Chapter 147 - 147 The Glory of the Sea of ​​Righteousness

Hugo's mind was constantly replaying the events between his predecessor and Tracy, trying to piece together the truth of what happened back then. Unfortunately, he still had no leads. Just then, the Columbia Pictures opening—the goddess holding the torch—flickered onto the screen, forcing Hugo to focus his attention on the big screen.The experience of filming "a few good men" had been a joy for Hugo. The breakthrough in his acting skills was perhaps his greatest gain, and he was curious to see how the breakthrough he felt would translate to the big screen—whether it was just his imagination or a tangible reality.The movie begins by immediately grabbing everyone's attention with a case on a dark and windy night. Two soldiers break into a room, gag another soldier with a rag, and tie him up, clearly with ill intent. The film opens through the victimized soldier's eyes, which are filled with terror.In Washington D.C., at the Office of the Judge Advocate General, Major Joanne Galloway, dressed in her military uniform, reports a criminal case from Cuba to her superior. Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and PFC Louden Downey entered the barracks of PFC William Santiago and assaulted him. An hour later, Santiago died at the base hospital. After an investigation, the investigator believes Dawson and Donnie did this to prevent Santiago from reporting an illegal shooting incident involving Dawson on the fence line. A hearing is imminent.In a case that seems to have no room for doubt, Major Galloway suspects it was a "Code Red." She requests to be assigned as the defense lawyer for Dawson and Donnie, volunteering for the role. Unfortunately, her superior believes Major Galloway is an excellent investigator but not suited to be a lawyer. Consequently, the Division assigns a lawyer to the case: Daniel Kaffee.When Kaffee—played by Hugo—appears on the big screen, he is wearing baseball gear and a cap, practicing hitting and catching. Kaffee is clearly a master negotiator; while playing baseball, he argues with the opposing counsel, easily securing the best deal for his defendant, reducing a thirty-day sentence to fifteen days of restricted duty.Although Kaffee is a brilliant lawyer who successfully handled forty-four cases in just nine months of naval service, his work ethic is clearly unsatisfactory. He is cynical and flippant, having joined the Navy only due to the prestige and pressure of his father's name. He is late for meetings and never brings a pen; he eats an apple while meeting with superiors, and his passion for baseball clearly outweighs his interest in the law. He may have a quick mind and excellent eloquence, making him a good lawyer, but he is not a professional one.Kaffee had only been to court once, and that was for a license revocation. In his view, if a case needs to go to court, then they don't need a lawyer, they need a priest. He believes a lawyer's duty isn't to seek justice but to resolve matters for the client with the minimum cost before reaching a courtroom. As Kaffee's assistant, Sam Weinberg is responsible for the "paperwork"; he doesn't want to take any responsibility and only provides basic help to Kaffee.Kaffee merely listens to Galloway's description of the case. Santiago, who had a poor record in the military, believed he had a serious physical illness. He wrote to various departments for help to be transferred off the base, but his letters went unanswered. Finally, Santiago wrote to the Naval Investigative Service, stating he could provide evidence of Dawson firing illegally across the border in exchange for a transfer.Upon learning all this, Kaffee makes a judgment. He believes this case could potentially expose the dishonorable aspects of Guantanamo and embarrass the security committee, including Colonel Nathan Jessup. He concludes, "I'll go for conspiracy and conduct unbecoming, with a sentence of twelve years."In Kaffee's view, this is the best option for Dawson and Donnie. However, this attitude infuriates Galloway. Even after the defendants arrive in Washington, Kaffee continues to practice baseball. This completely enrages Galloway, who even considers submitting a request to the Division to change lawyers. She firmly believes Dawson and Donnie are innocent and wants a lawyer who will stand up for them, but Kaffee is clearly not the best choice.Galloway believes Dawson and Donnie had no motive, and there's something fishy about Santiago's cause of death. For two hours after Santiago's passing, the medical examiner couldn't determine the cause, but two hours after that, he concluded Santiago died of poisoning. Galloway suspects this is a Code Red case, but ridiculously, Kaffee has no idea what a Code Red even is.The story shifts back to the moment Santiago wrote to the Naval Investigative Service. Naturally, the military commanders found out. Colonel Jessup was furious because, in his eyes, Santiago was not only an incompetent sailor but had also betrayed his team by reporting a teammate to a superior outside the chain of command, while also trying to expose the internal dishonorable affairs of the military. In a military where following orders is the first rule, this is unforgiven.Regarding this matter, three officers had a dispute. Lieutenant Colonel Markinson argued that Santiago should be transferred off the base, not only because his request deserved a response, but also because once the news of Santiago selling out his teammate leaked, his fellow soldiers would not let him off easily.However, Colonel Jessup and Lieutenant Kendrick disagreed. Jessup believed transferring Santiago was a cowardly act of avoidance. He felt training for Santiago should be increased to meet military standards, and that internal military matters must be resolved with military means. To protect the country, this was a necessary measure. Lieutenant Kendrick was a loyal follower of the Colonel.On the other hand, Dawson and Donnie arrived in Washington. Clearly, neither of these soldiers understood the gravity of the situation. Donnie even looked around with excitement, marveling at having arrived in the capital. They didn't know where they stood or even why they were arrested, believing they were simply following orders.After Kaffee arrived at the interrogation room, he felt uncomfortable seeing the two soldiers who were meticulously following orders. Nevertheless, he patiently asked his question, "What is a Code Red?""It's a disciplinary code," Dawson replied, looking straight ahead. "If a Marine falls behind, this is used to help the member keep up with the team.""What exactly does a Code Red entail?" Kaffee still didn't quite understand these internal military matters. "Be specific, what exactly does a Code Red mean?""Sir," Dawson insisted, even though Kaffee had emphasized three times not to call him'sir,' "for example, if a team member refuses to shower according to regulations, his teammates will give him a GI shower—using a scrub brush and steel wool.""Was what Santiago received also a Code Red?" Kaffee asked."Yes, sir," Dawson replied firmly.Kaffee then followed up with Donnie for some details. Donnie hadn't applied any poison or drugs to the rag; they only intended to shave Santiago's head. But suddenly, Santiago started bleeding from the mouth, so they called an ambulance. Unfortunately, no one saw them make the call, and by the time the ambulance arrived, they had already been arrested.Under Sam's questioning, Dawson admitted to firing a shot toward the Cuban border on August 2nd because he saw suspicious activity at his corresponding Cuban sentry post. The reason he executed a Code Red on Santiago wasn't because Santiago was going to report him, but because Santiago had gone outside the chain of command. He had bypassed his squad; if there was a problem, he should have reported it to his immediate superior first, then moved up level by level. Dawson executed the Code Red only to teach Santiago to consider the collective and respect order before acting."Unit, Corps, God, Country." That is the order of the Marine Corps.The prosecutor, Jack Ross, is an old friend of Kaffee's. Ross offered the prosecution's terms: if they plead guilty, the sentence would be twenty years. But Kaffee wouldn't accept it; he would only accept twelve years. Both Kaffee and Sam were convinced that Dawson and Donnie were guilty and were just looking for ways to reduce their sentence. Sam even believed the two soldiers should spend the rest of their lives in prison.When Kaffee mentioned Code Red to Ross, Ross first agreed to the twelve-year sentence but then reminded his friend, "Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick called his men together and specifically ordered them not to touch Santiago." Although Ross had agreed to Kaffee's sentence, Kaffee was no longer willing to nod immediately. He sensed there was more to the story and that something wasn't right. So, Kaffee decided to go to Guantanamo and make a decision after he returned.At the same time, Galloway obtained authorization from Donnie's aunt to become his representative, joining Kaffee and Sam on their trip to Guantanamo, Cuba.Considering how hot Cuba is, and wanting to avoid dark clothes that absorb heat, Sam suggested that Kaffee and the team wear their white uniforms to Guantanamo. However, as soon as they stepped off the plane, a soldier advised them that it was better to wear camouflage there. In Cuba, seeing officers in white uniforms would make people think they are important figures, easily turning them into targets.Such a lack of common sense was naturally met with disdain by Colonel Jessup. Kaffee's formal meeting with Jessup felt a bit tense. Jessup knew Kaffee's father. He said to Lieutenant Kendrick, "His father offended a lot of people in your neck of the woods. There was a case with the Jefferson and Madison district schools; the locals were against a black girl going to a white school, and Lionel Kaffee said, 'We'll just see about that.'" Judging by Jessup's tone, he clearly looked down on Kaffee's father's actions, thinking he was just meddling where he wasn't needed.Under the guidance of Lieutenant Kendrick, Kaffee and the others inspected the crime scene in detail, reviewed the timeline of events once more, and looked into Kendrick's meeting where he "forbidden touching Santiago." They also deeply felt Kendrick's disregard for Santiago's death.Additionally, Kaffee unexpectedly learned that Jessup had actually signed Santiago's transfer orders, for him to leave the base on the first flight to the United States at 6:00 AM the following morning. Unfortunately, Santiago didn't live to see the next day's sun.However, Galloway held fast to the Code Red issue. This was because in February of this year, Jessup had received a memo from the Commander-in-Chief forbidding him from continuing to use Code Reds. This clearly enraged Jessup. "I have breakfast three hundred yards from four thousand Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think you can come down here and flash a badge!" He gave Galloway a harsh intimidation, leaving her speechless and nearly unable to say a word.Before leaving, Kaffee asked Jessup for a copy of the transfer orders. This enraged Jessup again. "You know what, Danny? I can handle the bullets and the bombs. I don't need money, and I don't need medals. What I want is for you to stand there in your faggoty white uniform and with your Harvard-trained mouth, give me some damn respect. You have to ask me nicely!"Kaffee was a bit confused, but he politely made his request again. This time, he received an affirmative answer from Jessup.