On the Beach (2000 TV Movie)

Armand Assante: Cmdr. Dwight Towers

Quotes 

• Cmdr. Dwight Towers : I carried warheads on my boat. That is correct. I was damn proud of it too. I served my country the best way I know how. And the only question I ask myself these days and I'm asking it every single millisecond now whatever the hell's left of what I've got, if where was I, where were you? Where were any of us? 'Cause I don't know what the hell two insane nations were doing facing each other down all those years. All that had to be done was that the brains, you know, the rational minds, the so-called best, you know all they had to do was just come, just come, come to the tables, negotiate, break a little bread. Do you know we had a combined arsenal of sixty-five thousand nuclear warheads. I have failed to find the logic in that. No logic.

• Cmdr. Dwight Towers : [to his crew assembled on the deck of the USS Charleston]  The chief told me you wanted to say a prayer. I'm not a particularly religious man as you know. I wouldn't know what, if anything, lies beyond out there.

  Cmdr. Dwight Towers : I guess if I had a prayer... welll...

  [Removes hat and kneels] 

  Cmdr. Dwight Towers : Let's just say Dear God... or whoever. If you're out there now and you're with us. We hope there's been a point to this. And we ask

  Crew in Unison : [Kneeling]  And we ask

  Cmdr. Dwight Towers : That all the lives that have ever been lived have not been lived in vain. That'd be too cruel a joke.

  Cmdr. Dwight Towers : [Rises]  Gentlemen, I want to thank each and every one of you for being there for me. It's been a privilege to be your captain. I want to thank you for granting me the freedom to go as I wish to go.

  Cmdr. Dwight Towers : [Puts his hat back on, salutes his crew]  The USS Charleston will set sail for San Francisco... God Bless you all.