First Lieutenant Archie Joe Biggers; Specialist 4 Stephen A. Howard Summary and Analysis

As a commander of blacks, Joe admits that the race often blames things on the color of skin rather than what actually went wrong. Blacks are a part of America and have a duty to the country because of that. Joe feels that blacks are not owed anything just because their ancestors were slaves. The whole time Joe is in Vietnam he only loses two soldiers. One is a headstrong boy named Cripes who refuses to follow orders and gets himself shot. The other is a kid named Oliver who always volunteers to walk point. Hobo is a dog in the company said to sniff out Vietnamese. After eight months Hobo is treated just like one of the guys. The men even give him shades...