LT. DAN. Ho! Get your hands down. Do not salute

You must be my F.N.G.'s.

BUBBA AND FORREST

Morning', sir!

LT. DAN

Ho! Get your hands down. Do not salute

me. There are goddamned snipers all

around this area who would love to

grease an officer. I'm Lieutenant

Dan Taylor. Welcome to Fourth Platoon.

Lt. Dan looks at Bubba.

LT. DAN

What's wrong with your lips?

BUBBA

I was born with big gums, sir.

LT. DAN

Yeah, well, you better tuck that in.

Gonna get that caught on a trip wire.

Where you boys from in the world?

BUBBA & FORREST

Alabama, sir!

LT. DAN

You twins?

Forrest and Bubba look at each other oddly, they don't get

the joke.

FORREST

No, we are not relations, sir.

LT. DAN

Look, it's pretty basic here.

Lt. Dan starts to walk. Bubba and Forrest grab their gear

and follow him.

LT. DAN

You stick with me, you learn from

the guys who been in country awhile,

you'll be right. There is one item

of G.I. gear that can be the

difference between a live grunt and

a dead grunt.

Lt. Dan stops and looks at the boys.

LT. DAN

Socks, cushion, sole, O.D. green.

Try and keep your feet dry when we're

out humpin'. I want you boys to

remember to change your socks wherever

we stop. The Mekong will eat a grunt's

feet right off his legs.

Lt. Dan steps over to a large black soldier named SERGEANT

SIMS.

LT. DAN

Sergeant Sims! Goddamnit, where is

that sling-rope I told you to order.

SGT. SIMS

I put in requisitions at Battalion.

LT. DAN

Yeah, yeah, yeah, well you call those

sonabitches again, call them again

and again and again. I don't care

how much it takes...

FORREST (V.O.)

Lt. Dan sure knew his stuff. I felt

real lucky he was my lieutenant. He

was from a long, great military

tradition. Somebody in his family

had fought and died in every single

American war.

EXT. VALLEY FORGE/THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR - DAY (1778)

A distant relative of Lt. Dan's, wearing a revolutionary war

uniform, falls dead in the snow.

EXT. GETTYSBURG/THE CIVIL WAR - DAY (1863)

Another relative, wearing a civil war uniform and bearing a

striking resemblance to Lt. Dan, falls down dead.

EXT. NORMANDY/WORLD WAR II - DAY (1944)

Another relative, wearing a World War II, falls down dead on

the beach at Normandy.

EXT. VETNAM/MEKONG DELTA/FIREBASE - DAY (1967)

LT. DAN

Goddamnit, kick some ass!

SGT. SIMS

I'm on it, Lieutenant.

LT. DAN

Get on it!

Lt. Dan steps back up to Bubba and Forrest.

FORREST (V.O.)

I guess you could say he had a lot

to live up to.

Lt. Dan walks along the walkway and Bubba and Forrest follow.