The Soldier on the Grave

The Soldier on the Grave
Season 1
Episode 21
Air date	May 10, 2006
Production code	1AKY20
Written by	Stephen Nathan
Directed by	Jonathan Pontell
Previous	The Graft in the Girl
Next	The Woman in Limbo

The Soldier on the Grave is the twenty-first episode of the first season of Bones.

Synopsis

Brennan and Booth go to investigate an apparent suicide in Arlington National Cemetery, but soon find out that it was murder and that the victim was a soldier who had served in Iraq. The investigation leads to a lot of unanswered questions about the military unit of the victim, with all clues pointing to a cover-up. Booth meanwhile recalls his shady past as a sniper in the military and the horrors of war.

Summary

Booth and Brennan walk to the crime scene located in a military cemetery and discuss their views on the war. Booth is angry that someone used an important place as a staging ground for their protest. The victim is a charred corpse positioned so that the body is leaning against the grave of Charlie Kent. He was a rising basketball star about to drafted into the NBA before he shipped out to Iraq as part of the National Guard. He died protecting his unit from insurgents. The victim is a young African male and government organizations are pressing for a positive ID. Brennan assumes that they plan to brand him a traitor to give the public a common enemy. Brennan walks over to Booth when he is distracted by a nearby grave. It belongs to James Richards who was a ranger with Booth but was killed by a roadside bomb, leaving behind a wife and two kids. His grave's proximity to the crime scene bothers Booth.

While watching news coverage on the crime Zack and Dr. Goodman talk about their interest in basketball and Charlie Kent. Brennan interrupts and gets Zack to refocus on cleaning the bones. Hodgins expresses more of his conspiracy theories before Goodman gets another call about the victim's ID. Booth arrives, still in a bad mood, and Hodgins explains that due to the man's clothes, he wasn't a protester but a military man. Angela uses his dental records and other measurements to identify him as Devon Marshall, one of the former members of Charlie's unit that he saved. Booth believes Devon was suffering from survivor's guilt, but Brennan points out that something was shoved into Devon's skull meaning he was murdered.

Cast

Main Cast

• Temperance Brennan - Emily Deschanel
• Seeley Booth - David Boreanaz
• Jack Hodgins - T.J Thyne
• Angela Montenegro - Michaela Conlin
• Zack Addy - Eric Millegan
• Daniel Goodman - Jonathan Adams

Recurring Cast

• FBI Agent Sanders - Adam Lieberman

Guest Cast

• Hank Lutrell - Mitch Longley
• Karen Merton - Erica Tazel
• Jimmy Merton - Aldis Hodge
• Peter Lefferts - Kirk B.R. Woller
• Col. Phillip Seymour Shore - Rick Fitts
• Captain William Fuller - Matt Battaglia
• Private Jody Campbell - Stacey Hogue
• Tina Kent - Cyd Strittmatter
• Bradley Kent - Eddie Allen
• Mrs. Marshall - Monnae Michaell
• Kiara Marshall - Jasmine McNeal
• Devon Marshall - Darius Cottrell
• Charlie Kent - Jon Barton
• Military Policeman - Michael Broderick
• Army Colonel - Richard Kreps
• Specialist - Daniel Novy

Featured Music

• "Don't Hurt The Girl" - Jackie Paris
• "Feuer Frei!" - Rammstein

Notes

• The episode's premise is an obvious reference to the cover-up surrounding the events that led to the death of professional football player turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
• In this episode, we learn Booth has been attending meetings for a gambling addiction.
• At the end of the episode, Booth tells the story of his killing of warlord and his guilt over the trauma it caused to the general's 6-year-old son. This story become significant in the final season.
• When Booth and Bones meet Captain Fuller, he is in Class A uniform, with an American flag situated on his right shoulder. The American flag is not worn on the Army Class A uniform.