Mechanical Hand
After finishing testing for the Federation enlistment, Rico shakes hands with the man taking his paperwork. The man has a mechanical hand and no legs, but tells Rico that the army has made him the man he is today. His injuries are a symbol for the horrors of war. That not everyone comes back with glory as their prize.
Lashes
Johnny is given ten lashes after one of the troopers he was leading during a training exercise is killed. The punishment symbolizes Johnny's lack of having a meaning for being there. That all he wants is to win. To win his girl Carmen and to win the drills. But that is not enough when people's lives are at stake.
Wounded Fleet
After an attempted attack on the Arachnid planet the Federation's starship forces are damaged to an incredible degree and we see the destruction as the return to dock at base. The symbolism is about how the humans have underestimated their foe in war.
Sucked His Brains Out
Rasczack and Rico find a soldier with a bore hole in his head. His brains have been sucked out. The symbol is that these bugs are not a dumb species. They are intelligent and able to take information from within the human brain in order to attack and strategize against the humans.
KIA
Rico is listed as killed in action (KIA) after he is stabbed in the leg by an arachnid though he is very much alive, just wounded. The symbol is that the old Johnny who was only in the army for a girl is gone. He's now a man with a reason to be there and to fight.
