“Somebody once wrote: 'Hell is the impossibility of reason.' That's what this place feels like. Hell. I hate it already and it's only been a week.”
Taylor as a young recruit introduced into the unpopular Vietnam War asserts the statement referencing the realities of the warfare. Innocence as the first casualty of the war, Taylor starts facing a moral crisis once familiarized with the horrors of the battles. He finds it is completely in chaos with lots of unnecessary violence contrary to his expectations before recruitment. Furthermore, the conduct of some combatants that were contrary to the moral codes of warfare. Thus, Taylor claims it as hell since there is unfeasibility of rationality in the warfare.
“I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves, and the enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days.”
Another narration by the protagonist Taylor towards the culmination of the film alluding to moral crisis and decay as the actual adversaries rather than the Viet Cong. The disillusionment and trauma that the horrors of war fostered within the participants is the prime battle the soldiers faced and will continue to face way after the end of the Vietnam War. This epiphany by Taylor is one that soldiers have after serving their duties in that they realize the psychological toll that the warfare has caused.
“Ya smoke this sh*t so to escape from reality? Me, I don't need this sh*t. I am reality. There's the way it ought to be, and there's the way it is.”
Barnes refers to the smoking of marijuana by a section of the platoon in order to unwind from the terrors of war. As a disillusioned soldier, Barnes represents the moral degeneration that comes with participating in the warfare hence has lost his sense of humanity. The younger soldiers still harbor a strong morality however the realities of the war gradually disenchant them, therefore, seek escapism through drugs and music. Barnes on the other hand already basks in the decay of the warfare embracing the psychological and moral change that comes with the territory.
“Day by day I struggle to maintain not only my strength but also my sanity. It's all a blur. I have no energy to write. I don't know what's right or wrong anymore. The morale of the men is low, a civil war in the platoon. Half the men with Elias, half with Barnes. There's a lot of suspicion and hate. I can't believe we're fighting each other when we should be fighting them.”
This assertion by Taylor is a clear portrayal of the experiences the combatants face in their day by day while participating in the war. Moral crises face the soldiers as they try to navigate the brutality of the Vietnam War which involved a plethora of ethically questionable undertakings. Moreover, due to the disillusionment, the soldiers lost their determination in the war heavily affecting the rapport within platoons. Also, poor and conflicting leadership tactics impacted the dynamic of the American soldiers represented by the differing opinions by the Sergeants, Barnes and Elias.
“In '65, yeah. Now, no. What happened today is just the beginning. We're going to lose this war.”
Sergeant Elias refers to the vanishing determination among the soldiers as the war progresses in intensity. In 1966, there was little progress by the American troops despite the massive buildup of forces in the region, and by the end of the year hopes for victory were low. The U.S forces were facing decreasing support back home and entering a period of disillusionment, moral decay, and disobedience as desertions increased. The film’s events taking place in 1967 finds the war at a delicate juncture where the American troops were minimizing contact with the enemy to prevent further futile encounters. Thus, Elias’ assertion alludes to this changing dynamic in the war which would lead to the eventual withdrawal.
