The Lives of The Dead

I think that the moral of the story is that when situations are to brutal to believe we always try to crack jokes and poke fun because that the only way we can cope with the sitiuationw eare in. The story of lina is a common thing that we see in everyday life we always try to imagine so much that we hope the enxt day that the loved one we lost will walk through the door.

Night Life

If i was Kiley i would of shot my self in the foot as well. I dont hink his actions were cowardly i think that they were smart actually. He found a way to get home. this goes to show that war gives you any idea to do anything just to get out of a sticky situation and move on the next situation and hope that you get the same results in the new situation you faced.

The Ghost Soldiers

In this chapter i find it crazy how one can still perform childish acts during a time of war. I didnt think that it was that serious to scare him i mean its warso you should expect to get shot.personally i think that medics in the field of war are pointless the things they do arent that special really anybody can do it. O'brien shouldnt of expected Jorgensen to save him.

Field Trip

O'Brien is bold to have the guts to go back with his daughter and show her the place were Kiowa died. He went back to that tragic moment in his life. I personally wouldnt want to go back to a place that brought back painful memeries of war and death. I think that O'Briens actions was a sign of respect and to leave all the memories and thoughts right their in field. Sometimes we have to go back to the past and pacth up things to make things right we must have the courage to admit to our faultys and try to make things right.

Good Form

O'Brien definition of truth is what i think iam going to live by from now on. See he gives hints on things that he done but really he didnt do it. I know that make sno sense but we have to be real what ourselves and try to make sebse of it. Are we capable of telling the truth or are we capable of Handling it?

In The Field

This reveals that it was alot of pressure on these young men during the war. Jimmy Cross feels guilt just like Bowker did but he shouldnt feel guilt. This chapter makes us really appreciate veterans and show them more respect. Looking for that body and digging it up is a pretty messed up feeling. for them to dig up the body and say they that had to get their mind off kiowa is a bad way to look at things. You have to have tough skin to ignore what just has happend.

Notes

I think that this chapter reflects the memories and post tramautic stress after the war. In the previous chapter we see that Bowker seems like he is goin to be okay and adapt back to civilization. I discussed in my last blog that Kiowa deaths shouldnt be looked at as a no act of courage on Bowker's part. But i was shocked to see that Bowker hung him self. Could he humg himself because he felt that O'Brien didnt include Kiowa in the story or was he fed up with the stress of Kiowa's death. Tragic way for bowker to die.

Speaking of Courage

This chapter is emotionnal to me because it showa what soldiers think about when they go home. Bowker must feel bad because he couldve did more for his friend and put his own life on the line for his fellow battlemate but instead he just let him go. Veterans to me sometimes put to much pressure on themsleves. Although Kiowa death was tragic we still have to look on the bright side of the things Bowker did accomplished wining 7 medals and serving his country.

Stockings-Style

In stockings I feel that the panty hoes at first were worn because they were his girlfriends. But over the time he spends in Vietnam the panties become a good luck charm. Even after she dumps dobbins he still wears them because now the panty hoes are part of him and he believes that they are good luck. 

In the church chapter it seems to me that church is waht brings the human out of them. After all of the figthing and killing they done they come to a place were they can interact with other people. Although some of them say that they arent religious its just the fact that being around other humans in a time of war can help you cope with your problem.

In the man I killed chapter reveals the sensitism of war. It comes a point in war were you actually have to sit back and witnessed yourself what you have become. O'Brien tries to imagine the possibilities of what that young man couldve been before he killed him. In war we kill one another but at the same time we call each other enemies. However we have to think to ourselves are we really the enemies against ourselves. what makes the cause their fighting for wrong in our eyes. that whats this chapter reveals about war. See the man that we fight against probably have a wife like the next man, kids, a house, and family jus that the nationality, and the flag we fight for is what makes us kill one another.

I dont understand whats the problem in this chapter if he was the enemy then why wouldnt he kill him is it because he ran off and hesitated and showed a sign of surrender. If O'Brien was the man wlaking im pretty sure that the other soldier wouldve killed him.

This chapter is confusing as well. All it was was a litle girl dancing, maybe Dobbins felt that Azar actions were childish and that they were not of good intentions. So we began to see saome humanity in the war and that humane person is Dobbins.

Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong

This is by far the strangest thing in the book. A guy named Fossie is in love with his highschool sweatheart and she works as a medic in the army. hoever she begans to act wierd and missing on some nights. She likes to go out on patrols at night with no weapon. That itself is crazy but what gets me is that  he cathces her in the speicla forces hut with a leaopard head and human toongues around her neck that is crazy. Its like she has become attached to vietnam and is now part of the war itself. War can somtimes make you mad and in her case this has made her crzy beyond return. How would she adapt back to the new world when she returns home?

Fact or Fiction - Dentist

   How to tell a true war story may be about war but it can be generalized to everyday life. Sometimes when people tell a story we have the choice to decide whether it is true or not. Stories are meant to entertain us and how far do we go to get another person to be intrigued by our personally adventures. In war its sort of the same, often men come back from war claiming that they did a corageous thing but realy they did nothing. Reality is that most men are afraid to admit that they are scared when they are sent off to battle and that instead of performing an corageous act they did jobs that every other man in combat did. Instead of stories and embracing the glory of war we should talk about the positives of war. We should discuss how being afraid brought men together to protecet one another and become brothers those are stories that should be told.

    The dentist is a brief chaapter, but reveals the pride of a man. See Lemon admits that he had bad experiences with the dentist anf he not going to go in the ten. He faints before the dentist lays a finger on him. Its ironic because he faces death everyday and takes life everyday but, he is afraid of something that helps him. He is to in fact probably scared of death but he doesnt figh in the heat of battle. He goesa back to the tent because he has a toothache but the dentist cant find anything wrong with him he demands the tooth be yanked out. when his teeth is yanked out maybe he feels that he has prove that he isnt afraid of the dentist. The only reason why he performed this action is beacuse he is ashamed of what the men might think of him.

2nd Blog

O'Brien gets his draft notice after he finishes college. In college he opposed the war and didnt want to be part of it. His community pressures him to go to war but he contemplates on what to do. He decides to go to Canada, on his way there he meets an old man that seems to have some sort of influenece on his descision to go to war. O'Briens descision was one that I think he didnt make on his own. Thinking of loyalty, honor, and respect he isnt thinking about what he wants. 

In the enemies and friends chapter we can see what war can do to friends fighting on the same side. Jensen thinks that Strunk stoled his knife and they get into in altercation. After the fight is over however Jensen has to watch his back because he feels that Strunk will get him back. Jensen end up breaking his own nose and Strunk admits to stealing his knife. War brings out the worst in the men but at the same time it brings out the best in them as well. Realizing that they have an common enemy they cant afford to be fighting one another. Strunk and Jensen form a friendship and make a pact that if one of them is seriously injured the other would kill him to end his suffering. Strunk leg is blown off and he begs not to be killed. A chopper comes to get him and Jensen gets the news that he make the flight and Jensen is relieved.  I think that Jensen is relieevd because maybe Strunk wouldnt of wanted to live the rest of his life misearably in a wheel chair. That pact that they made I believe was quite common in Wars instead of being in pain and torment a buddy would kill his friend to end his pain.

The Things They Carried

In the 1st chapter of the book characters are describe by the things they carried. The things they carrie reflect their character throughout the chapter. The objects also tells us what they are like. Jimmy Cross carries letters from a girl that isnt in love with him, he believes that she is in love with him, this idea keeps him sane during the conflict in vietnam. Henry Dobbins carries extra things and is big guy. Dave Jensen carries hygiene products. Ted Lavender carries tranquilizers and dope to ease his mind. Mitchell Sander carries extra condoms indicating he must have sex with local women. Norman Bowker carries a thumb and a diary which means he often writes what he experiences in the war. Rat Riley carries comics, medical supplies and M & M's. Kiowa who is black because of his sitrust of the white man, carries an illustrated new testament bible. Lee strunk carries tanning lotion. All of the individuals carrie seperate things that identifies different characteristics, but they all carry similiar things that let us know they have similarities. The simularities they have is that they all wana survive and get home.