Courage Under Fire (1996) - Movie Synopsis & Plot

It's nighttime in Iraq, 1991. Colonel Nathaniel Serling gives the order to fire on a supposed enemy tank but, when the battle is over, he is horrified to learn that he has just destroyed one of his own tanks and several of his own men. Recalled to Washington as an investigation takes place, Serling is assigned to determine whether or not Captain Karen Walden is eligible for the Medal of Honor. A Medevac pilot, Walden was killed on a mission to save a stranded crew.

Mentor and superior General Hershberg was sure that Serling would simply approve the Captain's right to be eligible for the Medal of Honor but Serling refused to file an incomplete report. Her crew tells conflicting stories, some that she was extremely courageous, others that she was a coward. But when he reports his findings to the General, Serling is threatened with the lack of his mentor's protection from the internal investigators.

Serling begins to relive Karen Walden's last days, pasting together what he believes is the truth from the several different stories her crew has stated. Their inability to cooperate and conflicting details suggests a cover-up but he is uncertain as to what they are covering up. As he buries deeper into the truth, however, Serling begins to understand the real meanings of courage and comes to face his own nightmares.

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