None but the Brave (None But the Brave)

Our island is a little chunk of coral in the Solomon Archipelago.

It is nameless, and the great war beyond its horizons ignores us,

for we are the expendables of an amphibious landing,

left to guard a forgotten outpost of the lmperial Japanese Army.

Months ago our communicational equipment was destroyed by storm.

We have no contact with our base.

I, Lieutenant Kuroki, who is really two men, two enemies at war with each other.

The soldier with the blood of ancient warriors in his veins

and the man of peace who admires men's works and not their destruction.

As the commander of this platoon of castaways,

I have ordered the construction of a boat,

hoping to restore our supply line from Bougainville.

Thrust!

Thrust!

Say, you son-of-a-gun, what are you doing?

Say, you son-of-a-gun, what are you doing?

Stand still! You think you can stab Yankees like that?

Today I will chew you out until you fall!

Yes, Sergeant. Thank you very much.

Sergeant Tamura!

I have told you these rough methods are not permitted here.

But, sir, these lazy scum can't fight a war like this.

We are on the foremost war front.

You are right, but we have no enemy on this island.

What we need here is not to know how to fight,

but how to stand the long war.

But, sir, we have forgotten that we are the lmperial Army soldiers.

Soldiers?

Tamura, and just what are the soldiers?

The countless varieties of ordinary men blown together by the big wind called war.

Do you call him a soldier? Tokumaru was a Buddhist priest.

I still am, sir.

The people say once you become a priest for three days you can never stop it.

Is military service hard for you?

No, it isn't, sir, if it is for our country.

All right, keep it up.

Yes, sir.

You cannot be like this next time.

Next time I'll chew your tails off until you fall. Dismissed!

Detach bayonets.

Attention!

At ease.

- Ando. - Sir.

You are making good progress.

If only we have this boat we can contact our main force and bring us supplies.

I'm really glad that I can make use of my carpentry work.

To be useful is a most important thing.

I am fortunate to have a carpenter who can do such fine work with makeshift tools.

Thank you very much, sir.

- Say, Tamura! - Yes, sir!

Sergeant, I notice two men here who are assigned to other duties.

Hirano and Okuda.

Yes, sir, but I thought the boat construction needs are urgent.

You thought!

Hirano is busy with potato fields and Okuda catches fish for us.

Take them off the boat detail.

Yes, sir. As you wish, sir.

And one more thing.

Don't overwork the men in this midday heat. Dismiss them until morning.

Attention! Detail dismissed for the day!

Say, we all have worked hard today.

We can launch the boat tomorrow.

Shall we celebrate now, though we don't have any sake?

Corporal, I understand you are from Yamagata.

Yes, Yamagata is noted for rice and the Hanagasa 'flower hat' dance song.

Shall we start Bon dance?

Try and stop me.

Commander, you are a puzzle to me, if I may say so.

On one hand you talk about the urgency of boat building

while on the other hand you act as though time is nothing.

That's true. This place is as timeless as the moon.

Do you remember what day it is today?

No, sir, I have forgotten.

I only know I am being abandoned by the main force.

I had volunteered for combat duty.

So did I.

I am prepared to risk my life for the country, sir.

Commander, what's happening out there, sir?

Sometimes I wonder if the war front isn't moving to distant places northward.

What will become of Japan, sir?

Aircraft! North, northeast, direction of Bougainville.

Enemy aircraft approaching! Due south!

There!

Now one of our Zeros.

Mayday! Mayday! This is Work Horse 2-9-8, Work Horse 2-9-8.

Over. Over. Calling Octopus.

- Work Horse 2-9-8. - Everybody outta this firetrap!

We are down over enemy territory.

Kick that door out. Spread!

Our escort is down and we are holding for a fix. Over.

All right, let's spread!

Mayday! Mayday! Come in, please. Over.

Good boy. You'll get cited for sticking to your station.

Now, keep sending a fix on the position. I also want you to send this message.

"Marine replacements with medical and emergency supplies headed for Peleliu

"grounded by enemy attack."

Captain, sir, this radio is shot to hell.

But I'll fix this thing, sir, you can bet on that.

Let's go! Come on! Move it! Move it!

- You all right, Francis? - Yeah, I'm fine.

Except a bad case of the breaks. Look at this.

Did you hear me order you off the bus?

Yeah, I heard you. You need me up there?

All we need up there is a chaplain.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Hey, you! You call yourself a corpsman? I got injured men out there.

Injured? They're breathing, ain't they?

Now look, you get some of your malingering greenhorns

and get my gear out of there.

I was just about to give that order, but I don't take it from you.

You do when you need a medic, sonny.

Slip you a little advice, Lieutenant. Never pull rank on a Navy Chief.

I go by the book, sir. He's a rate and I'm commissioned.

Corporal Ruffino, take a squad of men in this airplane

- and hustle out that gear. On the double! Yes, sir.

- Brand new, huh? - Yes, sir. I guess it shows.

Well, here's your nursing bottle. You can sure cut your teeth on that one.

Thank you, Captain. Say, how long does it usually take for the shiny stuff to wear off?

- Not very long in this sector. - I hope not.

I'm in a hurry to see some action.

Well, you'll get more Japs walking than running, son.

Captain, I just wanted to tell you I really admired how you made that forced landing.

Well, you can thank the airplane. It's better than the last one I tried it with.

And, Lieutenant, I'll need some of your men for a burial detail.

- Burial detail? - There's two men up front I didn't save.

Complete assembly!

We must realize, sir, that time is against us.

The plane must have contacted its base by radio.

Yes. There will likely be an American rescue force.

Then we should attack the landing area before they come.

We shouldn't attack blindly.

The enemy commander would know better than to stay where he landed.

But, sir...

That's enough! I will take command.

Our first operation is to locate them and assess their strength. Tamura!

- Sir! - You will reconnoiter northeast.

Take Private Takumaru and Private Ishii with you.

Yes, sir.

Corporal Fujimoto, you will reconnoiter southeast.

- Yes, sir. - Leave immediately!

Yes, sir.

Oh, that's a beauty. Probably a little concussion.

But the shape your brain's already in, it may be an improvement.

- What's biting you down there? - Nothing. Just a nervous habit.

See me later. I'll fumigate your blankets and you. Next.

Better go easy on it, Doc, it's my loving arm.

Sit down here, lover boy.

Looks like a dislocation.

Damn you!

- Okay, pal. - Thanks.

Searcy, what's the matter?

Oh, I figure I got me a hunk of packing case in my back, Doc.

Nothing up my sleeve, Hoxie boy. Deal you a hand?

Not now, slicker. You're already into me for 1,000 bucks.

You know that's peanuts to this guy? Why, his old man owns Rhode Island!

We passed over Guadalcanal about 1000.

So that should place us right about here.

There's no island here on the map.

Corpsman, I presume the Captain radioed the base?

They'd know where to pick us up?

I couldn't say. But maybe that'll answer your question.

- That's a radio. - Or what used to be a radio.

- Then the base don't know we're here, huh? - No, but relax, relax. I'll fix it.

Him? That punk's so stupid, he couldn't fix a busted shoelace.

That's the pilot's responsibility. Captain!

Hey, hey, Lieutenant. Nowadays I wouldn't advise any yelling in any jungle

anywhere west of the International Date Line.

You mean Japs? No. No such luck around this strip of nowhere.

No strategic value. Probably not even inhabited.

Captain!

- We got company, sir. - Japanese.

- Point's broken off, but it ain't even rusted. - No.

No, this looks like a fishing spear. I found a footpath back in there,

followed it down to a cove.

Join the Jap Army and go fishing. Is that all them skivvies got to do?

Now we bypassed this position long ago when we landed on Bougainville.

Plumb cut 'em off, huh, sir? What's the name of the place?

Meet the neighbors, you can ask them.

Japanese.

That blade's Japanese, all right.

- You men see it? Yeah.

Well, looks like we found some action after all.

- Thank you, men. What I want you to do... - Lieutenant.

You got any orders to mop up wayside islands?

Certainly not, sir. It's just a matter...

I just wondered. You said you go by the book.

Yes, sir, but this is one of those matters of judgment. All right!

Every man in combat condition, want you to grab your weapons

and let's move! On the double!

Unless they're in force, there won't be a dirty Jap around tonight.

Dirty Jap, Lieutenant? They invented the bathtub.

Why... You talk like a bird who's gone Asiatic.

You can say that again, sir. I been close to the top brass, see?

And I got the scuttlebutt on this stew bum.

He wouldn't come out of the reserve till Singapore fell

'cause he was shacked up with some Malay dame.

Oh, Sergeant, that kind of crude language will get you nowhere socially.

I was her houseguest.

Everybody ready? Count 'em off, Sergeant. Let's move!

- Fall in! - Now you wait just a second, Captain!