I am reading Welcome to Vietnam, by Zach Emerson. This book shows the camaraderie of its characters and the changes they go through from the effects of the war. Michael, the main character, realizes how serious this war can get and the affects it has on himself and his friends.
Michael sees how series the war is when he's standing watch, accompanied by his friend, Snoopy, who usually has a funny and light personality. Snoopy tells Michael about what to do when guarding the base and how serious it can be if you screw up. "Couple rules out here, Meat," Snoopy said. "You break either, you will surely catch hell for it. Don't ever fall asleep on guard, and don't ever get high in the bush. We get to the rear, you do whatever makes your little self happy, but out here, that king of thing'll get your butt fragged. You hear me?"
Michael is shocked to hear this from his friend. Snoopy, a really care free guy, anxiously showed him how easy it is to die from a simple screw up. This was not kidding around anymore.
And in another scene with Snoopy, Michael and he are sitting in the trenches in the pouring rain while watching the perimeter. The rain is soaking the boys and everything around them, and Snoopy can sleep, even while getting drenched with water. Michael realizes the king of conditions he and his friends are living in. He thought, when he [was drafted/enlisted] that this was going to be an adventure.
Finally, Michael sees the seriousness of the war when one of the guys in another squad gets sick from the heat. The sick guy has to be evacuated in a helicopter. Instead of feeling sympathy for the guy, Michael is jealous of the soldier because he gets to escape this terrible war.
Welcome to Vietnam shows how Michael goes from a happy-go-lucky guy in the beginning of the book, to a serious, tough soldier by the end. A soldier who, even though he's scared of what might happen to him, shows bravery in the face of combat and comes out better for it.
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