The Vietnam War was a psychological and physical battle for all the young men who were drafted or volunteered. Caputo's own reasons for volunteering illustrate the mentality for some of the men entering into this journey. Those who are inducted into Vietnam face disturbing moral dilemmas that can be expected in an "ethical wilderness." The draft introduced a myriad of young men to the once forgotten moral ambiguity of war. Average American citizens must balance right from wrong in a world without morals or meaning. Caputo himself struggles with the idea that killing in combat is morally justified.

Philip Caputo joins the Marines for the same reasons most young men leave their home city or town. He wants adventure, an escape from the mundane and the idea of being a hero; Caputo dreamed of being "John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima," storming the beaches as only a...