- Judge Randolph: [to Kaffee from the judge's bench] Consider yourself in contempt!
- Kaffee: Colonel Jessup, did you order the Code Red?
- Judge Randolph: You don't have to answer that question!
- Col. Jessup: I'll answer the question!
- [to Kaffee]
- Col. Jessup: You want answers?
- Kaffee: I think I'm entitled to.
- Col. Jessep: You want answers?
- Kaffee: I WANT THE TRUTH!
- Col. Jessup: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
- [pauses]
- Col. Jessup: Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know; that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, *saves lives*. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a *damn* what you think you are entitled to!
- Kaffee: Did you order the code red?
- Col. Jessup: I did the job I...
- Kaffee: [interrupts him] *Did you order the Code Red?*
- Col. Jessup: *You're God damn right I did!*
- Capt. Ross: Corporal Barnes, I hold here the Marine Outline for Recruit Training. You're familiar with this book?
- Cpl. Barnes: Yes, sir.
- Capt. Ross: Have you read it?
- Cpl. Barnes: Yes, sir.
- Capt. Ross: [hands him the book] Good. Would you turn to the chapter that deals with code reds, please?
- Cpl. Barnes: [confused] Sir?
- Capt. Ross: Just flip to the page of the book that discusses code reds.
- Cpl. Barnes: Well, well, you see, sir code red is a term that we use. I mean, just down at Gitmo. I don't know if it's actually...
- Capt. Ross: Ah, we're in luck then. Standard Operating Procedures, Rifle Security Company, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now, I assume we'll find the term code red and its definition in that book. Am I correct?
- Cpl. Barnes: No, sir.
- Capt. Ross: No? Corporal Barnes, I'm a Marine. Is there no book, no manual or pamphlet, no set of orders or regulations that lets me know that, as a Marine, one of my duties is to perform code reds?
- Cpl. Barnes: No, sir. No book, sir.
- Capt. Ross: No further questions.
- [as Ross walks back to his table Kaffee takes the book out of his hand]
- Kaffee: Corporal, would you turn to the page in this book that says where the mess hall is, please?
- Cpl. Barnes: Well, Lt. Kaffee, that's not in the book, sir.
- Kaffee: You mean to say in all your time at Gitmo, you've never had a meal?
- Cpl. Barnes: No, sir. Three squares a day, sir.
- Kaffee: I don't understand. How did you know where the mess hall was if it's not in this book?
- Cpl. Barnes: Well, I guess I just followed the crowd at chow time, sir.
- Kaffee: No more questions.
- Capt. West: [in West's office] Commander Galloway, why don't you get yourself a cup of coffee.
- Galloway: Thank you, sir, I'm fine.
- Capt. West: [irritated because she didn't understand his intention] Commander, I'd like you to leave the room so we can talk about you behind your back.
- Galloway: Certainly, sir.
- Kaffee: [Kaffee has just asked why Santiago hadn't packed despite being due to be transferred in a few hours after the time of his death. Jessup smirks] Is this funny, sir?
- Col. Jessup: No, it isn't. It's tragic.
- Kaffee: Do you have an answer to the question, Colonel?
- Col. Jessup: Absolutely. My answer is I don't have the first damn clue. Maybe he was an early riser and liked to pack in the morning. And maybe he didn't have any friends. I'm an educated man, but I'm afraid I can't speak intelligently about the travel habits of William Santiago. What I do know is that he was set to leave the base at 0600. Now, are these really the questions I was called here to answer? Phone calls and foot lockers? Please tell me that you have something more, Lieutenant. These two Marines are on trial for their lives. Please tell me their lawyer hasn't pinned their hopes to a phone bill.
- [Kaffee hesitates, dumbfounded]
- Col. Jessup: Do you have any more questions for me, Counselor?
- Judge Randolph: Lt. Kaffee?
- [pause]
- Judge Randolph: Lieutenant, do you have anything further for this witness?
- Col. Jessup: [standing to leave] Thanks, Danny. I love Washington.
- Kaffee: Excuse me. I didn't dismiss you.
- Col. Jessup: I beg your pardon?
- Kaffee: I'm not through with my examination. Sit down.
- Col. Jessup: Colonel!
- Kaffee: What's that?
- Col. Jessup: I would appreciate it if you would address me as "Colonel" or "Sir." I believe I've earned it.
- Judge Randolph: Defense counsel will address the witness as "Colonel" or "Sir."
- Col. Jessup: I don't know what the hell kind of unit you're running here.
- Judge Randolph: And the witness will address this court as "Judge" or "Your Honor." I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel.
- Col. Jessup: [after Danny casually and dispectfully requests Santiago's transfer order during lunch in Cuba] You see Danny, I can deal with the bullets, and the bombs, and the blood. I don't want money, and I don't want medals. What I do want is for you to stand there in that faggoty white uniform and with your Harvard mouth extend me some fucking courtesy. You gotta ask me nicely.
- Lt. Weinberg: [sarcastically to Joanne with Danny present, in an empty courtroom after the trial has been adjourned for the day] "I strenuously object?" Is that how it works? Hm? "Objection." "Overruled." "Oh, no, no, no. No, I STRENUOUSLY object." "Oh. Well, if you strenuously object then I should take some time to reconsider."
- Downey: [after the verdict was read] I don't understand... Colonel Jessup said he ordered the Code Red.
- Galloway: I know but...
- Downey: [nervously] Colonel Jessup said he ordered the Code Red! What did we do wrong?
- Galloway: It's not that simple...
- Downey: [anxiously] What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong!
- Dawson: Yeah we did. We were supposed to fight for people who couldn't fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willy.
- Col. Jessup: [to Galloway during lunch in Cuba with Kaffee, Weinberg, Kendrick, and Markinson present] I run my unit how I run my unit. You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances. I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think for one second that you can come down here, flash a badge, and make me nervous.
- Col. Jessup: [Judge dismisses the jury after Jessep's revelation on the stand about the Code Red] What is this? What's going on? I did my job, I'd do it again!
- [stands up defiantly]
- Col. Jessup: I'm gonna get on a plane and go on back to my base.
- Judge Randolph: You're not going anywhere, Colonel. MP's... guard the Colonel!
- [MPs take post]
- Judge Randolph: Captain Ross?
- Col. Jessup: What the hell is this?
- Capt. Ross: Colonel Jessup, you have the right to remain silent. Any statement you make...
- Col. Jessup: I'm being charged with a crime? Is that what this is? I'm being charged with a crime? This is funny. That's what this is. This is...
- [turning to Kaffee and lunging at him]
- Col. Jessup: ... I'm gonna rip the eyes out of your head and piss into your dead skull! You fucked with the wrong Marine!
- Capt. Ross: Colonel Jessup! Do you understand these rights as I have just read them to you?
- Col. Jessup: [contemptuously] You fuckin' people... you have no idea how to defend a nation. All you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That's all you did. You put people's lives in danger. Sweet dreams, son.
- Kaffee: Don't call me son. I'm a lawyer, and an officer in the United States Navy, and you're under arrest you son of a bitch.
- [glares at Jessup]
- Kaffee: The witness is excused.
- Kaffee: [at Luther's magazine stand] How's it going, Luther?
- Luther: Another day, another dollar, captain.
- Kaffee: You gotta play them as they lay.
- Luther: What goes around comes around.
- Kaffee: Can't beat 'em, join 'em.
- Luther: At least I got my health.
- Kaffee: [hands him money before leaving] Well, then you got everything... See you tomorrow, Luther.
- Luther: Not if I see you first.
- Capt. Ross: [in a bar, after Danny just walked up to Jack's table] Hey, Danny! Great job today. The redirect on Barnes.
- Kaffee: I have Markinson.
- Capt. Ross: Where is he?
- Kaffee: Motel room in North East with six federal marshalls outside his door. Take a sip of your drink.
- Kaffee: The transfer order that Markinson signed is a phony. Jessup's statement that the 6am flight was the first available is a lie. We're checking the tower chief's log.
- [to waitress]
- Kaffee: I'd like a beer, please.
- [to Ross]
- Kaffee: In the mean time I thought we'd put the Apostle John Kendrick on the stand and see if we can't have a little fun.
- Capt. Ross: Alright. I have an obligation to tell you that if you accuse Kendrick or Jessup of any crime without proper evidence then you're going to be subject to a court martial for professional misconduct and that is something that's going to be stapled to every job application that you ever fill out. Markinson's not going to hold up, Danny, he's a crazy man! Now, I'm not telling you this to intimidate you I'm being your lawyer here.
- Kaffee: Oh, thanks, Jack. And I want to tell you that I think the whole fucking bunch of you are certifiably insane! This code of honor of yours makes me want to beat the shit out of something!
- Capt. Ross: Don't you dare lump me in with Jessup and Kendrick just because we wear the same uniform. I'm your friend and I'm telling you, I don't think your clients belong in jail but I don't get to make that decision! I represent the government of the United States without passion or prejudice and my client has a case! There you go. Now I want you to acknowledge that the Judge Advocate has made you aware of the possible consequences of accusing a Marine officer of a felony without proper evidence.
- Kaffee: I've been so advised.
- Capt. Ross: You got bullied into that courtroom, Danny, by everyone. By Dawson. By Galloway. Shit, I practically dared you. You got bullied into that courtroom by the memory of a dead lawyer.
- Kaffee: [shouting as Jack leaves] You're a lousy fucking softball player, Jack!
- Capt. Ross: Your boys are going down, Danny. I can't stop it anymore.
- Col. Jessup: [in Jessup's office with Markinson, Kendrick, Weinberg and Galloway present] How the hell is your dad, Danny?
- Kaffee: He passed away seven years ago, sir.
- Col. Jessup: Don't I feel like the fucking asshole?
- Kaffee: Not at all sir.
- Lt. Weinberg: meeting for the first time
- [in her office]
- Lt. Weinberg: Cmdr. Galloway, Lt. Kaffee is considered to be the best litigator in our office. He successfully plea bargained 44 cases in 9 months.
- Kaffee: One more and I get a set of steak knives.
- Lt. Weinberg: [refering to Dawson and Downey after court has adjourned for the day] Why do you like them so much?
- Galloway: Because they stand on a wall and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."
- Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson: [voice over, as we see Markinson putting on his full class A dress uniform. It is his suicide note] Dear Mr. and Mrs. Santiago, I was William's executive officer. I knew your son vaguely, which is to say I knew his name. In a matter of time, the trial of the two men charged with your son's death will be concluded, and seven men and two women whom you've never met will try to offer you an explanation as to why William is dead. For my part, I've done as much as I can to bring the truth to light. And the truth is this: Your son is dead for only one reason. I wasn't strong enough to stop it. Always, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson, United States Marine Corps.
- [puts pistol in his mouth, we hear a gunshot as the scene changes back to the courtroom]
- Kaffee: [in Santiago's room] Lt. Kendrick... can I call you John?
- Lt. Kendrick: No, you may not.
- Kaffee: Have I done something to offend you?
- Lt. Kendrick: No, I like all you Navy boys. Every time we've gotta go someplace to fight, you fellas always give us a ride.
- Kaffee: [sarcastically to Joanne in his apartment] Oh, hah, I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. You were sick the day they taught law at law school.
- Kaffee: [after court has adjourned for the day with Sam and Joanne present] Why does a Lieutenant Junior Grade with nine months' experience and a track record for plea bargaining get assigned to a murder case? Would it be so it never sees the inside of a courtroom?
- Col. Jessup: Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?
- Kaffee: No, sir.
- Col. Jessup: Ever served in a forward area?
- Kaffee: No, sir.
- Col. Jessup: Ever put your life in another man's hands, ask him to put his life in yours?
- Kaffee: No, sir.
- Col. Jessup: We follow orders, son. We follow orders or people die. It's that simple. Are we clear?
- Kaffee: Yes, sir.
- Col. Jessup: [slower and louder] Are we clear?
- Kaffee: Crystal.
- Galloway: [refering to Jessup] You put him on the stand and you get it from him!
- Kaffee: [sarcastically, refering to Jessup in his apartment] Oh, we get it from him! Yes! No problem! We get it from him.
- [turns to Sam as if he were Jessup on the stand]
- Kaffee: Colonel Jessup, isn't it true that you ordered the Code Red on Santiago?
- Lt. Weinberg: Listen, we're all a little...
- Kaffee: [interrupts with game-show buzzer sound] eeehhhhh! I'm sorry, your time's run out! What do we have for the losers, judge? Well, for our defendants, it's a life time at exotic Fort Leavenworth! And, for defense counsel Kaffee, that's right, it's a court martial! Yes, Johnny! After falsely accusing a highly decorated Marine officer of conspiracy and perjury, Lieutenant Kaffee will have a long and prosperous career teaching... typewriter maintenance at the Rocco Globbo School for Women! Thank you for playing "Should we or should we not follow the advice of the galactically stupid!"
- Kaffee: [to his teamates in the outfield] Alright, let's go, let's get two.
- Lt. Sherby: Sorry!
- Kaffee: Nothing to be sorry about, Sherby, you just look the ball into your glove. Shootin' two!
- Lt. Sherby: Sorry!
- Kaffee: Sherby, you gotta trust me, you keep your eyes open and your chances of catching ball increase by a factor of 10.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: [talking through the batting cage fence] Kaffee.
- Kaffee: Let's try it again.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: Kaffee!
- Kaffee: Dave, you seem distraught.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: We were supposed to meet in your office fifteen minutes ago to talk about the McDermont case. You're stalling on this thing. We get this done right now, or I mean it, Kaffee, I'm going to hang your boy from a fuckin' yardarm!
- Kaffee: Yardarm? Sherby, does the Navy still hang people from Yardarms?
- Lt. Sherby: I don't think so.
- Kaffee: Dave, Sherby doesn't think the Navy hang people from yardarms anymore.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: I'm going to charge him with possession and being under the influence while on duty. You plead guilty, I recommend thirty days in the brig with loss of rank and pay.
- Kaffee: It was oregano, Dave. It was ten dollars' worth of oregano.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: Yeah, but your client thought it was marijuana.
- Kaffee: My client's a moron. That's not against the law.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: Kaffee, I have people to answer to, just like you do. I'm going to charge him.
- Kaffee: With what? Possession of a condiment?
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: Kaffee...
- Kaffee: Dave, I tried to help you out of this, but if you ask for jail time, I'm going to file a motion to dismiss.
- Kaffee: You won't get it.
- Kaffee: I will get it. And if the MTD is denied, I'll file a motion in limine seeking to obtain an evidentary ruling in advance, and after that I'm going to file against pretrial confinement, and you're going to spend the next three months going blind on paperwork because a Signalman Second Class bought and smoked a dime bag of oregano.
- Lieutenant Dave Spradling: B misdemeanor, twenty days in the brig.
- Kaffee: C misdemeanor, fifteen days restricted duty.
- Galloway: [after sensing his contempt for Dawson and Downey after court has adjourned for the day] Why do you hate them so much?
- Lt. Weinberg: They beat up on a weakling; that's all they did. The rest is just smokefilled coffee-house crap. They tortured and tormented a weaker kid. They didn't like him. So, they killed him. And why? Because he couldn't run very fast.
- Dawson: [to Danny in the interrogation room with Joanne and Downey present] We joined the Marines because we wanted to live our lives by a certain code, and we found it in the Corps. Now you're asking us to sign a piece of paper that says we have no honor. You're asking us to say we're not Marines. If a court decides that what we did was wrong, then I'll accept whatever punishment they give. But I believe I was right sir, I believe I did my job, and I will not dishonor myself, my unit, or the Corps so I can go home in six months... Sir.
- Lt. Kendrick: [after asked by Galloway if he thinks Santiago deserved to die] Private Santiago is dead, and that is a tragedy. But he is dead because he had no code. He is dead because he had no honor, and God was watching.
- Col. Jessup: [refering to Santiago] I felt his life might be in danger.
- Kaffee: Grave danger?
- Col. Jessup: [sarcastically] Is there another kind?
- Kaffee: [sarcastically to Joanne with Sam present in his apartment] Maybe, if we work at it, we can get Dawson charged with the Kennedy assassination.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant Kendrick, in your opinion was Private Santiago a good Marine?
- Lt. Kendrick: I would say he was about average.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant, you signed three Proficiency and Conduct reports on Santiago, and in all three reports, you indicate a rating of below average.
- Lt. Kendrick: [looking through the reports he signed] Yes, Private Santiago was below average. I did not see the need to trample on a man's grave.
- Kaffee: Well, we appreciate that, but you are under oath now, and I think as unpleasant as it may be, we'd all just as soon hear the truth.
- Lt. Kendrick: I am aware of my oath.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant, these are the last three Pro-Con reports you signed for Lance Corporal Dawson. Dawson received two marks of exceptional, but on this most recent report dated June 9th of this year, he received a rating of below average. It's this last report I'd like to discuss for a moment.
- Lt. Kendrick: That would be fine.
- Kaffee: Lance Corporal Dawson's ranking after the school of infantry was perfect. Records indicate that more than half that class has since been promoted to full Corporal while Dawson has remained a Lance Corporal. Was Dawson's promotion held up because of this last report?
- Lt. Kendrick: I'm sure it was.
- Kaffee: Do you recall why Dawson was given such a poor grade on this last report?
- Lt. Kendrick: I'm sure I don't. I have many men in my charge, Lieutenant. I write many reports.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant, do you recall an incident involving a PFC Curtis Bell who had been found stealing liquor from the Officer's Club?
- Lt. Kendrick: Yes, I do.
- Kaffee: Did you report Private Bell to the proper authorities?
- Lt. Kendrick: I have two books at my bedside, Lieutenant: the Marine Corps Code of Conduct and the King James Bible. The only proper authorities I am aware of are my commanding officer, Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, and the Lord, our God.
- Kaffee: At your request, Lieutenant, I can have the record reflect your lack of acknowledgment of this court as a proper authority.
- Capt. Ross: Objection. Argumentative.
- Judge Randolph: Sustained. Watch yourself, Counselor.
- Kaffee: Did you report Private Bell to your superiors?
- Lt. Kendrick: I remember thinking very highly of Private Bell, of not wanted to see his record tarnished by a formal charge.
- Kaffee: You preferred that it be handled within the unit.
- Lt. Kendrick: Yes, I most certainly did.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant, do you know what a Code Red is?
- Lt. Kendrick: Yes, I do.
- Kaffee: [to the court after asking what Jessup packed for a one day trip to Washington D,C] Is the colonel's underwear a matter of national security?
- Galloway: [to Danny as walks out his office building] Hi, there.
- Kaffee: Having any luck in getting me replaced?
- Galloway: Is there anyone in this command that you don't eat or drink or play softball with?
- Kaffee: Commander, I...
- Galloway: Listen, I came to make peace. We got off on the wrong foot. What do you say? Friends?
- Kaffee: I don't think...
- Galloway: By the way, I brought Downey some comic books he was asking for. The kid, Kaffee, I swear, he doesn't know where he is. He doesn't even know why he's been arrested.
- Kaffee: Commander?
- Galloway: You can call me Joanne.
- Kaffee: Joanne?
- Galloway: Or Jo.
- Kaffee: Jo?
- Galloway: Yes?
- Kaffee: If you speak to a client of mine again without my permission, I'll have you disbarred. Friends?
- Galloway: I had authorization.
- Kaffee: From where?
- Galloway: Downey's closest living relative, Ginny Miller, his aunt on his mother's side.
- Kaffee: You got authorization from Aunt Ginny?
- Galloway: I gave her a call like you asked. Very nice woman we spoke for about an hour.
- Kaffee: [before getting into his car] You got authorization from Aunt Ginny.
- Galloway: Perfectly within my province.
- Kaffee: Does Aunt Ginny have a barn? We can hold the trial there. I can sew the costumes. Maybe his Uncle Goober can be the judge.
- Galloway: I'm going to Cuba with you tomorrow.
- Kaffee: [before driving off] And the hits just keep on coming.
- Galloway: [showing up at his apartment unannounced] I'm sorry to bother you, I should have called first.
- Kaffee: No, no, I was just watching a ball game. Come on in.
- Galloway: I was wondering if... how'd you would feel about my taking you to dinner tonight.
- Kaffee: Are you asking me out on a date?
- Galloway: No...
- Kaffee: It sounded like you were asking me out on a date.
- Galloway: I wasn't.
- Kaffee: I've been asked out on dates before, and that's what it sounded like.
- Galloway: Do you like seafood? I know a good seafood place.
- Lt. Weinberg: [in Danny's apartment, referring to their new strategy] Alright, what do you suggest we do?
- Galloway: I say we hit Jessup with the phony transfer order.
- Lt. Weinberg: A transfer order without a witness.
- Kaffee: We have a witness.
- Lt. Weinberg: A dead witness.
- Kaffee: And in the hands of a lesser attorney that'd be a problem.
- Lt. Weinberg: Look at this, last night he's swimming in Jack Daniels and now he can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
- Kaffee: I'm getting my second wind. Sit down, both of you.
- [Sees that they are already sitting]
- Kaffee: Good. Jessup told Kendrick to order the code red, Kendrick did and our clients followed the order. The cover-up isn't our case - to win Jessup needs to tell the court members that he ordered the code red.
- Lt. Weinberg: And now you think you can get him to just say it?
- Kaffee: I think he wants to say it. I think he's pissed off that he's gotta hide from this. I think he wants to say that he made a command decision and that's the end of it.
- [Starts imitating Jessup]
- Kaffee: He eats breakfast 300 yards away from 4000 Cubans that are trained to kill him. And nobody's going to tell him how to run his unit least of all the Harvard mouth in his faggoty white uniform. I need to shake him, put him on the defensive and lead him right where he's dying to go.
- Lt. Weinberg: That's it? That's the plan?
- Kaffee: That's the plan.
- Lt. Weinberg: And how are you going to that?
- Kaffee: I have no idea. I need my bat.
- Lt. Weinberg: What?
- Kaffee: I need my bat. I think better with my bat. Where's my bat?
- Galloway: I put it in the closet.
- Kaffee: You put it in the closet?
- Galloway: I was tripping on it.
- Kaffee: Don't ever put that bat in the closet.
- Col. Jessup: [during lunch in Cuba with Markinson, Kaffee, Galloway, Weinberg, Kendrick present] Take caution in your tone, Commander. I'm a fair guy, but this fucking heat is making me absolutely crazy.
- Kaffee: [first meeting each other before the trial starts] You're Aunt Ginny?
- Aunt Ginny Miller: Uh-huh.
- Kaffee: I'm sorry, I was expecting someone older.
- Aunt Ginny Miller: So was I.
- [last lines, after court has adjourned for the day]
- Capt. Ross: I'll see you around campus. I gotta go arrest Kendrick.
- Kaffee: Tell him I say hi.
- Capt. Ross: Will do.
- Col. Jessup: [in Jessup's office] Hmmmm... transfer Santiago. Yes, I'm sure you're right. I'm sure that's the thing to do. Wait, I've got a better idea. Let's transfer the whole squad off the base. Let's... On second thought, Windward! Let's transfer the whole Windward Division off the base. John, go on out there and get those boys down off the fence, they're packing their bags. Tom!
- Tom: Yes, sir!
- Col. Jessup: Get me the President on the phone. We're surrendering our position in Cuba!
- Tom: Yes, sir.
- Col. Jessup: Wait a minute, Tom, don't get the President just yet. Maybe we should consider this for a second. Dismissed, Tom. Maybe, and I'm just spit balling here, maybe, we have a responsibility as officers to traing Santiago. Maybe we as officers have a responsibility to this country to see to that the men and women charged with its security are trained professionals. Yes, I'm certain that I read that somewhere once. And now I'm thinking,Col. Markinson, that your suggestion of transferring Santiago, while expeditious and certainly painless, might not be, in a matter of speaking, the American way. Santiago stays where he is. We're gonna train the lad!
- Capt. Ross: [confirming Danny's bluff to Jessup after court has adjourned for the day] Airmen Cecil O'Malley and Anthony Rodriguez, what exactly were these guys going to testify to?
- Kaffee: Unless I'm mistaken, they were both going to testify under oath that they had absolutely no recollection of anything.
- Capt. Ross: [sarcastically] Strong witnesses.
- Kaffee: [jokingly] And handsome too, didn't you think?
- Kaffee: Lt. Kendrick, was Lance Corporal Dawson given a below average rating on this last report because you learned he had been sneaking food to Private Bell?
- Capt. Ross: Object!
- Judge Randolph: Not so fast. Lieutenant?
- Lt. Kendrick: Lance Corporal Dawson was given a below average rating because he had committed a crime.
- Kaffee: A crime? What crime did he commit? Lieutenant Kendrick, Dawson brought a hungry guy some food. What crime did he commit?
- Lt. Kendrick: He disobeyed an order.
- Kaffee: And because he did, because he exercised his own set of values, because he made a decision about the welfare of a Marine that was in conflict with an order of yours, he was punished. Is that right?
- Lt. Kendrick: Lance Corporal Dawson disobeyed an order!
- Kaffee: Yeah, but it wasn't a real order, was it? After all, it's peace time. He wasn't being asked to secure a hill or advance on a beachhead. I mean, surely a Marine of Dawson's intelligence can be trusted to determine on his own which are the really important orders and which orders might, say, be morally questionable? Lieutenant Kendrick, can he? Can Dawson determine on his own which orders he's going to follow?
- Lt. Kendrick: No, he cannot.
- Kaffee: A lesson he learned after the Curtis Bell incident, am I right?
- Lt. Kendrick: I would think so.
- Kaffee: You know so, don't you, Lieutenant?
- Capt. Ross: Object.
- Judge Randolph: Sustained.
- Kaffee: Lieutenant Kendrick, one final question. If you had ordered Dawson to give Santiago a code red...
- Lt. Kendrick: I specifically ordered those men not to touch Santiago!
- Kaffee: Is it reasonable to think he would've disobeyed you again?
- Capt. Ross: Lieutenant, don't answer that!
- Kaffee: You don't have to. I'm through.
- Capt. Ross: Lieutenant Kendrick, did you order Lance Corporal Dawson and Private Downey to give Willie Santiago a code red?
- [Kendrick initially refuses to answer, sensing he's been caught lying]
- Capt. Ross: Lieutenant Kendrick, did you...
- Lt. Kendrick: No, I did not.
- Capt. Ross: Thank you.
- Kaffee: [feeling guilty after having lost his temper] Is your father proud of you?
- Lt. Weinberg: Don't do this to yourself.
- Kaffee: I'll bet he is. I'll bet he bores the hell out of the neighbors and relatives, "Sam's made Law Review". He's working on a big case right now, his arguing, his making an argument. I think my father would've enjoy seeing me graduate from law school.
- Lt. Weinberg: I ever tell you I wrote a paper about your father in college?
- Kaffee: Yeah.
- Lt. Weinberg: One of the best trial lawyers ever.
- Kaffee: Yes, he was.
- Lt. Weinberg: If I were Dawson and Downey and if I had to choose between you or your father to represent me in this case. I'd choose you any day of the week and twice on Sunday, you should've seen yourself thunder away at Kendrick.
- Kaffee: Would you put Jessup on the stand?
- Lt. Weinberg: No.
- Kaffee: You think my father would?
- Lt. Weinberg: With the evidence we got, not in a million years. Now here's the thing and there's no way of getting around this, neither Lionel Kaffee nor Sam Weinberg are lead counsel for the defense in the matter of the U.S. vs. Dawson and Downey would you put Colonel Nathan Jessup on the stand, so there's only one question, " what would you do?"
- Kaffee: [Defense opening statement] There was no poison on the rag and there was no intent to kill, and any attempt to prove otherwise is futile because it just isn't true. When Dawson and Downey entered Santiago's room that night, it wasn't because of vengeance or hatred; it wasn't to kill or harm. And it wasn't because they were looking for "kicks" on a Friday night. It was what they were ordered to do. Let me say that again, *it was what they were ordered to do*. Out in the real world, it means nothing, and in the Washington navy yard it doesn't mean a whole lot more, but if you're a marine assigned rifle company Windward Guantánamo Bay Cuba, if you're given an order you follow it or you pack your bags. Make no mistake about it, Harold W. Dawson and Private Louden Downey are sitting before you today because they did their job.
- Lt. Weinberg: [while walking his daughter] You've heard her. The girl sat here, pointed and said, "Pa." She did. She said, "Pa."
- Kaffee: She was pointing at a mailbox, Sam.
- Lt. Weinberg: That's right. She was pointing as if to say, "Pa, look, a mailbox."
- Col. Jessep: [sarcastically to Danny after he asked him what he packed and who he called before his trip to Washington D.C] What do you wanna discuss now? My favorite color?
- Kaffee: [ariving in the conference room after the meeting has already started] Excuse me, sorry I'm late.
- Capt. Whitaker: That's alright, Danny, I know you don't have a good excuse, so I won't force you to come up with a bad one.
- Kaffee: [gratefully, nods] Thank you, sir.
- Capt. Whitaker: The first one's for you. Seems you're moving up in the world, you've been requested by Division.
- Kaffee: Requested to do what?
- Capt. Whitaker: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A Marine corporal named Dawson illegally fires a round of his weapon over the fence line and into Cuban territory.
- Kaffee: What's a fence line?
- Capt. Whitaker: Sam.
- Lt. Weinberg: A big wall separating the good guys from the bad guys.
- Kaffee: [sarcastically] Teacher's pet.
- Capt. Whitaker: PFC William Santiago threatens to rat on Dawson to the Naval Investigative Service. Dawson, and another member of his squad PFC Louden Downey, go into Santiago's barracks room, tie him up, stuff a rag down his throat. An hour later Santiago's dead. The attending physician says the rag was treated with some kind of toxin.
- Kaffee: They poisoned the rag?
- Capt. Whitaker: Not according to them.
- Kaffee: What do they say?
- Capt. Whitaker: Not much. They're being flown up here tomorrow. Then Wednesday at 0600 you're catching a transport down to Cuba for the day to find out what you can. In the meantime, go see Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway of internal affairs. Any questions?
- Kaffee: That flight to Cuba, was that 0600 in the morning? Sir?
- Capt. Whitaker: It seems important to Division that this one be handled by the book so I'm assigning co-counsel. Any volunteers?
- Lt. Weinberg: No!
- Capt. Whitaker: Sam.
- Lt. Weinberg: Sir, I've got a stack of papers on my desk about a mile high.
- Capt. Whitaker: Work with Kaffee on this.
- Lt. Weinberg: Doing what? Kaffee will have this done in about four days.
- Capt. Whitaker: Doing various administrative things. Backup. Whatever.
- Lt. Weinberg: In other words I have no responsibilities whatsoever.
- Capt. Whitaker: Right.
- Col. Jessup: [in Jessup's office after Kendrick was asked to leave] Matthew, sit down, please.
- [Lt. Col. Markinson sits]
- Col. Jessup: What do you think of Kendrick?
- Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson: Nathan, I don't think that my opinion of Kendrick has any...
- Col. Jessup: I think he's kind of a weasel, myself. But he's an awfully good officer, and in the end we see eye to eye on the best way to run a Marine Corps unit. We're in the business of saving lives, Matthew. That's a responsibility we have to take pretty seriously. And I believe that taking a Marine who's not quite up to the job and shipping him off to another assignment, puts lives in danger.
- [Markinson begins to stand]
- Col. Jessup: Matthew, siddown.
- Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson: [sits]
- Col. Jessup: We go back a while. We went to the Academy together, we were commissioned together, we did our tours in Vietnam together. But I've been promoted up through the chain of command with greater speed and success than you have. Now if that's a source of tension or embarrassment for you, well, I don't give a shit. We're in the business of saving lives, Lieutenant Colonel Markinson. Don't ever question my orders in front of another officer.