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This is my ongoing screenplay
John Kerry's Master Plan
by
Scott C. Smith
We start with an establishing shot of YALE UNIVERSITY, in all of its glory. It is January, 1966.
CUT TO
INT YALE DORM ROOM. It is a large room, but standard Dorm room decor. As we PAN around room, we see the back of someone, seated at a desk. Slowly we move towards the desk to reveal a young man. It is JOHN KERRY. He is writing in a diary. As he writes, we hear Kerry's VO:
JOHN KERRY: Diary, I am about to set the Master Plan in action. Next month I will enlist in the United States Navy. I think the Navy is the best choice -- I will get involved in combat but will not be as vulnerable as the troops on the ground. Now, I'll just have to figure out how to get injured three times so I can leave service early. You know, just be there as long as necessary -- say, four months -- and my goal during those four months will be my being awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. This country rallies behind a president with military experience. Diary, I could be a peanut farmer from Georgia and still get elected president, as long as I have that military background.
CUT TO:
EXT -- Military Processing Station Cruitsta, New York, NY. A drab, grey building. The camera slowly moves towards a window and glides through. We see a group of young men, including JOHN KERRY, standing, taking the oath of enlistment. We are coming into the room at the very end of the oath.
CUT TO:
CU of John Kerry.
KERRY: So help me god.
CUT TO:
EXT -- Naval Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island
We observe a group of officer candidates running. FADE TO:
Montage, a few minutes of footage of the officer candidates involved in the same kinds of activities as Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman.
CUT TO:
INT -- Barracks. We are in a small room, with two beds. Once again, we see John Kerry at a desk, writing in his diary, and we hear his thoughts in VO:
JOHN KERRY: Diary, the plan is in action. Soon I will be commissioned an officer. And when that happens, I will request duty in Vietnam. And, once in Vietnam, I will create questionable situations that will leave doubt in the minds of my superiors about my fitness as an officer. They will later remember me to be a bad officer. I will be exposed for having orchestrated events that result in my being awarded the Bronze Star, Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts. This is great press -- the public will eat up the uncovering of my deceit and thus will put me into the White House!
KERRY closes his diary and carefully tucks it into the false bottom of his locker. Kerry begins to cackle.
FADE OUT
Cut to:
Establishing Shot, Gulf of Tonkin
From above, we see a U.S. Naval vessel underway. As we get closer we see the name of the ship, USS GRIDLEY (CG 21).
Cut to:
INT. Officer Stateroom. A card on the door says ENS KERRY ENS WILLIAMS
We move inside the small room. ENSIGN JOHN KERRY is at a table writing in his DIARY.
VO as JOHN KERRY writes in diary
KERRY: Dear diary, I have hit a snag in my MASTER PLAN. Instead of being sent to Vietnam, I am now stationed aboard USS Gridley. We are operating in the Vietnam theater, which is good, but I need to be in, as the guys say, 'the shit.' In a few months we'll be heading back to Long Beach. That might be my way out. Gridley will be temporarily decommissioned when we get back to Long Beach. I think I'll request Swfit boat duty. That will put me in danger and, if I'm lucky, will get me wounded, and I'll also get the Silver Star and Bronze Star.
Satisfied, Kerry closes the diary, locks it, and stores it in a locker with a false bottom he had constructed. From another locker, Kerry pulls out a small typewriter. He sits down, feeds in a sheet of paper, and types out a request for duty in Vietnam. The task complete, Kerry takes his request to one of the ship's clerks for processing.
We FADE OUT, and cut to:
EXT.
HQ of COASTAL DIVISION 11, Saigon
We are in an office. Seated at desk is LCDR GEORGE ELLIOTT. Standing in front of Elliott is JOHN KERRY, now wearing the rank insignia of LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE.
KERRY: Lieutenant John Kerry, reporting as ordered, sir.
ELLIOTT: Welcome aboard, lieutenant.
KERRY hands to ELLIOTT his paperwork.
KERRY: Sir, may I sit down?
ELLIOTT: Certainly.
KERRY SITS.
KERRY: I just had a few questions. I heard from one of the guys that if you get three Purple Hearts, the Navy will send you out of Vietnam?
ELLIOTT: Yes, that's the U.S. Navy's policy.
KERRY: I see. Commander, I wanted to...request something. It may seem a bit unusual.
ELLIOTT: Yes?
KERRY: Sir, I'd like to be the main person to write after-action combat reports.
ELLIOTT: What do you mean?
KERRY: I know it's a hassle to have all of these officers writing up different reports, and frankly, I can do a better job. At Yale I was recognized for my ability to write concise memorandums.
ELLIOTT: Oh yeah? Do you have any examples?
KERRY: As a matter of fact...
KERRY digs through notebook and produces several sheets of paper that he hands to ELLIOTT.
ELLIOTT: Why, this is fine work. Okay, Kerry, you can write up all of the after-action combat reports. I don't even need feedback from the other Swift boat skippers, or eyewitness accounts to back up anything you put in writing.
KERRY: Can I write up Purple Heart recommendations?
ELLIOTT: Sure.
KERRY: Excellent. It will be a pleasure serving here, sir.
ELLIOTT: Yes, lieutenant.
KERRY: By the way, if in 35 years you are asked about my service here, can you make sure and lie? You know, say I was a bad officer, stuff like that, or that I didn't qualify for medals or awards.
ELLIOTT: Sure, son.
KERRY: Permission to leave, sir.
ELLIOTT: Permission granted.
KERRY turns and leaves. As he enters the hallway, we can hear Kerry CACKLING.
KERRY: The world is my oyster!
CUT TO:
EXT: Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. Home base for Coastal Division 11 and JOHN KERRY. It is March, 1969.
We are in long shot of the base as we slowly move in. It is a typical military facility, and the men of the division are engaged in various activities.
Slowly we encounter two men who are talking in a secluded area. It is JOHN KERRY and a man in an Army uniform. We catch a quick glimpse of the nametag, which reads, RASSMANN. The man is 1st Lieutenant Jim Rassmann, a Green Beret. The two men are seated and looking at a small map.
KERRY: Now, this is a map of the Bay Hap river area. I've circled the locations of the mines in the area...
RASSMANN: Wow, how did you get this map? Pulled it off of the body of a dead VC?
KERRY: No, let's just say I have...friends...with access to this sort of information.
RASSMANN: Really?
KERRY: That's not important. Okay. You know in two days we'll be participating in a Sea Lords operation. Do you know what boat you've been assigned to?
RASSMANN: Uh, I think the guy is named Thurlow.
KERRY: Right, Larry. Well, we need to get you on my boat. Can you arrange that?
RASSMANN: Sure.
KERRY: Okay. Now you know about my Master Plan, we've talked about it. And I'm just one Purple Heart away from a trip home. I think I know how I can get it. The downside, and it's a small downside, is that you might die.
RASSMANN: We've all got to die sometime, John.
KERRY: Here's how it'll go down. We've got five boats in this operation. One of them is going to hit a mine, it's just unavoidable, the way the mines are placed in that river. Now, I'm going to get my boat close enough that we'll be hit by the impact, but it will not do any serious damage. Now, when we're underway, you need to make your way aft. What will happen is, the impact will knock you into the river.
RASSMANN: This plan of yours sounds very complicated. Also, it seems to have a million holes in it, and there are parts that make no sense at all, like your plan to protest the war when you return home. I really don't see how that'll work in your favor.
KERRY: Don't worry. The Plan is flawless. Back to you. Yes, while you're in the river, your apt to be shot at. But you're trained for this sort of situation, just do what you need to do to survive for a few minutes. After you fall into the river, I'll take off, but I'll return a few minutes later. This is the good part. If I time it right, not only will I rescue you, but I'll get hit by enemy fire, and hopefully will get hit with shrapnel. That'll get me my third Purple Heart, and maybe you can put me in for a medal, like the Silver Star. I've already got one, but two would be better. Or even a Bronze Star.
RASSMANN: John, I'm your friend, and I've got to say, this plan of yours is nuts. It makes no sense, and I don't see how it will get you elected to office.
KERRY: Yes, but I'll be a war hero!
RASSMANN: John, you've been here what, four months? Everyone else in Vietnam does a tour of one year. I just don't see how the American public, especially veterans, will be impressed with just four months in-country. Plus, you're going to protest the war when you get home...it's just all over the place, John. I know you're a smart guy, but there's no way in hell you'll accomplish anything with this "master plan" of yours.
KERRY: Oh, it'll work, I'm not worried about it. Sure, none of it makes any sense, and in fact, the idea that someone would try to get themselves injured in Vietnam, where you're more likely to be shot dead than get shrapnel wounds, is crazy. You can't be a political candidate if you're dead. But I'm not worried. The Master Plan will bear fruit. Election fruit. One last thing: after the war, do not keep in contact with me. When I run for president, act surprised and "bump" into me at a campaign stop.
KERRY begins to CACKLE.
FADE OUT
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