Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(CAR HORN HONKING)
JOHN-BOY: It had been my grandmother's idea
to bring out the first commemorative issue of The Blue Ridge Chronicle,
but she was still in the hospital,
and the job of organizing the event
came to rest on my shoulders.
If I had expected wholehearted support
from the community and my family,
how wrong I was.
Hey, everybody.
Hey.
Erin tells me you two went in
and saw Grandma at the hospital today.
So how is she?
She's improving every day.
She sends her love to everybody.
Oh, that's great.
When do you think we'll be able to see her?
Oh, maybe next week, we can go see her.
Curt says that time is Esther's best friend.
He said so, and I believe him.
I sure do miss her, though.
I can't find anything where she says she put it.
You know, I think she'd appreciate it if you'd both pitch in
and do your best for Honor Day.
I know it'd help me out.
Mama?
John-Boy, you know I hate the whole idea of war.
Mama, this is not a celebration of war.
Honor Day marks the day when the war ended
for the people of Jefferson County.
Now, it seems to me that it's a very clear celebration of peace.
It's hard for me to separate the wars
from the soldiers that fought in 'em
or even to recollect their different faces nowadays.
I mean, it seems to me it must have been a day of great joy
when all those people came home.
Oh, it surely was.
Everybody was down at the station to meet them.
The bands were playing. The bugles were blowing. The trumpets were blaring,
and the drums were beating,
and the sound of all those marching feet,
those boys that-- that came home.
I stood there a little while after they'd all gone by.
Seemed to me I could hear
the suffering sound of the feet of those boys
that didn't make it home.
Oh, dear me, I...
I plumb forgot to feed the chickens again.
I mean, Es... Esther always does that.
He already fed the chickens.
I saw him do it this morning.
Well, just remember,
your daddy come back, but your uncle Ben didn't.
Must have been the same with a lot of families.
I remember getting off the train,
and there was Liv and my folks,
and the little fellow, just hanging on for dear life.
(JOHN-BOY CHUCKLES)
It's the first time I ever saw you.
You remember that, do you?
Oh, very clearly. I was all of four years old at the time.
And I told you about my brother, Ben.
How we doing, Jim-Bob?
Almost finished.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Hey, Sheriff, what kind of cars they use in the war?
Well, they had all kinds.
The best ambulances, of course, were Rolls-Royce.
Yeah.
They had a lot of them, column after column.
How long you gonna be?
I haven't got all day.
Hey, Ep, uh, did you drive an ambulance in the war?
Well, that's too bad.
If you had, I could've used a story on you.
Well, I bet you could, but I didn't.
Yeah, well, you know, I got a whole paper to fill, so...
Well, why don't you fill it with Jefferson County people?
You know, I'm not even from around here.
Yeah, I know. I know.
You know,
if--if you think of anything, uh...
Hall of Records?
Yes, would you please connect me with somebody who keeps files on the wa?
Well, what I need are the names of the men
who came back to Jefferson County 19 years ago, 1918.
Yeah, the World War. That's right.
(CHUCKLING) That's the one I'm talking about.
Yeah, I imagine that would be before 1925.
Oh, no.
Are you sure?
You're not sure. But probably.
Yeah, okay, thank you very much.
They do you any good?
They can give me births, deaths and vaccinations since 1925.
And you figure the World War was before that?
Apparently, the records I need
either burned up in the fire of 1925,
or else they were all transferred to Richmond,
or else they didn't exist at all.
And I sure don't relih that drive to Richmond.
If you're going there, though, you--you ought to look up the Red Cross.
You know, they were all over that war.
The Red Cross. That's a good idea.
Thanks, Ike. I think I'll do that.
Oh, hey, John-Boy, before you go to Richmond,
you ought to check with Ep Bridges.
He's got a lot of records over there in the sheriff's office.
That's a good thought. I'll see you later, Ike.
Ep?
Yeah?
Would you mind if I went through your records for a little bit?
Why?
Save me a trip to Richmond.
You're still on the trail of stuff on the war, aren't you?
Yes, and I need all the help I can get.
I called the Hall of Records,
and they can't do anything for me,
and then Ike Godsey said that you keep all kinds of files here.
Thank you.
I got moonshiners and swindlers and robberies
and a small collection of murderers.
Maybe in the next edition, Ep.
Tell me something.
What did you do in the war?
(SIGHING)
John-Boy, I figure that's my business.
Oh.
JASON: What's all this?
GRANDPA: Oh, your Grandma's a regular pack rat.
These are all things she saved from the World War.
Is this French money worth anything?
(CHUCKLES)
For sure.
Well, if I flew over to Paris, could I buy anything there?
Oh, you might be able to get a frog's leg, a couple of snails.
(GROANS)
This is Daddy's, isn't it?
Yeah.
What's that for?
Makes you look like your daddy when he went off to war.
If there's another war, I'll be wearing an Army...
There's not going to be another war.
Yeah, but John-Boy says that...
You listen to me instead of your brother.
Hey, Mama, is this Daddy's or Uncle Ben's?
Uncle Ben's.
Where are Daddy's letters to you, Mama?
You don't think I'm going to put those on display?
Is that because they're good or bad?
If only he'd just answered my question one way or the other.
Mmm-hmm. I can just hear Ep saying,
"What I did in the war is nobody's business but my own."
Maybe it is none of your business, Son.
I'll bet Daddy wrote a good love letter.
Maybe someday when you're older,
I'll show you just how good.
Those are all letters your Uncle Ben wrote to us from France.
You can read them if you want to.
Well, thanks, Grandpa.
Did you ever notice how his writing looks like mine?
Hmm. Oh, it most surely does.
Yes, it does. Hmm.
JASON: He sure won a lot of medals.
I know this one. It's the Victory Medal.
I don't suppose anybody would want me to wear this?
Not even to Sunday school?
Nice try, Elizabeth.
And this here is the Certificate of Merit
and the award he got along with it.
Your Uncle Ben was proudest of that.
He wore it the last time he come home on furlough.
This is the Second Division flag.
Grandma looked high and low for this before she got sick.
Because we were all afraid it got burned up in that fire.
I think Grandma prizes this just about more than anything.
Oh, she does.
We'll stop at that nice little park in Columbia.
It's pretty. It'll make the food taste better.
Oh, good. That's a good ide.
Oops!
I hope you're not looking for your keys.
Oh, no, no, my keys are in the car.
I'm looking for...
I don't think I can remember the name of a...
Of a real nice-sounding lady
over at the Red Cross in Richmond.
Miss Sarah Griffith. That's her name.
She sounded real nice.
Thank you very much, Miss Griffith.
I'll take this one, John-Boy.
All right.
Oh, it's heavy.
(CHUCKLES)
I hope we find something.
I don't think this looks right.
Here we go.
I'm sorry!
It's so big I don't know what to do with it.
Maybe this'll be more help.
It covers just the Second Division, at least for Virginia.
Thank you, I'm sure it will be.
If I can be of any more assistance,
I'll be right there.
BOTH: Thank you.
Let's see what we got here.
I don't think this is right, either.
No?
Well, this looks... This looks pretty good.
This has got some stuff in it.
Uh-huh.
Mama, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Listen to this.
"The most celebrated soldier of the Second Division
"was a man from Washington County.
"Marmaduke Ephraim Bridges."
Ep Bridges?
I'll bet it is.
"Second Battle of the Marne,
"captured enemy gun emplacement single-handed,
"critically wounded,
"decorated by General Pershing."
I can believe that about Ep.
He's the kind of man who wouldn't say a word about it.
Sounds like you've made a real strike.
Ep Bridges, that's what we call him.
He's our sheriff.
Marmaduke!
Marmaduke!
Um, just where is Walton's Mountain?
Oh, you sure it's stuck tight?
Flossie, haven't you locked this window?
They've been all stuck tight like that since the last rain we had.
GRANDPA: Well, why don't you try using soap?
You got it open.
I bet Jim-Bob could do 'em all.
Well, come on ahead. Try 'em all.
Well, look at that now!
(GRANDPA CHUCKLING)
Well, you loosened it up, Grandpa.
Oh, that's because he comes from hearty pioneer stock!
Jim-Bob, if you think you can do it,
go ahead with the rest of the windows.
We can do it, can't we?
Well, if you keep out of my way.
Oh, Zeb, I made some nice raisin cookies.
I'd like you to bring some to Esther
next time you go to the hospital.
Esther is very partial to your cooking.
I am, also.
FLOSSIE: Oh, go on!
Jim-Bob, if I was way out on a lake in a canoe and I tipped over,
would you swim out and rescue me?
I suppose I would.
Don't you know?
It depends on how far out you were.
Would you risk your life for me?
I thought you were gonna help.
First, I wanna know if you'd risk your life for me.
Okay, I'd risk my life for you.
PATSY: Let's lift.
Sure is a hard way to open windows.
(EXCLAIMS)
Look at this.
What a mess, huh, Pa?
Yeah, it's all grown up with weeds.
Lot worse off than when I was up here last.
(SIGHING)
The crosses are all tilted.
Arny Milhaubt. I remember him.
JOHN: Yeah, he died in training down at Camp Lee.
Yes, he did.
Had a younger brother and sister, didn't he?
Yes, and they moved out of here, looking for work.
You know, you'd think somebody would remember, Pa.
Yeah. They don't.
We weep and pray for 'em. As soon as they're under,
we seem to forget all about 'em.
We're the ones who should take care of this place and remember.
You know,
I still wish I knew where Brother Ben was buried.
Well, wherever he is, he's resting easy, Esther says.
That's what she said, resting.
She says if he wasn't, she would know about it.
She would, too, wouldn't she, Pa?
What's wrong with it?
What I can't figure out is how you managed
to keep it a secret for so long.
"Battle of Chateau-Thierry,
"single-handedly took an enemy gun emplacement,
"decorated by both American and French governments.
"Medal of Honor, Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre,
"Distinguished Service Cross."
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a lot of rock quarries around there.
Millstone, gypsum
and paving stones.
You talking about Chateau-Thierry?
Yeah.
They, uh,
got a big cathedral there
from the 15th century, I guess.
That's what they said.
I'm no hand for wine, but my buddies said it was very tasty.
White, it was. White wine.
John-Boy,
(SIGHING)
I wish you'd just leave it all be. Can't you?
Ep, all it means is that we're gonna know
something more about a man we already trust and admire very much.
That's all it means.
But that was another man and another time.
Mama and Grandma and a bunch of the ladies,
they're looking forward to having a table out there
with some mementos of the war.
And I tell you, if any of those medals are lying around,
I sure would appreciate being able to use them,
just the medals.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
Well, all right.
There she is.
Who is this?
That's me when I was a year and a half, and no wisecracks.
(SIGHING)
Well...
Oh, no.
You've been keeping this all to yourself, huh?
Well, you make it sound so selfish.
Some people would say it was.
There's no glory in it, John-Boy.
There's no glory.
Ep, these medals represent honors
given to you by your country.
But does a man deserve to be honored for killing somebody?
Huh?
Yes, I killed men.
They make it sound so right when they say,
"Cleaned out a gun emplacement single-handed."
Do you know what a gun emplacement is?
You have any idea?
You think it's concrete and sand bags
and a gun behind it?
No.
No, John-Boy, it's me.
Like me and you.
I saw their faces when I crawled up there out of the mud.
They were tired and they were... They were scared.
Old men, kids, who just wanted to get through the war alive,
who wanted to go home.
So I...
I pulled the pin, and I threw it,
and I didn't feel anything when I did it.
After all, that's... That's what I was sent there for, right?
And then the grenade exploded.
(STUTTERING) And I was hit
by some of the pieces from it, you know, shrapnel flying,
and the only thing I remember
are the cries from the men inside.
See, John-Boy, you've...
You've never heard a man scream with his arm blown off
or a man with half a pound of lead fragments in his stomach,
and I tell you, those sounds, they stay with you
in nightmares
for years. For years.
So maybe now you see
why I didn't want to have it remembered.
I, uh, guess maybe
if you weren't there, you can't really understand how it was.
Yeah, that's about it.
All the same, Ep, I...
John-Boy, I tell you.
Oh, no.
No, no, no. I want you to.
Yeah, I mean it.
Just one thing.
Don't call me Marmaduke in there.
You got a deal.
Thank you.
Hi.
Hi.
Have you got a wrench?
No, I got tools at home. What's the trouble?
It's the fuel line.
I need a five-eighths socket wrench.
Listen, would you pull me out?
Sure.
Thank you.
You sure it's the fuel line?
Well, I think so.
The engine just slowed down and died, starved.
You know what that means.
Sure, but I'm surprised you do.
Well, I know a little bit about engines.
Might be another way to get it off.
You mind if I take a look?
Please do.
Uh-oh.
Anything I should know about?
Fuel line's bad.
Think it might be the carburetor.
Well, you were right about that wrench.
Thank you.
Uh, say, you said you had some tools.
Yeah, they're at my house. It's not far from here.
Well, could we walk i?
Okay.
Let's go.
Where'd you learn about cars?
Oh, in France, during the war.
You were in the war?
Yes, I was a nurse and an ambulance driver.
No kidding?
No.
Out there with the shells and the bombs bursting, just like in the movies.
That's right, and if it got too bad,
we'd just jump out of the car and dive in a hole.
Boy!
BEN: Well, hey, Daddy.
Hey, Ben.
Busy with something?
Nothing that can't wait, Son.
Well, I was just thinking about my Uncle Ben.
What was he like?
Well, he was a lot like you.
Red-haired and smart and full of ideas.
I still can't picture you with a brother.
Ben and me were a lot like you and John-Boy.
When I was little, I looked up to him a lot.
Pa wasn't much for whipping us kids.
He was too softhearted, so whenever I stepped out of line,
Ben would give me a whipping.
That's till I got big enough to whip him back.
We were real clos, Ben and me.
Why did you and Mama call me after him?
To keep his name alive, to honor him.
That makes me feel kind of special.
Well, it should, Son.
Is a memorial usually big, like the Washington Monument
and all the statues on Monument Boulevard in Richmond?
No, your memorial doesn't have to be big. It's not size that counts.
It's something that lasts, something of enduring value.
I see what you mean. Thanks a lot, Daddy.
All right.
All right, Son.
Well, I sure do want to thank you, Sheriff.
I think it's gonna be the highlight of the whole day.
Well...
I'll go get my tools.
John-Boy.
Hey. Hey!
Come on, Ep. Well, this is a surprise.
Nice to see you again.
Golly, good to see you again.
Ep? What... Oh, Ep, this is Miss Griffith.
Miss Griffith, this is Ep Bridges, our sheriff.
Ma'am.
The first time I saw you, I thought you were dead.
1918.
Late spring, Chateau-Thierry.
He delivered his wounded to the hospital tent
and his captives to headquarters,
and then he collapsed in front of my ambulance.
Sarah?
And the last time I saw you,
you promised me an evening in Paris and a bottle of wine.
It's a little late,
Marmaduke.
I had a sister in Richmond and no real plans,
so I just settled there.
Yeah, I guess I never did get around to telling you I was from Virginia.
Of course, there wasn't much time
for talk at the hospital, was there?
I got a wrench that'll fit,
but I think you'll need a new float on the carburetor
after I get the bowl off.
But I need to talk to her, Mama.
Not now, you don't. Come inside.
I just...
I--I can't get over this.
19 years. It's a long time.
It took me a minute there to recognize you. I'll admit it.
Oh, I knew you.
Now, after the war, uh...
I mean, you got through okay, huh?
Oh, yes. I, um...
I stayed on in France for a while.
I helped some of the people find the villages
that had been destroyed
and other people to find each other again.
And did you ever get to Paris?
Yeah, I got to Paris.
Do you know they say that
if you sit all day out in front of the Cafe de la Paix,
eventually you'll see everybody you know? But it's not true.
I sat there a long time and I didn't see
who I wanted to see.
What about you?
Well, as...
As soon as I was able to travel,
I--I came back to Virginia
and, of course, there was a big welcome and all that.
But after a while, it quieted down.
Did you, uh, ever marry?
Yeah.
Of course, she's gone now,
but, uh, I've got two sons.
They're both grown.
19 years.
It's just hard--hard to believe, isn't it?
Ep can't fix her car for her.
I'm the only one that can fix it,
except for her.
Uh-uh, uh-uh!
There'll be time enough for that later, Jim-Bob.
Mama, did you see the way they looked at each other?
I guess they have a few things to remember.
JOHN-BOY: Mmm-hmm.
I figure she's about your age, Mama.
I have a few things to remember, too.
Yeah, except she can drive ambulances, and you're just...
Hey, uh, Jim-Bob, weren't you gonna go over
and help Grandpa again over at Mrs. Brimmer's?
I may have to go all the way to Charlottesville for those parts.
I don't know if it was such a good idea,
coming up here like this without any warning.
And I know I shouldn't have called him Marmaduke!
(CHUCKLES)
We used to tease him about his name back at the hospital,
but after all, that was 19 years ago.
Yeah.
Did you, uh, know his wife?
Oh, yeah.
She was a nice lady.
I would've hoped for that.
I'm gonna have to go into Charlottesville
and get that float for the carburetor.
You really think so?
Well, sure. I'll drive you both.
That way, I can get the story for the paper at the same time.
This isn't turning out the way I thought it would.
Where's Ep?
Well, he's gone and I'm gonna drive them into Charlottesville.
I've got a better idea.
How about Miss Griffith staying with me?
She's already had a long drive from Richmond.
Oh.
You know, I got lots of better things to do
than haul you all the way to Charlottesville.
You can stop off at Rockfish.
I can get the parts there.
I thought I was gonna drive her.
Charlottesville's farther. That's all.
Hey, look out!
(SCREAMS)
That's no way to treat a lady.
So who's a lady?
You're hopeless.
Who're you spying on now?
Ben. He's got a secret in there.
How do you know?
'Cause the door is locked and he won't let anybody in.
(HAMMERING)
Ben, what's going on in there?
Well, I'm working.
Working, huh? Need some help?
No, thanks.
Told you he's got a secret in there.
That's right, Elizabeth. I do.
Hey, would you two mind just leaving me alone?
All right.
All right.
You know, for a little sister and a big brother,
you ain't all too bad.
Thank you.
I know where there's a knothole, we could spy on him.
No, we'd better go do our chores.
Come on.
(HAMMERING)
Come on.
Jim-Bob's quite a mechanic.
He just can't get over the fact
that you drove an ambulance during the war.
Oh, well, I wasn't the only one.
I mean, there were 14,000 of us women out there.
What you must have been through!
Well, I don't know. You just wanna help.
You hate everything about the war,
but you just have to be there,
or at least I did.
I admire your courage.
I guess you and Ep didn't get much time to yourselves.
When he was moved to another hospital,
I took some time off to care for him,
but I had to go back when the motor corps moved on.
When I went back to the hospital,
he was gone.
You two seem to have a lot together.
Yeah, well, I never forgot him.
That big, quiet shadow of a man
just came between me and every other man I ever knew.
Huh.
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres ♪
(CHUCKLES)
Hey, hon. Oh?
What have we got here, some more?
Oh, this is from Curt's family.
Are you sure this is from only one war?
Several, I think.
Well, Curt says his people landed at Plymouth Rock,
and I think this is it.
Plymouth Rock, huh?
Well, I have to run.
Curt's going to see Grandma this afternoon,
and I have to stay at the office.
Well, see you.
Good meeting you.
Let's have a look here.
Now this must be from the Baldwin ladies.
Brings back a lot of memories, I bet.
It surely doe.
Well, I've seen this a number of times.
What's that?
It's the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Oh, yes, it is. It--It surely is.
It's so quietly impressive.
Oh, I wish Esther could see this.
You know,
they don't know who's really buried under there.
You know that?
Now, this looks a lot better.
It's sure an improvement.
Your Grandma would like this.
Hey, fellas, what you got there?
Don't look at me. I'm just helping him carry it.
You do that, Ben?
Well, yes, I did.
It's real nice work.
Thank you. It's a memorial for Uncle Ben.
Well, why don't we put it right over there?
Looks like a good spot.
Right here.
Looks good.
I think Grandma will be glad it's here.
She sure will.
Ike! Here's a couple of customers for you.
(SHUSHING)
I'd like to stay on a couple of days.
If you could arrange it, I'd appreciate it very much.
Oh, and if you can find what I asked you about, would you send it to me?
General delivery, care of Walton's Mountain.
Okay. Thanks, I'll need it.
Bye.
(GRANDPA CHUCKLING)
How much do I owe you for the phone call?
Oh, just make it a nickel.
Oh, thank you very much.
How long will you be with us?
Oh, I think just a couple more days.
Oh, pity!
Bye. Thank you.
Bye.
When is Corabeth due back, Ike?
(CASH REGISTER DINGS)
Friday.
Well, Zeb, what can I do for you?
Oh, I come for a quart of turpentine.
Oh, turpentine. Glad you came after that,
you know, we got a special on that.
Yeah.
Oh, Zeb?
You gonna take it with you or drink it here?
Oh.
Some people think she's Mata Hari or somebody like that.
Her name is Sarah Griffith. I told you that.
Do you know who Mata Hari was?
Here, hand me the wrench.
She was a spy.
Jim-Bob, I know there's to be refreshments at Honor Day.
Aunt Flossie's making cupcakes and Erin's making punch.
And what about it?
Will you promise faithfully to have your refreshments with me?
(JIM-BOB EXHALES)
Hi.
Hello.
Wanna start your car?
I'd love to!
(ENGINE STARTING)
SARAH: You're terrific!
Thanks.
I don't think I could have done better myself,
and I'm a pretty good mechanic.
Oh, listen, I want to give you something.
Here's for the parts
and here's something for your time and trouble.
Well, you're sure a different kind of woman.
You think so?
Most women, you do them a favor, they just kiss you.
That hardly buys anything.
Wanna give me a ride home?
I thought you'd never ask.
Sure hard to picture you driving around shell holes and dodging machine-gun fire.
I didn't have much choice.
Bet you saw some real air fights.
Hmm, during some battles, there was a lot of plane action up there.
Never got out and looked,
but I'm told there were Camels and Newports and Fokkers.
I used to build models of all those planes.
Hmm.
Did you ever get strafed?
Once. Red triplane got me.
That's the kind the Red Baron used to fly,
a red Fokker triplane.
Well, I'll tell you, I didn't have time to look.
A bullet went right over my shoulder and into the dashboard,
and another one went in the radiator.
Just think, you were shot at by the Red Baron!
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Mademoiselle from Armentieres
♪ She hasn't been kissed for 40 years
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous
♪ Where are the girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the girls who used to swarm
♪ Parlez-vous
♪ Where are the girls who used to swarm
♪ About me in my uniform?
♪ Hinky-dinky parlez-vous ♪
Would you like one of Aunt Flossie's cupcakes?
You helped make these?
Oh, a little bit.
I know you'll have a taker over there.
You ever drive a truck?
Sure. There were a lot of them in our unit.
Let's see, there was a Mack
and a Stewart and even a Sterling, I think.
I sure never knew a lady like you, though.
They look real good, especially these green ones.
Did you tell Jim-Bob you helped make them?
I'm not presently speaking to your son.
Oh, well, maybe Miss Griffith would like one.
I don't think she wants one.
I thought Jim-Bob was kind of soft on her.
He is, but she's not an ambulance driver.
Would you do me a favor?
Sure.
First time that you see your grandpa when he's alone,
would you give him this envelope for me?
Thank you.
(GUITAR PLAYING)
Sorry, Jason.
You gonna help us start the singing, Patsy?
I couldn't sing. I just couldn't.
I may never sing again.
Excuse me, just a minute.
Sheriff?
John-Boy.
Well, I think it all turned out to be worthwhile, don't you?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm glad you pestered me the way you did.
And I hope you're not too uncomfortable being out here.
No, no, no, I...
It--It got a lot of memories out in the open and aired them out.
I feel good about it.
Well, I'm glad.
Then, too, if you hadn't stirred all this up,
I might never have known that Sarah was living over in Richmond.
Oh, yeah, she's quite a gal, isn't she?
I'll tell you one thing, the family's taken a liking to her.
It'd be nice to have someone like that
settle down around here, wouldn't it?
Well, you never know, John-Boy.
Just never know.
You never know.
I tell you, I--I shouldn't, but I'm gonna have seconds on that cake.
Well, watch out for yourself.
Bye.
♪ It's a long, long way to Tipperary
♪ But my heart's right there
♪ It's a long way to Tipperary
♪ It's a long way to go ♪♪
I'm almost used to seeing you again.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, I--I know it's you, and I know you're here,
but I just don't believe any of it.
(CHUCKLES)
You know, I... I dreamed again last night
about how I went to the hospital and they...
They told me that you'd been moved.
Yeah.
You know, when they carted me out of there, I...
I thought I was gonna die.
I guess I wanted to.
Well, I'm very glad that you didn't.
(BALLAD PLAYING ON GUITAR)
Who was that woman that used to come
and sing to us in the hospital?
Elsie Jannis.
Yeah.
She sure could take off on a song, couldn't she?
I want you to know
that I tried every way I could to find you.
So did I.
But it's been a good life, hasn't it, Ep?
Well, yeah. Yeah, it's...
It's been...
But you never got married, huh?
No.
I thought about you a lot.
I guess I always will.
Think about you an awful lot.
Well,
you know, I get over to Richmond pretty regular.
Well, I'm still with the Red Cross.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Good afternoon.
To all of our friends here, I would like to speak for my grandmother,
Esther Walton.
You all know that this Honor Day was her idea,
and I'm sure she'll be very pleased and very grateful
that you've all showed up.
There are some young men from Jefferson County
who gave their lives in the Great War,
who do not lie in this graveyard.
They lie somewhere in France,
but their memory remains here
along with the memory of these other young men
who gave the ultimate sacrifice
for their country in the last war.
Thank you for coming.
Oh.
Oh, I can't tell you how much this means to me
or how much it'll mean to your grandma.
I didn't do anything, Grandpa,
What is it?
Sarah... I mean, Miss Griffith sent it to you.
Oh.
Grandpa, I've got something to show you.
Come here.
Oh.
"In memory of Ben Walton, Lester Cardwell,
"Willie Wister and Rob Penders.
"Lest we forget."
Oh, Esther will love you for this.
Why don't you sit in it?
The last of the chestnut.
They find their different ways to grow.
Ben.
Ben.
(GUITAR PLAYING)
Ben.
♪♪ There's a long, long trail a-winding
♪ Into the land of my dreams
♪ Where the nightingales
JOHN-BOY: We were all grateful for the success of Honor Day
and to Grandma for suggesting that first commemorative issue of The Chronicle,
but my brother Ben and his memorial bench
will always be best remembered.
The bench is still there for all the Waltons
and all the others who came to remember those
who gave the best they had.
And for Ep and Sarah Griffith,
there was a rekindling and a new beginning,
if Jim-Bob didn't grow up first.
♪ Down that long, long trail with you ♪
JIM-BOB: Yeah?
Did you know the first valve-in-head engine was built in 1902?
What about it?
I'll bet you don't know who Alice H. Ramsey was.
I don't even care who she was.
She drove from New York to Oakland, California in 1909.
The first woman to drive from coast to coast.
In a Maxwell-Briscoe.
You sure didn't know anything a couple of days ago.
Well, I'm not gonna be just a wife, you know.
OLIVIA: Good night, Erin.