If I Die in a Combat Zone, author Tim O’Brien, argued that the Vietnam War was unjust yet there was still a sense of humanity left, through his depictions of himself, O’Brien and his fellow soldiers in their daily life in combat, how he was brought into the war, and through his self reflection about his actions as a combat soldier before he returned home.
If I Die in Combat Zone, talks about O’Brien and the other soldiers time in combat. Things in their daily lives made O 'Brien believe that the war was unjust because there were many mistakes made by the U.S. Army throughout the war. One of those mistakes was when one of the U.S soldiers accidently shoots a vietnamese woman. Although the woman was with the North Vietnamese Army, the American …show more content…
They took the three old men and tied them to a tree and left them there all night. O’Brien and his friend Bates wanted to let the men go, and was hoping that the lieutenants would. Instead the lieutenants beat the old men to try to get them to talk about the gun (O’Brien 130-131). One of the biggest mistakes that they made was when they invaded a village that were supporters of the U.S. A buck sergeant called in the ambush on the little village and killed thirteen villagers and wounded thirty three (O’Brien …show more content…
In the memoir, O’Brien thought up this whole idea to cross the border into Canada. In the process of doing so, he made it to Seattle but was unable to get on the bus to Canada because he was afraid of embarrassing his family, his home town and the tradition (O’Brien 68). O’Brien could have easily walked away from the whole war, but instead his call to duty was bigger than his hatred of war.
O’Brien also talks about how the war was unjust before he returns home. At the end of the book O’Brien was transferred out of the field, out of the danger zone and behind a desk (O’Brien 180). Although all of the horrific things are in his past, he is haunted by his own thoughts and memories (O’Brien 186). O’Brien is uncomfortable with his thoughts, most likely because what he saw in the Vietnamese War was horrifying.
While he was leaving he was thinking of the things that he learned from the war. Some of the things that he learned in his time of duty were, that war was not all that bad, but it does not make a man out of boys. Also that someone 's manhood is not something that people should scuff about. O’Brien also learned that no one has time to be scared, and if someone is scared they have to act like they are not scared or they will lose respect and their reputation (O’Brien 207-208). In the book, while O’Brien was leaving on the plane, he talks about how there is no joy in leaving.
If I Die in Combat Zone, talks about O’Brien and the other soldiers time in combat. Things in their daily lives made O 'Brien believe that the war was unjust because there were many mistakes made by the U.S. Army throughout the war. One of those mistakes was when one of the U.S soldiers accidently shoots a vietnamese woman. Although the woman was with the North Vietnamese Army, the American …show more content…
They took the three old men and tied them to a tree and left them there all night. O’Brien and his friend Bates wanted to let the men go, and was hoping that the lieutenants would. Instead the lieutenants beat the old men to try to get them to talk about the gun (O’Brien 130-131). One of the biggest mistakes that they made was when they invaded a village that were supporters of the U.S. A buck sergeant called in the ambush on the little village and killed thirteen villagers and wounded thirty three (O’Brien …show more content…
In the memoir, O’Brien thought up this whole idea to cross the border into Canada. In the process of doing so, he made it to Seattle but was unable to get on the bus to Canada because he was afraid of embarrassing his family, his home town and the tradition (O’Brien 68). O’Brien could have easily walked away from the whole war, but instead his call to duty was bigger than his hatred of war.
O’Brien also talks about how the war was unjust before he returns home. At the end of the book O’Brien was transferred out of the field, out of the danger zone and behind a desk (O’Brien 180). Although all of the horrific things are in his past, he is haunted by his own thoughts and memories (O’Brien 186). O’Brien is uncomfortable with his thoughts, most likely because what he saw in the Vietnamese War was horrifying.
While he was leaving he was thinking of the things that he learned from the war. Some of the things that he learned in his time of duty were, that war was not all that bad, but it does not make a man out of boys. Also that someone 's manhood is not something that people should scuff about. O’Brien also learned that no one has time to be scared, and if someone is scared they have to act like they are not scared or they will lose respect and their reputation (O’Brien 207-208). In the book, while O’Brien was leaving on the plane, he talks about how there is no joy in leaving.