The Medic

The chapter Night LIfe, is completely about Rat Kiley's decline. The medic lost it when the platoon had to only move at night; "the strain was too much" for the soldier. Kiley lost his self and his medical abilities. One morning, he completely lost his mind and had the bright idea to shoot himself in the foot, leading to his discharge to a hospital. As crazy as he may have seemed, the idea was surely part of his plan to get out of the place he was in. Nonetheless, the entire situation stunned me. Of any of the men in the platoon, Kiley seemed to be handling the Vietnam War the best. He retold countless stories of the horrors of the war, kept his humor, and continued to risk his life to save others while he did his job as the medic. I never believed that Kiley was going to be the soldier to lose it. Yet, I suppose that is how war works. You never quite know who it is going to affect and how it will affect them. Everyone reacts to situations differently, and Rat Kiley was no exception to the rule.