Chapter 7 Summary

Hodges surveys the Valley and starts to set up for the evening battle. He notices two holes that have been dug very well and asks Snake where they came from. Snake informs him that the "gooks" (slang for the Vietnamese enemy) dug them. Hodges says they've done a great job of engineering the holes. Snake agrees, and gives Hodges a hard time about having Flaky burn a foot along with the clothing, battle dressings, and garbage earlier with his burn call. Senator threw up from the stench, he proceeds to tell him. Hodges tells him that the place needed to be cleaned up. He asks Snake why he didn't take care of it earlier, as he was the highest ranking officer at the time. He tells Hodges that he doesn't like dead things.

Snake finds Hodges to be amusing, and teases him about...