If I Die in a Combat Zone

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If I Die in a Combat Zone

If I Die in a Combat Zone is a memoir by a renowned writer, Tim O’Brien. The book talks about the time he was drafted to go to war in Vietnam. Tim is confused about the particulars of the war, and so he protests his drafting. While at boot camp he sees a military Chaplain and explains his situation. The chaplain is surprised by his assertions and tells him that he is betraying his country when he speaks like that. Although he did not want to go, he still abided by the rules and fought in Vietnam for a year. His views are that the fight was pointless and not worth the loss of human lives. Tim details the harrowing experiences of war in his book to give people a glimpse of what the brave young soldiers experienced while at war.

There are two major themes in the book; the first theme of conflict. O’Brien experiences a huge internal conflict when he goes to war. He tries to dodge the draft and the battle to go to Canada but eventually finds himself in Vietnam fighting a war that has nothing to do with his situation or country. Tim is fighting in a war that he does not believe in. He knows that it is unjust for people to lose their lives over such trivial matters. He tries to find guidance from his comrades, but none of them can guide him successfully.

The second theme is courage. The story deals with the investigation of the nature of courage that the soldiers had. The author is quick to look back at his war heroes before going to war. He also observes the other officers at work to get clues on the nature of courage. O’Brien does this with the hope that he may learn from them so that he can conduct himself in an honorable way while at war. Once the author finds himself in a firefight where he is within a meadow, he understands how lack of courage instigates war crimes. He aligns his beliefs with those of Plato that courage means being brave, having temperance and wisdom. He has all these attributes as compared to other soldiers making him unique.

The book is controversial in nature as it talks of war. The source of controversy is whether or not America was justified in taking part in the Vietnam War. The author explains that America had no right to take part in the war as it had nothing to do with her. He finds that his involvement with Vietnam was unjustified. Many people believe the war was justified just as many believe it was not.

It is also convincing as it is a first-hand account of a person who was in the war and got to experience it by taking part in it. The author makes use of various styles of writing to bring the point home thus making it an easy read for anyone. It is also convincing as he paints a vivid picture of all that was going on in the war. The author explicitly says that a foot soldier cannot teach anything serious about the war on account of merely taking part in it but can tell a story.

Almost every piece of writing has the potential to be biased since they are writing from their personal experience. I would say that the book is biased as the author talks about everything that he experienced. Humans have a unique way of seeing things, and they react to provocations differently which could be the source of the bias in the text.