Strategic Air Command

Well, here we are.

An elderly parson shouldn't yield to temptation this way.

Oh, nonsense, dad.

The sun will do you good.

Good morning.

Hi, darling!

Hey, that boy's good.

Who is he?

He's a rookie named Brewster, just up from Columbus.

Hi, Joe.

How am I doing, coach?

Well, you are coming along.

Coming along, huh?

This daughter of yours is kind of hard to please, you know?

Say, about that Brewster kid?

Doesn't he look sharp?

No, they ought to play him at third.

He doesn't move well to the right.

Oh.

Uh-huh, you want him to take my job.

In three or four years, perhaps.

He's young, but he can wait.

Yeah, true.

What's going on now, Robert?

Inter-squad game, reds against the blues.

I'm captain of the blues, see you later.

Oh, that reminds me.

I forgot to give Dutch a message.

Some old air force friend of his named Rusty Castle

phoned, said he was coming over.

Oh, well, Dutch won't care much one way or the other.

How do you know he won't?

Well, I just know.

He's an old war buddy of his.

A flyer or something.

And I know Dutch, the last thing he wants

is to hash over old times.

You seem to know your husband very well

considering the short time you've been married.

Oh, I do.

I know him like a book.

Is that so surprising?

Yeah, rather.

Why?

I've known your mother for 30 years.

What I don't know about her

would fill a very large book.

Now, I'm just going to show you.

Brewster is coming to bat, and Dutch likes him.

And the kid always hits to the left.

But you just watch Dutch,

if he connects, he's going to try

to make it look like a hit.

See what I mean?

Anymore questions, Dr. Thorne?

Well, I guess we better go, Dad.

Well, good morning, reverend.

Sally.

Hi, Tom.

Well, our boy looks pretty good.

Yes, he's coming along.

Can't you stay awhile?

No, thank you.

Dad has to work on his sermon.

And I have to go home and get ready

for the house warming.

You just stay here and watch your livestock at work.

And pretty expensive livestock.

Especially your husband.

Yes, well feeding him is no cinch either, you know?

I'll see you later, Tom, bye bye.

Mrs. Holland?

Yes?

I'm Rusty Castle.

Oh, yes of course.

This is my father, Dr. Thorne.

And Mr. Doyle.

Hello, Mr. Doyle.

Well, I'm glad to meet you, general.

General?

Rusty!

Rusty, how are you?

Oh, Dutch.

Well boy am I glad to see you.

Hey, you're looking great.

How you hitting?

Ah, I'm getting in shape.

Well, you meet all these people?

Yes.

Well why didn't you tell us

you were coming into town?

Well see I was over at a staff meeting

at MacDill...

Oh, but General Castle did phone.

But I hadn't had a chance to tell you.

Oh, well that's alright.

Well you just got here at the right time.

We're having a house warming tonight.

How about staying over, huh?

Well, I?

Oh please do.

Come on, come on.

I'd be glad to.

Good!

Well I've got to run, sweetheart.

And I'll see you later.

I'm awfully glad you can stay, General.

Bye, dear.

Bye.

Bye, Reverend.

What's new, Rusty?

Well come on, give me the low down.

That's just what I came to do, Dutch.

I think it'd better wait until later.

Oh?

Why, is something cooking?

Yeah, in a way.

Is that so?

Hey Dutch, you're up.

Oh, I'll see you later.

Dutch is pretty valuable to the Cardinals.

Isn't he, Mr. Doyle?

Valuable?

He drove in a 152 runs last year.

Just signed a $70,000 a year contract.

You don't pay salaries like that for fun, General.

Yes, I can understand that.

Dutch was the best B-29 commander I had.

Not many men with his judgement and coordination.

And whatever else it takes to come through in the pinches.

Why did you ask me that, General?

Why?

I was thinking, he'd be just as valuable to SAC.

SAC?

What's SAC?

Strategic Air Command.

We're the Air Force's global bombing outfit.

Oh, you're the boys that dropped the A-bomb.

Well, I hope not.

Our job is to be ready and able to strike back

any where in the world if this country's ever attacked.

Quite a job you've got there, General.

Yes, it's a big job alright.

Our greatest problem's personnel, Mr. Doyle.

We need mature, experienced leaders in SAC.

Men like Dutch.

Are you trying to tell me they want Dutch

back in the Air Force?

That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, Mr. Doyle.

Well this is the craziest thing I've ever heard of.

What do you want with a guy my age?

I haven't flown an airplane in six years.

I've never even been close to a jet.

Look, Dutch, we don't need young kids in SAC.

We need old hands, like you, experienced.

Well where's the fire?

I just don't see the necessity.

You would if you were in my seat.

Look, do you realize that we're

the only thing that's keeping the peace?

By staying combat ready we can prevent a war.

Dutch, if I didn't believe that,

if my commanders and crews didn't believe that,

I couldn't get a single airplane off the ground.

Well I've done my share!

Gonnit, why do you have to recall me?

I'm not recalling you, Dutch.

This wasn't my decision.

Believe me, I feel worse about it than you do.

I asked you to take that reserve commission

just as a gesture.

For old time's sake.

I never thought the time would...

Alright, who's decision was it?

General Hawkes.

I even tried to talk him out of it.

But they're calling up everyone

in your reserve classification.

The general was adamant.

No exceptions.

Alright, isn't there somebody above him

I could talk to?

Sure, sure, but he's boss of SAC.

There are people who can fire him.

But I'll guarantee there's no one

who can ever make him change his decision.

Well, this is it then, huh?

I report a week from Tuesday.

That's right.

Your orders are on their way now.

21 months of active duty.

21 months.

You realize what this does to me?

I'm no youngster anymore.

I've got a few more good years of baseball left

and now you take me away at...

Look, Dutch,

there's just no point in arguing with me.

No, I guess not.