Because it is only shoulder-deep, a soldier can stand in a spider hole and still use his gun with ease, but it can also be covered with a lid. Camouflaged, it is used mainly for observation. A spider hole is similar to a foxhole, but it is meant for one man. They hide in a spider hole for the night. When the squad ends up trapped, fighting against the Vietnamese, Richie and Peewee manage to escape. The main problem is that Brunner is both haughty and inexperienced. They are tasked with tracking the North Vietnamese forces along a river. A soldier named Brunner is chosen to lead Richie’s squad. More troops are being sent home, which leaves fewer men to fight in Vietnam. Ultimately, he decides he should return to his squad because he does not know where else he would go if he did decide to run away. Richie debates between running away and returning to his squad to fight when he heals.

He also meets other soldiers who are wounded more seriously than he is, and they are sent home. When he is wounded, he is sent to a military hospital where Judy looks after him. At that point, Captain Stewart tells him that if he can use a typewriter, then he can work in his office.Įxposure to more fighting makes Richie more comfortable with combat. He also writes a letter to Peewee’s ex-girlfriend. When other soldiers find out about his flair for writing, they ask him to write home to families of deceased soldiers.

As Richie contemplates writing home to his mother and Kenny, he is torn between telling them the truth about the war-especially after he kills someone in combat-and keeping it from them so that he can protect them. They begin to wonder what they are doing there, both personally and as the United States of America. When he is killed, the squad members, including Richie, suffer from grief. Under Captain Stewart is Lieutenant Carroll.

Fallen angels walter dean