard envelope.
Nurses, the guys... - Lukewarm, weak saline,
- Salvarsan solution. - How do you...?
Oh, you're a corpsman.
You can't let the infection set in.
The doctor's seeing to him now.
I guess he'd be the better pick to look after the corporal,
you know, two eyes and all, unh.
Please don't talk that way.
I'm gonna lose my eye
sure as the day is long.
Wanna put a little wager on it?
A sawbuck? What do you say, angel puss?
I was nearsighted in that one anyway.
And that's why I always ask for grits.
Price is the same, but it sticks to your ribs, right?
What's that?
I ain't never heard nothing like that before. What did you say?
Jane, if you're not gonna be working, then don't be here. Please.
Yes, sir. Oh, I'm sorry.
- Are you lost, Jane? - No, sir. I'll be fine.
Thank you, sir.
Oh, well, I've never seen a C for Catholic on a Ficklestein before.
Converted, sir?
A possible clerical error.
Through this holy anointing and his most tender mercy,
may the Lord pardon what sins you have committed
and for good measure.
How's the pain, Marine?
Nothing I can't handle, ma'am.
Please call me Jonie.
My name is James.
James Tanner.
Commander.
Send him to the ward. Albumin and morphine every two hours.
Well, just albumin and morphine, sir?
Quickly.
What about a course of penicillin?
We are running short on penicillin.
We are running short on everything.
- I know. But, sir... - Ensign, this is triage.
If you don't know what that means, I suggest you ask someone.
Stanley Thomas,
you are Gary Cooper.
What would Gary Cooper be doing here?
Just acting his behind off is all, sir.
Place like this can drive you crazy, huh, Thomas?
You think I've got a screw loose upstairs, sir?
Talking to the dead like they was living?
It's for them, out there.
Those men don't need to know their buddies are on the way to the morgue.
Very charitable of you, son.
I'm not a doctor, sir. It's the most I can do for them.
There's no room right now.
Beverly, is he?
- Ma'am? - I'm not getting anything.
Don't you worry, ma'am.
I'll take it from here.
Oh, he's still warm.
If there's no pulse, he's dead.
Move on.
Can we clear an aisle here?
No.
It's hard for you to talk about the war.
Just because something's hard to do doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.
Let me tell you, those Navy nurses were tops.
Good as doctors, some of them.
We needed them for something more than that.
They were girls, they brought a bit of home with them.
They made us feel normal
in spite of ourselves.
Oh, that's just jake.
I don't know why we have to wear stockings.
Think the native Hawaiian girls wear stockings?
We're in the same part of the world.
I think we should wear grass skirts and brassieres, heh, made of seashells.
You and your Hawaii. You've never even been.
What is going on out there?
They took Suribachi.
This damn war can't last much longer now. Heh.
I'm on shift in ten.
You just can't stay away from that Lazarus Marine of yours.
His name is Lieutenant Ron Graham and he's hardly risen from the dead.
I'd stay away from Lieutenant Graham if I were you.
A concussion like that is unpredictable.
You almost sent the man to the morgue after all.
I've seen it before.
A pretty nurse falls for a wounded man.
In the end, all she can do is watch him die.
You shouldn't be trying to help me, petty officer.
Corpsman or not, you need your rest.
Okay, Ensign Connors, okay.
But I'm gonna keep an eye on you, heh.
Thanks.
What's the matter? - I'm nursing Groucho Marx.
Excuse me, sir. Do you have a minute?
What's on your mind?
Actually, sir, Corporal Tanner has been on my mind quite a lot, frankly.
Sir, we're not doing anything for him.
Even the corpsman that brought him said he needed an antibiotic bath.
Do you suppose that this corpsman that you're speaking of
has spent any time in medical school?
We nurses train the corpsman and you know that, sir.
Ensign, listen.
It's a 22-year-old man with third-degree burns
over 80 percent of his body.
You know the formula, don't you?
Yes, sir. Age plus burn area equals likelihood of death.
Corporal Tanner's total is 102 percent.
The boy doesn't have a chance in the world.
All that we can hope to do is keep him comfortable and wait.
No, sir. That's not all we can do.
This man is going to die.
It is your job to fluff his pillows and tell him he is going to be fine.
Do you think you can manage that?
Why the long face?
You see my little corporal over there?
Dr. Rayburn says he's not gonna make it.
I'm sorry, Jonie.
Don't fight it, lieutenant.
It's okay.
Wake up, lieutenant.
Come on, now. It's okay.
The man can't hear you.
His recovery is a matter of intracranial pressure reduction,
not your sweet talk.
By the way, we're out of fluffs and five and ten glucose.
So maybe your time would be better spent in supplies.
You can hear me.
You know you can.
Come on.
Wake up now.
Nurse.
Beverly.
Where are...? Where are my men?
They're here.
They're here with us. You brought them this far.
You've done your job.
As you were, people.
The fleet's keeping the pressure on.
Best thing you can do for the war effort is your jobs.
Good night, Joe.
Good night, honey.
I won't see you for breakfast. I'm starting out real early.
He makes me nervous, Beverly, heh.
We should all have such problems, Jane.
A patient who is actually in a good mood?
This one's in too good a mood.
Petty Officer Rowe lost an eye and all he does is joke about it.
Hmm.
Speak of the devil.
Excuse me. If you don't mind me, uh, crowding in.
I'm only half watching the movie anyways.
What?
Who? Who, Higgins?
And there's no mistake.
How's your platoon leader, sailor?
Doing well, ma'am. In no small part, thanks to you.
Oh, it's Dr. Rayburn you have to thank.
No, ma'am. I know my way around the human condition
and what you did for Lieutenant Graham, ma'am,
let's just say it's something you can't learn out of a book.
- Is the lieutenant awake now? - I think so, ma'am.
Excuse me.
I'll get that.
How are you gonna give him a star?
- Don't worry... See that fella there?
You get him in the stockroom, see?
I used to look just like him.
I brought home a memory
And it won't stop haunting me
That Hawaiian melody
Thank you, Jonie.
Are you okay, Jimmy?
I'm a little tired.
I'll let you rest.
No.
Please, don't.
I'm going to die,
aren't I, Jonie?
Now, you listen to me.
Nobody knows what's around the next corner, heh.
And I figured if I ever found myself on the Pacific Ocean
with an attractive man,
it would be on my honeymoon cruise.
Jimmy, don't you dare underestimate the power of hope.
My mama says that all the time.
Your mom is swell in my book.
Nurse.
How's Corporal Tanner?
Well, just you rest, Marine, okay?
Look, there was another nurse here earlier.
Where is she?
L... Yes, I know who you mean and she is off right now.
I'm the head nurse. Is there something I can get for you?
Yeah, you can get me my boots and help me get back out there.
Put that out right now.
Maryann. We are working with oxygen here.
You're gonna light the whole ward up like a bonfire.
Smoke them on the deck.
It's all right. It's best to do that outside.
Doctor, please understand. They don't know any better.
Will you explain to them that O2 is flammable?
Lieutenant Graham.
You've made a miraculous recovery.
The other nurse said you were off tonight.
Well, I don't think they'll fire me for putting in a little overtime.
I, uh...
I remember seeing your face.
Uh, I don't remember much else.
Don't worry. You were quite the gentleman.
How are my men?
Why don't we go for a walk?
The nurses aren't supposed to talk
about the reality of the medical cases.
Not even to platoon leaders.
Yeah, I know.
Keep smiling, that's their rule.
It's lying is what it is.
I saw Corporal Tanner after it happened.
He rolled down a hill.
I know it's not good.
The doctors said he had burns over most of his body.
What else did the doctors tell you?
Did you ever hear of the Fighting Irish of McMurphy High School?
Heh, should I have?
Heh, only if you follow high school football, I guess.
We were the top team in the league
four years in a row.
Let me guess. It was the four years you were on the team?
Yeah, me and a quarterback named Joe Tanner.
The guy threw an incredible spiral.
Any relation?
He was Corporal Tanner's big brother.
I made him a promise
that I would bring his little brother back in one piece.
I'm not gonna be able to keep that promise, am I?
No, Ron.
So why did you break the rules for me?
Why did you tell me?
Because for some strange reason, I feel like I can trust you.
I know you from somewhere.
Well, let me guess, I remind you of the guy back home?
That's not what I was gonna say.
There's no guy back home.
You know, uh,
Beverly, uh,
that day you sat down beside my bed,
you were talking to me.
I couldn't make out what you were saying
but it made me wanna open my eyes and find out who was doing the talking.
You gave me a second chance to make things right, Bev.
To show my men that we're still a team.
We're still Marines.
Maybe sometimes it's okay not to be a Marine.
To be just men.
So did he kiss her?
I don't believe he did on that occasion.
Well, why not?
Nurses made us feel safe.
They stepped in where mothers and sisters,
wives and sweethearts couldn't be.
And they hid their own fears so well
That they seemed invincible.
And no man wanted to ruin that.
Not even for a kiss.
Thanks, padre.
I see you're doing some writing, lieutenant.
Aye, padre.
I'm a mustang, you know?
I was ten years enlisted before my unit went to Guam.
I was the last man standing, so they made me an officer.
I'm not used to having to write home
to tell folks that I got their sons killed.
You know, lieutenant, I've always believed
in the hand of God as the controlling force in this world.
Don't I feel like an ass to find out it's a Marine?
Yeah, it was.
How the hell am I gonna tell Corporal Tanner's family?
How am I gonna break it to them, Father?
When the time comes, you'll know.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4.
For every man shall bear his own burden.
Galatians 6:5.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward.
First Corinthians 3:14.
Oh, seaman, I didn't take you as a churchgoer. Baptist?
No, sir. Catholic.
I read from the same good book you do.
Thank you, padre.
Say, seaman.
Sir.
Will you deliver a note for me?
It's for Nurse Beverly.
Since you asked nice like.
You know you're all right for an officer.
You take a real interest in your men.
Would you please sharpen these needles
and put them in the autoclave?
And for the love of God,
will somebody bring out some more drip stands?
I mean, seriously, Maryann, it is bedlam in here.
Nancy, more drip stands.
I have the misfortune to serve under Dr. Bluebeard.
You're a lot smarter than you let on, seaman.
You're a rare one for noticing, sir.
I'll give this note to your lady friend.
Oh! Sorry, ma'am.
Here, let me help you.
It's fine.
- Hey. Hey, Jane. Take a seat. - No.
Oh, come on, please, Jane. Take a seat.
You know, my first case in battle was this Marine
who got hit in the neck.
I felt like I was gonna faint.
It got easier the next time and the time after that.
It'll be the same for you.
I'm supposed to be cheering you up, not the other way around.
There's nothing you could've said
that I haven't said to a dozen guys just like me.
You wonder how I joke at this.
I laugh because the alternative is something
I was raised to believe a man doesn't do.
Where's that ukulele-playing friend of yours, Jimmy?
I'm not the only patient she has, lieutenant.
Just the best looking.
We're gonna have you up and dancing in a day or two, don't worry.
I'll be jitterbugging in no time, sir.
Yeah, you will.
You will, partner.
Get some rest, okay?
We all knew we were gonna take Iwo Jima eventually.
We also knew that more Marines were gonna have to die
to make that possible.
That must have been hard.
We had our moments of normalcy.
Uncle Sam was very good about sending us records
and playing cards.
Nurses?
Nurses.
Jonie said we could be heading to Hawaii right now.
Jonie has Hawaii on the brain, heh.
- Have any sevens? - Hmm.
Go fish.
What's the first thing you'd do in Hawaii, Bev?
Me? I'd eat a meal that wasn't beans and franks.
Sleep in a bed that didn't make me seasick.
I'd go to Pearl Harbor, see what they did to us.
Shift change, ladies.
You win, Jane.
Lieutenant?
I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to you.
The nurse who fell in love and watched her patient die,
that nurse was you, wasn't it?
I forgive you your bitterness, Maryann.
You came by it honestly.
Hmm.
You think I give a moment's thought
to earning your absolution for what you say I am?
For your information, the nurse in that story wasn't me.
She was just a stupid young girl.
By the way, ensign,
regular Navy or not,
I subscribe to the theory that a senior officer is to be respected.
Yes, ma'am.
Machinist May Hukum, lay to the O. O.D. On delta deck.
Machinist May Hukum, lay to the O. O. D...
Dr. Rayburn?
What are you doing in here?
I want all those needles dulled and for the love of God,
would somebody put the bed pans in the freezer?
- Seriously, it's bedlam around here. - Heh, what...?
Oh-ho, she responds to my touch.
If Rayburn finds you, he'll put you in four-point restraints.
- Oh, yeah? Let him try. - Oh, tough guy.
A patient came into my office last week.
I said, "Sir, I'm sorry to say, but you've got a tumour.
And what's more, you're showing signs of dementia."
He said, "Thank God. I thought I had a tumour."
Oh, I feel guilty laughing when there's so much going on.
We owe it to the ones who may not make it through this war
to go on with our lives.
That's what this fighting is all about, isn't it?
- Ron? - Shh!
Breathe for me.
I can't.
Your heart is racing.
Nerves, I guess.
I don't...
You're a stranger to me despite what I said on deck last night.
What you said on the deck last night is the reason I'm here.
You're not alone in believing we met for a reason.
Hold me.
But I'm not done my examination yet.
I don't wanna play doctor anymore.
Fine, I'll be the country gentleman. You be the blushing debutante.
Is that what you want?
Or we live what we have here now without apology.
But no amount of Red Cross ditty bags will make this fell like home, Beverly.
I'd be lying to you if I didn't say
I wonder what you look like in a pretty dress.
It's, uh, Corporal Tanner, sir.
Do you remember, we're fourth and goal, we're down 14-10.
Lazarigo thought they had us.
Ball snaps. Joe takes it.
I block. He runs into the backfield.
He's zigzagging like a sidewinder.
In the end zone, right on the horn. You remember?
It's time, Ronnie.
You tell Joe
I died brave like a Marine.
You're gonna tell him yourself, Jimmy.
You're gonna tell him how you pulled through.
Oh, you're not going anywhere, all right?
Jimmy.
Jim.
Clear the area.
You are a heartless bastard, you know that?
You don't think that I want to help these men?
I took an oath to save lives, and look around.
I have to pick and choose who is worthy of supplies,
time.
It's not your fault, commander. None of this is your fault.
Why are they so close?
The fleet's under attack.
You go take care of the ones you can.
I just couldn't be there, Bev.
I couldn't watch that boy...
This isn't safe. Let's get out of here.
Jonie? Jonie!
Medic! Get me a medic!
We didn't know if Jonie would make it.
All we could do was hope.
So she was hit by us?
Friendly fire. Isn't that what they call it?
L...
- I think you need this more than I do. - Thanks.
There was no safe harbour to be had in all that chaos.
The Goodwill stayed off of Iwo Jima the whole time.
Right in the line of fire.
In a way, those nurses were as brave as any of the men on land.
Ron, I'm sorry about Corporal Tanner.
Yeah, well, we're all sorry, Beverly. It doesn't change a damn thing.
I wasn't finished.
I'm sorry about him and every man like him who passes through here.
Stop.
We take care of these men.
We hurt when one of them doesn't make it.
You don't have a monopoly on pain, you know?
Whatever happened to our owing the dead?
To our needing to go on so that their sacrifices would mean something?
You convinced me that it was okay to be human,
that I didn't have to stop living just because I was surrounded by death.
I can't be there for you, Beverly.
Don't say that.
I gotta take care of what I already have.
There's no room in there for you.
For anybody.
You're so right, Maryann.
The lieutenant didn't die on me. He didn't have to. He's gone the same.
Your ability to love is a gift.
My what?
Love.
It's a gift.
It was you, wasn't it?
This is your patient. He was a Marine just like Ron.
And he died in my hospital ward just like Corporal Tanner.
Sometimes I think I gave him every ounce I had, you know?
Every bit of what made me like you are now.
And then he was gone.
And he took all that with him.
And I promised myself that I would never give that much again.
Your Marine is still here, Beverly.
Go to him.
She's right, you know?
Dr. Rayburn said that you wouldn't regain consciousness,
that you'd lost too much blood.
You didn't think I was gonna let him be right about me.
I'm up and about just to spite the good doctor.
You were gonna go get yourself a Marine lieutenant.
I was, wasn't I?
The Marines just took Motoyama.
I heard.
We'll be leaving soon. Our sister ship will take over.
You'll be able to go home if that's what you want.
I'm not going home.
I'm going back out there as soon as I'm cleared.
And it won't make the guilt go away, Ron.
Uh, whether you stay here or you go back to face Joe Tanner.
This isn't about Joe Tanner.
I lost someone I swore to protect.
I didn't keep my word
to a family, to a whole town.
You don't understand.
If I start to care about you...
Do you think I need protection?
I can't let anybody else down.
I don't need you to carry me.
I can walk with you.
Do you think my family was happy to see me join up and go off to war?
That's just not something a girl is supposed to do.
But here I am
and I've done a pretty good job of protecting myself.
You know, I read somewhere
that we are each of us angels with one wing
and we can only fly by embracing each other.
And I believe that.
I have patients in oxygen tents.
Orderly!
Come on, time to go.
Jane! Jane! Are you all right? - Help me.
Hang on. I'll be right back.
- Hold it. - Cut it. Cut it.
Keep moving. Go!
Everything is going to be okay.
Let's get you of here.
- Seaman! I'm behind you, padre.
- Doctor, is Beverly up ahead? - I don't know.
I haven't seen her, lieutenant.
Just head towards the door.
Someone will find you and help you out.
Get to the starboard deck and wait for the abandon-ship Klaxon!
Let's go! Let's go!
- Where's Beverly? - She went to turn off the tanks of O2.
Get the hell out of here.
No, not on your life. This is why I joined the Navy.
Let's go! Come on, let's clear this corridor!
Beverly!
Beverly.
Right here.
Here.
Beverly?
She'd done it, though.
She turned off the oxygen.
She saved a lot of lives that day, mine among them.
If Beverly
had been a man,
she would have been given the Silver Star for what she did.
It was you.
You were the Marine that Beverly fell in love with.
And today is February 28th. The day she died.
A lot of people died that day.
And the one that's buried here,
She reminds me
never to take a single moment for granted.
After the war, I, uh, married one of those nurses.
And we went to Kauai on our honeymoon.
Hey, Grandpa. I'm sorry I'm late.
Lieutenant Graham here
is the latest Navy nurse in the family.
And she looks a lot like her grandma.
- Hi. - Hi.