"How to Tell a True War Story" is not a story in the traditional sense. It does not follow a straight, chronological path from start to finish. Rather, it is a collection of small stories interspersed with instructions about "true" war stories.

The story opens with the words, "This is true." The narrator then goes on to tell the story of his friend Rat Kiley, who writes a letter to the sister of his buddy who had been killed a week earlier. It is a long, heartfelt letter. He waits for two months for a reply to the letter, but the sister never writes back.

The story then shifts to commentary. "A true war story is never moral," the narrator instructs. The narrator asks the reader to "listen to Rat" as he spews obscenity, as, according to the narrator, a true war story is committed to...