Chapter 1 Summary

Lt. Jimmy Cross carried letters from Martha, the girl he loved. She did not love him; he knew this, and yet it was thinking of Martha and looking at her photographs and letters that helped to remind him of home. Sometimes, his daydreams of Martha distracted him from patrol.

The other men in Alpha Company, we are told, carried many items of necessity. Henry Dobbins, a large man who liked to eat, carried extra rations. Dave Jensen "practiced field hygiene" and thus carried with him a toothbrush, dental floss, hotel soap, extra socks, and foot powder. Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers and dope. Mitchell Sanders carried condoms; Norman Bowker carried a diary. The medic, Rat Kiley, carried comic books. Kiowa, a Native American and a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament from his father, a Sunday school teacher, and a...