- Vol. 1 0:03:50 Rafe defends Danny
- Rafe: I will bust you open, you dirty German!
Danny’s father: What’d you call me? I fought the Germans in France. And I fought ‘em in the trenches. And I pray to God no one ever has to see the things that I saw.
Danny: to Rafe. You’re my best friend.
- Vol. 1 0:06:27 In trouble with Doolittle
- Doolittle: After two years of training, you believe that a forty-five thousand dollar airplane is there for your amusement?
Rafe: No, sir. I was just trying to keep my edge, Major.
Doolittle: And when you did the outside loop last week, what did you think that was? Honing your skills? That’s not training, McCawley. That’s a stunt. And I personally consider it to be reckless and irresponsible.
Rafe: Major… how could that be, when you’re famous for being the first man in the world ever to do it?
Doolittle: Don’t get cute with me, son.
Rafe: No, sir, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. I just think that… Well, I… It is reckless and irresponsible if you’re just doing it to be a show-off, but I was doing it to try to inspire the men, sir, in the way that you’ve inspired me. I believe the French even have a word for that when the men get together to honor their leaders. They call it an homage, sir.
Doolittle: A what?
Rafe: An homage, sir.
Doolittle: That’s bullshit, McCawley! But it’s very, very good bullshit.
Rafe: Thank you, sir.
Doolittle: McCawley, you remind me of myself fifteen years ago.
- Vol. 1 0:13:34 Rafe’s begs to pass his exam
- Rafe: Ma’am, I-I’m never gonna be an English teacher, but I know why I’m here -- to be a pilot. And you don’t dogfight with manuals. You don’t fly with gauges. I mean, it’s all about feeling and speed and lettin’ that plane become like a part of your body. And that manual says that a guy who’s a slow reader can’t be a good pilot. That file says I’m the best pilot in this room. Ma’am, please. Don’t take my wings.
- Vol. 1 0:27:25 Rafe and Evelyn say good-bye
- Rafe: I don’t want you to have anything about tonight that you regret. I mean, it’s been the most incredible night of my life, and I don’t want to ruin that.
Evelyn: Oh, you couldn’t ruin it. If I had one more night to live, I’d want to spend it with you.
Rafe: See, that’s what I want to come home to. That’s what I want to have to think about and dream about. I want to know that the best part of my life’s still ahead of me. Look. Don’t, um, could you… not come see me off? Because, uh, saying good-bye to you once is hard enough.
Evelyn: Here. Take this.
Rafe: Why you think it looks good on me? I will come back.
- Vol. 1 0:31:52 Anxious to matter
- Rafe: Yes, sir, well if y’all are packing up bullet holes here on the runway, maybe we oughta skip the housekeeping and get me right into an airplane.
British Pilot: to British General. Two didn’t come back, sir. We counted only eleven.
British General: Are all Yanks as anxious as you to get themselves killed, Pilot Officer?
Rafe: Not anxious to die, sir. Just anxious to matter.
- Vol. 1 0:32:44 Time for war
- President: Please be seated, gentlemen. I’m afraid I’m in a bad mood. Churchill and Stalin are asking me what I’m asking you. How long is America going to pretend the world is not at war?
Cabinet Member #1: We’ve increased food and oil shipments to them, Mr. President, and as far as I know--
President: What they really need are tanks, planes, bullets, bombs, and men to fight. But our people think Hitler and his Nazi thugs are Europe’s problem. We have to do more. Send the Brits and Russians more of our ships and anti-aircraft weapons.
Cabinet Member #2: And keep cannibalizing the Pacific Fleet?
President: What choice do we have? We’re building refrigerators while our enemies build bombs.
- Vol. 1 0:33:35 Japanese plan for attack
- Japanese Admiral: in Japanese. War is inevitable. To ignore this fact is death. The Americans cut off the oil that is our lifeline. We have only enough for eighteen months. We have no choice, but war. There is only one way -- a massive, sudden strike.
Japanese Officer: You see us capable of such a blow?
Japanese Admiral: We will annihilate their Pacific Fleet in a single attack… at Pearl Harbor.
- Vol. 1 0:38:49 No threat to Pearl Harbor
- Admiral: I’m supposed to keep this fleet battle-ready to take on the Japanese, cover half the damn globe. Now they want me to transfer another twelve destroyers to the Atlantic. Don’t they know what we’re facing out here?
Navy Captain: They feel Europe is the great danger, Admiral.
Admiral: I’m assuming these risk assessments include Hawaii?
Navy Captain: Well, Pearl Harbor is too shallow for an aerial torpedo attack, and we’re surrounded by sub nets. All we have to worry about here is sabotage, so we bunched our planes together to make them easier to protect. Distance is our ally, Admiral.
Admiral: You analysts got it all figured out, don’t you? The smart enemy hits you exactly where you think you’re safe.
- Vol. 1 0:39:53 Japanese make accommodations
- Japanese Officer: Look at the ships -- all grouped. Perfect targets.
Japanese Officer: We have fixed our torpedoes to allow for Pearl Harbor. Wooden fins -- this makes the torpedoes able to travel through the shallow harbor.
Japanese Prime Minister: When Pearl Harbor is still asleep in the morning mist, we will attack with full force!
- Vol. 1 0:48:02 Danny and Evelyn mourn Rafe
- Danny: You know, he taught me to fly. I always knew that no matter what kind of trouble I got into, I’d never be in it alone. He’d be there with me. Up there, he was always pushing me to be better and faster.
Evelyn: He told me you were a great flier. It was the same night he told me he’d volunteered to go to England.
Danny: Volunteered? He… he told me he’d been assigned. He was always trying to protect me. But you know what? I look at myself in the mirror in this uniform, and I still don’t know who I am. I look like a hero, but I don’t feel like it. Rafe… he always looked the part, didn’t he?
Evelyn: He couldn’t wait to be one.
- Vol. 1 0:50:26 Japanese before the attack
- Japanese Admiral: in Japanese. Set up teams of radio operators to send out messages the Americans will intercept concerning every potential target in the Pacific. Include Hawaii -- the clutter will be more confusing that way.
Japanese Officer: Brilliant, Admiral.
Japanese Admiral: A brilliant man would find a way not to fight a war.
- Vol. 1 1:08:12 Hit us where it’ll hurt the most
- Captain Thurman: Sir, I believe they’ll try to hit us where it’ll hurt us the most -- Pearl Harbor.
Admiral: It’s over four thousand nautical miles from Japan to Pearl. That’s a long distance to steam a navy, Captain. Your theory is based on what?
Captain Thurman: Well, it’s what I would do.
Admiral: That’s not exactly hard evidence, Captain Thurman.
Captain Thurman: Well, Admiral, if I had hard evidence, we’d already be at war.
- Vol. 1 1:09:08 Spine-tingling feeling
- Captain Thurman: Well, I see a strike on Pearl. It’s the worst thing that could happen. A blow to Pearl would devastate the Pacific Fleet’s ability to make war.
Admiral: So, sir, you would have us mobilize the entire fleet at the cost of millions of dollars based on this spine-tingling feeling of yours?
Captain Thurman: No, sir. I understand my job is to gather and interpret material. Making difficult decisions based on incomplete information from my limited decoding ability is your job, sir.
Admiral: Then break the damn naval code, Captain, so I can make a better decision.
Captain Thurman: Aye, sir. We are trying.
- Vol. 1 1:18:44 Rafe and Danny face off
- Rafe: No, no, no. We’re celebratin’ here. Me over there fightin’, almost getting’ killed, my friend Danny back here, lookin’ after my interests for me. Y’all know Danny was even good enough to look out for my girl for me while I was gone?
Danny: We thought you were dead, Rafe! And it gutted us both. And we were just tryin’ to get on with our lives.
Rafe: Life is good. Ain’t it, Danny?
Danny: You know, you’re a rotten drunk. You always have been.
Rafe: Yeah, well, you’re a lousy friend. That’s a new development.
Danny: You left her to fight somebody else’s war, and you made damn sure that I didn’t go with you, and we thought that you were dead --
Rafe: I almost did die, you little son of a bitch! And her face was the last thing that went through my mind, so don’t stand there and tell me to act like it’s all right!
Danny: Yeah, Rafe, well I stayed. I stayed, and you made sure of that, and some things changed. And I hope you can get used to that.
Rafe: Oh, I have to get used to it? All right. We’ll see how I can get used to it.
- Vol. 1 1:20:35 What’s at stake
- Japanese Admiral: in Japanese. The task force is three hundred and twenty miles north of Pearl Harbor. The rise and fall of our empire is at stake.
- Vol. 1 1:55:27 Playing chicken with the Japanese
- Rafe: Danny, let’s play some chicken with these Jap suckers!
Danny: All right, I’m with you.
- Vol. 1 2:03:33 Only an hour late
- Admiral is handed a note from Washington.
Admiral: “Attack by Japan considered imminent.†They’re only an hour late.
- Vol. 1 2:04:14 Japan after the attack
- Japanese Officer: Congratulations.
Japanese Admiral: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant.
- Vol. 1 2:07:06 President addresses the nation
- President: Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan. It is obvious that planning the attack began many weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American military forces. I regret to tell you that over three thousand American lives have been lost. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. Because of this unprovoked, dastardly attack by Japan, I ask that the Congress declare a state of war.
- Vol. 2 0:00:25 President Roosevelt addresses his team
- President: “We’ve been trained to think we’re invincible, and now our proudest ship has been destroyed by an enemy we considered inferior. We’re on the ropes gentlemen. That’s exactly why we have to strike back now… I’m talking about hitting the heart of Japan -- the way they have hit us.â€
0:01:22 President: “Does anyone in this room think that victory is possible without facing danger? We are at war. Of course there’s a risk. “
0:01:39 President: “Gentlemen, most of you did not know me when I had the use of my legs. I was strong, and proud, and arrogant. Now I wonder every hour of my life why God put me into this chair, but when I see defeat in the eyes of my countrymen, in your eyes right now, I start to think that maybe He brought me down for times like these when we all need to be reminded who we truly are- that we will not give up, or give in.â€
0:02:43 President stands. President: Do not tell me it can’t be done.
- Vol. 2 0:06:11 Evelyn and Rafe say good-bye
- Evelyn: I couldn’t have you go away without you understanding something.
Rafe: Yea, well, you don’t have to explain anything to me.
Evelyn: I do… because you’re acting like I didn’t love you.
Rafe: Evelyn. Loving you kept me alive.
Rafe: I shoulda died over there. When I was in that water, I made a deal with God. I told him I was sorry. I told him I knew I’d been a fool for leaving you, tryin’ to go over there and be a hero, and I promised I’d never ask for anything again… if I could just see you one more time. And you know what, it was worth it. You kept me alive, Evelyn. You brought me home. So I’m gonna stand by my end of the deal. I’m gonna walk away, and I won’t ask you for anything, but I just wanna know why. Just tell me that, please. Just tell me why.
0:08:09 Evelyn: Rafe, all I ever wanted was for us to have a home and grow old together, but life never asked me what I wanted. And now I’m going to give Danny my whole heart, but I don’t think I’ll ever look at another sunset without thinking of you… I’ll love you my whole life.
- Vol. 2 0:09:33 Evelyn and Danny say good-bye
- Danny: You know, the only thing that scares me is that you might love him more than you love me.
Evelyn: I love you, Danny, and I’ll be here waiting for you when you come back.
- Vol. 2 0:10:49 Top secret mission
- Doolittle: You’re just about the only pilots in the army with combat experience. I need you for a mission I’ve been ordered to put together. You know what top secret is?
Rafe: Yes, sir. It’s the kind of mission where you get medals, but they send them to your relatives.
Doolittle: Top secret means you train for something never done before in aviation history, and you go without knowing where you’re going. You do it on that basis or not at all.
Rafe: I’ll go, sir.
Danny: I’ll go too, sir.
Doolittle: By the way, McCawley, the Brits sent this over. It’s your personal effects.
Rafe: Thank you, sir.
Doolittle: There’s only one more thing I can tell you. Leave your goddamn hula shirts at home.
- Vol. 2 0:13:17 Training for the Doolittle Raid
- Doolittle: The mission I’m asking you to volunteer for is exceptionally dangerous. Take a look at the man beside you. It’s a good bet that in the next six weeks you or he will be dead. Everyone brave enough to accept this, step forward. The men step forward as one.
0:15:43 Doolittle: Well, gentlemen, now I can tell you that we’re going to Tokyo. And we’re gonna bomb it. That comes as a special request directly from President Roosevelt. The Navy’s gonna sneak us about four hundred miles off the Japanese coast, and we’ll launch from the carrier there.
Pilot #1: Has that ever even been done before? Takin’ army bombers off of navy carriers?
Doolittle: No.
Pilot #1: Okay.
Doolittle: Any other questions?
Rafe: Well, sir, is it even possible to land a B25 on an aircraft carrier deck?
Doolittle: That won’t matter. As soon as we’re airborne, the carrier will head straight back for Hawaii.
Pilot #2: But if the carriers head home, where do we land?
Doolittle: I have a phrase I want you to memorize. he says a phrase in Chinese. It means “I am an American†in Chinese.
- Vol. 2 0:16:44 Friendship medals
- Doolittle: Fellas
Rafe: Sir.
Danny: Sir.
Doolittle: The Secretary of the Navy gave me these.
Danny: What are they?
Doolittle: Friendship medals the Japanese gave us when they were pretending they wanted peace.
Rafe: What did he want you to do with them, sir?
Doolittle: We’re gonna glue them to the bombs and give them back.
- Vol. 2 0:17:28 Doolittle’s explanation of the raid
- Doolittle: You know at Pearl they hit us with a sledgehammer. This raid, even if we make it through, it’ll only be a pinprick, but it’ll be straight through their hearts. Victory belongs to those that believe in it the most, believe in it the longest. We’re gonna believe. We’re gonna make America believe, too.
- Vol. 2 0:19:39 Lose the battle, but win the war
- Doolittle: You know, Jack, we may lose this battle, but we’re gonna win this war. You know how I know?
Jack: No.
Doolittle: points at pilots. Them. ‘Cause they’re rare, and at times like these, you see them stepping forward. There’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer, Jack.
- Vol. 2 0:21:02 Briefing before the raid
- Pilot: What do we do if our planes are damaged and we have to bail out over Japan?
Doolittle: Well, in that situation I can’t tell you what you should do.
Rafe: What would you do, Colonel?
Doolittle: I wasn’t built to be a prisoner. So I would have my crew bail out, I’d find the sweetest military target I could and drive my plane right smack into the middle of it and kill as many of those bastards as I possibly could. But that’s just me. I’m forty-five years old; I’m an old man. You guys have your whole lives ahead of you. So what you do is up to you.
- Vol. 2 0:27:13 Roosevelt’s address
- President: From Berlin, Rome and Tokyo, we have been described as a nation of weaklings and playboys who hire British or Russian or Chinese soldiers to do our fighting for us. Let them repeat that now. Let them tell that to General MacArthur and his men. Let them tell that to the soldiers who today are fighting hard in the far waters of the Pacific. Let them tell that to the boys in the flying fortresses. Let them tell that to the Marines.
- Vol. 2 0:32:42 Doolittle’s good-bye
- Doolittle: I’m sorry, gentlemen. You’re all brave souls. Among the bravest I’ve ever had the privilege of flying with. But we’re on our own.
Rafe: This really was a suicide mission.
- Vol. 2 0:38:14 Danny dies
- Danny: Rafe!
Rafe: Hold on, now. I got you. You’re all right. You’re all right.
Danny: I’m not… I’m not gonna make it.
Rafe: Oh, yes, you are. Yes, you are. Danny, look at me.
Danny: Rafe, I’m so cold. I’m so cold.
Rafe: You’re all right. Hey.
Danny: Hey, Rafe? Can you do me a favor?
Rafe: What?
Danny: Can you have someone else write my name on the tombstone?
Rafe: You’re not gonna die. Look at me, listen to me! You ain’t gonna die, you hear me? Danny. Danny, you can’t die. You can’t die. You know why? ‘Cause you’re gonna be a father, Danny. You’re gonna be a daddy. I wasn’t… I wasn’t supposed to tell you. You’re gonna be a father. Please.
Danny: No, you are.
Rafe: Danny. Danny? Danny? Please, please! Please. God. Please, Danny.
- Vol. 2 0:41:27 Evelyn narrates
- Evelyn: When the action is over and we look back, we understand both more and less. This much is certain. Before the Doolittle raid, America knew nothing but defeat. After it, nothing but victory. Japan realized for the first time that they could lose and began to pull back. America realized that she could win and surged forward. It was a war that changed America. Dorie Miller was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, but he would not be the last. He joined a brotherhood of heroes.
Evelyn: World War II began for us at Pearl Harbor, and 1,177 men still lie entombed in the battleship Arizona. America suffered, but America grew stronger. It was not inevitable. The times tried our souls, and through the trial, we overcame.
