Word Of Honor — -2003 Film-

"No, Dad," the son replies. "For the first time, I’m proud of you."

That night, Deakins calls Benjamin Tyson. They haven’t spoken in twenty years. The conversation is short, sharp as broken glass.

Silence. Then Tyson’s rasping voice: "We made a promise, Vic. Word of honor." word of honor -2003 film-

Deakins’s lawyer advises him to stonewall. "You were following orders. The fog of war."

And in a small house in Vietnam, an old woman receives a letter from the journalist. It contains a copy of Deakins’s confession. She does not read English. But she sees the photograph of the young lieutenant attached to it. She touches the paper with trembling fingers, nods once, and places it on an ancestral altar next to a faded photograph of a family that no longer exists. "No, Dad," the son replies

Then Deakins continues, his voice steady. "But I signed the report that lied about it. I stood in the smoke and said nothing. I let Lieutenant Tyson believe I had given the order because I was too afraid to admit that I had lost control of my men. The massacre happened. And I am responsible."

"I’m sorry," Deakins whispers.

He clears his throat. "No, sir," he says. "I did not give that order."