The first thing that caught my attention about this story and this part was the fact that a female was allowed on to the base and that she was freely accepted and became in the end one of the guys. Which is very odd since the Vietnam War was back in the 60's and 70's when women really were not thought of as an equal to men or could do the same things a man could. The fact that she too felt that rush of having to act fast, having no time to second guess your decision is why she came back. The men felt this too and in a way is why they stay, that and the embarrassment that would come if you wounded yourself just to go home.
This contributes to the story and whole book by giving that example of what when the men are out fighting for their life and that adrenaline is flowing there are in the moment. Then the dust settles and they are happy to be alive and in that moment they feel more alive then they ever have or will if they get home. It is that rush that gets them through it. the rush of fighting and winning the fight for your life. The rush to make a decision and having no time to think about it twice or go back and choose differently. It is the ultimate high that one can achieve.
This is why I think so many go and sign up is in a small part to have that adventure and to support something that you feel you beleive in. It is also a way to find who you are real quick.
in the story the female kind of represents America and the way of life we have here. Then she comes over to Vietnam and is corrupted by the rush and wilderness of it all. The same thing happened to the guy. She was able to become her true self in a way and prove that she was just as good as anyone of the guys there.
Image From:http://historyplanet.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/forgotten-heroes-of-the-vietnam-war/
Image From:http://www.allpics4u.com/places/the-years-of-vietnam-war.html
Absolutely loved reading this, because I agree with you 100%. I wanted to sign in with the Navy to be a nurse, because I love medical and I'd rather help our soldiers who have been wounded or sick, vs some drunk guy who comes into a hospital because he broke his hand over someones head. When you pointed out that when this woman was allowed on the base, and could act and preform in the same way the men could, that's a very interesting point that I didn't even think about, but it adds to the story a lot. It is always important to support the things we love, and this is a true example of it.
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