Out of the two instances where the comment of soldiers vs gooks is referred, the situation that stood out to me more than the other was when LT McDonough made the comment about being soldiers. Killigan had made the comment earlier in the chapter and this seemed to have struck a nerve with the LT. He had experienced a sense of light to the situation that he had been presented. McDonough had now sensed that this war was being fought by two sides with each side fighting for their own reasons. The Viet Cong were soldiers just like the Americans and they were performing just as the Americans would do. Lt McDonough had come to this realization after Killigan had made the earlier comment.

I think that when the comment made by LT McDonough, he had viewed them with this negative innuendo but now saw these soldiers from a different form and wanted to present that to the younger LT as well as himself. This reassured him that this battle was being fought by soldiers who each stood for what they thought was right and to my own view, each side thought what they were fighting for was the ultimate right. Respecting soldiers and who they are is one of the many things that McDonough seemed to pick up following his interactions and experiences while in Vietnam.