What was single abiding certainty

Tim doesn't think. His body instintually reacts and he throws the grenade. He imagines a fictional past and future life for the soldier. This solider will haunt Tim's dreams for the rest of his life. Kiowa, Tim's closest friend, explains to Tim it wasn't his fault. The young enenmy soldier would have done the same thing. When Tim's daughter, Kathleen, asks him if he ever killed anyone in the war, Tim has another flashback to killing the yong soldier. Tim is filled with guilt.

He has convinced himself that if he did not throw the grenade the yong soldier would have harmlessly walked by Tim. Twenty years after the war, Tim still sees the young enemy soldier at random times throughout his day and life. The soldiers of Alpha Company have utterly destroyed a Vietnamese village, killing almost everyone.

The story of how Kiowa died in a shit field in Vietnam. Norman Bowker saw Kiowa sinking in the muck but was unable to save Kiowa because the smell of sewage was too much. He blames himself for being a coward, not saving Kiowa and losing his chance to earn a silver Star. After the war, Norman Bowker has returned to his hometown in Iowa. It is the Fourth of July weekend and Norman spends his time driving around in the lake in his town.

Aimlessly driving around in circles. Norman has nowhere to go and feels he has no one to talk to about the night Kiowa died. Norman cannot talk to his high school girlfiend, Sally, who has moved with her life and gotten married. Norman wishes he could talk to his father about Kiowa's death, but his father fought his own war and is busy watching baseball.

Bowker considers unburdening himself at the local burger joint talking to a teenage stranger through a speaker. Finally, Bowker walks into the lake, submerging himself in the water a return to the shit field where Kiowa died? O'Brien reveals that after the war Bowker returned to Iowa, worked meaningless jobs, went to community college but drop out.

Third story about Kiowa's death told from the point of view of Bowker, a young soldeir and Jimmy Cross. The morning after Kiowa has died in the field. Alpha Company spends the day searching to Kiowa's body which has sunk into the mud and sewage near the flooded Song Tra Bong.

Jimmy Cross thinks about writing a letter to Kiowa's family, accepting responsibilty for his death. Thinking about who is to blame and playing golf. The "FNG". A young soldier turned on his flashlight. Gave away Alpha Company's position, mortar attck ensues. Kiowa dies. The yong soldier blames himself for being unable to save Kiowa, but is in shock now and just wants to find his missing picture of his girlfriend.

O'Brien returns to Vietnam with his year old daughter Kathleen to the scene of Kiowa's death. Kathleen is bored. The area looks very different. Tim is disappiinted and shocked that this field that killed his best friend and swallowed up a part of Tim's life looks harmless.

After taking a swim in the river, Tim leaves Kiowa's moccasins near the spot where Kiowa died. The second time Tim is shot the new medic Bobby Jorgensen does an awful job causing Tim pain and an infection.

Tim nearly dies. This chapter is told to O'Brien by Mitchell Sanders. Tim has been injured and is at a field hospital. Rat Kiley chooses the shame of being a coward and chooses to shoot himself in the foot rather than being killed or killing others.

In this chapter, Rat Kiley slowly goes crazy. He stops talking. He feels bugs crawling over his skin and cannot stop scratching. Rat says he is not cut out to be a medic always picking up the body parts and plugging the holes. He is haunted by Lavender and Lemon's deths. Rat Kiley has horrofic nightmares. Rat Kiley wakes up one morning and takes morphine and shoots himself in the toe, an injury that will get him sent home from the war. No one blames Rat.

Tim remembers a childhood friend, Linda, who died of a brain tumor and his first visit to a funeral parlor and seeing her dead body. Characters: Burdens, Summaries and Quotes.

Norman goes home and he has no one to talk to, his life is going no where. He drives around in circles around the lake.

He is depressed and lonely. Norman tells the story of Kiowa's death. Kiowa drowned in a shitfield in Vietnam. Norman feels guilty. He almost saved Kiowa. Norman let go of Kiowa's boot. Norman Bowker committed suicide 3 years after the war. He hung himself at the YMCA. He was folded in with the war; he was part of the waste.

Jimmy Cross and Martha. Jimmy Cross is young and unprepared to be a leader. It was something that would never go away. Jimmy Cross understood this. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war. Henry and the platoon spend a week camped out in a pagoda. Henry and Kiowa talk about religion. The Buddhist monks at the pagoda like Dobbins. Kiowa is religious, he thinks it is wrong to camp in the pagaoda.

Dobbins is NOT religious, but he likes to be nice to people. The pantyhose, he said had the properties of a good luck charm. They were like body armor.

Maybe I'll do it. Find a monastery somewhere. Wear a robe and be nice to people. Mary Ann comes to visit her boyfriend Mark Fossie in Vietnam. Falls in love with killing, becomes an adrenaline junkie and killing machine. Disappears into the jungle. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterwards it's never the same. A question of degree. Some make it intact, some don't make it at all" She was part of the land. She was wearing her culottes, her pink sweater, and a necklace of human tongues.

She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill. Best friend Curt Lemon is killed stepping on a land mine while playing catch with a grenade.

Tortures a water buffalo, shoots off body parts. Rat goes crazy from the stress of war. Sees bugs crawling all over his body. Shoots himself in the foot. Ted Lavender was scared he carried tranquilizers. He was killed by a sniper one day when he stepped into the jungle to pee.

Curt steps on a land mine, blown up, body parts end up in the trees. Rat Kiley, best friend, writes a letter to Curt's sister. Rat goes crazy with grief and tortures and kills a water buffalo. Curt hates the Dentist, he faints and Curt is embarassed. He has a perfectly good tooth pulled. Tim is on guard duty. A North Vietnameses soldier walks by and Tim throws a grenade and kills the soldier. Tim just stares at the dead body.

Tim is in shock seeing the "enemy" he killed up close. Makes up a fictional past and future for the soldier. Never forgets. The dead soldier haunts Tim in his dreams. This why I keep writing war stories" The grenade was to make him go away--just evaporate" Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't" Skip to Main Content.

District Home. Sign In. Search Our Site. Home Schools ". Kita, Stacey. Roberts Mr. Appears to enjoy the war. Uses gallows humor to survive. Burden of survivor's guilt. Bowker commits suicide. Henry Dobbins "Stockings" and "Church" Big guy. Symbolizes America. Machine gunner. Burden of superstition. Brings his girlfriend to Vietnam for vacation. Burden of guilt. Dave Jensen "Friends" and "Enemies" Symbolizes the intense brotherhood of soldiers. War time promise "wheelchair injury" Lee Strunk "Friends" and "Enemies" Symbolizes the intense brotherhood of soldiers.

Kiowa "In the Field" Tim's closest friend. Martha "Love" Lt. Jimmy Cross' love interest. Jimmy Cross obesses ovdr Martha. Burden, his memories and dreams and guilt. Cannot forget the war. Jimmy Cross visits Tim. They drink, get drunk and talk about Martha. War can be sweet and war can be violent. Horrific acts of violence and random acts of kindness.

Azar gives a little boy candy, then shoots a dog. Sanders mails home an envelope of dead lice. Dobbins and Bowker play checkers. The soldiers have affection for a "poppa-san" Kiowa teaches the soldiers a rain dance. Lavender goes too heavy on the drugs. Curt Lemon is killed when he steps on a landmine. He thinks "he is too good to go to war" Tim works in a meat processing plany during the summer.

He is pressured by family and his community to go to war. Tim considers running away to Canada and becoming "a draft dodger" Tim spends 6 days near the Canadian border at the Tip Top Lodge a fishing lodge wiht a fishing guide named Elroy Berdahl. Elroy knows why Tim is "vacationing" on fishing river near Canada. Ultimately, Tim goes to war because he is too embarassed not to. Never believe all war stories, especially if they are moral, because war is immoral.

O'Brien writes that the some of the truest war stories never really happened. Rat Kiley has lost his best friend. He writes a letter to Curt Lemon's sister. She never responds, which angers Rat Kiley. Rat causes the baby water buffalo as much pain as he can. Another story about Curt Lemon who was a prankster, a comic and filled with bravado. Rat Kiley is known to exaggerate and lie when he tells a story. One day, Eddie Diamond, makes a joke that is so safe, that they could bring a girl to camp.

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