Mission Completed

Originally Aired: December 1, 1949

Suspense #361, "Mission Completed," stars James Stewart as Tom, a paralyzed World War II veteran who has spent four years in a VA hospital, able to communicate only by blinking his eyes once for yes and twice for no. Tom's world revolves around a square on the ceiling that reminds him of Sagamo prison camp in Tokyo, where a brutal guard named Suki tortured and killed his fellow prisoners. When nurse Miss Rhodes wheels Tom past a flower shop, he spots Suki through the window, recognizable by the distinctive scar Tom gave him during their time at the camp. The shock triggers something extraordinary in Tom's paralyzed body, and he realizes his condition may not be as permanent as everyone believes.

Determined to exact justice on the man who destroyed so many lives, Tom begins secretly practicing movement at night, regaining strength in muscles he hasn't used in four years. His careful plan to bring Suki within reach faces a devastating obstacle when Dr. Benson and Miss Rhodes announce he's being transferred to another hospital three thousand miles away the very next day. With only hours remaining and Saturday bringing young Jackie to wheel him around the grounds, Tom must execute a desperate plan to complete the mission that began in that Japanese prison camp.