"If I Die in a Combat Zone"

Summary


One thing I thought of while I was reading "If I die in a Combat Zone" was how even though you dislike something while you're doing it you may find you actually miss it after you finish. The main example of this in the book is the author's changing opinion about the Vietnam War from the beginning to the end. When he is drafted he spends a long time deciding whether or not he should desert his position or stay with the army, at one point even getting on a bus to the airport. However he decides to stay, even though he disagrees with the war, because he didn't want to bring shame to his family. While fighting, he bares his soul in an examination of courage, justice, and the brutal behavior of infantrymen in the Vietnam War. But, every once and awhile there is a remark on a page about him not wanting to be there and how much he would rather be at home or anywhere else, just not in the war. After all of his daydreaming about getting out of the war and going home, he is finally on the flight to Minnesota, where he is from, and he feels saddened that he is leaving. This example shows how the author, even though he disliked the war and much of the time he spent fighting in it, he missed it when he left.



Review


"If I Die in a combat Zone" is a thrilling book about a footsoldier's daily life in the Vietnam War. Tim O'Brein describes what it was like to be drafted, go through basic and advanced military training, spend time with other soldiers and most of all what it was like to fight and kill other human beings. I liked this book because O'Brien does a great job at describing and unfolding the daily life for an American soldier on the frontline. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes War or Action novels because it has a lot of both.