Civilians in Vietnam Tim O Br essays

Civilians in Vietnam Tim O' Br essays If I Die in a Combat Zone, a chilling depiction of what life was like in the war between the armed forces of the USA and the Vietnamese in the late 60s and early 70s. The way the soldiers lived their lives, minute by minute, not day by day is a chilling insight as to what life was like as a soldier in the way. Was it fair to say that the soldiers of the USA mistreated civilians of the Vietnamese decent or that what they did was just part of being a soldier? Tim O Brien is not only a veteran of the war but is also the author of the novel If I Die in a Combat Zone. His first hand depictions of the war help create a very clear picture in the mind of the reader as to what it was like during the war. It was not a bad war until we sent a night patrol into a village called Tri Binh 4.(83) Not all the soldiers in O Briens Platoon had the heart of a rock; some were annoyed or just plain bothered by the sight or sound of death. Mad Mark, one of the Platoon leaders, was sent out with five other men in a night patrol when they came across ten VC(Viet Cong Soldiers) all sitting around smoking. Mad Mark and his five men went on to take out the soldiers and pretty much dismantle them down to an ear, Christ, Mad Mark just went up and sliced off the dead dink! No wonder hes Mad Mark, like he was cuttin sausages or something. It appeared that in Mad Marks mind that was exactly the right thing to do so you couldnt debate to him that he was wrong. As time passed the men found themselves in another tight situation. What all seemed normal and just as a nice gesture by one of the Vietnamese civilians turned out to be a very disturbing sight to the imagination of the reader. The men wandered to the well of and old man who not only was a very nice man but unfortunately was also blind. The men spent the day at the well using his water, lo ...