Pearl Harbor

- German bandits at two o'clock. - Increase throttle. Power dive.

Spell it right, Rafe.

"Rudder" is spelled with 2 "d"s.

- Thanks, wingman. - Yeah, sure.

Whoa, bandits.

- Crack shootin', Danny. - Crack shootin', Rafe.

- Land of the free. - Home of the brave.

Great flyin', Dad.

Come on. I'm gonna teach you how to fly.

- I get the front. - No, you take the back.

I'm bigger, and I should be in front.

I'm older, and I'm teachin', so no.

- Wow. It's like we're really flying. - Yeah, I did it lots of times.

Come on, you man the guns. I'll give her some throttle.

We gotta get those dirty German bandits.

Gosh!

- Hang on. - Make it stop, Rafe.

I've seen my dad do this lots of times. Don't worry.

Rafe.

My gosh. We're flying.

We're flying.

My dad's gonna kill me. Come on.

Yes!

- We flew. - We flew. Yes. I'm a pilot.

- I know. - Yeah!

We flew.

We flew.

- You no-account boy. - Daddy.

I done told you, you spend time playing with this stupid boy can't read,

you ain't never goin' to amount to nothin'.

He ain't stupid, Daddy.

Daddy.

Come on.

Get on back home. Now.

Get on up. You got work to do.

Come on. Come on, get on home.

You let him alone.

Daddy, no.

I will bust you open, you dirty German.

What'd you call me?

I fought the Germans in France.

And I fought 'em in the trenches.

And I pray to God no one ever has to see the things that I saw.

You're my best friend.

Daddy, wait.

Daddy, wait.

Adolf Hitler builds the German military machine ...

and drags all of Europe into war.

But even while France falls to Hitler, America still refuses to join the fighting.

- Where's McCawley and Walker? - Still training, sir.

All right, Danny. Let's show 'em how to fly. We're gonna play chicken. You ready?

This ain't the farm, these ain't crop dusters.

- I'm not playing chicken with you. - Don't be a baby.

- I'm not doing it, Rafe. - I'm coming right at you.

You can turn, or you can hit me.

- What the ...? - Oh, boy.

Why you always bustin' my ass, Rafe? Which way you goin'?

I guess I'll go right. No, uh, left. I'll go left.

- OK, we're goin' left, right? - Right. Right?

Right we're goin' right, or right we're goin' left?

Well, now you got me all mixed up. I don't know. Make up your mind.

God, Rafe, we're going right. Righty-tighty!

Those are some smooth aces.

Did you say something? Cos let me tell ya, those farm boys are grounded.

Yes, sir, an entirely unacceptable use of military aircraft, sir.

- Get my hat. - Yes, sir.

Get those hedge-hoppers in Doolittle's office.

After two years of training,

you believe that a $45,000 airplane is there for your amusement?

No, sir. I was just trying to keep my edge, Major.

When you did the outside loop last week, what was that? Honing your skills?

That's not training, McCawley. That's a stunt.

And I personally consider it to be reckless and irresponsible.

Major.

You're famous for being the first man in the world to do it.

- Don't get cute with me, son. - No, sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful.

I just think that ...

Well, I ... It is reckless and irresponsible if you're just doing it to be a show-off.

But I was doing it to try to inspire the men, sir, in the way that you've inspired me.

I believe the French even have a word for that,

when the men get together to honour their leaders. They call it an homage, sir.

- A what? - An homage, sir.

That's bullshit, McCawley.

But it's very, very good bullshit.

Thank you, sir.

McCawley, you remind me of myself 15 years ago.

Which is why we need to discuss this.

Have a seat, son.

The British have accepted you into the Eagle Squadron.

You're on your way to England tomorrow, if you still want to go.

Just a few British pilots are all that stand between Hitler and total victory in Europe.

- They'll need all the help they can get. - Yes, sir. Well, I'm on my way.

Just for the record, I'm supposed to ask you to reconsider.

Sir?

Sooner or later we're gonna be in this war whether we like it or not.

And I'm gonna need all of my best pilots. So it's my duty to ask you to stay.

Major, what would you do?

If it was me ...

I'd go.

Get out. Am I going bald right back here?

Man, I am one good-lookin' son of a bitch.

Don't you ever die.

Die. That's exactly the concept you gotta work tonight.

You put a drop of this clove oil under your eyes,

and you let 'em sting and well up.

You get your nurse alone, take a breath,

let her see your eyes glisten, and say, "Baby, they're training me for war,

and I don't know what'll happen,

but if I die tomorrow, I want to know ...

that we lived all we could tonight."

Come on, guys. We got nurses waitin'.

Come on, before the rest of his hair falls out.

- How could you do this? - Well, Doolittle assigned me.

He wanted me to get some real combat training in.

Well, guess what. It's not training over there.

It's war. Where the losers die, and there aren't any winners,

just guys who turn into broken-down wrecks like my father.

I understand that, Danny. But I feel like I got a duty to go.

Don't preach to me about duty, dammit. I wear the same uniform you do.

Now, if trouble wants me, I'm ready for it.

- But why go looking for it? - God, Danny, come on.

I'm gonna be 25. I might as well be an old man.

They're gonna have me bein' a flight instructor.

I don't wanna teach loops and barrel rolls. I wanna be a combat fighter.

Hey, come on. The nurses can't dance by themselves.

Let's go.

If the call of duty means seeing 150 men in their underwear every day,

we are here to serve.

I can't believe it. Saturday night in New York City.

Do you know what they're doing where I come from? Nothing.

- Cow-tipping. - That's why you joined the navy, hon.

To get out of that dusty little town and see the world.

May I remind you, Barbara, we're navy nurses, not tourists.

I joined to do my patriotic duty and to meet guys.

Me too.

- We're gonna have so much fun. - Tell them the story, Evelyn.

What?

Come on. Tell us.

It's such a long story.

We got time.

I saw it happen.

Well, it was about four weeks ago.

What do you think is better?

All in the one cheek, or spreading them out?

OK.

Fusco, Anthony.

You all right, buddy?

Sweetie, do you really have to do this?

I'm not gonna get yellow fever in my barracks.

No? If you'd rather, she can do it.

Just gimme a minute.

Honey, the government says stick 'em, we stick 'em.

Hey, Red, you all right?

Eye exam number four?

Listen, Doc, I have passed a dozen medical checks.

- You write that, they won't let me fly. - Sorry, son.

I'm gonna fail. They're gonna take my wings away.

No, they won't. Just relax.

Read the bottom line, please.

Keep practisin' the bottom line. And don't worry. I'm right behind you.

J-L-M-K-P-O ...

Thank you.

Next.

Ma'am.

J-L-M-K-P-O-E-T-X.

- Eyes like an eagle, ma'am. - Slow down, flyboy.

And, instead of the bottom, read the very top. Both eyes.

Yeah.

C ... Sorry, J.

C.

W.

Q.

Q.

Read the bottom line again, please.

But read it right to left, and every other letter.

E.

X.

- X-E. - X-E.

X-E, ma'am.

Ma'am, I know how this looks.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I really am. But army and navy requires 20/20 vision.

Oh, I ... It's not a problem with my eyes. I mean, I can see.

I can hit a running rabbit with a $3 pistol. I got a problem with letters, that's all.

Maybe after some schooling you could come back and take the test again.

No, I had schooling. The teachers just never knew what to make of it.

It's just letters. I mix 'em up sometimes. That's all.

I just get 'em backward sometimes.

Look here. My math and spatial reasoning and my verbal scores are all excellent.

But you barely passed the written exam.

Yeah, but he did pass it. So, is it my turn now?

- No, you'll wait your turn. - Yes, ma'am.

Ma'am, I'm never gonna be an English teacher.

But I know why I'm here. To be a pilot.

And you don't dogfight with manuals. You don't fly with gauges.

It's all about feeling and speed and lettin' that plane become like a part of your body.

And that manual says that a guy who's a slow reader can't be a good pilot.

That file says I'm the best pilot in this room.

Ma'am, please, don't take my wings.

Well, I felt so bad.

Evelyn, rotate to station three.