The Heart of the matter

In a New York Times article "Asking the Whole Country to Embrace a War Story" we learn finding what's what can be difficult. Knowing the difference between the enemy and friendlies creates huge dissonance for the soldier:

In comparing Vietnam to current wars, O'Brien is quoted:

“Obviously there are differences,” he said, “chief among them the absence of the draft. But there are enough similarities. These are wars in which there are no uniforms, no front, no rear. Who’s the enemy? What do you shoot back at? Whom do you trust? At the bottom, all wars are the same because they involve death and maiming and wounding, and grieving mothers, fathers, sons and daughters."

Recently, people have gathered to do "Big Reads" for "The Things They Carried." People have the chance to read aloud parts of the story one at a time, in order to see the story in a different light.

This too could be a helpful activity for yourself and others.