A feature film screenplay based on the World War II diary of Lt. Colonel Charles Dexter Ebertz. Titled "The Trader of Tibet", it was written by his grandsons - Matthew C. Coleman & Jason R. Coleman.

1. THE TRADER OF TIBET
Written by
Matthew C. Coleman & Jason R. Coleman
©2012 All Rights Reserved
PAu 3-634-802
Based on the World War II diary of
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Dexter Ebertz
5200 Peachtree Road, NE
Suite 2104
Atlanta, GA 30341
678-590-8080

2. INT. - WWII AIR FORCE C-46 COMMANDO TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
COCKPIT - DAY
The crew is flying a treacherous supply mission through the
Himalayan Mountains known as The Hump. On the tail wing, we
see the aircraft number 7342.
At the controls are the pilot, CAPTAIN ROSS “Boots” McCABE,
and his copilot, LT. ADAM GATES. They are assisted by crew
chief, STAFF SERGEANT SAM “Westee” WESTBROOK, and cargo
loader, AIRMAN FIRST CLASS EADES WILLIAMS.
Visibility is near zero with a heavy chop and their
mountainous course takes them out of radio and radar contact.
They are on their own.
Captain McCabe (mid-30s) checks the instrument panel and
pulls back on the controls to keep the plane level. He is
dark haired, dark eyed and squarely built. An experienced
pilot, this self-assured cowboy has no fear.
Lt. Gates (mid-20s) is a relative newcomer to flying The Hump
having only flown the route a few times before today. He is
fair skinned, blonde hair and blue eyed. This “All-American”
guy is out to prove to himself and others he’s more than just
a pretty face.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Another wonderful day in the
neighborhood. I swear to God, one
of these days...shit....
Captain McCabe and Lt. Gates pull back hard on their
controls. The rosary beads draped over Lt. Gates’ controls
are shaking wildly. Captain McCabe looks over at the rosary
beads and shakes his head.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
(to Gates)
You think you could get the Good
Lord to do something about this
weather??? I’ve flown this more
times than I care to remember, but
this is right up there.
Captain McCabe reaches into his pocket and pulls out a
package of chewing tobacco. He reaches in, grabs a wad and
stuffs a mess of chew into his right cheek.
LT. GATES
Not to worry sir. We may be in a
flying coffin, but we’re flying on
eagles wings today.

3. Lt. Gates reaches down and strokes his rosary beads.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
How many times you flown The Hump
Lieutenant?
Captain McCabe expels his tobacco juice on the deck. Lt.
Gates catches sight of the brown pool of goo and just barely
controls his gag reflex. After a moment, he regains his
composure.
LT. GATES
A few sir. A few. Been out of
flight school two months.
Lt. Gates shifts in his seat and clears his throat.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
(sarcastically, to Gates)
That a fact??
(to Sgt. Westbrook and
Airman Williams stationed
in the cargo hold)
Fellas, you here that!
(chuckling to himself)
I feel better already.
Suddenly the plane hits an air pocket and drops altitude.
BOOM. 5,000 feet in seconds....
Every square inch of the plane is shaking. BOOM.
It’s like being in the middle of an earthquake 25,000 feet in
the air.
Captain McCabe and Lt. Gates pull hard on their controls to
stabilize the plane. Captain McCabe’s legs are pressing hard
on the rudder control. Both men are exerting everything
they’ve got to hold the plane’s nose.
They finally get the plane leveled off.
Lt. Gates notices that Captain McCabe is wearing monogrammed
cowboy boots with a Texas flag emblem on them.
LT. GATES
Captain, I know that we haven’t
flown together before, but I just
want you to know...
CAPTAIN MCCABE
That we’re in God’s hands
Lieutenant??
2.
(MORE)

4. Ohhh...I almost forgot...we’re
flying on eagle’s wings right??
Westee! Williams! Give me a sit
rep!
Sgt. Westbrook (20s), spectacled, red haired and paunchy,
along with Airman Williams (20s), dark haired, lean and wiry
are in the cargo hold. It is filled with hay, bags of oats
and several draft animals - mainly horses and donkeys. Both
men have the unenviable job of keeping the animals as calm as
possible during the flight.
SGT. WESTBROOK
Well...no one’s taken a crap on the
deck yet sir.
The plane hits some more turbulence. Lt. Gates tightens his
seat belt and takes a deep breath. BOOM.
Sgt. Westbrook strokes one of the horse’s manes. Airman
Williams grabs a couple of lead lines to try hold the animals
steady.
The plane continues to spasm.
AIRMAN WILLIAMS
These guys are getting antsy sir.
How far out are we?
Captain McCabe checks his watch and spits out some more brown
goo.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Rough guess. Half way home.
LT. GATES
Sir. Uhhh...I couldn’t help but
notice your...
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Oh! You like these babies.
Captain McCabe flashes Lt. Gates one of his cowboy boots.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
Definitely not Air Force issue. And
they are lucky as hell.
LT. GATES
What part of Texas are you from
Captain?
3.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT'D)

5. CAPTAIN MCCABE
None. I flew the DC-3 for Pan-Am
before the war. That’s how I got
roped into this. This “flying
coffin” is basically the same plane
without the seats or stewardesses.
Goddamn I love stewardesses.
Something special about a woman in
uniform. Anyways, I had a layover
in Amarillo. Met a boot maker over
a few shots of tequila. She made me
the pair so I’d never forget her.
Nicknamed me “boots” too. Got a lot
of good miles on these babies.
BOOM! The bottom drops out again. Feels like 5,000 feet are
lost in five seconds. They are in a dive.
Lt. Gates looks out his window to check his wing and sees
that it has iced up.
LT. GATES
Sir. Check your wing.
Captain McCabe looks out his window to get a visual on his
wing.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Son of a!!...Mother of God. I tell
you what...they didn’t make these
planes worth a flying shit!!
Westee! Williams! Our wings are
frozen like popsicles! Secure
everything you can.
BOOM!
Another swallowing altitude drop. Clouds are racing across
the plane’s windows.
Sgt. Westbrook and AIRMAN WILLIAMS scramble to tie the cargo
down and control the animals. The horses and donkeys are
scared and crying.
BOOM!
The earth is getting closer and closer.
Captain McCabe and Lt. Gates pull with everything they’ve got
on their controls to maneuver the plane out of its dive.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
Ever jumped out of a plane
Lieutenant?
4.

6. LT. GATES
A few times in boot camp sir.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Westee! Williams! We can’t keep
this hunk of shit level forever.
Time to get the hell out.
Sgt. Westbrook and Airman Williams strap on their parachutes
and open the cargo door.
WHOOSH! The wind almost knocks them over.
Hay and animal feed spray everywhere. The animals are in a
panic.
The turbulence is shaking the plane around like a pinball.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
Jump dammit! This isn’t a dress
rehearsal. Get going!
SGT. WESTBROOK
See you on the ground Boots!
Sgt. Westbrook and Airman Williams jump and are rocketed out
into the sky. We see their parachutes open.
The mountains and the ground continue to get closer and
closer. An altitude warning alarm begins to go off.
LT. GATES
You can’t keep this thing level by
yourself!
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Get your ass up!
Lt. Gates removes his seat belt and heads to the cargo door.
He remembers his rosary and turns to go back and get it.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
Here!
Captain McCabe hands Lt. Gates the rosary. He wraps it around
his wrist and gives it a good luck kiss.
LT. GATES
See you on the other side!
Lt. Gates fights the rushing wind and the tornado of hay and
horse feed to maneuver himself to the cargo door.
5.

7. He pauses and looks at Captain McCabe again, then jumps. His
parachute is seen opening.
Captain McCabe strains to keep his control steady as he
unbuckles his seat belt. He closes his eyes, takes three
quick breaths, jumps up and bolts for the cargo door.
He slips and falls down.
CAPTAIN MCCABE
Damn boots!!!
He struggles against the wind to his feet and staggers to the
cargo door.
CAPTAIN MCCABE (CONT’D)
Flying coffin! My ass.
He jumps. We see his parachute open.
EXT. - UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CAMPUS - DAY
SUPER ON SCREEN - University of Kansas, 1942
A pair of men’s black leather shoes move along campus through
a quad. Students are playing football, studying together
under trees, picnicking, etc. As the shoes keep moving
along, the sound of marching and the “hut two, three
four...hut, two, three, four” to keep the cadence becomes
louder and louder. The black leather shoes stop in their
tracks.
We pan up from the black leather shoes to see the face of
Dexter Ebertz (40s). He is spectacled and professorial, but
also well-built from a life hunting and outdoor adventuring.
Dexter watches the parade of campus ROTC members approach.
He bows his head, turns and heads back the other direction.
INT. - COLLEGE CLASSROOM - DAY
Dexter stands at the head of a large lecture hall behind a
formidable wooden desk. His lecture notes are spread out in
front of him.
The first several rows are scattered with students, many of
whom are weaving in and out of paying attention to Dexter.
The rest of the class is seated randomly throughout the
remaining seats of the auditorium. There are a few sidebar
conversations taking place in the very back of the room,
which are echoing throughout the entire auditorium.
6.

8. Dexter thumps his desk several times to get the attention of
the students.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Attention people. Final exam this
Friday, so please, be prepared this
time.
He pauses to stress his point before he packs his leather
satchel with items from his desk.
A bell rings.
DEXTER EBERTZ (CONT’D)
Alright, class dismissed. If
anyone needs additional help, feel
free to stop by during regular
office hours.
The students begin filing out of the room. Dexter continues
speaking without looking up from his packing.
DEXTER EBERTZ (CONT’D)
And just to be clear, regular
office hours are those hours I
spend in my office and not the
hours I spend at my home...Mr.
Connors.
A student sitting in the front row, CONNORS (19), looks up
from packing with surprise. Casually dressed in an oxford
and jeans with a mess of dark bangs hovering over dark eyes,
he has an endearing sincerity accentuated with a youthful
awkwardness and self-consciousness.
CONNORS
Uhhh, yes sir.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Mmmmm, hmmmm.
Dexter begins walking down a busy hallway towards his office.
Connors is following behind keeping a safe distance, yet
close enough to engage Dexter.
CONNORS
Sir...sir...I know you are a very
busy man...especially with finals
coming up and all, but I was
wondering....
7.

9. DEXTER EBERTZ
Wondering about what? Maybe the
best way to ask my permission to
take my oldest daughter out on a
date Mr. Connors?
CONNORS
(surprised, nervous)
Sir...how did you... I mean I...
DEXTER EBERTZ
Mr. Connors, if you spent half as
much time focusing on my class as
you did daydreaming about my
daughter, you might actually be
able to pass it.
CONNORS
It's just that..well..you see..I've
been a little....
Connors looks down and struggles for just the right word.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Preoccupied, Mr. Connors. I think
the word you are searching for is
preoccupied. I do believe somewhere
deep inside of you, somewhere in
the far recesses of your young mind
lies the potential to be a good
veterinarian Mr. Connors. You do
want to be a veterinarian don't you
Mr. Connors?
CONNORS
Sir?? Why, yes...of course I....
DEXTER EBERTZ
Then show me.
Dexter has arrived at his office. He unlocks and opens the
door, enters and goes to his desk. We see a photo of his
children framed on his desk, some papers, files, his ROTC
graduation photo hanging on the wall and a globe on his desk.
CONNORS
Yes..yes sir.
DEXTER EBERTZ
And remember, the next time you
want to talk Mr. Connors find me
during office hours and not on my
front porch.
8.

10. Connors turns to leave and almost bumps into COLONEL MALLAN
who is standing in the doorway.
CONNORS
Oh..excuse me sir....I was
just...leaving.
Dexter looks up and stares down Connors from his desk.
In the doorway is Colonel Mallan (40s). He is tall and
distinguished, a polished leader of men. He moves to allow
Connors to pass, removes his hat and extends his hand in
greeting.
COLONEL MALLAN
Dr. Ebertz may I have a moment?
I’m Colonel Daniel H. Mallan, U.S.
Army.
Dexter moves from behind his desk to greet Colonel Mallan.
DEXTER EBERTZ
(sarcastically)
Your timing couldn't be better.
Please, please come in.
Colonel Mallan enters and shuts the door behind him. Dexter
splits his attention between listening to the Colonel and
tidying his desk, jotting notes and wrapping things up for
the day.
COLONEL MALLAN
Please forgive me, but you are the
Dr. Charles Dexter Ebertz, graduate
of the Cornell College of
Veterinary Medicine, class of 1935?
DEXTER EBERTZ
Last time I checked.
Colonel Mallan opens a manila folder to refer to his notes.
COLONEL MALLAN
Doctor, what I'm about to tell you
is classified.
Dexter’s desk clearing slows.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Classified????
COLONEL MALLAN
Your country needs you Dr. Ebertz.
9.

11. DEXTER EBERTZ
For what?
Dexter drops what he is doing. His full attention is on
Colonel Mallan.
COLONEL MALLAN
We have a situation. Something
that requires a man with your
background and skills. I'll be
frank. It has been quite a job to
find many veterinarians worth our
time.
DEXTER EBERTZ
No offense, but I'm not sure I
should take that as a compliment.
COLONEL MALLAN
On the contrary, you are a rare
find Doctor.
Colonel Mallan is now flipping through the papers of the open
file on Dexter he is holding.
COLONEL MALLAN (CONT’D)
Cornell graduate, ROTC, your
experience as a professor...as
someone who can determine the best
course of action in the field and
teach his men how to meet their
objective.
Colonel Mallan pauses to consider his choice of words.
COLONEL MALLAN (CONT’D)
We have a unique opportunity for
you Doctor. This assignment is the
first of its kind. A cultural and
diplomatic exchange mission if you
will, so your experience as an
educator will prove useful.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Forgive me Colonel, but I have no
earthly idea what you are getting
at.
Colonel Mallan smiles and gently spins the globe that sits on
Dexter's desk.
COLONEL MALLAN
I'm talking about this.
10.

12. Colonel Mallan jabs his index finger down on the spinning
globe. In bold black letters just below his fingernail is
the word CHINA.
DEXTER EBERTZ
China?
Colonel Mallan continues on as if Dexter has said nothing.
COLONEL MALLAN
More than 500 million strong, but
unorganized. The Japs have cut off
the Chinese supply route through
the sea of Japan. They now occupy
Burma on China's western front. If
the Japs continue on this way,
China will be next. That's a big
ally for us to lose Dr. Ebertz. We
can't let that happen.
DEXTER EBERTZ
So, you want a veterinarian to stop
the Japanese from taking over
China.
Colonel Mallan smiles in acknowledgement.
COLONEL MALLAN
You have a sense of humor Dr.
Ebertz. That's good because you'll
need it where you're going.
Colonel Mallan’s tone turns serious.
COLONEL MALLAN (CONT’D)
But all joking aside, the answer is
yes. An overland supply route must
be constructed on China's western
front.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Ahh..an engineering project. Well,
now it all makes sense why you need
a veterinarian. Look, Colonel, I'm
very...
COLONEL MALLAN
This is not the kind of supply
route you're thinking of Doctor.
This line will be built and the
supplies moved entirely by beasts
of burden. Animals, Doctor. I
believe you know a thing or two
about animals?
11.

13. DEXTER EBERTZ
So I've been told.
COLONEL MALLAN
Which is why we need your help.
Keeping China in the war and out of
Japanese hands is critical to
allowing the war effort in Europe
to progress without having to move
to the Far East until we absolutely
have to.
DEXTER EBERTZ
Colonel, I’m no spring chicken. My
ROTC days have been in the rearview
for quite some time. I have a wife
and three little ones at home.
Honestly, I’m not sure how long I
would last out on the Chinese
frontier.
Colonel Mallan leans in close on Dexter’s desk.
COLONEL MALLAN
Doctor. I'm really not here to ask.
The Army needs you to go over
there, get those draft animals and
keep the Chinese Army supplied.
Christ, we’ve even tried flying the
damn animals in Dr. Ebertz.
Colonel Mallan pauses to flip to a document titled “Himalayan
Supply Flights Status Report.” We see a column titled Flight
Number and another titled Status. We see Colonel Mallan’s
finger work down the page passing several different flights
and statuses such as Completed and Missing In Flight. His
finger stops at Flight Number 7342 with the status of Missing
In Flight.
He looks back up at Dexter.
COLONEL MALLAN (CONT’D)
We need a man like you to complete
this mission.
DEXTER EBERTZ
China is one helluva long way from
Kansas Colonel.
Colonel Mallan stands, reaches into his pocket, pulls out a
business card, turns it over, and writes a phone number on
the back. Dexter checks his watch.
12.

14. DEXTER EBERTZ (CONT’D)
Colonel, I hate to cut this short,
but I’ve got a very important lunch
date.
COLONEL MALLAN
Doctor, time is of the essence.
Please contact me at this number in
24 hours and let me know your
decision.
He hands Dexter the business card and exits.
13.