nail, 88
Nam. See Vietnam
napalm, 81, 220, 238
narrator. See O' Brien
National Guard, 43
nature terms
air, 108, 139, 143, 191
algae, 146
bamboo, 92
banks, 142
bark, 210
beach, 87, 154
beaches, 87
blossoms, white, 70, 85
boulder, 206, 242
breeze, 156, 214
brush, 126, 132, 133
bush, 98, 106, 115, 168, 198, 200, 206, 233
canopy, 143
causeway, 140, 146, 150, 158
cliffs, 92
cloud, 22, 35, 75, 148, 163, 177, 215
cornfields, 138
country, 91
craters, 169
crud, 145, 157
darkness, 204, 206
dawn, 212, 217
daylight, 202, 204
dirt, 111, 121, 135, 165
dusk, 203
dust, 133
earth, 16, 19, 105, 112, 133, 147, 148, 168, 184, 187
elms, 143
field, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 153, 157, 158, 159, 160
fire, 23, 75, 81, 101, 109, 111, 115, 147, 148, 175, 189, 192, 209
flowers, 104, 128, 129
fog, 17, 18, 24, 72-75, 82, 108, 132, 133, 134, 136
forest, 122
garden, 119, 120, 137, 146
gases, 243
giants, 205
glacier, Wisconsin, 138
gorges, 92, 221
grass, 37, 81, 92, 191, 199, 202, 209, 233
ground, 169,181,184,187
ground, evil, 145
heat, 201, 203, 206
hill, 34, 91, 96, 106, 191
hillsides, 101
hole, 16, 17, 98, 119, 127, 205, 213
horizon, 153
junction, trail, 85
jungle, 32, 91, 105
lake bed, 138
lake, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143,144, 146, 147, 150, 153, 154, 158, 159
land, 96, 116, 125, 142, 192, 202, 204, 209
lawn, 137, 139, 146
light, 19, 101, 106, 123, 128, 209, 210
mist, 162,177
monsoons, 142, 162
moon, 80, 94, 105, 206, 209, 210, 220
moonlight, 92
moss, 70, 85
mountains, 23, 32, 81, 82, 85, 90, 91, 92, 95, 105, 108, 111, 113, 115, 221, 242, 243
muck, 142, 144, 162, 165, 166, 172, 174-176, 181
mud, 148, 148, 156, 162, 163, 166, 169, 173-175, 177, 185
oceans, 23
palm tree, 104
parks, public, 159
pebble, 191, 199, 214
pollen, 129
prairie, 138, 146, 159
prairies, Minnesota, 233
quicksand, 142
rain, 17, 23, 24, 36, 72, 92, 138, 142, 145, 147, 148, 149, 156, 159, 162-165, 167-171, 174, 177, 184
rain forest, 92
ravines, 92
river, 81, 82, 85, 90, 91, 92, 111, 136, 142, 144, 145, 157, 195, 213
roads, dirt, 182
rock, 200
sand, 140, 199
sea, 232
shade, 126
shadows, 202, 206, 210, 211
shore, open, 143
sky, 15, 32, 129, 144, 147, 154, 164, 177, 181, 209, 217, 225, 227, 230
slime, 142, 148, 167
smoke, 133, 135,136
soil, 18, 81
springs, 138
stars, 101, 209, 220
stone, 16, 139, 216, 226
straw, 136, 225
streams, 138
sun, 23, 34, 35, 82, 84, 138, 140, 144, 145, 147, 182, 185, 187
sundown, 92
sunlight, 83-85
sunrise, 102
tails, 150
temperature, 195
terrain, 203
thunder, 148, 162,163,177
trail, 83, 85, 11, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134
tree, 31, 32, 69, 70, 74-76, 78, 81, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 111, 126, 202, 209, 226, 242
tunnels, 202, 205
valleys, 92
vines, 70, 85
waterfalls, 92
waves, 23
wilderness, 91, 105
wind, 19, 133, 210
world, 81, 82, 157, 192, 204, 208, 214
Nazi, 232
NCO [noncommissioned officer], 91, 94
necklace of human tongues, 110-11; See Mary Anne
New Hampshire, 1
New Jersey, 1, 17, 167, 177
newspaper, 134, 177
New Testament, 18
nightmare, 115, 199
NoDoz, 220
Norman. See Bowker, Norman
nucleus, 158
oatmeal, trashed like, "the man I killed," 125
O'Brien, Tim
visits with Lt. Cross, 27-30
"forty-three years old and a writer now," 32, 34, 38, 179, 225, 245
and his parents, 41, 44, 46, 228-230, 240-242, 244
on the Rainy River, 47-61
image of self as hero, 57
tells a war story, 83-85
"the man I killed," 124-134
writes "Speaking of Courage," 155-161
reads Bowker's letter, 155-161
returns to Vietnam, 179-188
gets shot, 189-190
avenges himself on Jorgenson, 203-218
first experience in Vietnam, 226-228
and Linda, 228-246
and his daughter, See Kathleen
obscenity, true war story's allegiance to, 69
odds, the, 192
Ohio, 31
oil, 115, 120
Oklahoma, 3
Oklahoma City, 3, 164
Omaha, 177
ooze, 165
opera, 74, 77
opium dream, 105
ordinance, 203
pagoda, 119, 120, 123
pain, 18
Paladin, 13
panic, 19, 220, 240
parades, 156
parking slots, 150
past, the, like watching a movie, 54
passion, 185, 200
patriotic, 125, 156
peace, 35
pebble, white, 8, 13, 25, 191, 199, 214
pedal pushers, 143, 147, 150, 159
perimeter, 63, 95, 101, 145, 148
checking, 2
edge of, 92, 104
personal hygiene terms
comb, 129
condoms, 3
cosmetic bag, plastic, 90
cosmetics, 98
dental floss, 2
Dr. Scholl's foot powder, 3
fingernail clippers, 14, 129
haircut, 194
hygiene, 98
large compress bandage, 3
mosquito repellent, 2
oral hygiene, 87
soap, 2
toilet paper, 6 13
toothbrush, 2
towel, 217
personal exams, 87
Pest-Rid machine, 151
PFs [Popular Forces of Vietnam], 91
photographs, 4, 23, 27, 28, 143, 185
piasters, 129
picnic tables, 143
picture, 27, 29, 139, 170-172, 176, 182, 222
pigpen, 225, 226
pigsty, 184
pillow, 18
ping pong ball, 32; See games
Phi Beta Kappa, 41, 200
Phillips, Morty, 193-196
plane, as bird, 22
plastic bag, 175, 231
Plato's Republic, 58
number of men in the, 10, 162
average age in, 37
moving out, 76, 222
witnessing baby buffalo's death, 79
of believers, 118
on ambush, 132
searching for Kiowa's body, 162-178
working an AO, 219-20
taking sniper fire, 225
pleasure, 18, 81, 114, 128, 143
pockets, 175, 231, 232
poise, 21
pom poms, 58
popcorn, 33, 58, 230
poppa-san, 33-34
porch light, 233
porches, 137
post, 152
poster, 110
pot lucks, 120
pottery, 226
pressure, as audience, 59
pride, 20, 160, 184, 191
profile, 216
Psy ops leaflets, 14
psychology, 201, 204, 205
PTA, 45
puff, 133
pump, 65
Purple Hearts, 14, 141; See army commendations
Quang Ngai, 71, 76, 125, 184
Quang Ngai City, 182, 219
Quang Ngai Province, 125, 179
rabbit's foot, 13
railway spur, 144
rain dance, 36
Rainy River, 47, 55-58, 60
reading and writing terms
Bible, 122, 18
book, 125, 156, 157, 245
chapter, 158, 159
code books 5
comic books, 3, 28, 224
details, 199, 201
diary, 3
dictionaries, 14
documents, 232
education, 200
envelope flaps, 1
envelope, USO, 31
fiction, 160
frame, dramatic, 158
idea, 215, 217
journal, 128
letters, 1, 2, 8, 23, 24, 34, 35, 36, 67-69, 79, 93, 118, 155-158, 164, 167, 173, 204, 243
magazine, 6, 198
mathematics, 125, 127, 128
narrative, book's, 159
New Testament, 3, 9, 18, 164, 166
note, 160
novel, 158, 159
page, 156, 157
paper, 18, 39, 65
pencil, 14, 234
pencil sharpener, 234
pens, 14
poems, 24
snapshot, 129
story time, 193
story, 29, 35, 38, 39, 67-69,71,76-78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 89, 90, 97, 101, 102, 106, 107, 113, 115, 125, 131, 142, 146, 150, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 179,180,187, 193, 194, 205, 25, 230, 231, 239, 244, 246
typewriter, 32
USO [United Service Organization] stationery, 14
word, 191, 199, 214, 215
realistic, 24, 56, 233
seems real, 46, 71
doesn't seem real, 54, 213, 241
unbelievable events, 73
Mary Anne, 106
Azar's confusion about, 204
too real, 226
real estate, 137
red-clay trail, 37, 59
Red Cross, 35
relief, 12
remember, remembering; See memory
picture of Martha, 28
by narrator, passing mention, 31-32, 43, 48, 71, 76, 181, 184, 201, 203
can't forget, 34, 183
details, 37, 201
leads to story, 38
draft notice, 41, 46
inability to, 46, 51, 159, 185
Rat Kiley's letter about Lemon, 67-68
Lemon's death, 83
Bowker about Kiowa, 153
brought by stories, 157
Kiowa's death, 168, 171, 184
home, 177-178
reality, 204
Linda, 242
all days the same, 15, 24
act of poise, 21
way of coping, 21, 32
monotony, 34, 157
repeated actions, 104, 162, 233
Bowker circling the lake, 137, 146, 150
reputation. See shame, pride
cowardice, 22, 45, 233
pressure for performance 36, 156
letter to relatives 67-68, 164
of Lemon 86, 88
"whiner-vets" 156
of Kiowa 164
of Lt. Cross 166
reserves 43
responsibility. See shame
of hometown citizens 45
world without 143, 178
of leading men 167
of death 170, 176, 179
revenge, as rock, 200
RFs [Regional Forces of Vietnam], 91
ribbons, 80, 141
Rice Krispies, 126
rifle, as teddy bear 204
ripples, 136
road, 137, 138 139, 140, 141, 143, 144, 146, 158, 243
rock band, 73
Roger-dodger, 20
romance, 1, 8, 128
romantic bullshit, 97
roof, 91, 96, 166
room, 101, 109, 134
root beer, 151, 152, 146
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 50
Ruff-and-Puffs, 91
rules, 82, 103, 112; See games
running. See freedom