(waves crashing) (wind whistling) (upbeat music) - [Crewman] Attention, Midway.

Attention, Midway.

The COD is expected to land at 1620 and mail call will be held shortly thereafter.

All hands for makeup payments control training, report to Foc'Sle at 0900.

Reminder, reminder 1900.

- Man, these 12-hour watches are a drag.

Glad I just finished it, though.

- I hear you, but hey, at least we got a great port call coming up.

(both chuckling) Hello, Philippines.

I'm heading to Olongapo.

The Airdales say that's where all the action is.

You know what I'm saying?

- I sure do.

I can't wait till we dock, man.

I'ma meet some cute girls, eat lumpia, and drink mojo all night long.

You hear me?

(crewman chuckling) (tense music) Until then, these cold sandwiches will just have to do, man.

- Hey!

What do you think you're doing, taking two of my sandwiches?

- Richard, man.

What is your problem?

I need another sandwich.

One ain't gonna cut it.

- Listen, Bubba, in my kitchen, we got a one-sandwich rule.

Put the other one back.

- Man, you always talking shit.

- Maybe you didn't hear me.

- Whoa.

Take your damn hand off.

- Oh hey, let him be.

Hey look, Simpson just took two sandwiches, you ain't saying nothing to him?

- Yeah, you never heard no dang rule.

I'm hungry, now stop playing.

- Maybe you didn't hear me the first time.

Listen boy, - Boy?

- Who you calling, boy?

You better back off me, man.

And let me have my sandwich.

- I'll let you have something all right, but ain't gonna be a sandwich.

- Richard, man, come on.

- Why are you always hassling us, man?

- Did you see that?

- He's just asking for it.

(hands tapping) - Oh.

- Get back there.

- I see what's going on here.

- You've got three weeks left.

- You ain't fooling nobody, Richard.

(overlapping chatter) - [TV] Oh, the winning war, it'll make him live in your heart.

- I saw something last night that just about knocked me out.

I was up on the bridge.

I looked through the glasses and it was a formation of our ships that stretched for miles.

Carriers and battleships and cans, a whole task force, Doc.

I thought I was on those bridges.

- [Narrator] It's Henry Fonda as Mr.

Roberts senior officer of the cargo ship USS Reluctant.

(fist knocking) - Honey, can I come in?

- Yeah, sure.

(bright music) Mom, look, how cool is that?

I would love to be in the Navy, be part of a team like that.

- Oh dear.

Well that's out in the middle of the ocean, isn't it?

- (laughing) Yeah, exactly, Mom.

That's the whole point of being in the Navy, like Mr.

Roberts.

- Yeah, but Donna a ship?

I mean you're smart.

You, join as a secretary or something, but what does the Navy call them?

- Yeomen?

- Yes, exactly.

(sighing) Honey, being on a ship is dangerous.

(bright music continues) See there are other jobs girls can do.

- You mean are allowed to do?

The Navy says sure women can join, but it's pretty much just all support roles on shore.

- Yes, and?

- Mom, that is such a drag.

Being on a ship, that's the heart and soul of the Navy.

And that's where I wanna be.

- Oh, Donna.

- What Mom?

I've been conning Uncle Robbie's boat since I was 13.

I can steer a boat way better than half of these guy draftees.

Why are my choices limited, but theirs aren't?

- Look sweetheart, this is a man's world and you need to realize that as a woman, especially in male dominated fields, that you're always gonna have a different place to fit in.

- (sighing) Mom, you sound just like those old male politicians who think that separate, but equal is fair.

I don't want different, I want the same choices as the men.

Oh, wait, wait.

So that difference means I can't steer a ship?

What a load of crap.

- Donna language.

- Why are half of the world's choices limited by some bullshit rules?

(grunting) (tense music) - Watch out Navy.

(gulls calling) - Now as usual, too much work.

I wonder how long this meeting is gonna be.

- [Person] Do you know what this is about?

- It's gotta be important.

- Attention on deck.

- Morning everyone at ease, please.

At ease.

Good morning, chief.

First of all, this is not a talking too you, at ease.

It's a talking with.

Alright, consider this a BOGSAT.

It's a bunch of guys sitting around the table, so gather around if you would please join me.

I'm here to see what progress we're making or not, I receive reports all day long at the Pentagon, but I want to hear firsthand from you, our deck plate leaders in the fleet.

Some may not admit it, but there are still problems out there.

And I want you, I need your voice to make our Navy better, better for all sailors regardless of color, creed, or gender.

Some say my Z-grams, our Navy's newest policies are changing the Navy for the better.

Others say, I'm ruining tradition.

(bright music) What I really need to know is are the policies working?

- Admiral permission to speak.

- Master Chief, if you're holding back, I'm wasting my time.

I really want your sincere thoughts.

(bright music continues) - Sir, we hear about us being brothers in arms and that was true on a boat in Nam.

Race didn't matter when the rounds started flying.

Back here, it's a different type of war.

We work hard, some work even harder, knowing they're under a gaze.

- I see it too, sir.

At eval time, I've rang several hard charging color sailors with 4.0 evals only to see them passed over for individuals that scored lower.

It's not right.

- And if we speak up, we're troublemakers, not team players.

Admiral, the Navy talks brotherhood.

But back on the mess halls, on the deck division, we're still fighting for a seat at the table.

And it's not just us.

- No, sir it's not.

The policy says women can serve, but reality, we're barely in the Navy.

We aren't on ships, we aren't in combat roles.

We're mostly in admin roles, typing reports for the men who are.

I have an engineering degree and over a decade in uniform, yet I still get called little lady in the wardroom.

Admiral, women in uniform are expected to serve coffee before serving their country.

- (sighing) I get it.

It's been seven years since the Civil Rights Act passed.

It's time for the Navy to catch up, yet here we are.

- Sir, I appreciate your progressive leadership for the Navy, but as you know, the Z-gram policy changes, they aren't popular amongst some.

- You may have heard scuttlebutt about these changes like the derisive name, beer, beards and broads.

(group laughing) Yeah, I'm not exactly the old guard's favorite guy.

(sighing) But I did not take this job to make friends.

I took this job to make a better Navy.

- Well, time to rock the boat, sir.

- (laughing) Indeed, master chief, the Navy needs all of you.

Let's right this ship, Sailors.

(lively dramatic music)