American Bomber

This is from when he was a cub scout.

All the kids loved him.

And he looked so smart in his uniform.

Ironed it himself every Wednesday before school.

Because he'd have scouts after.

He must have looked so fine.

Like a saphire shining in the classroom.

We moved around a lot. He never seemed to mind.

Made friends quick. Always has.

Certain people, special people are like that.

They have a way of just attracting people to them.

John Hidell? Yeah. Yeah, I vaguely remember him.

We went to school like 7th, 8th grade.

Most miserable kid I can remember.

But he wasn't there the whole year

He'd get into fights.

That's kinda the way it goes.

In gym class.

He'd be covered in bruises, scrapes.

My friends did it.

He also had cigarette burns.

I don't know how he got those.

This is when we were living with Phil.

JJ and him used to get along so well.

I thought Phil was gonna adopt him.

He didn't have a taste for family life.

His loss.

Mr. Hidell?

Did I get that right? Hidell?

Yes, sir.

Have a seat, son.

You ever work in a machine room before?

I took shop classes in high school. Teacher said I did well.

High school. Nothing professionally?

No, sir.

Any experience with hand dyes?

No, not really.

You're a vet?

Yes, sir.

Hell, son. You should've said so.

If Uncle Sam thinks you're

good enough to hunt Osama,

you can push a broom for me.

Any position you have open would be great.

You see any action?

There were some moments. Yeah.

Where were you? Iraq? Afghanistan?

I got a nephew who's a Marine over in Iraq

Maybe you know him? Ben. Ben Engals?

I was in the Army, sir. didn't get to meet many Marines.

Stupid of me. Army and Marines being separate branches.

Says here you can start ASAP?

Yes, sir.

Great. How does next Monday sound?

That sounds wonderful.

That'll give us enough time to

run your piss test and background check.

You won't have a problem

taking a piss test, will you?

I know when you guys get back

you need to blow off some steam.

We can push this back to a more convenient time

I'm clean as a whistle.

What's the background check?

It's just an insurance thing.

Criminal history, that sort of thing.

Can't have any felons working on the floor.

Nothing to worry about.

Welcome to the team, John.

Hidell. John W.

Shows up at 10:30am ON 9/11.

Didn't call his sweetheart.

Didn't ask for two weeks from his job.

Saw the t.v. and got his ass down here.

Only asked one question

wanted to get assigned

the same Ranger unit as his brother.

Yes, sir, Mr. Hidell.

Like I have control of anything.

That's Jamie. JJ's half-brother.

JJ's daddy, Will, had him with Anne,

this piece of white trash he was

shacking up with before he met me

God bless her heart.

Will would pick up JJ for the

weekends and take him and Jamie

camping or fishing.

When Will took off,

Jamie had just gotten his driver's license.

he'd come up all the way from

Bowling Green to

spend time with JJ.

Hidell and I were deployed here

in the same unit together.

Good soldier.

Except for one little bout of temper,

but in this heat who could blame him?

I've been here almost 10years now.

I like it. It's nice. Quiet.

The food's good.

Hell, I even met my wife here.

It's just the goddamn heat you never get used to.

But that's Phoenix for you.

Bunch of keepsakes from my time with Uncle Sam.

I haven't looked in this box in forever.

I'm not gonna be able to fit in this belt again. Ha ha.

I have a shot of Hidell. Here it is.

We were assigned to guard the nuke plant here in Phoenix.

Hidell was pissed about it

because he wanted to go to Afghanistan,

I told him, better to be bored at home

than dead in the ass end of nowhere.

Radio Announcer: This just in: the White House is

reporting that after almost 10 years

Osama Bin Laden has been killed

during a U.S. commando raid in Pakistan.

Remains have been postively identified.

Once again, Osama Bin Laden killed by U.S. forces.

We send our gratitude to all troops who served abroad

and made this day possible.

Good work, fellas!

He kept getting these Dari

or Farsi or something tapes

he just listen to 'em over and over.

He read whatever he could

anything he could find on Afghanistan.

One time he rented this godawful

documentary about Afghani dirt farmers.

We gave him hell about that for a month.

But we respected him.

He wanted to be in the fight.

Hardcore.

We were shocked when he put

Sergeant Reed in the hospital.

Dear PFC Hidell.

My name is Ed Martinez and

I had the honor of serving with your brother.

It is with a heavy heart that I

inform you that your brother, Jim

was killed in battle at about 0100 hours, GMT

on the morning of October 15

while engaged with enemy forces.

he was an exemplary Ranger.

He spoke of you often and fondly.

Enclosed is his St. Christopher medal.

I know he would want you to have it.

I am sorry for your loss and my condolences go out to you and your family.

Sincerely. Captain Ed Martinez, U.S. Army

I don't know why he attacked Reed.

It was like a switch was flipped.

Shit just came outta nowhere.

Reed was in the hospital

for four weeks.

I never saw Hidell again.

After whatever happened

I know that sergeant had to be outta line

for JJ to have to defend himself like that

I didn't hear from him for six or seven months.

I thought they'd shipped him off to Iraq

and he might be, you know, hurt or something.

When I found out where he was,

I was furious.

Here we are in the middle of two wars

and you've got a nice strong boy willing to fight

and what do you do?

Lock him in a box for six months?

I was more mad about it than he was.

I asked him about it and he said,

It just don't matter.

He said he met a man

who helped him see the world different.

And he told me,

In the end we all end up where we belong.

You can make it tighter, if you like.

While you are at it,

mind getting my cigarettes out of my pocket?

Ta da!

Sure you don't want one, Mark?

Maybe later, then.

Hidell. J.J. He lost his brother.

It is an awful thing when your brother dies.

I've had many brothers here and I have seen many of them die here.

Each one is a tragedy

who could know you more or love you better than your own flesh and blood?

Once you lose that, what have you got left?

And poor, poor JJ.

He lost the only person in the world who understood him.

He needed someone who could help him keep his chin above water

in the sewer they call the world.

Someone to protect him and teach him.

Someone to show him the way.

Show JJ the true nature of the rld and where he might fit into it.

And now he's out there. Doing his part.

We were watching this bomb maker, Andrew Hall

trying to figure out where he was getting his munitions.

We knew he'd been dishonorably dischargedfrom Fort Garrett,

We're certain his supplier was military.

We set up a surveillance team at Hidell's mother's house

by the time we set up, he'd disappeared.

I thought, he's a momma's boy