11:00 p.m.
(c)
I love this scene:
MEDIUM SHOT - SURF - THE TWO SURFERS
out on the water on their boards, trying to surf.
KILGORE (O.S.)
(through megaphone)
Okay, fellas, quit hiding. Let's
go, dickheads, take off.
ANGLE ON KILGORE, HOLDING A MEGAPHONE
watching the surfers. JETS SCREAM overhead, FIRING CANNONS.
Helicopters wheel by carrying out wounded.
WILLARD
Goddamnit! Don't you think it's a
little risky for R and R?
KILGORE
If I say it's safe to surf this
beach Captain, it's safe to surf
this beach! I mean, I'm not afraid
to surf this place! I'll surf
this f***ing place!
He rips off his shirt and scarf.
KILGORE
(to soldier)
Give me that R-T, soldier.
(into radio)
Dove Four, this is Big Duke Six.
Goddamnit, I want that tree line
bombed!
BOMBER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
Big Duke Six, Roger. Dove One-
Three, stand by.
KILGORE (O.S.)
(into radio)
Bomb them into the stone age, son.
He throws the R-T back to the soldier. We SEE from among
the Vietnamese prisoners being herded, a woman running,
covered with blood, carrying a bloody baby. She is trying
to offer it up to the colonel, but a soldier is dutifully
trying to keep away from him.
SOLDIER
No, ma'am, no!
KILGORE
Let me take care of this now.
(indicates soldier's
rifle)
Get that out of here!
Kilgore intercedes, pushing the soldier's rifle away.
KILGORE
(to woman)
Come here, now. All right. Sorry,
you can't go!
He takes the wounded baby in his hands, tenderly, and calls
a soldier over.
KILGORE
Jimmy!
ANGLE ON "LOC" SPOTTER PLANE IN THE SKY
LOC (OVER RADIO)
Hawk One-Two, Dove One-Three.
They need some napalm down there.
Can you put it there?
FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
Right, One-Three. We're fixed to
f*** with them.
LOC (OVER RADIO)
Trying to suppress some mortar
fire off the tree line down there.
FIGHTER PILOT (OVER RADIO)
Roger. Here we come.
LOC (OVER RADIO)
Good. Give it all you got and
bring in all your ships. Wing
abreast.
KILGORE
(to Jimmy)
Tell them to get my chopper, get
back to the hospital.
He hands the baby to the soldier. Woman protests.
KILGORE
No, no . You've got to go with
him. Go! Go!
(to soldier)
Get it out of here! And tell my
guys I want my board!
LOC (OVER RADIO)
Big Duke Six, this is Dove One-
Three. The jets are inbound now.
They got about thirty seconds to
bomb station. Get your people
back. This is gonna be a big one.
Kilgore returns to Lance, who is cowering in a foxhole
with Willard.
KILGORE
Don't worry. We'll have this place
cleaned up in a jiffy, son. Give
me those shorts.
He turns to his aide, who hands him a pair of Air-Cav
trunks.
KILGORE
(to Lance)
These are from the Air-Cav, a
present from me and the boys. I
wanna see you do your stuff out
there.
Jets break the trees, we HEAR the EXPLOSIONS of 20mm
CANNONS, and then the entire tree line ERUPTS INTO FIRE
with an immense amount of napalm.
Kilgore stands there, hands on hips, looking at the burning
jungle in the distance.
KILGORE
You smell that? Do you smell that?
LANCE
What?
KILGORE
(pointing to trees)
Napalm, son. Nothing else in the
world smells like that.
(crouches down)
I love the smell of napalm in the
morning. You know, one time we
had a hill bombed for twelve
hours...and when it was all over,
I walked up. We didn't find one
of them, not one stinking dink
body. The smell, you know that
gasoline smell? The whole hill-
smelled like-victory.
He looks of nostalgically. A shell comes in and HITS in
the background. Willard and the soldiers react; Kilgore
ignores it.
KILGORE
Someday this war's gonna end.
A tremendous sadness enveloping him. The he stands up and
walks off. Willard turns and looks toward him. He
understands what the colonel is saying to him.
ANGLE - KILGORE - WALKING OUT TOWARD THE SURF