Critical Condition - 159

[Continued from last season] B in critical condition from an accident with a land mine where he lost his leg. Coats saved him w/ a tourniquet and by forcing immediate transport to a field hospital rather than waiting for paramedics to arrive. Dunston of ZNN reported. C notified Ht and sent her home w/ Tiner. He also got Mikey back from the academy to stay with Ht. Big B nowhere to be found. Surgeon Ferarro amputated below the knee but B continued to deteriorate and they had to go back to remove more non-viable tissue. On the table he "crashed" and they found that he also had a ruptured spleen as well. They tried resuscitation but failed and pronounced him dead at 21:04. Just at the same time back in Bethesda little AJ stopped playing with uncle Mike and went to stand in the corner. The camera cut back and forth between a zoom into Bs eye and AJ. Then AJ called out "daddy" and said "daddy come home." At the same time Ferraro was telling Coates that B had died B "jump started" himself back to life and the resuscitation resumed. They finished his surgery and reported to M & H that he was stable and had a good prognosis. [Highly accurate representation of cardiac arrest management.] H seen w/ tears in eyes when notified that B had rallied and would survive; M snuggled with him in the corridor. [Patrick Labyorteaux still has both legs]

T flew into the Seahawk from the Watertown where he had helped route Kabir and the "dirty nuke" missile he shot from a Russian sub. When they all three heard about B they called C who said that only one of them could stay- as his temporary replacement. T volunteered to return but neither H or M could decide who should stay so they both did. C was "pissed" and told Tiner to draw up willful disobedience papers. When T asked who for, then pointed out that only one was technically disobeying orders, C told him to use his law school knowledge and decide who to charge. T pointed out to C that Tiner would never be able to decide and C just grinned. C, H, M & Mikey have flash backs about episodes with B and all feel "guilty" about him being there.

Sen. Sheffield held hearings on the nuclear missile firing incident and C & S were called to testify. S was criticized for being at the "point" of the operation and having "no prior experience." C was criticized for being the lead of the operation whose "skills are rusty at best." He was asked under whose orders he was at the lead and he replied "the SECNAV." Then the director of the CIA was called and whined that the SECNAV intentionally excluded the CIA from "the loop" except for one field agent who "instigated the contact." He claimed that the SECNAV also intentionally kept the Naval Intel out because they would have told the CIA. The SECNAV was flabbergasted at the accusations to no avail and C turned to S saying "you've just watched a SECNAV loose his job."

Enemy Below - 158

[The season Finale - the resolution to a sub-plot covering several episodes; and, a cliff hanger involving Bud] JAG was "on point" in a nuclear crisis with Chegwidden, Singer and Turner taking the lead, per the SECNAVs instructions. Vice Adm Holt was in charge of the operation. Mustafa Atef's (a terrorist who was tried, found guilty and committed suicide) brother Kabir was found recruiting Capt Mikael Yerastov (Russian submariner) for an Iranian mission. Webb bugged Ahmad Hakim's Pakistani Embassy office with a cigar box then Baited him with information that the US knew he was a double agent with the Iranians, and that they also knew of their $250 million payment for the submarine Najvayi. He also said that they knew it had been retrofitted for ss-25 cruise missiles. In a play on "Hunt for red October" Yerastov was the only commander to have ever eluded the US boats who were trailing her; AND, fortunately Turner was the only sonar operator who had never lost Yerastov! So Turner was sent to the Seahawk battle group's submarine, the Watertown, to assist captain Flagler and act as the "wildcard" that Yerastov didn't expect. Yerastov, T said, had made a study of Flagler, knew what he would do and would capitalize on that knowledge. When Flagler tried to argue with him over a next step, T told him "I am Alec Baldwin."

Harm and Mac were still investigating the nuclear weapons disappearance in Afghanistan and found a truck driver with radiation poisoning which lead to his town where many Chechen's were also dying. They deduced that a previous episodes' Cmdr Aiken had been killed by a Chechen, who's confession then led to the recapture of 30 kilos weapons grade uranium bound from Russia. But they realize that they may not have recaptured it all.

Bud was assigned by Capt Johnson to redo the rules of engagement for submarines. Bud presented his plan for a "rolling sovereignty" (Cordone Sanitare) around the battle group with authorization to shoot if any ship entered into it. It was accepted through JAG, 5th fleet, CENTCOM, SECDEF and the Joint Chief's! (all in one episode!) The Seahawk set the perimeter initially at 10 miles but when JAG people started piecing all the puzzle together and they realized it was armed with a missile, the captain extended it. T deduced that the Najvayi was heading for the Arabian gulf and began trailing it. Flagler initially didn't follow Ts advice and nearly got them killed.

Harm was then announced as the all time "missile X" champ (shooting down missiles using a jet) so he went up as "wing" with Lt Cdr Chaidez. The Watertown did finally torpedo the Najvayi; but, it was just after it shot its cruise with the "dirty nuke." The Russian men on the Najvayi were dying of radiation sickness because the missile wasn't shielded. Chaidez didn't get the target until it was too close to the Watertown to take the shot, so Harm let the missile target onto his own jet and chase him past the ship until it flamed out!

To make it a cliff hanger Bud and Coates investigated the collateral damage to a school of a military operation and got the navy to rebuild it. When they went together to the ribbon cutting ceremony B saw a boy playing in the mine field and tried to save him. He was shown getting blown up and severing his right leg as the episode closed.

In Country - 157

[A follow-up to the previous stories where nuclear material was stolen from Russia, a Russian submarine captain was recruited by Kabir, and Kabir's brother committed suicide after being tried for terrorism by Harm and Mac - with Chegwidden defending.] Gunny is in Afghanistan working black ops with Clayton Webb trying to find Kabir and accidentally called in a strike against a civilian vehicle. The family was to have been warned to stay home by Gunny's eight month native friend, Fareeza, who was documenting Afghan genealogy, so they didn't suspect anyone but Kabir would be on the road. The SecNav sent Harm and Mac back to Afghanistan to "keep a watch for the navy's interests." They elicited Gunny's help to keep tabs on Webb. A local warlord and informant, Zumai Fureeq, tried to get Webb to take out his competition by giving false location of Kabir; but, Webb realized it and didn't follow through with the payment. H & M found that the village had not been warned by Fareeza, then found a young boy who recognized her picture as being with a "man with one brown and one blue eye," Kabir. Going back to camp M swerved to miss a goat and hit a land mine with their HumVee's tires throwing H out of the vehicle into a mine field. On the way back he stepped on a mine which would detonate when he lifted his foot. M slid an ammo box over it so H could stand on it then jump to safety. They needed to hike back to camp and ended up "sharing body heat" sleeping under the stars on a bluff overlooking a small group of huts - which would be hit later that night by a strike called in by Webb. Back at JAG headquarters Singer appeared to Harriet to be gloating over H & M being missing so called her a "coward" and suggested they "remove their bars." Harriet took her into closed office and decked her. Later Singer told Chegwidden that she had walked into door and that she would "respond, but not in a way that the admiral needed to be concerned about."

Bud and Coates, on board the carrier, sparred with Dale Woodley, a CIA agent who was using inappropriate tactics in interrogation. Woodley stormed out telling B that "this one is all yours." B was able to get the location of Kabir's camp from the US trained, captive terrorist by talking star trek. Webb called in the massive strike and wouldn't listen to Gunny who tried to get him to change it into a rescue mission (of Fareeza)… so gunny decked him to get his attention. Finally Webb listened but couldn't get the strike changed. Webb told Gunny of a woman he knew in South America before an uprising, intending to commiserate with Gunny but claimed what happened to her was "classified." Bud was shown advising the captain and legally "approving" the strike which nearly took out H & M, who were sleeping on the bluff. The next day H & M were found walking down the road and taken to the village where W and G were helping sift through the body's and Commander Teresa Coulter was helping with forensics. They pulled Fareeza from the rubble and before she died she said that she had run into Kabir at the first house she went to warn but he had convinced the family that she was actually a CIA agent and they needed to flee in the same direction he was going. Of course they were the ones who were killed by Gunny's attack and Kabir escaped. Webb quoted the words: Nuestro amor de es el nino del padre (our love is the child of a cruel father), to the grieving Gunny. A few of the dead also had "radiation poisoning" and one of the huts was still "hot." They found a severed finger with a ring inscribed to Kabir and initially thought he was dead; but, Coulter discovered that it had been cut off and not blown off. At the end Kabir was shown waving goodbye to a truck with a bandaged hand.

Defending His Honor - 156

[Interesting story, tantalizing back-story about Webb and Terrorists, annoying soapbox opera between Bud and Harriet] The substitute ranking officer, Singer, welcomed Chegwidden back from his absence with a list of her "make work" accomplishments which made Harriet tell him that everyone is "extremely" grateful that he was back. Singer then, intentionally fomented discord between them by telling Harriet about Coates being on the ship with Bud -- and B about Hts buying a new house; neither of who had told the other. Singer's intent was that she might get Bs billet if he decided to come home. Turner volunteered to 2nd chair Mac against Harm's defense of Judge, Capt Seibring (Sb), for the involuntary manslaughter of Jennifer Wilson's baby, Ruby, during some of his "road rage." Sb refused to plea bargain with M on his principles saying that he didn't do it. Chegwidden testified that Sb had the patience of a saint so M went after a time when Sb's son had run away from drug rehab and Sb used "tough love" by throwing him out of the house. Sb told H to "drop it" when H tried to explain it away in redirect. Then, when H went ahead anyway, Judge Helfman had to gavel Sb down when he "lost it." A disgruntled nurse, Fran Masters, came forward to give M an answering machine tape where she was chastised by Sb after she had left her job at his house early, leaving his seriously ill wife alone. He had fired Masters. Although M told H that the plea bargain was still on the table but H declined and went to see Nora Moran, a close friend of Wilson. She gave H information that Wilson had seen a doctor for depression. H re-cross examined Wilson who lied about not being depressed, then that the anti-depressant pills were from "after" the accident, then that the pharmacist had mistakenly identified her, then that the lab had mixed up her post accident blood test with someone else. H skillfully pushed her not only into the lies but breaking down and confessing that she had decided to commit suicide and take the baby with her. She had intentionally run off the road herself. The charges were dismissed.

H connected Webb with Alexi (of the KGB who had helped prevent the assassination of Putin with him) when Webb wanted to track Kabir Atef. Captain Mikael Yerastov was seen accepting a gift from Kabir aboard his ship in Murmansk by another captain who had been approached earlier to help in an action against the US. Yerastov was described as a legend, the last cold warrior, who taught strategy and tactics at the Kuznetsov Naval Academy. When they went to find Yerastov they found that they he had disappeared. Later Kabir and Yerastov were shown in a convoy of three jeeps on the border of Iran and Afghanistan. Kabir gave Yerastov a satchel of money and left the jeeps saying that he would meet Yerastov in Bander Abbas. Kabir is a blue and brown eyed Iranian.

Tribunal - 155

A very rare military tribunal was held aboard the USS Seahawk, of Mustafa Atef (MA), an al Qaeda leader. Chegwidden didn't get anyone to volunteer to be defense counsel, so he did it himself; then, Turner volunteered to be his his 2nd chair. A disagreement over who was 1st chair for the defense was settled with a coin toss. Mac chose "tails" and became 2nd to H. Capt Sebring presided with 6 others. MAs Involuntary confession was obtained by Webb during psychological duress and was not allowed. A local warlord, Gen. Hassan Abdullah, was leading a detention camp of Taliban and al Qaeda captives. He tipped off army Cpt Dale Alexander, who captured MA, but first running into a lone sniper. T had to bodily stop C from choking MA after MA had said that those who died in 9/11 "got what they deserved." W and M went to the detention camp to see if MAs brother, Kabir, the sniper, was there. Mac was taken hostage at knifepoint by the detainees and was saved by the Gunny (who was also there at the camp) and W. H played on MAs vanity during the trial and he arrogantly testified, admitting to being "the Mohandes" who had trained men and planned 9/11. He was convicted but committed suicide in his cell before he could give info about Kabir or the future al Qaeda attack involving russia and payment of $250 million.

Singer was left in charge during Cs absence and abused Harriet with work until she finally told S that: leadership "is not a power trip". Our stripes "give us authority, but it's what's inside which makes us a leader and you would know that if you had it!"

Port Chicago - 154

Turner defended retired Chief Aubrey McBride who was charged, along with 49 others, with mutiny when they refused to go back to loading ammunition during WWII after 320 men were killed in an explosion at Port Chicago. The chief, a black man pensioned after 30 yrs of service, said he "owed his buddy Randall Winston" who had just died; so, he demanded "his day in court." He said that it had been a racial issue. C assigned Singer to prosecute; but, when she became hatefully vindictive he assigned Mac to 2nd chair in order to "tone her down." M said that she'd "rather have the electric chair." When the SECNAV was convinced that it would look bad on him he offered the chief a deal. The chief turned down the offer of: an apology to all the men, that racial prejudice had influenced assignments, conditions had been hazardous and discriminatory, a presidential pardon for 50, and congressional exoneration. So, S widened the charges. H advised T, who was defending Aubrey, to make S deal with the racial conditions. He got his father, Chaplain Turner, to testify. The "secret meeting" that was observed being held by the black men in the brig, was to get the men to OBEY their orders. The men had asked for safety changes but they only recieved GLOVES! The Chief was found not guilty on all counts.

H tried to fix Harriet's refrigerator, then she begged him to help her buy a house. He agreed on the condition that she told B that she was accepting her fathers money for the house. She lied to H and didn't tell B. B was also not telling Ht about Co being his legal man.

First Casualty - 153

Reporter Stuart Dunston was involved in an ambush when he was "tag along" with a SEAL team who were after Mustafa Atef, an Al Qaeda leader, and sustained both military and civilian casualties. Harm eventually found that Dunston had had made a satellite phone call (with GPS coordinates) before the ambush despite being told not to. The SECNAV reamed H and Mac for "harassing" the press. He overturned the field commanders negative decision and allowed Dunston to go on the missioin. "Title 10, Article 802" allowed Dunston to be court-martialed with president (GW Bush) as the convening authority. [The show cited previous cases of the press compromising military efforts and being court martialled; however, neither Lincoln or Gen Andrew Jackson actually had completed the prosecution.)

Turner vehemently argued with H and defended Dunston. The SECNAV testified that he was guilty for not listening to the field commanders. It was shown that Dunstons GPS electronics couldn't have been the give-away; but, M overheard Dunston's assistant speaking Farsi the she lied about it when confronted. The assistant had tipped off her Al Qaeda cousin in Pakistan after Dunston had called in his report to her. Dunston then plead guilty and apologized. T admitted that he was wrong; H admitted being wrong; and M said "I wasn't wrong about anything." Bud is on the USS Seahawk and is keeping secret about PO Jennifer Coates being his "legal-man." Singer is still snotty and jealous of him and continued pressing C for an overseas assignment.

Hero Worship - 152

[a well crafted episode] The SECNAV ordered Chegwidden to send Harm and Mac to investigate the captain of the old destroyer, USS John Cooper, for a "lack of leadership" under the guise of investigating a galley fire. Seaman Tim Holley of sick bay, a 4th generation "squid," was trying to live up to his fathers accomplishments and saved seaman Todd Raff's life from a fire. Raff admitted to smoking in the galley. M reccommended an article 32 but the captain wanted to handle it merely with a captain's mast. Adm Albrecht, of SURFLANT, wanted "to send message to the captain" so took authority himself and ordered the article 32 hearing. H eventually showed that a sparking electrical short could have caused the fire. M, the prosecutor, said that "Albrecht wanted Raff out to teach the captain a lesson." H then found an Oxygen tank leak from sickbay had acted as an accelerant causing flash over. Raff wouldn't let H use it however, out of loyalty to Holley's career. So he was sent to court-martial. H told M that it was out of the "price of Loyalty."

C consulted with Carl Messing, a White House aide, in producing a white house dinner honoring all the surviving medal of honor recipients. One hero, Cpl. Henry Guernsey was excluded by the white house Chief of Staff because he had a pending court date for shoplifting. C went to meet Guernsey and found that he was over 80, confused and barely coping since his wife had died. Guernsey had held off 400 Japanese with 2 boxes of hand grenades, saving his platoon. Meredith forced C into a picnic on a lawn and made terrible tasting food, but gave C insight into helping Guernsey himself. C connected Guernsey with an organization to obtain a roommate, got him a uniform and arranged an alternative party specifically for him with his old 2nd platoon. C told Messing that "undervaluing their contribution because he's imperfect makes us look petty and thoughtless." The only persons so described were the president's COS and Adm Albrecht who both "got their own ways" but never found out just how petty they were. B was exonerated from his dereliction charges but C told him it was "not your finest hour." B & Harriet were trying to decide upon a next duty station to use his "second chance" to further his career.

Exculpatory Evidence - 151

[Continued from previous episode] Capt Proudy, Pax River commander, set aside Massuco's conviction due to Bud's "dereliction of duty." Turner investigated and recommended that Chegwidden hold an article 32 hearing on B. Harm defended, and was angry at T who wouldn't make an offer commensurate with alleged wrong doing. C suggested to B that "you find the same confidence in yourself and your ability as an attorney as I do." Mac was called to testify that Buds falling asleep, missing a filing deadline and not contacting a defense witness, Sandra Connor, was not up to standards. H got Connor to admit having an affair with Massuco; then, that Massuco had taken the exculpatory cover letter from Singers packet himself because he thought that all the other evidence was circumstantial and doing so would save his shakey marriage. So B was not court-martialed.

Sergei Zhukov was upset that Hs mother "wanted time" to think about giving Hs father's Vietnam letters to the immigration departe in order to prove his paternity which allow him citizenship. B asked Mac to "join the team" to stop H & M from fighting. C found that T, Leatham and H were setting him up with dates and told them off. C sent Meredith Cavanaugh home, incorrectly thinking that Mac was "puerile" too. C offered his "sincere apologies" to Meredith who retorted "what would an insincere apology look like." They quoted Shakespeare to each other and the episode ended with them staring at each other.

The Mission - 150

Harm & Mac were sent to the Seahawk to stop JAGs (Lt Cdr Jack Hillyard in particular) from preventing the prosecution of war by demanding 100% certainty of targets. When he got there H was asked by Capt. Johnson to fly missions with the ships' pilots to help refine the rules of engagement. H told M he was glad that she was there w/ him. In one mission H became flight leader due to mechanical problems which upset the "real" leader. Gen Taylor (anvil 22) assigned a target. The ground spotter refined the target to an old school where suspected senior Al Qaeda & Taliban leaders were located. M, acting as the JAG advisor, asked if there were buildings which would be collaterally damaged. The spotter said there were but it was night and he believed that it was unlikely that any civilians were there. M advised they might "prosecute the target" which surprised the AWACs crew who were used to prolonged deliberation and questioning. H took the target out & managed to avoid a stinger shot from the shoulder of a terrorist but he sustained damage to one engine which he needed to shut down. Then, when he tried to refuel, he didn't have enough power to stay attached to the tanker so he couldn't take on much fuel. He had to land w/ one weak engine and, despite paddles shouting "eject, eject," he didn't eject; and had just enough power at last second to land. When the Capt. asked Hillyard if he saw how it was done, Hillyard said that he would have requested more information. Johnson told him that "he may be a good attorney but you make a lousy wartime JAG" and said he was going to relieve him from duties.

Turner was assigned TAD to Latham as "someone I can trust" during budget hearings. They ended up talking about themselves and T said that he was in the navy due to his father. He said he had no regrets- he played in an army navy game and even saw the northern lights from a sub conning tower at the north pole. L was raised by her mother & 2 aunts. They were poor. L was worried about what she would say in the hearings so T prepared statements for her which he said were: "so obscure in wording they would sow confusion & dismay amongst enemies." L browbeat T into kissing her. Tiner was shown having passed his exams for PO 1st class.

Chegwidden offered Bud the option of overseas shore duty or aboard a ship for his career advancement and he didn't act too enthused. B & Ht discussed his reassignment then Ht told C she was ok w/ it but that it was B who was a bit reluctant for change. C told her that he had been helping coach high school baseball team for some time. He said he had been a pitcher and was drafted 2nd round by Cleveland but turned it down for an Annapolis appointment then the SEALs. He said he had never looked back - till now. S eavesdropped on B telling Ht about Cs offer and was so blindingly jealous that she demanded Tiner give her an audience w/ C. She told C she had heard the news from B (as they were very "tight") but that she was "a better lawyer than B." C did put her in her place: "you have a lot to prove to me as a lawyer & as a person" but as she was leaving he called after her "you'll get your chance." B was defending, and S prosecuting, PO Jeff Massuco for hit & run driving. She immediately told B she was going to "kick his ass" in the trial and proceeded to buried him w/ frivolous paper work. She opposed every request for witnesses, funds, and then even a continuance, so B could answer all her paperwork. B was portrayed as hapless and became sleep deprived simultaneously caring for little AJs flu to the neglect of his case. Then S buried an important witness in the middle of a list of 28 names and B fell asleep in court! Massuco was found guilty, no surprise. Then his convening authority got new evidence & believed that Bs defense was incompetent. C authorized inquiry into his defense as preliminary to article 32 hearings… [episode to be continued].