How to Tell a True War Story has had the most meaning to me so far. The story of Curt Lemon’s death told by Rat Kiley really lets you see just what happens in wars, and how hard it is for the people who are there. Not everyone makes it back home, and Kiley knows that more than anyone, since his best friend has been killed. It affected him so much that he tortured a water buffalo. War is never good. War can twist your idea of right and wrong, and make you do things you may normally not. People die, and see things that they should not have to see. This chapter explains that, and gives many examples as well. There are no good stories to tell from a war, and that’s what this chapter demonstrates. “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have already done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it” (Pg. 65). No good things ever come from a war. Stories only stretch the truth to make them moral. The war experience is a lot different than the actual stories that are told about them. The truth “makes the stomach believe” (Pg. 74).
Mary Anne Bell has definitely stood out to me in this book because the amount of change her character experienced in a short amount of time. She came over to Vietnam from Ohio, not knowing what to expect of the war, and really letting if affect her. She represented innocence that the war didn’t have. But that innocence did not last long. She later completely loses that innocence that she once had. Her whole persona changed, from her personality to the clothes she wore. She changed all her ways during her short period of time in Vietnam, which makes for a pretty interesting story. She shows major change in character, since she basically becomes a completely different person. She demonstrates how changing someone’s environment can have an extreme impact on the person and what they do. She shows the change that can happen to men as they go through the war, but just on a much clearer and more drastic level. She didn’t know how to handle the war, and let it consume her.
It was shocking to see how quickly Mary Anne changed her attitude. War can really influence people negatively. In fact, the war maliciously stole Mary's innocence, turning her into a fighter. Why do you think war twists your sense of right and wrong?
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