Abe Akira: Short Stories

Describe Mary Anne when she arrives at the medical unit. How does Mary Anne behave after she arrives? How does Mary Anne begin to change?

Chapter 9 “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” the things they carried
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When she arrived, Mary Anne was youn, innocent, and somewhat flirtacious. The men loved having her around. Over time, she learned to shoot a gun, helped out with the injured, stopped wearing make-up, and joined up with the Green Berets.

It was Vietnam, after all, and Mary Anne Bell was an attractive girl. Too wide in the shoulders, maybe, but she had terrific legs, a bubbly personality, a happy smile. The men genuinely liked her. Out on the volleyball court she wore cut-off blue jeans and a black
swimsuit top, which the guys appreciated, and in the evenings she liked to dance to music from Rat's portable tape deck. There was a novelty to it; she was good for morale. At times she gave off a kind of come-get-me energy, coy and flirtatious, but apparently it never bothered Mark Fossie. In fact he seemed to enjoy it, just grinning at her, because he was so much in love, and because it was the sort of show that a girl will sometimes put on for her boyfriend's entertainment and education.

Mary Anne wasn't afraid to get her hands bloody. At times, in fact, she seemed fascinated by it. Not the gore so much, but the adrenaline buzz that went with the job, that quick hot rush in your veins when the choppers settled down and you had to do things fast and right. No time for sorting through options, no thinking at all; you just stuck your hands in and started plugging up holes. She was quiet and steady.

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The Things They Carried