Explain what Richie means when he says, "I had thought that this war was right, but it was only right from a distance."

Perry is a contemplative soldier, often analyzing his decision to go into war in the first place and questioning the moral reasoning behind the American presence in Vietnam. Perry had, at first, accepted reasons for the war at face value but after serving sees that the war only made sense from a distance. This war had nothing to do with fighting for ideals or country. The American soldiers could not kill those whom they could not find, and ended up killing innumerable Vietnamese civilians as a result. Perry found more in common with the people he killed than with white Americans.