Ambush Bay (1966)

James Mitchum: Pvt. James Grenier

Photos 

Quotes 

• Pvt. James Grenier : [in voiceover narration]  They were the quietest bunch of guys I'd ever seen. I couldn't tell if they'd been trained that way, or if they just had nothing to say.

  Pvt. James Grenier : [camera focuses on each man in turn as he is briefly summarized in voiceover narration]  Captain Alonzo Davis, officer in charge. Known to his men as "Smokey." A mustang, commissioned from the ranks. Consistently demonstrated excellence, leadership under fire. Twice decorated: Guadalcanal, Tarawa. Eleven years in the Corps. First Sergeant Steve Corey, second in command. I knew him only by reputation. The finest fighting man in our theater. Nine campaigns in the last 17 months. Corporal Alvin Ross, proven excellence with M-1 at any distance. Specialty: accuracy at long range, sniping. PFC Henry Reynolds, demolitions expert. Combat experience: one year, 10 months. Age: 19 years, one month. Platoon Sergeant William Maccone, garrote. A garrote is a fine wire with a handle on each end. Usage confined exclusively to the human throat. Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Wartell, career Marine. Specialty: automatic weapons. Proven excellence, Thompson sub-machine gun. Corporal Stanley Parrish, knife expert. Close in combat. "Stan the man." 130 pounds - after dinner. PFC George George. Specialty: night vision. The ability to see in the absence of light. By medical statistics, those eyes will happen once every 200,000 births. Private First Class, James Grenier. Aircrewman radio specialist. Combat experience: none. Length of service, US Marine Corps: 6 months. Reason for selection to highly specialized reconnaissance mission: dire abdominal attack suffered by selected radio man accompanied by high fever. No time for proper replacement. Location at time of selection: radio panel.

• Sgt. Steve Corey : [noting that Private Grenier has walked away and left the portable radio set unattended]  Come back here, Marine. I'm going to tell you this just once. This radio is part of you. You don't put it down, ever. You don't eat, you don't sleep, you don't breathe without it. You read me, Private? I don't want to see it again without you wrapped around it.

  Pvt. James Grenier : Sergeant Corey, if this radio is more important to this mission than you *or* me, don't you think you should tell me what the hell I'm supposed to accomplish with it?

  Sgt. Steve Corey : I'll tell you when the time comes.

  Pvt. James Grenier : But don't you think the time is come, I mean, how many more men are we supposed to lose?

  Sgt. Steve Corey : We're not supposed to lose *any* men, Private.