Strong Point 15

A Screenplay by Marty L. Dobbs

Step onto the battlefield of Vietnam, in this heart wrenching screenplay that will bring the soldiers into your hearts and make you walk through the battle with them.

Strong Point 15

"Never forget that the most sacred right on this earth is mans right to have the earth to till with his own hands, the most sacred sacrifice the blood that a man sheds for this earth...."
- Adolf Hitler

Printed in United States of America

STRONG POINT 15

Open under an old and tattered camouflage tarp. Groups of men stand in line to receive meager scoops of refried beans and bread rolls the size of baby's fists. Two men are sitting back-to-back against a pole, shoveling food greedily into their mouths. Faces smeared with dirt and grease, and their camouflage pants are nearly unrecognizable under the grime. A group of four or five trainees walks up to one of the men and grabs his dinner roll.

Trainee

Thank you, Sanders, for your generous donation!

Sanders

And what exactly did I just donate to?

Trainee

Why, you just fed the hungry. You might just go to heaven for that.

Sanders

Ha ha, very funny, give me my roll back.

Man on other side of Pole

Yeah, give him the bread back, Jackson.

Jackson

Um…

Jackson appears to ponder for a moment before stuffing the bread into his mouth with over -exaggerated enthusiasm. The man on the other side of the pole leaps up and lunges for Jackson, but Sanders holds him back.

Sanders

Jacob, don't worry about it.

Jacob pulls out of Sanders' grasp and goes to pick up his plate while Jackson grins broadly. Jacob Hands Sanders his bread.

Sanders

No, you keep it Jacob.

Jacob

Take it, Alex.

Alex Sanders takes the bread and eats it slowly. A voice rings out in the makeshift mess hall.

Voice

Jacob Forshire!

Jacob cringes but turns towards his name. Sergeant Shelly is standing at the entrance of the mess hall waiting on Jacob.

Sergeant Shelly

Forshire, get over here!

Jacob jogs over to the sergeant.

Jacob

Sir?

Shelly

Come with me.

Jacob follows the Serge.

The sergeant strides off stiffly, with Jacob at his heels. They walk across camp to the sergeant's office. Shelly sits down and motions for Jacob to do the same.

Shelly

Forshire, you show great promise.

Jacob

Sir?

Shelly

A good military man knows the importance of justice, and let me tell you boy, there is no man here who understands justice better than you.

Jacob

I'm afraid I don't understand, sir.

Shelly
Had you actually punched Jackson, I would've been forced to punish you, but I saw how you were moving. You knew Sanders would stop you before you reached Jackson. The effort was half-hearted, but the message was clear. I believe that one day; you will make a fine officer.

Jacob stutters out a nervous and shocked reply.

Jacob

Th-thank you sir. but I, uh-… was just sticking up for Alex back there.

Shelly

Back to work, Forshire.

Scene fades into a battle field. Heavy artillery and aerial fire is raining down on Forshire and Sanders.

Zoom in on Colonel Forshire. It’s a cold rainy night, as the soldiers from 22^nd Air Borne Division are taking fire from the Vietnam 50 cal. machine guns mounted on the side of Strong Point 15 (Mang Yang Pass).

Hidden as much as possible from the gunfire by a rocky ledge, Colonel Forshire tries to get one last broadcast out.

Colonel Forshire

Gadaf, Gadaf; this is Charlie company do you copy?

Lieutenant Louis

Roger that Red Team one, this is Bravo company what’s your 42?

Zoom in on Forshire: Frantically searching for map to pin point location.

Colonel Forshire

Our 42 is…

The radio explodes in Forshire's hand as a bullet from an enemy gun whistles through the air. Sanders whips around and fires three shots from his AK-47 into the Vietnamese across the path.

The bodies of Forshire's downed men are stacked as sand bags to protect from enemy fire as the moon raises, blood red, in the sky.

Colonel Forshire

If you want to make it out alive, we have to make our move fast, before the moon reaches its apex. Private Sanders, get over here.

Sanders hops over a sandbag to join the Colonel.

As he begins to stand up, the machine gun nest comes alive again. Forshire knows that the only way that they will get through, is if he can get his sniper out from behind the ledge and to a strategic location. Using the little light that he has, Forshire begins to search for a proper vantage point for his sniper.

Colonel Forshire

Sanders! That mound is your vantage point.

Points to a mound of dirt.

Private Sanders

Roger. Give me cover fire.

Zoom in on Colonel Forshire: Motions to two other soldiers to give Sanders cover fire on the count three. Holds up fingers; one, two three.

Colonel Forshire

NOW!!

Private Sanders runs out across the path, heading towards the mound 500 feet away. Machine gunners aim toward Sanders, Forshire and his men step out from behind the cover of the ledge and start firing at the machine gunners; machine gunners aim back to Forshire and two of his men.

Colonel Forshire

Pull back! Pull back to the ledge!

Private Sanders is now lying on the mound, taking aim at the enemy. Two distinct shots ring out and two of the machine gunners fall in a spray of blood. Taking sight again, Sanders sees one more figure and fires a third shot.

Private Sanders

All Clear!!

Forshire and the others come out from behind the ledge, and go over to where Sanders is at.

Colonel Forshire

Great shooting Private. I think we need to keep you around more often.

Scene fades out into a trench lined with trainees. Sergeant Shelly is instructing the soldiers about the proper forms of shooting.

Shelly

Now Listen up you Maggots. I want each of you to hit that target down range. Soldiers ready your guns; ready, aim, Fire.

Zoom in on Sanders and Forshire targets.

Shelly

Well down soldiers. Sanders, Forshire, perfect kill shot, come with me.

Sanders and Forshire get up out of the trench and follow Shelly. After walking for five minutes, Shelly finally stops at an old warehouse with a massive sand dune next door.

Shelly

Soldiers, on the other side of this dune is the Sniper Course. Make me proud.

The two new sniper trainees walk up to the warehouse and enter hesitantly. Once inside they realize that the whole building is lined with lockers. Unsure of what’s in the lockers they decide to go investigate them. Sanders opens the first locker he gets to and finds: a sniper rifle, ammo, rifle, and a spotting scope, while Forshire opens the second locker and finds .a sniper rifle, ammo, a pistol, and a spotting scope.

Sanders

Wow Forshire this is really cool. I never thought that we would get to be snipers.

Forshire

I know, let’s go to the course and practice shooting some.

Forshire and Sanders hike to the course and prepare to shoot.

Forshire

Sanders you take the first couple shots, I will spot for you.

As Sanders makes the final adjustments to his sniper, Forshire tells him that he is ready to spot. Sanders slowly pulls the trigger, click. The crack is deafening as a massive pile of dust flies into the air.

Scene fades back into the battle field. Sanders is starting to stand up as Forshire and the rest of the group gets to him.

Forshire

Great shooting Sanders, now let’s break a whole through to the other side of the road.

Private Sanders takes the lead. As he rounds the corner a giant ball of fire erupts from a Vietnam flamethrower, completely engulfing Sanders. You hear one loan shot, and all firing ceases. Sanders is screaming as the fire continues to engulf his whole body. Slowly everything goes quiet. Sanders body is now only a smoldering corpse, the air contaminated with the vile smell burning flesh. Forshire falls to the ground, pouring his heart out over Sanders dead body. Eyes now like fountains from the depth, pouring forth its water, Forshire lays his head on sanders charred chest.

Forshire

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. We were all supposed to make it through the pass. I should have been in the front leading the group not you. Why must I have been so ignorant to let you lead the group? If only I had taken charge, you still would have been here.

Scene slowly pulls out until all you can see is the scenery of Vietnam, screen slowly starts to blacken.

Cue song: Vale of Plenty

Credits Begin To Roll

WRITTEN BY

Marty L Dobbs

EDITED BY

Shea Murrow

Marty L Dobbs

MUSIC COMPOSED BY

Hans Zimmer

“VALE OF PLENTY”

MUSIC BY