What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)
-thought it was just a way to get away from normal life
-didn't really expect having to fight
-war was actually declared, and he would have to fight
-shock of what war really was
-saw the body bags being brought for them
-walked for 2 months, looking for VC who weren't even there
-not prepared for combat
-saw stacks of dead bodies and wounded soldiers
-walked through a forest into other troops
-shot and killed a soldier
-covered with blood, had to play dead
-got a vein severed in his right leg
-napalm dropped right next to him, and explosions right around him
-friends died
How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?
At first, he thought of fighing as just a way to escape real life. He wasn't exactly in support of the war, just in support of an adventure. He was not expecting to have to fight, and he didn't think it would be all that bad. After the war, he is upset with anyone who was involved in the battle or in killing people in any way. He became very "cynical" and was annoyed at anything war-related. He hated people in general. He then realized that life is ok, and that he shouldn't hold grudges. He thought, at the same time, however, "What in God's name was the point?"
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