"With a hangover and with fear, it is difficult to put a helmet on your head."
O'Brien focuses in depth upon the horror of combat. He and his buddies spend their time self-medicating the dread of battle with alcohol, stories, and all sorts of revelry. They combat their own fear by celebrating every spare moment. In the morning, however, O'Brien faces battle with his senses dulled from a hangover, potentially a lethal mistake.
"Do dreams offer lessons? Do nightmares have themes, do we awaken and analyze them and live our lives and advise others as a result? Can the foot soldier teach anything important about war, merely for having been there? I think not. He can tell war stories.”
O'Brien recognizes that one soldier's memoir is not enough to forever change the course of human history and prevent further wars, but he believes that his story is important and deserves to be told. As the final function of his duty, he writes this book to inform the American people about the real cost of war. O'Brien still deals with horrible nightmares and the actual memories of war are worse still, but he records his experiences in this book because he believes he is not alone in this act.
"It's sad when you learn you're not much of a hero."
O'Brien learns, alongside his fellow soldiers, that no human is exempted from fear. He is not the bold, confident hero who would sacrifice himself willingly. Even if he wanted to be brave, O'Brien is subject to his limited body, which will not readily face death.
“Courage is nothing to laugh at, not if it is proper courage and exercised by men who know what they do is proper. Proper courage is wise courage. It's acting wisely, acting wisely when fear would have a man act otherwise. It is the endurance of the soul in spite of fear - wisely.”
During his service, O'Brien learns a great deal about true courage. He comes to recognize that courage is a deliberate act, a test of the will to dominate the mind and body. Both the elements of reason and discipline make courage possible. It is not a romantic ideal which one can want badly enough to accomplish.
