Chapter 11, Assault Summary and Analysis

In the mind-numbing heat of the Batangan Peninsula, the soldiers march in the mornings and spend the afternoons in shady retreat. They are careless with their equipment, their safety, and are concerned only with finding shelter from the relentless sun. O'Brien tries to pass the time playing chess with Captain Johansen. O'Brien carries and operates the radio and is therefore always near the Captain. Johansen deftly avoids deep conversation on the morality of the war. His responses are honest, but they are the brief responses of a career soldier. The other soldiers of Alpha Company talk of nothing more than girls back home, prostitutes, or where to go on R&R.

O'Brien receives a letter from Erik, who is stationed in Long Binh as a transportation clerk. The letter from Erik provides O'Brien with his only intellectual connection. The...