Dear John (2010)

[bunniefuu]

There's something I wanna tell you.

After I got shot...

...you wanna know the very first thing that entered my mind...

...before l blacked out?

Coins.

I'm 8 years old again on a tour of the U.S. Mint.

I'm Iistening to a guide expIain how coins are made.

How they're punched out of sheet metal.

How they're rimmed and beveled.

How they are stamped and cleaned.

And how each and every batch of coins are personalIy examined.

Just in case any have sLipped through with the sIightest imperfection.

That's what popped into my head.

I am a coin in the United states Army.

I was minted in the year 1 980. I've been punched from sheet metal.

I've been stamped and cleaned.

My ridges have been rimmed and beveIed.

But now l have two smalL holes in me.

I'm no longer in perfect condition.

So there's something eIse I wanna telL you.

Right before everything went black...

...you wanna know the very last thing that entered my mind?

You.

Why not? Because there are a lot of things you'd be doing.

Just like playing tennis.

Wimbledon? I don't know.

Just gonna go. I'm gonna host the thing. Six-thirty.

And you and I could go at 1 0?

-Oh, sh*t! -Oh, no!

-Oh, no, Randy, no! -I'm sorry.

I'll get it, l'Il get it, I'm on it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Okay? I'm on it.

My whole life is in that bag.

I got it. I got it.

You got it.

Dude. I was gonna get that.

I mean, thanks for jumping in.

Yeah, no problem.

But l mean, hey, I'll take it.

Thank you so much!

Who jumps off a 20-foot pier?

Gosh, I'm a mess. You are a lifesaver. I'm Savannah.

-John. -John.

Brave man. This is my life in here, so l owe-- I owe you.

Don't worry about it.

-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.

You all have a good night.

Yeah, thanks. I was in the water for that.

I was seriously getting it for you.

This guy's crazy.

Yeah, no, I swear l'm not. I'm not stalking you. I just gotta get my board.

-Are you staying here? -Yeah, yeah, I'm from around here.

Hey, John, do you want to--? My house is right over there.

We were actually going back right now. Do you want to join us?

We're having a barbecue.

It's okay. I don't want to intrude on y'all. My dad's making dinner.

Okay.

Well, I could at least give you a beer for the walk home.

-Where is it? -Right over there.

-You in the military or something? -Yeah.

Really?

What branch are you in?

Army, SpeciaI Forces.

Oh, Special Forces. That's impressive. That's....

Is that like a Special Forces ring they give you? ls that what it says on it?

It looks nice on you.

Aren't you supposed to be wearing a hat too? Like a French hat, a beret.

-That's what it's called? -Randy.

I'm just joking with him.

You shouIdn't make fun of a guy who can k*ll you with his bare hands.

Big guy.

Rock them, sock them, let's go.

How about that?

You know, I'm gonna go get a beer.

Soldier. Pleasure.

I'm sorry about him. He thinks he likes me.

Yeah, I think he likes you too.

No, I'm not his type. He just doesn't know it yet.

What?

Come on, I just think you're probably everybody's type.

See what I mean?

Is this who l think it is? Alan, Alan.

Hey, buddy, I want you to meet John. John, this is Alan.

-Alan, nice to meet you. -Say hi.

He's a little bit shy, isn't he?

Hey, where's your dad?

-Over there. -Two steps behind, as usual.

Sorry, he's like a heat-seeking m*ssile every time he sees you.

-Oh, hey, l'm Tim. -John.

Sorry.

Nice to meet you.

Oh, you SpeciaI Forces, huh?

Yes, sir.

You stationed out at Fort Bragg?

No, Germany, actually.

-Oh, you're on leave. -Yes, sir.

I hope you're enjoying yourself.

Yeah, I think I am.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's nice to meet you though.

-Nice to meet you too. -Come on, son. Let's go.

Let's go.

Hello. Hello, John.

Hello, Alan.

-Wow, that was really amazing. -Yeah?

He never talks to anybody. Only his family.

He talked to you.

Yeah, but I'm practicaIly his family. I've known him since he was born.

Yeah?

When do you go back?

Two weeks.

It must be scary what you do.

Boring mostly. You know, long stretches of boring.

Occasional flashes of scary.

Full moon tonight.

Do you ever notice how big the moon is when it's rising?

And how little it gets when it's up in the sky.

You know, that's just your perspective.

It doesn't matter where it is in the sky or where you are...

...if you hold your hand up and close one of your eyes...

...it's never bigger than your thumb.

Where'd you Iearn that?

I don't know.

Somewhere.

You just made your own fire.

That's very impressive.

Very primal.

But you're still not gonna be abIe to cook that hotdog, I fear.

I fear that as well.

I should probably be getting going anyways.

I'm sorry. I hope you don't get into too much trouble.

I think it's probably too late for that.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah. No, you're welcome.

Would you wanna maybe do this again tomorrow night?

Tomorrow is chicken. I don't think you're gonna wanna try it.

I was kind of hoping maybe we'd let somebody else do the cooking.

Type of thing.

-Okay. -Yeah?

So maybe I'll come by around 6 or something?

-Okay. -All right.

So l'Il see you soon, then?

I'll see you soon, then.

Yeah. Soon.

-Hey. -Hey, man.

We're headed into town for some ice cream. You want a ride?

No, no, no, it's fine. I don't mind walking at aIl. It's fine.

Sure?

-All right. I appreciate it. -Yeah.

Hey, AIan, move on over here.

Here, l'Il undo your belt.

Five, six, seven, eight...

-So how long are you in town for? -...nine.

We Iive here year-round now.

Yeah, we were driving down every weekend anyways...

...so I finalIy just convinced my wife this just made the most sense.

-She didn't want ice cream? -Who?

Oh, my wife. No.

No, actualIy she's on vacation herself.

White sheep, white sheep, white sheep.

-It's difficult to take trips together. -White sheep.

It's fine. We make it work.

I'm up here on the left.

Hey, John.

For the record, if you do anything to hurt Savannah...

...l'm gonna have to break something.

Something in your leg. Some-- One of the bones in there.

Okay.

It's just l know her father and he would expect me to say something like that.

It'd just sound a lot more natural coming out of his mouth.

It sounded fine.

-No, it-- -Yes, it did.

-No, it didn't. -It did. It really did.

It didn't. But thank you.

-It reaIly did. -You think so?

Yeah, it did.

Okay.

Hey, don't honk the horn, it's nighttime.

-Good night, John. -Good night, Tim.

-Thanks for the ride. -Yeah, no problem.

Hey, Dad, l'm not gonna be able to stay for dinner.

Well, I made lasagna.

I know you made lasagna. It's Sunday.

Can l borrow the car?

Thanks.

-Best seafood you'll ever have. -Yeah, I know.

-I used to come here aIl the time. -Really?

Are you sure you don't wanna go somewhere, I don't know, nice?

Nice? No, I wanna go somewhere good.

Okay.

What the hell you doing here?

Come on, Steve. It's been three years already.

I don't want any trouble here.

You're not gonna get any. I promise.

All right.

Thank you.

What happened with that guy out there?

-What guy? -What's the story with him?

-No story. -Really?

Yeah.

He's an old buddy of mine.

What?

Your dad get mad at you for coming home late last night?

No. He's not really the type that gets mad.

What kind of guy is he then?

Quiet one?

-Could be worse, I guess. -I guess.

And your mom?

Nope, just me and my dad.

Did he raise you all by himself?

Yeah.

Why do you wanna know about my dad?

Just curious.

Curious about where you come from.

I wanna meet your dad.

Tonight.

Look, you're-- You're not gonna get very much out of him.

So, l don't know, just don't take it personaIly, okay?

Hey, Pop.

I got somebody I want you to meet.

Hey.

-This is Savannah. -Hi.

It's nice to meet you, Mr. Tyree.

He-- This is my-- He collects coins. He-- It's kind of like his big hobby.

This is amazing.

You have so many coins. How did you get started in all this?

Through John, actually.

Not his thing anymore.

-Hey, we shouId probably maybe go. -What is this coin?

That's a Sacagawean mule.

It's actually....

-Do you want to see some more? -Absolutely, yes, if you don't mind.

-Put this glove on then. -Thanks.

This is a humorous one. This is a satirical coin.

This is massive.

Yeah, William Jennings BRYan, when he ran for president...

...he was-- He believed in-- No, don't turn it over.

Leave it here.

Do you remember that he had the free silver policy. You remember.

And McKinley was his opponent and he's-- Wait, here.

Now see, that's a real silver dollar. That's the size of a silver dollar.

And McKinley said that if Bryan had his way...

...then the silver dollars would be that big. Yeah.

-That's amazing. -Can you imagine...

...walking around with that in your pocket?

-That's really funny. -That's humorous.

Now, these--

Pop, we can't do this right now. We can't be here alI night.

I have-- I have some to show you.

This is fascinating.

These are all matched in color.

I had fun tonight.

I like your dad.

You shouIdn't be too hard on him.

He loves you.

I can tell even if you can't.

Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Wait, Savannah. I mean....

So l guess l'll see you soon, then?

I'll see you soon, then.

Where you been all day?

-I've been busy. -You're on spring break.

You're supposed to be lounging on the beach all day.

You're not supposed to be busy doing things.

I want to show you something.

The family that lived here, their home was damaged by the hurricane.

-What, so now you're rebuilding it? -Yup. WelI, not just me.

You're starting to make me a littIe nervous.

Why am I starting to make you nervous?

Because I'm starting to think you might be too good of a person for me.

No, I'm not that good of a person.

You're sneaking off eveRY day to do manual labor on a house for charity.

-On your spring break. -Yeah, you're right.

It's selfish, reaIly, me being this generous.

-You don't drink, you don't smoke. -Nope. Nope.

-You probably don't sleep around. -Absolutely not.

Okay, look, you gotta have a fault.

-I do. -Okay, care to enlighten me?

I curse.

-No. -I do.

-No, you don't. -I do.

-I haven't heard you. -Well, that's because it's in my mind.

There's a never-ending stream of curse words...

...that l'm thinking at all times.

Okay, fine, just say one then.

No, I can't tell you because it's filthy.

-Right. -Yeah.

Okay, aIl right. Fair enough.

No, I have faults, John.

Trust me, I have plenty of them. You'll see.

I hope so.

We have to be finished with this in three weeks.

Hope that actually happens.

These are to be the bedrooms, parents' room...

...the boys' rooms, two boys, 7 and 9.

Living room and the bathroom.

And then this is the kitchen.

This is the best room because the mom's a really good cook.

We're gonna make it really beautifuI with white tile floors and tiles...

...on the countertops and there's gonna be a roof.

-Here, John, come here. -A roof would definitely be good.

It's gonna be like this, but it's gonna be everywhere.

It's the only cover we have.

Nice, we're gonna be here for a while.

Where'd you get your scar?

That one?

A knife fight.

It was five years ago, we were really drunk and the guy went for my eye.

That's terrible.

Why? He missed.

The way people act around you, the way they treated you at that restaurant.

-It's like they're scared of you. -They're not scared of me.

They might be scared of who I used to be.

And who is that?

Somebody different?

So when did you change? When you went into the Army?

Yeah. Yeah, l mean, partly yeah.

And the other part?

I don't know, I'm stiIl working on that.

So you used to be tough.

And maybe you stiIl are a little bit.

-You don't scare me, John. -No?

Well, you scare me.

Don't worry about him.

John!

What, you think you're safe in there? Okay.

No!

It's all right. Everybody understands.

What are you doing over here?

You're missing the party.

The party's just managing fine without me.

What's wrong?

Why are you all the way over here by yourself?

I'm dying, John.

What?

That's not even funny.

I'm gonna miss you.

It's almost over.

No, it's not almost over.

Yes, it is.

I leave tomorrow. I have to go back to schooI.

-So? -And you.

No, and me nothing. My commitment's up in 1 2 months.

And then I'm back. For good.

A lot could happen in 1 2 months, John.

You don't think I know that?

I know that.

And I'm not afraid at aIl.

I promise you...

...that it'll all be over sooner than you think.

Then l'll be back for good.

You promise?

I promise.

I'm probably gonna be out of the Army way before you're out of school.

Am I gonna be in the audience when you graduate?

I think I might take a littIe Ionger to graduate.

Been spending so much time around your dad...

...and I think now I want to teach special education.

-You don't say. -I don't know why it's taken me...

...so long to realize. I mean, I've Iived next to Alan my whole life--

I'm sorry, back up. What does that have to do with my dad?

Well, there's....

I mean, there's an explanation for why he is the way he is.

Forget it. Never mind.

-No, no, no. -No, let's go. Come here.

What? So, just, what were you saying?

I grew up next to a kid with autism.

-I have a frame of reference. -Whoa, autistic?

You saying my dad's like Alan? You're saying my dad's Ret*rded?

No, Alan's not Ret*rded, John. He's autistic.

There are milder forms of it and these things go undiagnosed.

Is this what you've been doing? You've just been studying my dad?

No. How could you even say that?

I've Iived with my dad my entire life. Put up with him my entire life.

You think I don't know that he's not normal?

Yeah?

You think I need you to teIl me he's not normal?

Yeah.

Hey, soldier, leaving so soon, huh?

Here, have a beer. It's on me.

Come on, you should drink. It'll make you feeI better.

-Now's not a good time, all right? -You sad?

No, come on. You just need to reIax. Come on. Just relax a little bit.

What's going on with Savannah?

-Just leave me alone. -What's with Savannah?

-How about you get your hands off? -Come on.

What is happening with you and Savannah--?

Hey, man, what are you doing?

John!

Oh, my-- Oh, my God!

-John! -Stop him. What is he doing?

-HeIp him! -Oh, I'm so sorry.

I don't think she's home now.

But she hasn't gone back to school yet.

She normally comes by and says goodbye before she heads back, but....

Oh, sh*t, Tim.

Jesus, l'm sorRY, man.

Hey, I like it.

I think it makes me look pretty tough.

I just-- I had no idea it was you back there.

Hey, it was my fault.

I don't know what I was thinking, sneaking up behind a green beret.

Hey, if you see her...

...can you give her a message for me?

Yeah.

Just teIl her I came by...

...and that I....

You wanna write it down?

Yeah.

I'll make sure she gets it.

Thank you.

Hey, Pop.

I didn't know if anyone else was coming so...

...l made double.

No, I'll do it.

-I got it, Dad. lt's okay. l got it. -No, I'll do it.

-They're clean. -I'lI do it. I'll do it.

Okay.

Looks like you're gonna have leftovers for once.

Oh, I'll have it next Sunday.

Excuse me, Pop.

Got your note.

-Short, sweet, to the point. -I'm sorry.

John, I'm sorry.

-I'm so sorry. -No, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to make you feel that.

I have no idea what I'm talking about. No business pretending I'm a doctor.

-I was watching him today. -John.

Please, I'm serious. I don't know what I'm talking about.

I really don't. It means nothing.

Okay?

I'm headed back to schooI.

And I just wanted to make sure that, you know....

Make sure that what?

I made you a promise, didn't I?

Yeah.

You wrote your first note so l wrote mine.

Don't read it now. Wait till I'm gone.

Okay.

-Hey, can you--? You hungry? -Yes.

Yeah? My dad made a littIe extra for you.

You know, it's Sunday.

Okay.

-I can only stay a little while. -I know.

Come on.

Dear John...

...two weeks together...

...that's alI it took.

Two weeks for me to falL in love with you.

Now we have one year apart.

But what's one year apart after two weeks like that together?

-All right, Pop. -Okay.

I gotta go.

-You be good, okay? -Okay.

So....

-We're good. All right. See you later. -Okay.

You made me a promise.

A promise L know you'Ll keep.

So I onIy want one more promise from you during this time we spend apart.

TeLl me everything.

Write it alI down, John. ScribbIe it in a notebook.

Type it out, e-maiL it to me...

...I don't care, but I wanna know everything.

Then we'Ll be with each other alI the time even if we're not with each other.

That way before we know it, I'Ll see you soon, then.

-What's up, girls? -Johnny!

What up, man?

-Hey, there he is. -Look who it is.

-Welcome back, John. -Look at you.

Welcome back. Take a look at your voucher.

All right.

How was Atlantic City, man?

No, laugh it up. That's great. Yeah. That's the one thing I ask him.

I didn't say. First time l've seen him.

-Wouldn't ask if you didn't know. -How could he know?

Don't even bother unpacking, guys.

We move out bright and early. Enjoy.

Well, I'm excited.

Dear Savannah, L promise. I promise L'lL see you soon, then.

I promise L'lI write all the time.

I promise L'lL teLl you everything.

Be patient with me, it may take a whiLe for these Letters to get back to you.

We've already been deployed out on a mission.

Come on, soldier, move it, move it. Let's go!

The problem is we can't exactly use the local postaL system here.

And there's no such thing as Internet connection.

So I have to send everything from here out by airmail.

-Can you get this out for me? -Yeah. Yeah.

-Don't lose it, all right? -Yeah, I gotcha.

Unfortunately, l'm not allowed to say exactLy where here is.

AlL l can teLl you is where we've been sent...

...makes me miss America very much.

And the lack of anything resembling an ocean makes me miss Charleston.

And everything around me makes me miss you.

We move around a Lot. so letters tend to come late and out of order.

We may want to number our letters...

...just so we know which order we wrote them in.

But when they do finaIly get here...

...it's a good day.

-Whenever they don't... -All right, let's see here.

Not for me. Not for me.

Not for me. And not for me.

Figures.

-...it's not. -Nothing for you either.

But L know they'lL stiLl come. I know it.

That's right.

Letter Number 8.

Dear John, L'm back at my parents' farm for the weekend.

And they have some house guests you may know.

Savannah!

I think that horse suits you just fine.

I took Alan out riding with me today. It was his first time on a horse.

You Iook good on that horse, Alan.

You've heard of horse sense, horses are somehow abIe to sense danger?

Sense out eviL?

WeLl, l think autistic kids have that too...

...so L had this idea.

This dream.

I wanna open up a summer camp for autistic kids.

I've never seen him act like this before.

Are you hungry?

Where they can ride horses as much as they want.

Are you hungry?

For once in their life, a pIace where they won't have to worry about a thing.

What do you think? Pipe dream, huh?

No, it's not a pipe dream.

It's a perfect dream.

Erget. MerRY Christmas.

John, to a Mr. John Tyree.

-Shut up, man. -Seven?

-Stop moving around. -Can I keep this one?

Letter Number 33.

Dear Savannah, the good news is we've been sent somewhere new.

Although L can't teLl you where that is either.

The bad news is, this pLace actualLy makes me miss the old pIace.

But it's a full moon here tonight, which makes me think of you.

Because l know that no matter what I'm doing, no matter where l am...

...this moon wiLl always be the same size as yours.

Half a world away.

Dear John...

...most nights I falI asleep worrying about you.

Wondering where you may be out there.

Not tonight.

Tonight you're here with me.

I visited your dad yesterday.

Summer's aLmost over and I wanted to see him before I went back to schooI.

I hope that's okay.

Hey.

I made you a pie.

He made me dinner. It was Sunday so we had lasagna.

And L got him talking about his coins. So we had plenty of conversation.

This one is kind of a cull, a coin that's in really bad shape.

-WorthIess to most collectors. -But not to you.

No, not to me.

What is your favorite coin?

Out of aIl the coins that you have, what is your absolute favorite coin?

Do you have one?

'Seventy-eight Jefferson mule.

That'd be my favorite.

Definitely.

Why? Is it worth the most?

Well, it's worth a lot, not the most.

But, you know....

What's the stoRY behind it?

Here's one....

So I'll ask you instead, John, wherever you may be.

Dear Savannah, only because I promised to telL you everything.

Thank you.

When L was 7 years old, I bought an ice cream cone.

On the way home, L noticed one of the pennies wasn't actuaLly a penny.

I don't know.

I don't know. Never seen anything like it.

Did you find this, son?

Yeah?

No, it's a mule.

-It's a what? -A mule. An error coin.

Every now and then they make mistakes...

...batch accidentaIly slips through, this thing...

...head's a nickel, tail's a penny. Mule. Really more of a novelty than anything.

Remember the horse sense you were taIking about?

--the kid found it I wilI buy it anyway.

Twenty bucks.

-No, thank you. -WeLl, my dad has it too.

Now, wait a minute. Hang on.

Let me take another look at that real quick.

John, let's go.

I'll be damned.

-Do you know what this is? -No.

Look at that.

That's your coin.

You want my advice?

Dad to Dad?

Keep it.

Hold on to it. Pass it down to your son.

Let him pass it to his son and on and on, I'll tell you what...

...30, 40, a hundred years from now...

...you're gonna have something worth a whole lot more than $4000.

I promise you.

Hey.

Do you want to keep it?

-Good for you. -Thank you. Thank you.

At first L Loved chasing after those muIes with my father.

We finalLy had something to talk about.

You know, something we couLd do together.

But he became obsessed with them. You know how he is.

And then l became a teenager and you know how L am.

All the way up to Wooster for another coin show. I'm just--

No, I'm not doing that.

You're going to one eveRY weekend now.

Oh, that's good. I love warm milk. That's nice.

You spend all of our money on coins. Get a fricking fridge that works.

EventuaLly he stopped talking about coins with me altogether.

And when that happened...

...we found there wasn't all that much left to talk about.

So that's the story.

I miss you so much it hurts.

Sorry, sorry.

Oh, my God. My brother was in the towers.

-I love you too, babe. -Please call me as soon as you can.

-Susan. Susan, is my dad there? -Just calm down.

All right, fellas, here's the deal.

Requesting permission to extend my tour, sir.

Requesting permission to extend, sir.

Requesting permission to extend as well, sir.

Requesting permission to extend, sir.

Requesting permission to extend as well, sir.

Okay, guys, listen. We're gonna get our orders from Operations on Monday.

Before we do anything rash, let's take the weekend to mulI this over, alI right?

I got a wife and kids to think about.

Nobody's asking you to stay on too, captain.

Yeah, you are. This is my team.

Where you go, I go.

Where we go, we aIl go.

If everyone stilI wants to extend on Monday, then we'll do it.

Together.

Don't get into trouble over there.

-Take care of yourself. -Always.

Let's go, man. The plane to Paris leaves in an hour.

You ready? Are you ready?

-It's gonna be amazing. -I can't go.

What? Of course you're going.

I gotta go to Charleston.

-You're going to Charleston? -Yup.

What are you, nuts? We got two days off, man.

By the time you fly there and back, you're gonna have like 1 8 hours.

It's 1 8 more than I had this morning.

I don't know when I'll get that again...

...so I gotta go.

Nothing I can say to change your mind?

Nope.

John!

John. John.

You sure he--? He actualIy said that? He wants to come?

I think he will.

-He wasn't so sure about it, but.... -Yeah, I'll bet he wasn't.

--has asked President Bush to activate...

...thousands of miIitary reservists.

Hey, Pop!

Hey, what are you doing in here?

Look at you.

Spiffy.

Are you coming with us?

Please. My parents are so excited to meet you, Mr. Tyree.

Yeah.

You hungry?

I made meatloaf.

I know you made meatloaf, Pop. It's Saturday.

We can take it with us.

We can take it with us. You mind if we take it with us?

Well, I don't....

Is that okay? I'll wrap it up.

I don't mean-- I'm sorry, but could--?

Could you stop the car, because I need to go back.

-Should I turn around? -Stop the car, please. Stop the car.

-Forget something? -Okay.

No, I need to get out of the car. Please.

-All right, just-- Just relax, okay? -Yeah.

I don't think I can do this.

-Look, you're fine. You're fine. -No, I just-- Please. I need to get out.

You're okay, Pop. It's fine.

-Look, stop the car, I can't-- -Okay, I'll turn around.

We're fine, we're fine, we're fine.

-I gotta get out. Stop the car. -Okay, all right.

-Come on, Dad, stop! -Okay.

Pop. Come on, don't do that.

Hey, Mr. Tyree.

Hey, you all right?

-You okay? -I'm sorry.

It's okay.

But hey, let's....

We're gonna wait for you in the car, all right?

-No, I'm fine, I'm fine. -No, don't, honestly, We can stay. Let's just stay.

Okay? Let's stay, because I can go next year.

Pop, I only got one night.

I mean, l gotta go back. Do you understand that?

You shouId go. You both should go.

New York Mayor RudoIph Giuliani said WaLl street wiIl re-open on Monday.

He tried. At least he tried.

Hello, welcome.

My girl.

Mom, this is John.

John, I feel like I already know you. Where's your father, did he come too?

-No, ma'am. -Oh, that's okay.

I'm just glad that you made it home safe.

We thought about canceling with everything that's going on...

...but we felt like eveRYbody should be together.

I've been briefing him in the car and l think he's good.

It was good intel. With solid tactical training, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

I love him already.

Mrs. Curtis, Savannah.

-Hey, dude, how's it going? -John.

It's good to see you again.

All right, You know what? You Iook like you could use a drink.

-I'lI grab one for you. -Yes, thank you.

-John. -What's he doing here?

He's here because I invited him. His famiIy lives just up the street.

What are you, Iike, hanging out now?

He's reaIly not that bad once you get to know him, I swear to you, John.

Here you go.

It's bourbon, it's not gonna k*ll you.

Be right back.

We got off on the wrong foot and l want to apologize for the way I treated you.

If l had known that Savannah was actually gonna stay with you...

...l wouldn't have treated you that way. In all seriousness, I'm sorry.

Fair enough.

If you need anything and....

-Enjoy yourself. -Right.

So this is him.

Yup. No tough-guy routine from you, Dad.

Routine? I bench press refrigerators, honey.

Your boyfriends need to know these things.

He's absolutely right. Nice to meet you, Mr. Curtis.

But l think Tim here might have already beat you to the punch.

He said he'd rough me up if ever I hurt her.

I was very convincing too. I think I made quite an impact.

Well, cheers, son. Glad you could join us.

Thank you, sir.

-Billy! You actually showed up! -See, hard part's over.

-Good to see you again, John. -How you doing, Tim?

Hi. Hey, Tim, how are you doing?

-Good. -I haven't seen your wife. Is she here?

Yeah, she's on vacation actually.

-So I'll tell her you said hello. -Please do.

I wilI.

Alan, remember what we talked about?

Another vacation?

Yeah.

Alan ever ask about her?

Yeah, he does. I just don't know what to say.

Hey, look, I'm not a father.

You know, I'm really in no position to give you advice at all.

When I was a kid, I waited around every day...

...hoping that today would finaIly be the day...

...that my mom would come home.

I waited around 1 5 years.

So l know how painful it might have been for my dad to...

...just teIl me the truth.

It would have saved me a lot of waiting around.

You know?

Well, I guess if the worst thing you can say about your father...

...is he tried to protect you too much then...

...that's a pretty good father, isn't it?

I'm sorry. You're John, right? Savannah's John?

-Yes, sir. -I wanna thank you for what you do.

Know our prayers are with you. I hope whatever happens...

...it'lI be over soon. So you boys can come home safe and sound.

Oh, it won't be over anytime soon.

Afghanistan will just be the first stop of many.

He's right, you know. Pretty soon they'Il ask y'all to reenlist for another tour.

Slowly but surely they'll stop asking and start telling.

None of the soldiers I know need to be asked, sir.

And we sure don't need to be told.

What do you mean by we?

It was great to see you guys. See you next year.

Savannah....

So you're gonna reenlist, just like that?

It's something we shouId talk about.

Two more years, John.

Have you already done it? Have you already re-upped?

No.

But you decided that you're going to?

Do I have a say?

Do I have a say in this?

-You don't understand. -Don't ever tell me I don't understand.

Leave me alone, John.

Please.

What do you...?

What do you want from me?

Savannah, I mean....

Just teIl me what you want from me. I mean, you want me to quit?

Is that it?

Look, I don't know how we got here. I don't know what happened.

Just woke up and...

...there's buildings falling and....

I mean, l had a plan-- I had a plan, but now l don't.

And I have no idea what to do.

I don't know what to do and l just-- All I know is I wanna stay here.

I just wanna stay right here with you as long as l possibly can.

You're just all that matters, okay? You're all that matters to me.

I'm trying to figure out what the right thing is and I don't know.

I don't have any idea how to get there. I just-- Because I need you to tell me.

I just need you to tell me, okay?

Can you just tell me, please--? Just teIl me what you want me to do.

I want you to come with me.

Hey, Pop.

Thank you. Thank you for coming.

Well....

So you think you're gonna be okay by yourself this time?

Yeah, why wouldn't I be?

I should probably be getting going.

Take care of yourself.

So are we...? I mean, we're okay though.

Right? Nothing has changed?

Be careful not to step in any fires, okay?

Okay. l will.

So l'Il see you soon, then.

I'll see you soon, then.

Welcome back, guys.

Hope you had a good weekend. Wish it could've been longer...

...but sometimes you got to take what you can get.

So that's it then?

It's unanimous?

Okay.

I'll start the paperwork.

Thank you, sir.

O'Neill, here you go!

This smells pretty good, Russ.

And we got Daniels. Where's he at?

Move, move, move, up and sh**t!

-Hey, yo. -Yeah, nothing today, man. Sorry.

Go, go, go.

Yo, you guys seen John? Is he back here?

Yo, John.

Got one for you, dude.

-Yeah? -That's it, though.

Dear John, l know it's been way too long since L last wrote you.

I've been staring at this blank page for the last two hours.

WeLl, if l'm being honest...

...I've been staring at it for the last two months.

Please forgive me for what l'm about to say.

And know that this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

My life without you has no meaning.

And L cannot Live.... L'm sorry.

Yo, listen to this, hedge fund manager on Wall Street, right?

How much do you think he made at his regular job?

Twenty-seven million dollars, he ran a hedge fund. Works on WaIl Street.

That is amazing.

You making mud pies, buddy?

What's going on, man?

You wanna talk about it?

Nothing to talk about.

She found somebody else.

You got any idea who it is?

No, she didn't say.

I mean, l got a pretty good idea.

Look, man...

...you know, this happens, dude. I mean, you'll get her back.

You get home, she comes running.

-It's the whole cycle, dude. -They already got engaged.

Jesus.

Hey, I'm sorry, man.

Let me know if I can do anything, all right?

--off the bottom rim. You wouldn't think a squirrel could swim, but I swear...

...swam 20 yards to the shoreline.

-Swimming squirreI. -That's crazy, dude.

Hey, notice that. Did y'all see that?

I mean, that's as sexy as it gets around here.

They can't show their legs, so they got fishnets on their faces.

I'm gonna bring that back to the States and make my girl wear that.

How mysterious.

Back up, back up!

-What's he saying? -Hey, he's speaking Turkish.

-What is he saying, though? -I don't know. I don't know.

Come on, specialist, figure it out!

Look, man, I speak Pashtu, I speak Farsi, I speak all kinds of sh*t.

What languages you speak? Come here.

-Good work, man. -Stay right there.

-Hey, where are you going? -Somebody's gotta figure it out.

-Noodles, go with him. -Yeah.

Back up, back up.

Tyree!

Wait for further instructions.

Let's move out.

-Good? -Yeah, you?

We got a man down! Noodles, you gonna be all right, man! Hold on, man!

Copy that, man down! Man down!

-Come here. -You see it?

I got you. Get your hands up!

Tyree, do you read? TaLk to me, Tyree.

Lucky SOB. It hit your plate.

Jesus, l never loved a piece of clothing more in my entire life, I swear to God.

John!

Man down! Medic!

Medic! John.

Come on, man.

Medic!

Look, come on, you're gonna be fine, all right? It's nothing.

It's nothing. You got this.

Stay awake, okay? You just look in my eyes, just look in my eyes!

Keep your eyes open, okay?

Eyes, awake, awake, right at me, okay?

Jakes!

Welcome back, Sergeant Tyree.

Rest easy, okay? You're in the hospital in Germany.

And you're gonna be just fine.

Tyree.

-You look good, man. -Thank you, sir.

I just wanted to come by and let you know l'Il be extending.

Extending. Tyree, it's been three months.

I'm impressed, but I'm not stupid.

Go home, John. Get some R&R.

Keep your dad some company for a while.

Have a seat.

Listen, I'm being transferred.

Now, this has nothing to do with what happened.

My captain duties are done here.

Going back to Fort Bragg. I actually miss my famiIy.

That's good, sir.

Berry and Daniels are getting out, the others, coming down on assignment.

-And you've got Iess than four months-- -I'm definitely extending.

Your w*r is over, John. You served your country well.

You know what? I might just make this a career.

No talking you out of this, huh?

Mark, on my mark!

Mark!

Where you thinking next?

Oh, man. I don't know, wherever they send us.

Actually, we're sending you home to the States, John.

I'm sorry, we just got the news.

He's conscious, but he's not lucid.

And he's hardIy ever responsive.

It's hard for me to say how severe the stroke really is...

...because we don't know how long he was down before they found him.

If l'd have been there to find him like that earlier...

...do you think it would've made a difference?

I doubt it. I really doubt it.

-Hey, Jeff, here's that scan. -No problem.

Hey, Pop.

What--? What the heck do you--? Ma'am, why do you have him out here?

You okay? How you feeIing?

I....

I mean, it's nothing, but I wrote you-- I wrote you a Ietter.

No, no, don't read it now. You don't have to--

I didn't think you'd-- Why don't you read it when I'm not around?

You know what? The hell with it. I'll just read it to you.

"Dear Dad.

There's something I've been wanting to tell you.

You remember a few years back...

...when I got shot.

Well, you wanna know the very first thing...

...that entered my mind at that moment?

Right before I blacked out?

Coins.

Suddenly I was 8 years old again.

I was on that tour of the U.S. Mint.

I was listening to the guide explain how coins are made.

How they're punched out of sheet metal and how they're rimmed and beveled.

How they're stamped and cleaned.

And how each and every batch of coins are personally examined...

...in case any have slipped through with the slightest imperfection.

Do you remember that, Dad?

I mean, do you remember that trip to Philadelphia we took?

That's what popped into my head.

I'm a coin of the United States Army.

And I was minted in the year 1 980.

I've been punched from sheet metal.

I've been stamped and cleaned.

And my edges have been rimmed and beveled.

But now I have two small holes in me.

So l'm no longer in perfect condition."

How about it, Dad? You know, we're just a couple of cuIls here, huh?

"But there's one-- There's one more thing...

...that l want to telI you too.

After l got shot, you know, right before I blacked out.

You wanna know the very last thing I thought of?"

I'm sorry.

The very last thing I thought of....

You wanna know the very last thing I thought of?

I'm so sorRY, I don't want to rush you...

...but we have another service coming in.

John.

What brings you home?

It's my dad.

How's your dad?

He....

I'm sorry.

I wish I had known.

It's okay.

It wouldn't have made any difference.

I'm so sorRY.

He's-- He was a really good man.

You finally did it, huh?

Camp Horse Sense.

No.

I didn't. I tried.

It only lasted one summer after we took over this place from my parents.

It was.... It was expensive.

Do you want to come inside?

It's just me.

When do you have to go back?

As soon as I get my dad's stuff squared away.

Have you settled down yet?

No.

But you must be dating a lot, huh?

No. I don't think you can call it dating exactly.

It's so good to see you.

Here. Alive.

Hold on. I'm just gonna-- I'm sorry.

Hello?

Hey.

No, I'm fine.

I....

Well, John-- John is here.

Yeah, John Tyree.

Yeah, I'm gonna leave soon.

Okay, l'Il see you.

I'll be there in like 20 minutes, okay?

I love you too. Bye.

He wants to see you.

Wait, what?

It's Tim?

Initially after he was diagnosed, he was so optimistic.

He wasn't concerned, all he cared about was AIan...

...which was inspiring.

It wasn't until after the cancer spread to stage four that I noticed a big change.

What kind of cancer is it?

Lymphoma.

He's had it with being cooped up in that room...

...so he basically just spends all his time out here.

Sometimes with Alan.

-Can I have a crumble cake? -Alan, do you remember John?

Hello, John.

Hey, AIan.

He's gotten big.

-How are you? -Good.

I'm gonna get him a crumble cake.

Oh, that's a good idea. He's been talking about that.

Come on, Alan.

I guess you must want to kick my a*s, huh?

There's not a lot I can do about it here, is there?

It's all part of my master plan.

Hell of a plan.

I love her.

Everything that happened in my Iife before, it's gone now.

It's been wiped clean.

I wanted to tell you that.

And I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for how it happened with you so far away.

But l know now that Alan will always have someone to take care of him.

He will always be in good hands.

She still loves you, you know.

Why is it black?

It's plain as day, you can see it all over her face.

I wish that weren't the case...

...but she's never looked at me the way she used to look at you.

You shouId know that.

Be careful, AIan.

He still loves those horses, huh?

Yeah, he'll be out there till bedtime.

I gotta get him out of that hospital.

He needs to come home.

There's a company in Texas with an experimental drug.

That might help.

But the insurance companies don't pay for it, of course.

My parents sold their beach house a year ago.

Which was a godsend.

We've done a few fundraisers.

But l never would have guessed that we would run out so fast.

Stay for dinner, okay?

So you drink now.

Just a glass or two at dinner.

Tim got me started a couple years ago.

Why are you looking at me like that?

What do you mean?

How am I looking at you?

Differently.

I don't know, how do you want me to look at you?

You're different.

I don't know--

I don't know why I came here. I mean, what are we doing?

We're sitting here and we're eating and we're talking...

...but no one's actually saying anything.

What do you want me to say? What do you want to talk about?

Why didn't you call?

Why didn't you call me?

I mean, did I not deserve any more explanation than...

...that letter?

You couldn't have called me?

You couldn't have given me some sort of chance to change your mind?

Don't you think you owed me that?

I couldn't.

You couldn't?

You thought that little of me that you couldn't have just called me.

Why?

Because I couldn't.

Give me an answer. Why? Why not?

-Because I couIdn't. -An answer.

Because just hearing your voice, I would have changed my mind.

Is that what you wanna hear, John? What you came all this way to hear?

You think it was tough out there? Think it was easy for me without you?

You thought that eveRY single day it wasn't...

...a g*dd*mn marathon of my life without you?

Tim was sick.

He was sick and he needed me.

He needed me to help him.

He needed me to help him with Alan, with everything.

I was alone and I had no idea what I was doing.

I didn't plan this. I didn't know that it was gonna happen to me.

But it did.

You don't think I've tried--?

I picked up the phone a thousand times to try to call you.

You think that I really wanna be standing here in front of you like this?

I had no choice.

I know.

I saved eveRY single one of them.

You've been so many places.

I think the yeIlow enveIopes are from Africa or something.

Really?

I even have your first, your veRY first letter to me.

Tim's water bill.

Sorry.

It's okay.

Hope you have more where that came from.

I'm gonna put a pot of coffee on.

I should go.

I'll see you soon, then?

Say it back.

When I say it, you say it.

Remember?

John?

Just say it.

Goodbye, Savannah.

I don't think you remember me. But I believe you knew my father, Bill Tyree.

Oh, yeah, of course I did. I haven't seen him in a while, though. How is he?

He recently passed.

I'm sorry.

I think you might've offered to buy his coin collection one time. ls that right?

Sure did. More than once.

Just out of curiosity, how much do you think a collection Iike his is worth?

A collection that big? I don't know, I'd have to see it.

Look, I only got about one condition.

All the mules, they gotta stay together.

You can sell them as a set or keep them for yourself.

They have to stay together.

You're really going to seIl me all his coins?

Yes, sir.

All but one.

This comes up nickel, we're gonna set up right here. We got shade.

It comes up penny, we'll be up on the ridge. We got visibility.

-That'd be penny side. -All right, let's go to the ridge.

Sergeant.

Thank you.

Dear John...

...it's been almost five years since I wrote with an actual pen...

...on an actual sheet of paper.

I thought L couLd write and teLl you...

...all that's happened since I saw you last.

A few weeks after you showed up here...

...Tim received an anonymous donation.

A donation that was enough to give him...

...what the insurance companies wouIdn't:

Time.

Time to finalIy come home.

Time to spend with his son.

Time to say goodbye.

The problem with time, I've learned...

...whether it's those first two weeks I got to spend with you...

...or those final two months I got to spend with him...

...eventuaLly time aLways runs out.

I have no idea where you are out there in the world, John.

But L understand that I Lost the right to know these things long ago.

No matter how many years go by...

...I know one thing to be as true as it ever was.

I'Ll see you soon, then.