Spooky: see Puff the Magic Dragon.
Stars and Stripes: a newspaper published by the Department of Defense that claims to be editorially separate from the DOD; reports on all matters affecting military personnel and is provided to them around the world free of charge.
Stract: behaving strictly by military regulations; being overly concerned about military appearance and conduct at the cost of common sense and camaraderie with fellow soldiers.
Tet: beginning of Vietnamese New Year determined by Vietnamese lunar calendar; Tet on our Western solar calendar varies, year to year, between January 21 and February 19.
Tracer: a bullet that leaves a momentary visible trail in the air from a phosphorus-packed rear end; U.S. tracers leave red trails; Chinese and Russian tracers supplied to the NVA and VC leave green trails.
Tropic Lightning: 25th Infantry Division headquartered at Cu Chi; has approximately 13,000 troops attached to it.
Tunnel Rat: a GI who specializes in exploring VC tunnels and killing any VC he finds there.
VC: Viet Cong (South Vietnamese guerillas sympathetic to North Vietnam’s political and military goals); see National Liberation Front.
Vietnamization: “new and revised” U.S. policy announced by President Nixon in June 1969 that attempts to turn the conduct of the war over to the South Vietnamese military and thereby end America’s involvement in Vietnam, something we’ve supposedly been trying to do all along.
Warrant Officer or Chief Warrant Officer: an expert in certain military specialties (e.g., office administrators, trainers, helicopter pilots); they serve under warrant from the Secretary of the Army and rank above enlisted grades and below commissioned grades. Warrant officers have five ranks: the lowest is WO1 and the next four (CW2 to CW5) are called “chief warrant officer.”
"Waste him": to waste a person is to kill that person.
XO: Executive Officer, second in command to the commanding officer (CO).
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
About Andrew’s Military Training
1. What were some of the events and movements in our country during the years 1968 to 1970 that contributed to social and political unrest, and led to concern about the well-being and even survival of the nation?
2. What incident first compelled Andrew to take his military training seriously? Talk about why you think it had that effect on him.
3. What reasons did Andrew give for doing what his military superiors and his government told him to do? Do you agree with his reasoning?
4. By what criteria can we distinguish a lawful command from an unlawful command issued by a sergeant or officer during a time of war? Are there examples we can cite of obviously lawful or unlawful commands that could be useful for developing guidelines for a soldier?
5. Andrew’s wife and family members apparently believed that if his country called him to war—drafted him—he had no choice but to go. Do you agree?
6. Was Sergeant Akeana’s treatment of Duchek purely sadistic or could he have had some remotely justifiable reason for it? What about the platoon’s treatment of Duchek? Might there have been a legitimate rationale behind Akeana’s encouragement of that behavior?
7. What are some of the methods the drill sergeants used to coerce trainees into doing what the sergeants wanted them to do?
8. Do you approve of Lieutenant Kilmore’s treatment of Private Jason Tilson and Private Cunningham? Please explain.
9. What drew Andrew to Carson? Did Carson help Andrew understand what it takes to be a soldier? Or was Carson simply a reckless fool and a bad example?
10. In the Escaped POW Course, was Andrew a coward for running from the ambush? By what criteria might we fairly judge a person a coward?
11. Why would a trainee who was threatened by the guards in the Escaped POW Course pretend, along with the guards, that they had loaded guns? In other words, why wouldn’t any trainee run from a phony, "let's pretend" ambush, as did Carson and Robinson as well as Andrew?
12. In the “Escaped POW Course,” what reasons might the sergeant have had for giving Andrew directions to friendly lines? How might the three POW guards who ambushed Andrew on the gravel road describe their encounter with Andrew?
13. What was going on in Andrew’s mind immediately prior to the POW guard saying, “Whoa, fella, we don’t want any trouble”?
14. Why were Andrew’s jaws aching, eyes burning, and arms “thrumming” after the transport truck arrived at the barracks from the POW exercise? What did Andrew learn about himself? How might it have affected Andrew's behavior in the story titled “Roving Guard”?
15. While polishing their boots in the barracks, Andrew and his friends made a pact together. What was the nature of that pact? Why might someone say their pact was idealistic and sentimental?
16. When Andrew was on the land mine course, what do you suppose contributed to his delusion that he was on a real battle field suffering from a sucking chest wound?
“Ugly Truth, Ugly Justice”
17. Andrew explains his battalion’s policy of not informing family members of the unfortunate and ugly manner in which a surprising number of men die in a combat zone. Do you agree with that policy?
18. After hearing Archie Armstrong’s account of Hackett killing the mama-san, Andrew, having had too much alcohol, fell asleep beside the sandbags and the bunker just as Armstrong did. What might the author be suggesting?
19. Was Colonel Hackett justified in executing the mama-san he believed planted a booby trap that injured and killed some of his men?
“Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts”
20. What was Andrew’s opinion about medals in general? And his opinion about Bronze Stars for excellent non-combat work? Talk about why you agree or disagree with Andrew.
21. Andrew’s comments about “lifers,” in “Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts” and in “Snapshot,” make some readers uneasy, even angry. What do you think about those comments? How might Andrew have come to such opinions?
22. Andrew visits Raymond Landers, and his buddies Nitro and Marvin Simmons, to acquire more information so Andrew can write a better Bronze Star recommendation for Landers. Simmons doesn’t seem as impressed with Landers as is Nitro. Why might that be?
23. When Raymond Landers reflects on his act of bravery, he says about the woman he saved, “Got hit in the leg…. I mean, I saw her … watched her dragging around. But I thought the gooks with me in the ditch, I don’t know…. Or maybe … but that’s stupid, with the kids….” Why is he verbally stumbling around like that? What is he insinuating about the “gooks”?
24. Nitro tries to explain and defend Landers by saying, “Those fuckers are dedicated…. Nobody knows what they might do.” Why do you suppose Nitro said that? What did he mean?
25. Simmons responds to Nitro’s comment (“Nobody knows what they might do”) by saying, “Some’ my women I know is like that,” and then chuckles and looks over his shoulder at men passing around photographs and “hee-hawing together.” What might be the significance of Simmons’s comment?
“De-Drumming”
26. Derek Waller cuts loose on Andrew: “If you’re so righteous, why are you in Vietnam? Nobody even knows why we’re here. You came over here ready to kill women and children because otherwise you’d go to jail. Right? And now you get high and mighty because I fucked a prostitute … At least I’m not a fucking hypocrite.” Do you agree with Waller? Might there be a more middle-of-the-road judgment of Andrew?
“Perilous Foundations”
27. Reeko, sitting at the edge of the excavation, told Markowski, “When my company discovers a tunnel? They call me.” Markowsky asked, “So you’re ordinarily out in the boonies with an infantry unit?” In response, Reeko looked contemptuously at him. Why did Markowski ask that question? And what reasons might Reeko have had for responding the way he did?
28. How might someone argue that “Perilous Foundations” is a metaphor for the planning and execution of the entire Vietnam War?
> “R & R”
29. When Jerry continues speaking of Andrew as though he’s Watson to Jerry’s Sherlock Holmes, Andrew says Jerry is doing “the worst kind of posturing, because it’s true.” To which Jerry says, “Touché,” and Andrew shoots back “a fake smile.” What’s going on here?
30. Explain Jerry Maener’s reasoning about why the soldier who fell into the bed of his truck and was buried under hot asphalt would be judged by most soldiers in Vietnam as a “dumb fuck” or an “asshole.” Does that reasoning condemn Jerry and Andrew as being morally corrupt assholes?
31. After worrying that they all might be drowning in jasmine tea, Andrew says, “I don’t care. It’s all so beautiful.” Why does Andrew say, “I don’t care”? Obviously he does. And why does he say “It’s all so beautiful”? It’s obviously not. What’s going on here?
32. Try unpacking a few similarities (and differences too) between REMF Andrew Atherton's comment, "I don't care, it's all so beautiful," and the comment sometimes made by grunts out in the boonies after seeing yet another buddy killed: "Don't make no never mind."
“Intervention”
33. Gallagher tells Andrew the old man who was terribly burned spoke “words of forgiveness” to Gallagher. Why did Gallagher feel he needed forgiveness? Was he correct about that?
34. Andrew warns Lieutenant Paddington, “… if the full story of the Sáng Mât Trâng fire were picked up by Stars and Stripes or the press back home, your medal winners might appear foolish despite their obvious heroism.” Why?
35. Imagine yourself as an avant-guard newspaper reporter writing an article about the Sáng Mât Trâng Village fire. What might be your first sentence?
36. In what way(s) might “Intervention” be interpreted as a metaphor for the entire Vietnam War?
“KP with Bruno, Tweeze, and Berry”
37. If you’ve been in the military and assigned KP duty, was your experience similar to Andrew’s? In what ways?
38. Have you ever worked in a job where the boss thought he or she could treat workers anyway he or she wanted? What effect does that environment have on a person?
39. What is Berry’s “connection” to Sergeant Major Mollema? Do you think, as Dretchler did, that a white person would get a less speedy repair of the dishwasher?
40. What is the primary issue a higher authority would consider when reflecting on Berry’s request to the sergeant major?
41. What are your thoughts about “Berry-Ain’t-Cherry”? Do you find him compelling? Offensive?
42. Talk about Berry showing Andrew and Tweeze how a black jazz and dance enthusiast would dance to the music of Billie Holiday. What was Berry giving Andrew and Tweeze?
“Riding High With Mangus”
43. Mangus tells Andrew, “Don’t mess with me, man. You got a college education and you’re working at battalion headquarters, right?” To which Andrew says, “I’m not walking down that road, Mangus.” What road does Andrew wish to avoid? Do you suppose he’s walked it before?
44. How does Andrew win Mangus over to answering Andrew’s questions?
45. During the Vietnam War, many soldiers like Andrew, Mangus, and Jerry Maener smoked marijuana and used other drugs. What do you think about that practice?
“Going Out in Trucks”
46. Captain Blaine instructs the assembled perimeter guards, “If you men in those bunkers [that have cut phone lines] see movement beyond accurate firing range, pop smoke and I’ll send a runner for details. Otherwise, the roving guard will keep you tied in with info.” Explain what Captain Blaine is talking about.
47. Why do you suppose Sergeant Tibbot ordered the reserve guards out to the perimeter in trucks?
48. If you were asked to assess Tibbot’s military performance, what would you say is his primary fault? His primary virtue?
49. Do you agree with Andrew that a soldier is justified in killing an officer or a sergeant who is unnecessarily dangerous to the welfare of the troops?
50. When Tibbot was on the phone and the reserve guards were standing in the underground bunker ready to walk defiantly up to ground level, why did they delay their departure? Was it because Andrew said, “Hold off…”?
51. Do you think Andrew rigged the booby-trap grenade in Tibbot’s desk? What reason(s) do you have for thinking that?
52. Was Tibbot responsible for Berry’s death?
“Pure Dumb Luck”
53. Sully Martin claims Andrew “let someone else do his job for him” on Hamburger Hill. Is that true? Did Andrew “suck ass” in order to shirk his responsibility? Is he deserving of blame?
54. Andrew asks Sully Martin what fighting was like on Hamburger Hill. Martin answers, “You wanna know what it’s like out there, go fight the fuckin’ war yourself.” Martin’s answer made Andrew sick to his stomach and his face burn with embarrassment. But why? As Andrew says, if Martin had the chance, he would have done the same thing Andrew did.
55. Was it, indeed, only “dumb luck” that provided Andrew an escape from the fighting on Hamburger Hill?
“Ralph Mantis”
56. Anything in “Ralph Mantis” that especially amuses or puzzles you?
“Roving Guard”
57. What do we know about Andrew that might have contributed to his decision to euthanize the two wounded men?
58. Was Andrew a moral monster for trying to kill those two wounded men? Was he a coward for not killing them?
59. How might Andrew's struggle over what to do about the wounded men resemble the moral struggle some men have over participation in the Vietnam War? Or any war? How might protesters who went to Canada in opposition to the Vietnam War judge mercenaries who, for money or a job, will fight in whatever war the American government orders them to fight my country right or wrong?
60. Suppose Andrew had shot those two wounded men as he initially intended. What might have been the consequences if he had been caught by the Sergeant of the Guard? If he had not been caught?
61. Is euthanasia ever justified in war?
“Jimmy Beamis”
62. At the end of the story, Andrew says Jimmy “was not the only one who killed that eleven year old boy….” Who else then? How?
63. Andrew says Jimmy’s killing of the boy “ushered that boy’s father into a lower level of hell.” Describe the hell Andrew presumes the father is already in. What risks might the father be taking? What compromises? What hardships might he be enduring?
64. What might Andrew have meant by writing, “… we were not good men. We were the men we’d read about in history books.”
65. In “Jimmy Beamis,” what has Andrew come to believe about himself and the world of human affairs?
“Snapshot”
66. How does Andrew describe “lifers”? Might he be partially correct? Or is Andrew’s description due simply to a clash of civilian and military cultures?
67. How would you describe Andrew’s behavior toward Sergeant George Garrett at the table in the mess hall?
68. The reader is led to believe that “Snapshot” will be a portrait of George Garrett. But who else is profiled in “Snapshot”? Is that portrait flattering?
69. Why didn’t Jerry and Andrew want to join the celebration of their own promotions?
70. Why did Jerry yell, “Why can’t you respect a difference of opinion?” at men who will surely dismiss the question as naively high-minded?
71. After leaving the party, Andrew returns to his hooch and tries to read, but he can’t concentrate. “I was angry. Humiliated. And not just by the behavior of the other men. I didn’t feel right about myself either, but I couldn't identify why.” Why didn’t he feel right about himself? Why couldn't he identify what was wrong?
72. What could the buffalo symbolize?
“Getting Out and Going Home”
73. Andrew describes the sense of unreality the men experienced on the plane flying back to the States. What are some things he mentions that brought about that sense of unreality? Might this be true
for soldiers coming back from other wars?
74. At California’s Oakland Army Discharge Center, what motivated an entire gymnasium full of returning GIs to behave in what the MP captain described as an insurrection?
75. When Andrew was looking out the window of the taxi taking him from the Oakland Army Discharge Center to the airport, he says, “This is the face of my culture. Maybe the soul of my nation. This is why I was sent to war. This is why my fellow soldiers died. To protect all this.” What mixed feelings might Andrew have had as he said this?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would not have had the confidence or courage to start and complete this novel if it had not been for the support and guidance I received, above all, from from Jacqueline, Gaynell, and Kristina, but also from Phillip, Harvey, and Amira. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
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