Kristina Got More Action Than He Did!

Throughout his memoir, Swofford makes several references to lies, deceit, and those who partake in such extracurriculars; we further realize how honest he, himself, is and how it seems he has been surrounded by those who are akin to those types of behavior (i.e. Kristina, his brother, Fowler, etc.). On page 245, Swofford closes a chapter describing how he and his comrades take fir at anything beyond the firing line in sight, using enemy weapons perhaps to prove his point that "Their weapons didn't fail. They failed their weapons". When the Americans display their firing prowess and then begin to shoot upward, Swofford seems to duck under his Humvee and begins weeping.

It is at this point he states, "I hear my screaming friends, those men I love, and know we'll soon carry that mad scream home with us, but that no one will listen because they'll want to hear the crowd-roar of victory". Since he is clearly concerned with upholding the integrity of both himself and the Suck, he takes his experiences, puts pen to paper and allows us to see inside the daily goings-on of "Active Duty" combat. What is delivered is an anticlimactic account of what I perceive to be his actual contribution to the war. Not even close to as much action as Kristina got in that hotel.