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Tour of Duty (1987)
| Sprache | S/F/T | Rating | Uploaded |
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pilot
The time is 1967, the place is Firebase Ladybird, Central Highlands, South Vietnam. The firebase is promptly over-run. Only an air strike with napalm clears the firebase. Afterwards, Zeke goes to recruit some new soldiers to replace men he lost in the battle. Using his own criteria, he selects the "best" men from a group of green recruits. He picks out Danny Purcell, Baker, Alberto Ruiz and Pvt. Lawrence. On his way to meet up (for the first time) with the platoon's new leader -- Lt. Goldman -- Zeke hears a harmonica being played (a talent he wishes to emulate) and follows the sound to a new man (Horn), a self-styled pacifist. Anderson insists that he join the platoon despite his beliefs, though. They then meet up with Lt. Goldman, a newly-recruited second lieutenant who has just arrived from the States. The by-the-book Goldman immediately clashes with Anderson. The next day, Capt. Wallace reluctantly sends out the newly-formed platoon. Arriving in the field by helicopter, they find themselves in a hot LZ under fire. Anderson disobeys Goldman's order to charge the tree line and calls in artillery that ends up saving their lives. But Zeke now faces court-martial charges.
Notes from the Underground
The VC are mauling the American soldiers through their use of the underground tunnels. On their latest trip into the bush, Anderson and the men provide a blocking force, only the Gooks being driven toward them disappear down into the tunnels... and Goldman and Anderson end up firing on Americans -- thinking they are VC coming toward them. The team ends up in a village but again gets attacked as the VC pop up out the tunnels and then back into them after the attack. Taylor is captured during this fighting -- having been wounded. Taylor ends up being befriended by a VC Doc who has no interest in fighting -- only in returning home alive. On the surface, Anderson and Goldman go into the tunnels, only to end up entombed by a cave-in.
Dislocations
At Firebase Ladybird, Anderson and Goldman are being briefed by Capt. Wallace about a local villager who has taken up sniping on NVA troops. The man just wants to be left alone, but his actions will most likely result in the NVA destroying his village. Before this can happen, Goldman's men are supposed to move the whole village 30 klicks to the south. However the Vietnameses' religious beliefs say they can't move... no matter what. Despite the fact that this was supposed to help PR -- not hurt it -- in the end the platoon ends up escorting the civilians at gun-point away from their village. Goldman meets and becomes attracted to the beautiful native woman, Lang. And, as the flight turns to a fight, it is -- interestingly enough -- Lang's VC husband who ends up saving Goldman's life.
War Lover
Bravo company locates a bunker complex and is about to call in a fire mission when a Huey approaches the area and opens fire on the complex, narrowly missing Zeke and the others. When Bravo arrives back at Firebase Ladybird, they are furious and want something "done" to the hotdog flyer. The person responsible for the "near miss" turns out to be Earl Ray Michaels, a seasoned combat veteran and "war lover". Unfortunately, Anderson, Goldman, Percell and Horn find themselves assigned to the man to go on a special mission to destroy an enemy-held bridge. Anderson knows Michaels, they'd disagreed before, Michaels cares only for enemy kills, Anderson only for his men. Goldman nearly detonates a mine, Anderson and Michaels save him. During a firefight, Johnson is hurt. Michaels finishes off the rest of the enemy soldiers. Tempers finally reach the breaking point when Anderson finds a living child and Michaels wants the kid killed.
Sitting Ducks
The platoon is moved to an area where an irrigation project is underway, and they have been given the "cushy" job of providing security for engineers working there. The irrigation project is part of the "Redevelopment Program" to bring modern technology to the peassants of Vietnam. Bravo Co arrives to relieve, only to find that the CO was killed while taking out a patrol. It seems that the VC know the American's every move. Before the old outfit leaves, they introduce Goldman and Anderson to their Kit Carson scout -- an ex-VC, named Tran. Tran advises more patrols to counter the problem, and Goldman agrees. But everytime the Americans leave the village they are ambushed. Meanwhile, Horn has become fascinated with the Buddhists. During his visits with the priest in his search for understanding, Horn accidentally discovers how the GI's are being set up: it is the monks, using their temple bell.
Burn, Baby, Burn
In a time of great racial tension and violence in America, the same problems were carried over to Vietnam, where it was not unusual for bars -- or sometimes entire sections of towns -- to cater only to whites, blacks or hispanics. To wander into the wrong "territory" was a mistake that could lead to violence and death. Taylor and three of his brothers encounter such a problem when Percell asks them to meet him at what turns out to be an all-white redneck bar. A fight breaks out between one of the blacks, Tucker and a KKK member, Innis. Both end up in Bravo Co, and while on a patrol, Tucker's friend is killed when Innis fails to provide coverage. Racial tensions mount. As the black soldiers discuss their own people dying at home to obtain some equal rights, they see Innes put up a Confederate flag. Violence breaks out, and, in the end, Johnson gets accused of starting it. A conflict at the brig nearly ends in gunfire but, in the end, Tucker -- the trouble-maker is transfered out and things quiet down... although they are not resolved.
Brothers, Fathers and Sons
Anderson, Baker, and Johnson are shot down while catching a ride in a helicopter, which explodes just after it hits the ground. They are unhurt but the pilot is dead, and VC soldiers are firing at their position. Zeke manages to kill all of the VC but one, who escapes. With the fighting over for the present, they begin the long trek back to base, all the while being hunted by the VC. The enemy group is led by Trang, a man who wants to kill the Americans for revenge. The three Americans stumble upon a village of Montagnards who have been wiped out, all but a pregnant woman who is dying... and does just as the child is born. Anderson is adamant about leaving the baby behind, but Johnson and Baker consider that move barbaric. Anderson ends up taking care of the baby and forming the strongest bond. Meanwhile, Goldman is out looking for Zeke and the others. Back in the jungle, Anderson risks his life to get milk for the baby and keeps the child from being killed. In a heated exchange of gunfire, Zeke and Trang end up fighting, all others are wounded... in the end Trang won't kill Zeke because Zeke risks his life, yet again, for the baby.
The Good, the Bad and the Dead
A drunken GI steals a chaplain's jeep and goes on a joy ride with a Vietnamese hooker. They nearly collide with a jeep-load of MPs who chase him down. His arrest is witnessed by Zeke, who recognizes him as Decker, his former drill sergeant and role model. Anderson rescues Decker from a certain court-martial (his second) and drafts him into the squad without checking with Goldman first. Decker is popular with the guys but he almost immediately starts to disobey orders. Decker mans a listening post with Horn to watch for enemy troops movements, but he gets drunk and falls asleep. As a result, Horn is nearly killed.
Battling Baker Brothers
Baker insists his fellow squad members follow him to an incoming helicopter. The incoming "VIP" turns out to be Baker's twin brother, who brings along a skate board that the whole squad uses for fun. Carl Baker turns out to be nothing like his brother: he is hard-drinking, womanizing, party-goer. The two brothers end up in a fight, nearly destroying the base in the process. Carl celebrates their birthdays by bringing in a truck-load full of Vietnamese hookers. They all party down and, in the end, Baker ends up doubly-mad as his brother "steals" his girl. Carl leaves the next morning with neither brother on speaking terms and everyone in trouble. Carl's helicopter goes down and Baker goes in after him, managing to get caught by the same VC who have his brother. They are both tortured by the VC and Anderson and Goldman must go in to rescue the two.
Nowhere to Run
Two sappers make their way into Firebase Ladybird without being detected, but Percell sees the third one, killing him. The other two manage to set off their explosives before they can be stopped. The next morning, Capt. Wallace orders Anderson and Goldman to have their men police up the dead bodies.. Anderson complains his men are beat, but Wallace isn't concerned. Percell is upset both over a friend's dying and having received a "Dear John" letter. Goldman, meantime, runs into an old friend: Lt. Nikki Raines, and promises to meet her later. Goldman, Anderson and the squad go out to destroy a bridge, which they blow up. Percell, in the midst of chasing a running VC, accidentally kills an 8-year-old. Percell is devistated over the incident.
Roadrunner
One of a GI's big events is the arrival of his mail. When Zeke opens his mail to find that his ex-wife, it is to find that she is complaining that he is not writing letters home often enough to their 3-year-old daughter. Zeke already has enough responsibilities... this one isn't wanted. However he has little time to worry about it before he finds himself out on patrol. Goldman orders the squad forward when Anderson warns that they are walking into trouble, Anderson scouts out ahead and ends up in a near-lethal mortar barrage. Anderson is nearing his limit when he finds out that the squad's next destination is a valley where Zeke's last outfit was nearly wiped out. Anderson fights going tooth-and-nail and it is obvious to everyone that Zeke is falling apart. There is little time to help him, though, as the men have to consider their mission first. The squad ends up going after a downed flyer... and while Zeke continues to deteroriate.
Pushin' Too Hard
Anderson, Goldman, and Captain Wallace are checking out a new weapon that has been added to the platoon's arsenal: a flamethrower. Zeke and Goldman are unhappy that the next mission will also include a beautiful female reporter -- Vicky Adams. Zeke fights against the woman's urges to "get the good stuff" and his own men's attempts to impress her -- at the risk of their own lives. A prisoner is caught and tells the unit that they are surrounded by an NVA regiment. Wallace refusees to go back to safety, though, and a bad situation continues to get worse and worse.
USO Down
A USO band comprised of three female dancers, a sax players, and a singer, completes their performance at an outlying base, and are rushed to a helicopter to be flown to their next destination. None of them get a chance to even change their costumes. The helicopter is shot down and the entire crew is killed. Meanwhile, Bravo company is out on a recon, and Taylor who is on point, thinks he must be going crazy when he sees the girl in hot pants and leather boots. Bravo company takes the girls with them but can't call in for help because the radio's batteries are dead.The USO people make the transition to "soldier" with various degrees of success.
Under Siege
The men of Bravo are certain that Westmoreland has not yet informed the enemy that they are losing, as Firebase Ladybrid continues to come under daily long-range artillery fire. Suddenly a helicopter approaches and lands despite the fact that the base is taking fire. It is the new company commander -- Captain Larry Heath -- a man who initially wins over the favor of his troops with gifts, but he proves to be a complete fanatic. Heath wants to attack despite the fact that it appears that the base is about to be attacked. Zeke and Goldman set them men to putting up a defense and get in trouble because of it. A large attack proves that Anderson was right when the firebase is over-run and Doc Matsuda, with only 15 days left of his tour of duty, is killed when he refuses to abandon his patient.
Soldiers
The squad is in heavy contact with a group of enemy soldiers, and after taking several casualties manage to be retrieved by two helicopters. Danny hears that his father is hospitalized after a near-fatal heart-attack and is given emergency medical leave. Danny finds that his father and mother have separated and his father has taken up with a younger woman who is loyal to him. Danny feels left out and alienated from a man who he already wasn't close to. While waiting for his father to get better, Danny meets Rudy Morales, a vet handicapped by wounds -- a bitter, broken man. Danny is seriously upset by this and further upset by an argument with his father. Meanwhile, Taylor and Ruiz decide that they need to be by Danny's side, so they talk Anderson into pulling some strings and getting their R&R in Bangkok changed to Honolulu. Once in Hawaii they are exposed to the "real" world of mini-skirts and negative attitudes about the war.
Gray-Brown Odyssey
Goldman, Horn, Calhoun, and Pointer are retruning to the base after spending two days int he rear. Their jeep hits a mine, wounding Calhoun and Pointer. Goldman is blinded when a fire extinguisher blows up in his face. A squad of VC arrive and open fire. Calhoun and Pointer are killed by the attack, Goldman is blinded. In the end Horn chases after the sole surviving VC only to find that she's a woman. He captures her and takes her back to the hut where's he's left the blinded Goldman. Horn then, after much argument, goes after help for Goldman. The woman manages to signal to other villagers for help and so Goldman, blinded, must rig his rifle to her head, marching her off into his "blind landscape" so that they can escape the VC that she has called on to help her. As they escape they run into a great deal of trouble, starving families, groups of VC and even a group of Americans who fire on them. In the end, by the time Horn finds them, the woman has died in Goldman's arms, leaving Myron to return to the firebase with a far different perspective on the "enemy."
Blood Brothers
Retired Major General Goldman arrives by helicopter at Firebase Ladybird on a fact finding mission for Washington brass. Seeing another helicopter landing, he goes to greet and question Anderson and his soldiers about the mission they have just returned from. They later learn that the general is Goldman's father but it is clear when they meet that the two don't have a good relationship. They were estranged when Myron's mother died five years before and haven't spoken since. The Major general finds that his son's leadership methods appall him. Ruiz befriends a new man who joins the team, mainly because he is also a hispanic. But the man manages to get himself killed due to his careless attitude. Dalby orders Goldman's men into an impossible attack which Myron refuses to go on. Zeke and Goldman realize that the new man was on dope and set out to cure the problem themselves.
Short Timer
Bravo company is on another S&D mission. A new man is on point, and he stops the patrol when he sees some blood, which he follows to a Vietnam booby trap. He's killed. Taylor takes over point, even though he is a short timer. Later, he manages to survive an encounter with an NVA machine gun nest after he destroys it. Taylor must address his mixed emotions about his near return to home. His fear and distaste for Vietnam is equaled only by the darkness of the life waiting for him at home. Taylor, after a "Dear John" phone call from home, signs up for another tour.
Paradise Lost
The men from Bravo company are patrolling in the jungle when they find a fresh trail, one that leads to a trap by a group of VC soldiers. The Americans are out-numbered and in a very bad position. Suddenly they are rescued by Montagnards. Anderson trusts them, and has the squad follow them back to their village where they meet the translator -- an ex-GI (Kithem). The American is obviously hostile to the presence of Goldman and the rest of the Americans. Against Kithem and Anderson's better judgement, Goldman follows orders to help fortify the native "compound" against the VC. Kithem warns that all the American attention will only bring down the ARVN and NVA forces. Which is exactly what happens.
Angel of Mercy
In a small South Vietnamese hamlet, an NVA officer arrives to brief his men that they will soon begin infiltrating towns and villages through-out the country in preparation for the Tet Offensive. Meanwhile, Bravo is in the bush, while Baker is losing a battle with his dysentery. As he "answers the call of nature" he sights VC closing on the unit and then, pulling his pants up, gets a frog down them, and starts screaming. As the American's come running, a fire fight starts, ending with the capture of an NVA Colonel Trang. Goldman catches a bullet in the helmet and in his jacket as they try to retreat. Though saved by his clothing, he still does need to go to the hospital along with Anderson, who is hit with shrapnel. While Goldman and Anderson recover, Trang dies under mysterious circumstances during interrogation.
The Hill
Goldman and Nikki have a great time on a brief R&R that they spend together on China Beach. Their reunion is marred by the fact that Nikki refuses to marry him, fearing he will be killed in combat. Goldman returns to Firebase Ladybird to find that his unit has been assigned to help take Hill 1000. They've taken it before and lost it before. And this battle promises to be the worst. Even after the bunker is finally taken, it is found empty. They go back down so that a plane can spray a defoliate. They must go back and take that hill yet again. Horn has, in the meantime, gotten in trouble with a young -- and new -- officer. Sitting at the bottom of the hill and awaiting the court-martial, he sees a wounded Taylor and he decides to go back with his buddies and fight. Horn is seriously wounded and sent home.
Saigon (1)
Having received some warning of the upcoming Tet Offensive (In Angel of Mercy), Bravo Co. is still unprepared for what happens to them after they are transferred to Tan Son Nhut Base outside of Saigon. Zeke and Goldman catch up with one of their men in an opium parlor and have a run-in with some Vietnamese thugs. The situation is basically under control until a female wire service correspondent -- Alex Devlin -- butts in. Alex explains that she was following up on a story lead. Lt. McKay is introduced as a chopper pilot who will be shuttling Bravo Co. As they prepare to leave on a mission, Zeke opens a letter from his ex-wife who claims she will soon arrive in Saigon to see him. The company is landed in a hot-LZ and only gets saved from sure disaster when Lt. McKay uses his helicopter to fire machine guns at the hostile position. Alex meets up with Jake Bridger who tells a story about VC infiltrating the cities as peasants. McKay and Goldman start to "argue" over both their increasing interests in Alex Devlin.
Saigon (2)
Anderson meets with his wife and sees her off after her announcement that she is remarrying. Goldman begins a relationship with Devlin which almost ends as they are both nearly blown up by a VC bomb. Percell is fed up with the senselessness of the war and Ruiz becomes convinced that he is going to be the next to die. Johnson and Taylor go to check on Bridger only to be told that he is dead (he is faking it), while Stacy Bridger has arrived to find her father. Goldman is ordered to have Alex pull her story about the soldier who died in the opium parlor and Zeke runs into Stacy Bridger -- rescuing her from some Vietnamese punks. He takes her back to the hotel where Zeke ends up trying to save a suicidal marine deserter. The deserter has sold information to the VC and ends up killing himself. Meanwhile McKay sends Goldman on a "snipe" hunt so that he can be alone with Alex, and inadvertently exposes Goldman to serious danger.
For What It's Worth
While out on a patrol, Anderson and Goldman observe some VC transporting an American prisoner and photograph him before leaving the area. Although they are badly outnumbered, Ruiz stupidly goes back down the trail after a necklace he dropped, tipping their position and getting a man killed. Alex drops by to see Goldman. Zeke goes to the hospital to try to straighten out some records and ends up saving the life of psychiatrist Jennifer Seymour from a homicidally insane LURP. An explosion in the latrine sets of Major Darling, while Anderson suggests that it might not be VC but an American solider who planted the grenade. Taylor gets accused -- falsely -- of doing the dirty deed and now it is up to Anderson and Goldman to find a way to clear him. Ruiz begins to completely breakdown. Anderson's budding relationship with Seymour is short-circuited when he betrays her confidence by sharing information he gained from her in an effort to clear Taylor.
True Grit
Alex goes to see Dr. Seymour to do an article about battle fatigue just as Anderson and his men are prepared to leave for a mission. When they board McKay's helicopter, Ruiz gets violently ill and ends up not going. With his struggle with cowardice continuing he ends up going to see Seymour. The squad, meantime, has found a cache of wapons and ends up capturing two VC. The unit comes under fire and one of the soldiers freak... Martsen... who ends up going to visit Seymour as well. Martsen is sent back to the front, against Seymour's wishes, and nearly gets himself killed. Meanwhile Johnson has met up with a girl he met when he first came in country -- Ling. She is very pregnant and claims the child is his. Elsewhere, Goldman is upset over Alex spending all her time with McKay, and goes on a drunken binge that ends up inadventently turning him into a hero.
Non-Essential Personnel
A new commanding officer arrives, as well as Dr. Grennly, a physician friend of Dr. Seymour. The MD promptly tries to talk Jennifer into returning to the States with him. Meanwhile Major Darling turns a reluctant Goldman into a PR man. And a replacement officer (Escobar) is sent out into the field in charge of Zeke. McKay picks up the squad -- with a number of wounded due to Escobar's incompetence -- but while rushing them back Major Darling sends him after some VC with rockets. When Darling refuses McKay permission to fly back with the wounded, McKay does it anyway -- and is brought up on charges. Alex hears about it and she and Goldman go to bat with the brass for McKay.
Sleeping Dogs
Zeke runs into an "adrenaline junkie", a man who likes battles and war better than almost anything. The man -- a sniper -- Sgt. Greg Block, goes out on a patrol with Zeke who rapidly recognizes him for what he is. Zeke realizes that Block in near the breaking point and starts to plot a way to get this man sent home. But when Zeke goes to help Block, Percell ends up lost in the jungle. Meanwhile, Seymour attempts to help Johnson who is getting pulled into his committment with Ling.
I Wish It Would Rain
Goldman's platoon leaves on another mission that brings them close to the Cambodian border -- which they are forbidden to cross. The VC attack and the Americans follow them to a stream that marks the edge of Cambodia, where the Americans stop, allowing the VC time to recover. The platoon goes back to planting electronic sensors but a soldier is killed. His friend (Taft) goes plunging across the stream after the VC (out of grief and rage). The rest of the GIs have no choice but to follow him. Alex is working on a story about this issue : American's crossing the border. Later Goldman and Alex go to an Embassy party while Myron has little patience with, and Zeke and Jernnifer must cancel a date when Taft goes crazy and plunges into an ammo dump holding a live grenade.
Popular Forces
Taylor and Percell find themselves temporarily assigned to the base Motor Pool, where they work for a fanatical sergeant. Goldman has finally scored wth Alex, but becomes concerned when she tells him she is taking a ride in McKay's helicopter to a remote village. Bravo company is assigned to take a group of peasant soldiers out into the field. Once there they get ambushed by some VC soldiers, where the peasants prove to be nearly useless. Alex flies out to the village and, once there, tells McKay to leave her so she can finish her interview. She ends up in VC-infested territory. Meanwhile Seymour ends up having to defend her own life -- and killing a man.
Terms of Enlistment
A new man -- Woods -- walking point accidentally steps on a pressure-activated mine. While they are trying to get him off it, they are told a squad of VC are heading straight at them. McKay finally arrives to lift them out of the hot LZ. Zeke plans an R&R in Tokyo with Jennifer but the plans go awry when Major Darling offers Seymour a teaching post and position back in the States -- and she only has 48 hours to make her decision. Meanwhile a homosexual GI tries to commit suicide when he is being blackmailed. Jennifer tries to help him -- at the cost of her own career. Meanwhile Woods ends up in a fight, and Taylor realizes the man has career-potential abilities.
Nightmare
Bravo is assigned to go recover the bodies of a wiped-out US patrol. A doubly-bad job as the VC often booby-trap the bodies. McKay ferries them out. Anderson finds that one of the bodies is a close friends. The VC open up on the company, after a brief fight the VC retreat, Anderson in pursuit. There is some confusion in which the Americans end up firing on some Quakers. When Goldman calls for a helicopter to lift them out, they discover that McKay is missing. Back at the base, Goldman puts together a rescue mission. Meanwhile the Quaker (Curtis) admits that she is helping both sides. Danny, who has befriended the Quaker, ends up saving her from being raped but winds up with a man-slaughter charge. And the Quaker will not testify for Danny as she is against murder no matter what the cause. While McKay is on the run and Goldman's rescue mission is delayed because of the brass dragging their feet.
Promised Land
Anderson and his men are out on patrol, working in unison with a tough black officer (Lt. Sherman Douglas). A VC trap winds up with Binion (a good friend of Zeke's) dead. With Binion dead, the unit finds a VC and Douglas decides to take him prisoner despite the fact that the majority of the men want to kill him for Binion's death. Back at base, Bravo company is told to stand down for a week -- and Myron wants to spend the time with Alex, but Alex is busy with her "stories". Zeke accompany's Binion's body back to the States -- only to run into the racial problems following Martin Luther King's death. The racial problems even work their way back to Vietnam.
Lonesome Cowboy Blues
A Vietnamese approaches Alex to ask her to buy something for her at the PX -- which is illegal. As an MP chases the woman off, Alex sees her drop a GI ID card. As Alex follows up on this lead, she goes on a mission to find Sgt. Jackson -- the sole contact the Special Forces have with a village informant. They run into a kid who claims to be able to get them to Jackson. The kid ends up wounded by VC. After they get back to the base, Alex tells Goldman that she is going to a dangerous part of town to find the Vietnamesse girl. Goldman insists that she takes 2 troopers and the 3 of them end up in trouble. Meanwhile the Kid is accused of being a VC informer. Anderson comes to his defense but in the very next mission they end up being fired upon as they land. If the Kid isn't the informant, then who is?
Sins of the Fathers
Zeke and the men are out looking for a sniper, and after entering a village Anderson sees movement -- someone in typical "black pajama" garb of the VC, who fires on them. It turns out to be a sniper, but a mother carrying her child as well. After he kills the woman, in obvious self-defense, Zeke has some soul-searching to do about his beliefs in the war. His relationship with Christine Pierson -- a woman sent to help educated G.I.'s -- gets more interesting. Meanwhile prostitutes are being murdered in Saigon. Alex goes after the story, suspecting a red-neck soldier who Goldman has already given too many breaks. The red-neck is a bigot who has already run afoul of Taylor.
Sealed with a Kiss
A civilian, Ms Pierson, has set up classes for the soldiers, Zeke wants to drop out of the classes, but she convinces him to stay since attendance has tripled since he signed up -- and his is interested in him personally. Elsewhere, Alex is catching hell from her new boss who wants her to expose the fact that a new Army radar system doesn't work. Zeke runs into Jim Doyle, an ex-GI who is now making big bucks as a recruiter for the CIA. The unit is to go out with a Navy SEAL team. Lt. Ross is to lead them to where a Navy courier went down and is presumed dead. Zeke, who is questioning how well he would fit in "back in the world", starts to seriously consider Doyle's offer to work for the CIA. Alex tells Myron that she is dating an Army Intelligence officer in an attempt to get him a job in intelligence (and off of the front lines). Zeke and Goldman go out with Ross who gives them suicide pills in case they are captured.
Hard Stripe
While out on patrol, the unit stumbles across CIA recruiter Jim Doyle. He has taken possession of a case of Russian-made sniper rifles, and claims that finding him there was an accident. It is obvious that Goldman and his men have been used by Doyle to provide himself with an escort out of the bush. They get ambushed on the way out. They get most of the rifles back, but Zeke and Myron wonder why they were ambushed by Montagnards, a group known for their loyalty to Americans. Goldman decides to investigate Doyle and enlists Alex's help. Doyle learns he is being investigated and leans on Zeke to get the lieutenant to stop. McKay tries to convince Goldman that he should take a non-combat job "for Alex's sake". Taylor is upset because a soldier named Smith gets his sergeant's stripes before Johnson gets them, and Taylor think race has something to do with it.
The Volunteer
While out on a routine patrol, Goldman captures a VC and a bunch of weapons. They find a ghost town -- everyone is gone but there are obvious signs of recent activity. The VC throws himself on a booby trap -- killing himself. Goldman talks to Major Darling once back on the base about the weird events but Darling gives the unit some time off... thinking that they have been working too hard and are imagining things. Anderson uses the time off to go to the personnel office to find out why his ex-wife hasn't received a check in 3 months and meets Ben Sweet. Sweet wants to get into the fighting and agrees to help Zeke if Zeke will "get him into the war". Taylor is developing a romance with Lt. Patterson -- a woman there to investigate fraud and people stealing from the Army. The men she has been investigating catch her and Taylor in bed (against the rules -- she's an officer/he's enlisted) and blackmail her. Alex's relationship with McKay starts to heat up. The next day, Anderson and Goldman get trapped in the bush and cut off, they have to call in artillery on their position to have any hope of survival.
The Luck
Anderson and Goldman are MIA and possibly dead. Bravo Co goes back to the area the next day but can find no sign of them. They are ordered to quit looking. Johnson, Purcell, Taylor and Ruiz try to convince McKay to take them back. He agrees and takes them out the next day. McKay goes to see Alex, who reacts to Myron's loss by immersing herself in her work. Johnny tries to make her face reality, but she states that the men are dead and she refuses to talk about it. Purcell is fed up with the war. Johnson has finally gotten promoted to buck sergeant. The next day McKay's helicopter actually goes right over Anderson and Goldman without him (or the others) seeing the two men. The two Americans have been taken captive by the NVA. They repeatedly try to escape as they are being led north, eventually succeeding. Meanwhile, Alex's Bureau chief convinces her that she should transfer to Paris, the location of the peace talks.
Doc Hock
More FNGs arrive from the World, and the old hands can see that the rebellious youth is spreading into the Army. Meanwhile, Goldman reveals to Zeke that it may be time for him to move to a desk job. Alex is glad to see Myron back but tells him that she is going to take the Paris job. Elsewhere, Taylor, Purcell and Ruiz tease a new recruit who is a pacificist. Taylor knocks the new medi -- Hockenberry) on his butt. Zeke is just as horrified as the rest when he is told by Doc Hock that he won't carry a weapon. Afterwards, Anderson meets Goldman's replace, a no-nonsense but wet-behind-the-ears new LT who thinks he already knows everything there is to know. Zeke also learns that he has received a promotion. Alex arranges a final going-away party for her and Myron -- she ends up missing her plane to Paris but not because of the party but because she has a chance to do an exlusive -- and dangerous -- interview with a VC officer. Meanwhile, Anderson and the rest of the unit are having trouble adjusting to the new LT and Doc Hock.
The Ties That Bind
Col. Carl Brewster enters the local Vietnamese town to make the "boom-boom" parlor off-limits because of men catching the clap. Goldman and McKay attended the funeral for Alex who was killed in the bomb explosion. Anderson and the squad have been transferred to MACV-SOG, under the command of Col. Brewster. Brewster lets Hockenberry "volunteer" for a special assignment ,cleaning up the whore houses. Goldman has trouble dealing with his feelings about Alex's death. Anderson is thinking about using some of his leave to go visit his daughter, but he is concerned about Goldman. Goldman returns to the unit, both he and Anderson meets up with Brewster for the first time. Goldman breaks up a party when the unit meets up with Baker again -- by telling Johnson that he is in charge of the squad while Anderson goes home for some leave. Zeke visits his ex-wife, Carol, and their daughter, Katie. Johnson finds he has a hand time filling Zeke's shoes and dealing with Percell who is on a dangerous downward spiral.
Lonely at the Top
While Zeke is back in the States, Brewster sends the men out to locate a missing SOG team. Once in the bush, Team Viking locates the missing soldiers, who all appear to be dead. It is an NVA trap; the enemy opens up just as the American reach the bodies but retreat quickly when Johnson leads a counter-strike against them. Johnson faces a crisis of confidence because men under his command were killed. Ruiz is struggling with Doc Hock's pacifist attitudes, Johnson is getting worse and Taylor is losing faith in everyone. Anderson arrives back in Texas and spends time with Dr. Seymour. They spend the weekend together and discuss the days ahead, Zeke has trouble seeing any future that involves him returning to the World.
A Bodyguard of Lies
Utter havoc reigns in the jungle after a newby makes a mistake and two other soldiers are killed going to his resuce. The man are led by Lt. Beller, and his unit has seen far too much action and too much death. Beller is an old friend of Goldman's, together they are sent back out to search for an NVA regiment. Beller tells command that his men need rest or they are going to snap but Brewster insists they must go out. Meanwhile everyone is happy to see Anderson return, except for the ever-depressed Percell. Goldman spends some time with Beller. Percell is going over the edge fast and no one knows that he has started to use drugs. Anderson discovers that Brewster is married to a Vietnamese girl and they have a child. The next day, on their mission, Percell (drugged up) starts to panic. Beller's unit creates a My Lai-type of massacre in the field and that sends Percell off the deep end and straight into the waiting arms of heroin dealers.
A Necessary End
McKay has a date with a "killer" blonde but on the way to take her shopping he ends up hitting a child with his jeep and comes in contact, for the first time, with a makeshift orphanage where he decides to get involved with the orphans. Doc finds Purcell high on grass and drugs. Purcell leave in a huff, seeking more drugs, and ends up arrested and assigned to a "shit burner" detail. Goldman goes to Brewster to report the massacre. Later, Goldman and Anderson are briefed on a mission into Cambodia to kidnap a defecting NVA officer. Percell tries to desert.
Cloud Nine
Taylor, Ruiz and Johnson go in search of Purcell after he goes AWOL. They look for 3 days, finally being taken to a heroin parlor by three drug dealers. Danny refuses to leave and the 3 thugs won't let the soldiers force Danny out. Later, Anderson and Team Viking are trying to find a road that is part of the Ho Chi Minh trail. When they find the road they return to the base where everyone knows about Danny. Brewster tells Goldman to solve the problem and Goldman insists upon talking about the massacre. Brewster puts his own career in jeopardy as he tries to get the army to deal with Phu An massacre. Anderson (under pressure from Goldman) organizes a commando raid and goes into Cholon to spring Purcell -- who then is forced to go through cold-turkey withdrawal. Brewster is ordered to shut up about the Phu An massacre.
Thanks for the Memories
The men of Team Viking are receiving medals in a ceremony in recognition of their heroism. In the midst of the ceremony, General Higgins arrives and reads out Brewster. Higgins thinks Brewster should have kept his mouth closed about Phu An. Higgins leaves with the threat that he will destroy Brewster if the colonel keeps "forcing the issue". Anderson talks with Percell who is off drugs, finally, and is now spending time at the Psych Ward. Doc calls home and finds out that his girl friend is sleeping with someone else. Brewster takes the story of Phu An to the press and is relieved of duty.
I Am What I Am
Team Viking goes out to capture a Soviet chopper but ends up surrounded and captured. Luckily the mission was just practice. Myron discovers that his father -- Gernal Goldman -- is back on the base. His father has 2-3 months left to live because of cancer. While Myron and his father fight, Johnson attempts to decide if he should re-up or go back to the World. A Mexican/American WAC takes up with Ruiz. Johnson finally decides to go back to the States. Percell wonders if he is yet ready to return to the field. Anderson and McKay butt heads when McKay tries to take over the leadership of a mission.
World in Changes
McKay decides he is personally going to get the sniper who has been taking out helicopters... but with Anderson and Goldman on the ground and him in the air, HE ends up the next target, crashing and killing his co-pilot. Johnson, with only 72 hours left, gets a bad case of "short timer's nerves". Meanwhile a crazy CIA operative -- Duke Fontaine -- takes several VC suspects up in a helicopter and starts throwing them out until one of them will talk. Anderson and the team are going to go out after a VC-recruiter and get permission for Johnson not to go but because Johnson has decided that he "must stick to the routine" he ends up going. Taylor and Johnson are captured by the VC and tortured by a sadistic Vietnamese man.
Green Christmas
Christmas finds Team Viking the bush trying to capture prisoners in Cambodia. Doc tries to show compassion to one of the captured men... who turns out to be able to speak English. Anderson and Goldman exchange Christmas gifts, back at camp. Ruiz takes flowers to Susanna. Taylor finds that he misses Johnson. Team Viking prepares for a Christmas party at the orphanage. Meanwhile, Sgt. Marvin Johnson returns home and finds out that bigotry is alive and well there.
Odd Man Out
Taylor is expecting to be promoted at any moment, and opens his mail to find a letter from Johnson talking about how great things are back in the World. Anderson is forced to tell Taylor that he has been passed over for promotion. Taylor starts to deal with the black/white issue -- badly. Percell goes to a black "bar" to get Taylor when it becomes obvious that Taylor isn't coming home unless someone goes to get him. Goldman is told that Team Viking is going to go on a mission being dictated by a local Vietnamese Province Chief. The man is going to trade permission to use his village as a base for artillery (which will save many American lives) for the team's going to get his wife). Only after the team agrees do they discover that the woman is pregnant (with another man's child), sick and running from her husband.
And Make Death Proud to Take Us
Newbie replacements arrive, including a young man that gains Anderson's attention as he and Team Viking return from the field, as the boy proves to be 15 years old. FNGs are moving in all over Team Viking. Goldman (suffering from the same shortage of room) finds himself bunked up with McKay. Team Viking gets assigned a recon mission based on Fontaine's information. Anderson and Goldman spend as much time as possible breaking in the new guys. Zeke and Myron head out with 18 FNG's. Anderson's unit stops to dig in a defensive position to work from, but before completing the bunkers they are attacked by the enemy, and due to outstanding bravery and courage, a few actually survive.
Dead Man Tales
Team Viking earns a 3-day pass and then promptly gets itself in trouble because of their brawling. While the major is reading every one out about this, a shot from the jungle kills him. Anderson assigns Bell and Doc to work at the orphanage and takes the rest of them out. Goldman is sent out to find the sniper "or else". McKay's new gunner opens fire on the Americans below him -- by mistake -- killing a large number of them. The Team gets thoroughly drunk and Bell climbs up on the top of a building and ends up falling to his death. When the others realize what has happened they decide to get him listed as KIA. McKay, meanwhile, goes after the sniper himself!
Road to Long Binh
All of the enlisted men of Team Viking end up with food poisioning. Goldman is forced, because of that, to take on an assignment himself that he had intended to assign to someone else, drafting Anderson to come along. They pick up a deserter who Anderson has known as the "ideal" soldier for years. As the two men spend time together they talk about their early meetings, etc. Zeke gets a letter from Johnson. The next day Digby (the deserter) escapes before Anderson and Goldman get there but is recaptured. They start off to Long Binh prison. Digby has been a soldier for 14 years but gave it up when some soldiers started to give him and his Vietnamese wife a hard time. Digby ends up saving their lives, a number of times, and he ends up "accidentally" escaping
Acceptable Losses
Team Viking takes off on another Fontaine mission, where they run into heavy contact. McKay arrives back at the LZ to rescue them, only to end up being fired on by missiles. He has no choice but to leave without Taylor, Ruiz and Private Woznaik. They attempt to make it back to their own lines on their own. The team goes back to check for their men -- McKay gets tricked by the VC and nearly killed -- only Taylor's self-sacrificing smoke grenade gets the chopper pilot back up in time. Wozniak ends up dead of a snake bite, leaving Ruiz and Taylor on their own. As the days pass, Taylor and Ruiz are replaced by two new soldiers, including 44-year-old PFC Thoams "Pop" Scarlett, a lifer with a unique perspective on the war.
Vietnam Rag
Taylor and Ruiz are still listed as MIA. At the camp there are still more FNGs, including a peace-loving photographer. Anderson is told by Goldman that Team Viking is about to be back to SOS (same old shit) missions -- no more special operations. Pop's son is reportedly one of the new guys. Suzanne returns from leave to hear that Ruiz is missing. The photographer gets permission to go out with Anderson's team. Things go bad fast, and they are soon losing soldiers to stupid reasons -- and mostly just because they are FNGs.
War is a Contact Sport
Out in the field, Percell captures a VC. Doc and another soldier stand guard. A second VC attacks Danny and while Doc and the other soldier watch, the first VC grabs a gun. Doc refuses to fire, despite the fact that he has the only other weapon and the third American is killed. Colonel Brewster returns for the Phu An board of inquiry. Everyone ostracizes Doc, feeling that they can't trust him. Goldman meets up with Brewster after Pop has punched the colonel out. Meanwhile, Ruiz and taylor have crawled out of the jungle after 22 days. Doc -- told he is going to be transferred out as he is "no longer dependable" -- meets up with Pop and goes on a bender. Ruiz leans that Suzanne has suffered a breakdown due to the stress of the job and losing him (she thought).
Three Cheers for the Orange, White & Blue
Anderson & Pop are having a good time at a local bar when a young trooper turns up and gets insulting to Pop -- it turns out to be Robby (Pop's son). The Phu An Board of Inquiry starts. As the situation develops and Beller realizes what his men did -- he had blocked it out -- he kills himself. Zeke and Team Viking go out with Robby on another SOG mission. They end up getting sprayed with Agent Orange. Before the end of the day, Robby ends up killed, leaving Pop to bring his son home in a body bag.
The Raid
The monsoon seasons starts. Pop goes back to the States for his son's funeral, only to be blamed for the death of his son (by his wife). Goldman is upset over Beller's suicide -- feeling that the ex-friend was only another type of victim of the war. Brewster enlists Goldman for a volunteer mission to rescue MIA/POWs. AN ex-POW (very fragile) comes back to Vietnam to help plan the mission. Doc is still on base but no one will speak to him. Doc goes to talk to Goldman, begging to be part of the rescue mission but gets refused. The mission turns out to be a nightmare. The POWs were moved before the Team got there, Griner is blinded, Pop and McKay are hurt and get shipped to a hospital in Japan, Brewster is hospitalized at China Beach.
Payback
Several months later, McKay -- mostly recovered -- is told that he will never fly again. Bitter, he tries to get a civilian job flying but is told that Vietnam vets are too freaky. When he finally gets a job flying air-traffic monitoring, he loses it -- not to a "flashback" but to sheer irritation. Ruiz returns home to New York but can't find a job. In Montana, Percell is now a carpenter and is nearly freaked' out by finding a Vietnamese worker on the crew. That same night he runs into a peace-activist at a blind date. Bill Griner returns home to North Carolina -- having been blinded. His parents turn to faith healing and Griner retreats to the "comfort of the fields and a faithful dog". Back in Vietnam, Taylor meets a new black soldier who tells him that he came back because the world is nowhere for a "black". Doc has been sent to a field hospital but gets in trouble even there because he shows compassion for a dying man.