The Outsider

- Hey, look who's here! - Hi, Jake.

I thought I'd have to walk. How are you, kid?

Fine. Here, let me take that.

You know, everybody around here is pretty proud of you, Sergeant.

It was a breeze. Wait till I make General.

What's it like out there?

Cuckoo. You know what they did?

They rounded up all the Indian GIs and made us radio men.

'Cause they figured if we talked Indian to each other, the enemy'd never break the code.

But they didn't figure that a Pima doesn't know what

the heck a Cherokee's talking about, or vice versa.

So now I'm back with my old outfit again.

What I mean, Jay, the guys in your outfit. Are they okay?

Oh, sometimes you've got to bite on a nail pretty hard,

but they're not too different from us.

Hello, Mr. Alvarez. Heard from your son?

- He's in Africa now. How are you? - Great.

- Jay, I mean, are they friendly? - Sure they're friendly.

Come on, now, tell me about here. I want to know everything.

Jay, I just got to...

How's my wife? You seen her?

Oh, she's fine. She's gonna have a baby. But I guess you know that.

I should. They doin' anything about water around here?

Well, all that stopped when I went into the army.

No, they're still talking. You know.

Talk. They'll talk themselves right into the Museum of Natural History.

You ought to see the ditches in pale-faced country, full enough to breed whales in.

And swimming pools? I bet I saw a thousand flying over Phoenix.

Jay, I just got to show you this.

Oh, come on. You're just a kid.

But my parents have to sign. They don't know about it yet.

I'll be a son of a gun. Ira Hayes a Marine! That's tremendous.

You're the first one I told.

Mom, hey!

They sent this Judas' coat to lead our boys to the slaughter.

- Come on, Kenny, don't turn it off! - Oh, you're clean enough!

- I was speaking. - Boys, be quiet, uncle was speaking.

Hey, he's no relation. How come we call him uncle?

Mom, I have to talk to him.

It's a big sergeant now, Mr. Know-it-all.

A white man in Judas' coat to lead our boys to slaughter.

Uncle, are you talking about Jay Morago?

I'm talking of the fools who leave the old folks to scratch the ground

while they follow the white man under the field of shame.

Shame? Uncle, but the war's for everybody.

You know only what a prairie dog knows. How to lie in the sun and dream.

He knows what I taught him. Ira's no dreamer. He's a good boy.

Did you teach him the history of our betrayals,

of the peaceful life we had here in the garden of the Lord,

where the earth was like butter and the Gila River was full?

My people helped the white man, fought with him against the Apaches.

My people fed his armies.

Uncle, don't you mean our people?

Mine! I'm a Pima. I don't know what you are.

They deeded us the waters of the river forever.

Year after year, they took it away until now, we're like fish dying in a pool of dust.

Uncle, they promised us water. We'll get it. You'll see.

The white man is the enemy!

And those who fight his war are traitors to the tribe.

Uncle, if that's a traitor, well, I guess I'm a traitor too.

I'm enlisting in the Marines. I'm supposed to go tomorrow.

Boy, that's great! Isn't that great?

All I need is for you and Pop to sign.

When you were four years old, you saw some man kill a cow.

You came home, and you looked at the meat in your dish.

And you got real sore at me.

You said, "Mother, I'm not gonna eat cow meat anymore."

"I'm only gonna eat meat that you buy from the store."

How are you gonna shoot someone, when you couldn't even stand to watch them kill a cow?

They'll show me.

Who? The white man?

You hardly ever talk to one. How do you know they're even gonna talk to you?

I'll listen when they talk to each other.

Smart boy.

You're gonna be in the same uniform. That don't mean they're gonna be your friend.

For that, it's gonna be easy for you.

I'll do like Jay did. I'll bite on the nail. He got along fine.

He says they're just like us.

Mom, I've got to have a clean pair of socks.

Mom, I'm not a baby anymore.

I know you're scared for me. - I'm not scared.

But someday you're gonna have to let me go, and I've got to do this.

Mom, I've got to be the best marine they ever saw.

Please, Mom.

Hey, Mom, you gonna let him go?

I know you're gonna be a good marine.

But don't forget to be a good Pima boy.

And go to church.

Mom, I won't miss once.

You people, get off the truck!

Off the truck!

Off the truck!

Align up four rows, like four rows of corn.

Get in there!

Face me! Quickly!

Turn around!

Hold up the hand you eat with.

That is your right hand.

You will find your right foot is on the same side of your body as your right hand.

You will place your gear by your right foot.

Do it!

Heels together.

Toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle.

Palms in.

Palms along the seams of your trousers.

Shoulders back.

Chest out.

Chin in.

Your eyes looking at the whole of the man's head in front of you.

You will live this way from now on.

Your platoon number is 7-0-1.

I am Sergeant Kiley, your drill instructor.

I have been watching you blobs fall through your nostrils for the past two minutes.

You are gonna learn something about discipline.

Now, I'm not your mommy.

Your mom is not here to protect you or to pick up after you or to kiss it where it hurts.

You treat me like you do your momma and you wish you were dead.

You got a name, girl?

Sorensen, sir.

Best man on the campus at military school?

Yes, sir.

You know, I did not give the command "about face".

I did not give the command "attention", but you did those things anyway, didn't you?

Yes, sir.

And you did them perfectly too, didn't you?

I think so, sir.

You think too much, General.

From here on out, you have nothing between your ears except a blood clot.

And the only one that thinks is me. Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

What are you, grinning and cow-eyed? You in love with me?

No.

No, sir.

No, sir.

How many scalps you got in your pocket?

None, sir. I'm a Pima Indian, sir. We don't do that, sir.

You just think I'm about the funnest thing you ever saw, don't you?

No, sir.

Are you as happy as a duck? Can you quack like a duck?

Yes, sir.

Well, just don't say yes. Let me see you do it.

Get out there and squat down and put your hands on your head.

Ah, let's hear it.

Quack, quack, quack.

Well, let's see you waddle like a duck. Back and forth.

Quack, quack, quack.

Keep waddling and keep quacking until that idiot grin goes away.

That will be the last grin out of any of you.

If anybody thinks that's funny, I'll visit his grave.

Because that's where you all end up if you think there's anything funny about war.

Now, pick up your gear.

You too, Chief.

When I say so, you will move into that building as fast as you can.

Now, go! Go!

You regular old cuddle bunny.

Get out of my sight, you meathead!

Yes, sir!

All right, you strip queens, finish up.

You will scrub those slimy bodies and remove all dirt, grease and animal life.

When you come out, you will be sweet-smelling and newborn.

Because that's what's happening to you, meathead.

Why are you bleeding, house mouse?

Sir, I cut myself shaving.

Did I tell you to bleed?

No, sir.

Then stop.

Oh, Chief, that water's not gonna hurt you.

Don't you ever bathe?

Dear parents and brothers,

Well, here I am in boot camp.

Just about the first thing they did was give us a shower.

Hot water, cold water, or both mixed together.

Dad, I bet what I used on me alone, you could irrigate a whole cotton crop.

My drill instructor is a great man, and he sure likes me.

He even calls me Chief.

You should hear the bull sessions we have.

And I'm always in them.

One of the gang.

I'm finding real good buddies here.

It sure is great.

You will swim the width of the pool five times.

When I say "On your marks, go",

you will jump into the water and you will go.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir!

Well, let's see how you do it.

On your marks. - But, sir...

Go!

Take him out!

Hey, hey, General, over here.

Grab that guy, General.

Why didn't you tell me you can't swim?

You didn't ask me, sir.

You will get back into the water and you will learn.

Esther Williams here will teach you.

Because when I ordered Esther Williams to jump,

she decided to die.

Esther Williams will teach you how to swim better than she does.

Won't you?

Yes, sir!