Call of Silence

I just saw this episode for the first time. Great episode made all the more important by the performance of Charles Durning- D-Day vet, Malmedy vet, Silver Star, Bronze Star.

NCIS helped give us a bit of education, also, as to the particulars of the attack. This is the first episode I've seen that reflected a bit of history and the costs of those historical battles.

This episode is all the more poignant with Mr. Durning's recent death this past Christmas Eve. (Congrats also to IMDb for the timely update.)

R.I.P. Greatest Generation. "Thank You for your Service" to all past and present Service members.

No matter how many times I see this episode, it never fails to make me tear up and cry.

Charles Durning was perfect in the role of Ernie Yost. He portrayed just the right amount of guts, honor, and pride along with love, nostalgia, and sincerity. He truly wanted to do the right thing and he was very determined to do what he thought was the right thing: Semper Fi.

Somehow, his dance with Kate, the exhumation, along with the ending, always bring me to tears. All of the regulars, along with Alicia Coppola, and Lloyd Kino did a fantastic job during this episode.

It is easily the most memorable episode of the entire series for me and my favorite.

Absolutely the best segment in ten years of NCIS programming.

Watching Charles Durning interact with the regular NCIS cast in a most unusual story line is so moving that, even knowing the story--in detail now after all these years of watching my DVD set--I still have to ready myself to watch "Call of Silence" every time I start up the DVD player.

Durning was nominated for an Emmy for his role in this segment of NCIS and, though I have never researched the question, it would not surprise me at all to find that he was awarded numerous awards, some from non-film cultural groups, for his role and the great heart he put into it.

Deeply moving, and magnificent. 10 out of 10.

"Call of Silence" is the only TV show or movie I have ever rated a 10. The final 10 minutes are so emotional and heart wrenching I guarantee you will not have a dry eye, and the lump in you throat will be unavoidable. It will start when Ernie and Kate are slow dancing to "Begin the Beguine", which Ernie sings and hums. Moments later, when Cmdr. Coleman and two Marines are about to take Ernie into custody, Tony slowly pulls Ernie's tie to the side to reveal his Medal of Honor. Cmdr. Coleman and the marines snap to attention, and the marines smartly render a salute. I have watched this episode at least a dozen times, and each time I see this scene I feel a great sense of pride in our men and women in uniform, past, present and future. And finally when Gibbs convinces Ernie he did nothing wrong, it's another scene that will bring moisture to your eyes. Mr. Durning's performance (he was a real life WW2 veteran, and he shows Tony some actual photos of himself during his military service) is beyond outstanding in this episode, just one of the reasons this episode rates a perfect 10.

One of the most touching episodes of not only this series but of any series I have ever seen. It was a tremendous tribute to the aging WWII generation that has nearly faded into history. I had more than a few tears in my eyes through most of episode.