Facing forced retirement, Martin Maher, a seasoned Master Sergeant, travels to the White House to plead his case with the commander in chief, the West Point graduate and five-star general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who welcomes him warmly and truly listens to his story.
Arriving from County Tipperary, Ireland, Marty begins bussing tables, and after two months he has nothing to show for it, docked for every dish he breaks. When he learns that enlisted men mostly worry about the guardhouse, he makes the bold move to enlist in the U.S. Army. There, Captain Herman Kohler, the Master of the Sword, is impressed with his fists and grit and brings him on as an assistant in athletics instruction.
Marty then meets Mary O'Donnell, the Koehlers' cook who has just arrived from Ireland, and the two Irish spirits quickly spark a fierce, undeniable connection. The Koehlers advise Mary not to engage in conversation with him until he re-enlists and proposes, fearing their two fiery temperaments might clash. They marry and settle into a house on campus. Marty ascends to corporal, and Mary saves enough money to bring his father and brother to America. Captain Kohler further shapes him, eventually making him a swimming instructor after teaching him how to swim.
Mary gives birth to a boy, but heartbreak arrives with the doctor’s news: the newborn has died. While Mary sleeps, Marty succumbs to drink, and the cadets, unafraid to bend the rules, bring him home and then confess their deed. In the morning, Mary reveals she can never have another child.
The cadets become the sons the Mahers never had, and Marty earns the love and respect of future military leaders and icons such as Omar Bradley, James Van Fleet, George Patton, and Eisenhower (to whom he even offers a lighthearted tip on slowing hair loss). He also helps a cadet named Red Sundstrom with math, introducing him to a post-school tutor, Kitty Carter. Red and Kitty marry after graduation in 1917, and Red goes off to war with his classmates.
As the casualty lists begin to stream in, Marty marks the losses in the yearbooks with a black ribbon on the page for each former cadet killed in action. Peace finally comes, but the campus remains marked by sorrow as Marty places a ribbon on Red’s page. Red has earned the Medal of Honor and an automatic appointment to the academy for his infant son.
Years later, Red Sundstrom, Jr. and his classmates are sworn in, a testament to Marty’s guidance across three generations of cadets. Then, on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor interrupts church services and signals the United States’ likely entry into World War II. Red confesses to Marty that he was married over Thanksgiving weekend, and the revelation could mean expulsion for Red if discovered. Deeply disappointed, Marty feels pride when Sundstrom does the honorable thing by resigning and enlisting in the Army, preparing to ship out at once.
Mary wishes to attend one of the parades she loves, but her strength fails. Marty helps her to the porch, and she takes out her rosary as he fetches shawl and medicine. She dies quietly during his absence, leaving him to face a quieter Christmas Eve, 1944.
A group of cadets joins him for a quiet celebration as he picks the all-time West Point football team for the dinner. Kitty Carter arrives with Red, whose medals bring cheers from the cadets. The President instructs General Dotson to call out and discover what the SNAFU is, and Marty offers a bottle of his own hair restorer to the President. Chuck Dotson informs Marty that he is AWOL and boards him back to the point, where the superintendent and Dotson hustle him onto a crowded parade ground.
Slightly bemused by all the attention, Marty hears the first tune: Garryowen. > This is for you, Marty. The cadets asked for it
The parade culminates in a full dress tribute to Marty, with everyone he loves—both living and dead—stepping forward to honor him, and the band plays Auld Lang Syne, bringing tears to his eyes as the years of mentorship and loyalty finally come full circle.
