Chapter 11 Summary

Returning from the raid on the Skinnies, Rico is sad about Flores’ death, but happy to be back aboard. A Navy gunner making small talk says how easy the MI have it – 30 minutes of combat in 30 days. Rico sees the MI as aviators in earlier mechanized wars: few encounters, lots of training. Their next drop is against a distant Bug colony. Rico receives his corporal’s stripes provisionally, but with casualty rates so high, he assumes he will keep them. The gunner is not right about “loafing” between drops. Rico is responsible for checking, servicing, and repairing 53 suits between drops, plus weapons and special equipment. Sometimes he has to bring a new suit from cold to hot, a 26-hour task. The Roughnecks work hard but also have fun.

After being bumped to assistant section leader over three corporals with seniority, Rico knows he...