Magic
Caputo writes, “Simply by speaking a few words into two-way radio, I had performed magical feats of destruction. Summoned by my voice, jet fighters appeared in the sky to lose their lethal droppings on villages and men. High explosive bombs blasted houses to fragments, napalm sucked air from lungs and turned human flesh to ashes. All this just by saying a few words into a radio transmitter. Like magic.” Caputo’s authorization contributes to the immediate annihilation which is epitomized by ashes and fragments. His role in the war entails sanctioning assaults on the adversaries. His voice is mystic considering the ramifications that follow once he has proclaimed his commands.
Construction Project
Caputo writes, “THE MARINE CORPS BUILD MEN was another slogan current at the time, and one November 28 I became one of its construction project.” The figurative ‘construction project’ alludes to the potential of the Marine Corps to magnify and authenticate an enlisters’ masculinity. Based on the slogan, the principal enlisters are male who are projected to toughen after their enlistment.
Slavery
Caputo elucidates, “Most of my friends at school thought of joining the army as the most conformist thing anyone could do, and of the service itself as a form of slavery.” The allegorical slavery depicts the arduous nature of the army that would hamper the officers from partaking in conventional engagements. Entering the army is equivalent to surrendering one’s independence because it necessitates sacrifices.
