Thirteen Days (2000)

Christopher Lawford: Cmdr. William B. Ecker

Quotes 

• Kenny O'Donnell : Commander, my name is Ken O'Donnell, special assistant to the President.

  Commander William B. Ecker : Yes sir.

  Kenny O'Donnell : The President has instructed me to pass along an order to you. You are not to get shot down.

  Commander William B. Ecker : Uh, we'll do our best sir.

  Kenny O'Donnell : I don't think you understand me, Commander. You are not to get shot down, under any circumstances. Whatever happens up there, you were not shot at. Mechanical failures are fine. Crashing into mountains, fine. But you and your men are not to be shot at, fired at, or launched upon.

  Commander William B. Ecker : Excuse me sir, what the hell is going on here?

  Kenny O'Donnell : Commander, if you are fired upon, the President will be forced to attack the sites that fire on you. He doesn't want to have to do that. It's very important that he doesn't, or things can go very badly out of control.

  Commander William B. Ecker : What about my men? We don't have anyone to protect us, I don't want to be writing letters home to parents.

  Kenny O'Donnell : If the President protects you, Commander, he may have to do it with the bomb. Now I've known the man for fifteen years. The problem is... he will protect you. So I'm asking you, don't make him protect you. Don't get shot at.

  Commander William B. Ecker : Okay Mister O'Donnell, we'll do what we can.

  Kenny O'Donnell : I know you will.

• Lt. Bruce Wilhemy : Oh man! Shit! Did you see it?

  [Examining bullet holes in Cmdr. Ecker's wing] 

  Lt. Bruce Wilhemy : You were lucky skipper.

  Commander William B. Ecker : Damn sparrows! Must have been migrating.

  Petty Officer : Sparrows?

  Commander William B. Ecker : I probably hit a couple of hundred of them. How many did you hit Bruce?

  Lt. Bruce Wilhemy : Sparrows? A few I guess.

  Petty Officer : Are these twenty millimeter or forty millimeter sparrows, sir?

  Commander William B. Ecker : Those are bird strikes. Sparrows to be precise. That's the way it is, guys.

• Commander William B. Ecker : Commander Ecker.

  Operator Margaret : Commander Ecker , this is the White House Operator. Please hold...

  Commander William B. Ecker : Shit.

  Operator Margaret : Honey, you don't know what shit is.