Sand Castle

"I was lucky to get a war." That's how the old guys saw it.

I'd have the rest of my life to tell folks how I'd made history.

Well, I signed up July 11, 2001,

two months before that really meant something.

Oh, I'd love to say, "I'm here to fight for freedom."

But honestly... I joined the reserves for the college money.

I don't belong here. And I'm ashamed of that.

A war story can't be true unless it's got some shame attached to it.

Hey! Ocre!

What do you think?

Pokey was my dog's name.

Mirra Loma's the name of the street I grew up on.

Oh.

It's my porn name. I'm going balls deep in Iraq, get it?

Yeah, yeah. Clever.

That coming off?

- Yeah. Yeah, headin' that way. - Just in time. Armored's rollin' out.

This place will be a ghost town. Ticktock, ticktock. Right?

Right.

Hey, if I don't see you for the rest of the war, be safe.

You too.

A little pressure.

Scale of one to ten, how's the pain?

It's a ten.

Whatever the suggested dose, double it. That'll handle the discomfort.

Discomfort? Nah, I...

I can't even make a fist. I can't roll out like this.

Let me see your hand.

- A door did that? - Yeah.

I've seen guys rollin' out with a lot worse.

Here's one of the potential targets.

When you're in Baghdad, it's really quite...

That a boy, Enzo.

Get it!

I'm telling you guys, I'm gonna be on the cover of men's health,

fuckin' two big-old-tittied chicks on each arm,

waves splashing on my pecs and shit.

Chutsky, we're gonna see you on the cover of out magazine

with a dick in each hand and shame in your eyes. Like this.

Hey, you smell that?

- Smells like pussy. - Why would it smell like pussy?

Oh, hey, Ocre.

What's up? We were just talking about you.

You look like shit.

That malaria pill is giving me nightmares.

This whole place is a nightmare, man.

So... what'd the doc say?

Yeah. I'm good.

Welcome back.

- Did you see armored's rolling out? - Come again?

Whoa! Is that true?

Yeah. And I saw Cole loading the Abrams.

Sergeant Harper, are we staging?

I know what you know, Chutsky.

Come on. What do I know? Tell me what I know.

Hey, sarge, if we are staging, we should start moving.

Guys, command will let us know when they're ready.

Army's kept me in a cage for six weeks, sergeant Harper.

Ooh, time to let me out.

So how's the hand feel?

- It's not a problem. - Okay.

Get the stick, huh?

What are you doing here?

Uh, whatever you tell me to, sergeant.

That's a very good answer. But that's not what I mean.

You're a smart guy.

Smarter than most of these boys.

Why aren't you being all the fuck you can be somewhere else, huh?

Well, uh, it was laundry day when I signed up.

Needed the free t-shirt.

Come on, Ocre.

I don't know. My dad was in, my granddad.

Something you did, you know?

Glorious day for the infantry, sergeant Harper.

As you were.

Hooah, sergeant major. Which way is the shit rolling, lieutenant?

Downhill, as always.

Just as gravity intended, son.

We're being moved up the manifest.

Chalk two packs as slow as my fuckin' wife, apparently.

Roger that, sir. We're gonna be about an hour till we're square here.

Well, better make it 30.

You boys proud and ready?

Proud and ready, sergeant major. Proud and ready.

Yeah, you got that right. Beautiful goddamn day for the infantry.

Burton? There's no way. Not this guy.

- All day. Burton. - This little... this little...

Little baby-faced, wet-nosed puppy dog, care bear motherfucker right here?

Yeah, I'm outside. I don't know none of this shit's going on, right?

So I'm looking up, and I swear to god, just as the first fireworks went off,

Mitch comes flying through the front door,

face bloodied, mangled, just all messed up.

And then out of the corner of my eye, I see this white flash comin'.

I look over.

It's Burton taking a running leap off my front porch.

Came down on him with the knee, like this. Boom!

He grabs him by the ponytail, drags him to the middle of the street

and beat the brakes off of this grown man.

I mean, he hit him with shit I ain't never seen before.

- What, and everyone just watched? - Yeah.

Damn, Burton.

Bottom line, his mom took care of me when I was a kid.

Yeah.

This guy was a piece of shit. He got what was coming to him.

That's it.

You need, like... Like, anger management for that.

No, I'm good.

You're clear to cross phase line, Alpha.

Well, I got really into Pilates.

Roger that, noble lion. We are ready to go. Over.

Guys, game on. Let's go. Come on.

Baghdad or bust, bitches.

Cigarette?

No, I'm good, thanks. Don't smoke.

- Keep me safe up there. - You know it.

Yeah, let's get it up!

Gonna ask you boys to get to your war.

Whoever built that berm,

if they ain't scared, they're gonna get scared.

Double time!

March!

Shit.

- That fuckin' sucks. - Yeah, no shit.

All right. Well, you're gonna have to flank.

All right. Well, Charlie team's got a... A team across the way.

Maybe I could flank with them.

Oh, Chutsky, you want it? Go get it, boy.

- Hey, Burton. - Yeah?

Give me some smoke!

Hey, hey, hey, but don't bum-rush the guy, okay?

Command does not want us destroying a mosque.

- It's gonna be a bad PR problem. - Fuckin' liberals.

I don't think it's coming from the mosque. I saw muzzle flashes behind it.

What building?

I, uh... I think he's in the hotel.

Hotel. I'm gonna take the kid.

- All right, Ocre. - Hey, Burton!

- Go on, point it out! - Rockin' and rollin'. You ready?

- Let's go. Follow me, Ocre! - Moving.

Oh! Shit!

Fuck! Shit. Fuck me!

Go, go, go, go, go, go!

All right, all right!

Where's the co?

- Co! - Right here, sergeant!

Co! Get over here!

All right, private here knows where the fire's coming from.

- Where's it coming from? - He's thinking the hotel.

He's in the hotel.

Alpha, follow him.

Bravo, with me. All right, on me!

Ocre!

You got it.

Move.

Move.

Set.

Move, move, move, move, move, move, move!

Ah!

Contact! Contact! Southeast building.

Ocre, cover fire! Out the window.

Guys, get the fuck up the stairs!

All right. Ocre, cover fire.

I got ya. I got ya. Oh, you're good.

You're good. You're good.

Just quit your bellyaching. You're fine. Just a little gun wound.

All right, help me out here. Help me out. God damn.

- He okay? - Fuckin' do something.

Yeah, we're fine. We're fine.

- All right, Ocre, you're with me. - Yeah.

You, follow me.

Whoo! Ah.

Call it in.

Noble lion, this is eagle one. Do you copy?

Go ahead, eagle one.

Sniper fire is not coming from the mosque. I repeat, not the mosque.

It is confirmed from the hotel.

It is, uh, 260 degrees and...

What is it, about 100 meters from the mosque?

Hundred and fifty.

And 150 meters from the mosque. Over.

Do you have a floor number, eagle one? Over.

Wait, one... Yo, they want a fucking floor number.

Floor number? Do they want a room number, too?

Is this motherfucker ordering room service?

Get the fuck up top. Get 'em a fuckin' floor number.

God damn.

- And watch your head. - Yeah.

Shit. Whoo!

Yeah. Third floor, southeast corner.

- You say third floor, southeast corner? - Yeah.

Fuck.

Fuck that!

Noble lion, this is eagle two.

Sniper fire is too heavy.

I'm suggesting an air strike. Over.

- What the hell are you doing? - What a clusterfuck of a...

Chutsky?

- It's just such a clusterfuck. - Hey. No, no, no, Chutsky.

This whole thing is such a fucking clusterfuck.

No. No, no, no. Sergeant... Hey, sergeant, we're too close.