Coming Home (1978)

Jon Voight: Luke Martin

Photos 

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Quotes 

• Marine Recruiter : The Marine Corps builds body, mind and spirit. Thank you.

  High School Class Pres. : And now, with a different perspective, we have Luke Martin, combat veteran of the Marine Corps.

  Luke Martin : Sergeant, do you mind if I ask you a question?

  Marine Recruiter : No, sir.

  Luke Martin : Just call me Sergeant. That's what I was. Where were you stationed?

  Marine Recruiter : Danang.

  Luke Martin : [Luke's speech is spliced with final scene of Capt. Bob Hyde where he is at the beach]  You know, you want to be a part of it, patriotic, go out and get your licks in for the U.S. of A. And when you get over there, it's a totally different situation. I mean, you grow up real quick. Because all you're seeing is, um, a lot of death. And I know some of you guys are going to look at the uniformed man and you're going to remember all the films and you're going to think about the glory of other wars and think about some vague patriotic feeling and go off and fight this turkey too. And I'm telling you it ain't like it's in the movies. That's all I want to tell you, because I didn't have a choice. When I was your age, all I got was some guy standing up like that, man, giving me a lot of bullshit, man, which I caught. I was really in good shape then, man. I was captain of the football team. And I wanted to be a war hero, man, I wanted to go out and kill for my country. And now, I'm here to tell you that I have killed for my country or whatever. And I don't feel good about it. Because there's not enough reason, man, to feel a person die in your hands or to see your best buddy get blown away. I'm here to tell you, it's a lousy thing, man. I don't see any reason for it. And there's a lot of shit that I did over there that I find fucking hard to live with. And I don't want to see people like you, man, coming back and having to face the rest of your lives with that kind of shit. It's as simple as that. I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm a lot fucking smarter now than when I went. And I'm just telling you that there's a choice to be made here.

• Luke Martin : Do you know that when I dream, I don't have, I'm not in the chair? I don't even have a chair in my dream. I have legs. When I was a kid, I used to jump in my mother's kitchen and touch the ceiling. She used to get pissed off because I'd leave my handprints on the ceiling, you know. I still check the snow reports, the conditions at Mammoth. I'm still the same person. It's funny, people look at me and they see something else; but, they don't see who I am.

• Luke Martin : I have killed for my country, or whatever, and I don't feel good about it. Coz there's not enough reason, man, to feel a person die in your hands, or to see your best buddy get blown away.

• Luke Martin : You know, I spend 95% of the time at the hospital thinking of making love with you.

• Prostitute : Hi.

  Luke Martin : Where's Adrian?

  Prostitute : Couldn't make it. She asked me to take her place.

  Luke Martin : I was kinda counting on Adrian.

  Prostitute : I've been around this part of the pool before.

  Luke Martin : With a gimp?

  Prostitute : Yeah. A guy in Reno.

• Luke Martin : Turn the light on. I want to see you.

  Sally Hyde : What do I do?

  Luke Martin : Everything. I want you to do everything.

  Sally Hyde : Where can I touch you? Where can you - where can you feel?

  Luke Martin : It's nice. I'm real sensitive, in all areas that I feel - real sensitive.

  Sally Hyde : Can you feel that at all?

  Luke Martin : I can't feel it, but, I can see it.

  Sally Hyde : I wish you could feel me.

  Luke Martin : I feel.

• Luke Martin : I'm not a very nice person.

  Sally Hyde : You are to me.

• Luke Martin : [being interviewed by a television news crew after chaining himself to a Marines Recruitment Facility]  The reason why I'm here is because a buddy of mine who'd been in 'Nam took his own life today. This is kind of a funeral service. And I'm here because I'm trying to tell people, man, if we want to commit suicide, we have plenty of reasons to do it right here at home. We don't have to go to Vietnam to find reasons to kill ourselves. I just don't think we should be over there.

• Luke Martin : Are you nervous?

  Sally Hyde : [laughs]  Yes.

  Luke Martin : Why are you nervous? This isn't "Have a gimp over for dinner, night" is is? You're not one of those weirdos.

• Sally Hyde : Hi.

  Luke Martin : [Hands Sally a letter]  It's from Bob. I opened it. He's coming home.

• Capt. Bob Hyde : Say something else *f*ck*. Say - something - else - *f*ck*.

  Luke Martin : I'm not the enemy. Maybe the enemy is the f*cking war. But, you don't want to kill anybody here. You have enough ghosts to carry around.