Summary: Chapter 20
I also knew when I got back, she would
expect me to be the same person, but it could never happen.
See Important Quotations Explained
During the evacuation, a scuffle breaks out between the
Americans and their Vietnamese allies. The Vietnamese want to be
evacuated first, so they threateningly surround the American troops.
The American choppers, however, notice what is taking place and
open fire on the Vietnamese, enabling the Americans to evacuate.
Later, back at camp, Monaco suffers terrifying, vivid flashbacks.
The squad celebrates what would have been Brew’s nineteenth birthday.
Gearhart writes three copies of a letter to his wife and
gives Richie and Walowick each a copy, in case something happens
to Gearhart before he can mail his own copy. The letter is an average letter
home, but Gearhart asks his wife to tell their children that he loves
them. Richie thinks about how deeply he wishes that he had a wife
and kids waiting for him at home—someone to connect him with life
outside of war, someone who could make him look forward to returning
to civilian life.
Richie finally writes a letter to Kenny about the realities
of war, dispelling the war-movie myths of heroism and the idea that
a stark division always exists between the good side and the bad
side. He tells his brother that war is simply about killing the
enemy before the enemy kills you. Right and wrong, Richie explains,
are concepts that can only be contemplated in safety, far from the
heat of battle. After writing the letter, he wonders how he will
feel about his role in the war once he is back home and being hailed
as a hero by his fellow countrymen.
Summary: Chapter 21
Gearhart approaches the squad members and asks whether
they would like to be broken up so that all the squads in the platoon
are roughly equal in size. Staying together, he warns, would ensure
that they are sent on missions more frequently than the other, more depleted
squads. Despite the added danger, the squad refuses to split up.
Richie and his friends now realize that the war is not going to end
anytime soon and that the rumors of a coming truce have stopped
circulating. Richie is unsure how much longer he can last, as his
time in the hospital has severely softened him.
The squad is sent to patrol a nearby river where Vietcong
activity is suspected. Though Brunner is the highest-ranking soldier
among them, it quickly becomes clear that Johnson, with his quiet
good sense, is the squad’s true leader. The river seems quiet at
first, with no enemies in sight. The squad then spots enemy soldiers
hiding in the water among the reeds. Afraid that there are many
more Vietcong present than initially suspected, the soldiers turn
around to retreat. Richie and Peewee are sent across the river to
secure a ridge on the way to the evacuation site. As they cross,
they hear a firefight break out behind them.
Summary: Chapter 22
Richie and Peewee become separated from their squad during
the confusion and spend the night hiding in a small hole. Peeking
out, they realize that an entire battalion of North Vietnamese has
been patrolling the river. When an enemy soldier checks the hole
in the morning, Richie and Peewee kill him and carefully make their
way to the original chopper landing site, hoping that choppers will
be sent there to look for them. At the landing zone, they find Monaco sitting
alone, looking terrified. They quickly realize that there are enemy
soldiers hiding in the bushes surrounding Monaco. The enemy soldiers
are hoping to use Monaco as bait to draw in the choppers, and then
kill Monaco along with all the Americans who land. When the chopper
arrives, however, Peewee and Richie open fire on the enemy soldiers,
alerting the choppers to the enemy presence and saving the lives
of Monaco and many others. The choppers open fire on the Vietnamese,
enabling all the Americans to board safely. Both Richie and Peewee
are wounded during the scuffle.
