Courage Under Fire (1996)

While serving in the Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Serling accidentally destroys one of his own tanks during a confusing night-time battle, killing his friend, Captain Boylar. The U.S. Army covers up the details and transfers Serling to a desk job. Later, Serling is assigned to determine if Captain Karen Emma Walden should be the first woman to (posthumously) receive the Medal of Honor. She was the commander of a Medevac Huey helicopter that was sent to rescue the crew of a shot-down Black Hawk helicopter. When she encountered a T-54 enemy tank, her crew destroyed it by dropping a fuel bladder onto the tank and igniting it with a flare gun. However, her own helicopter was shot down soon after. The two crews were unable to join forces, and when the survivors were rescued the next day, Walden was reported dead.

Serling notices inconsistencies between the testimonies of Walden’s crew. Specialist Andrew Ilario, the medic, praises Walden strongly. However, Staff Sergeant John Monfriez claims that Walden was a coward and that he led the crew in combat and improvised the fuel bladder weapon. Sergeant Altameyer, who is dying in a hospital, complains about a fire. Warrant Officer One Rady, the co-pilot, was injured early on and unconscious throughout. Furthermore, the crew of the Black Hawk claim that they heard firing from an M16, but Ilario and Monfriez claim it was out of ammo.