TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS      

                               

I. PROLOGUE

Tho An............................................................................5

II. LEARNING WAR.................................................................8  

         Cowboys and Indians.........................................................9

Toys.....................................................................9

                       Cartoon................................................................10

                       Roy Rogers..........................................................11

                       Atomic Stove........................................................14

Mumblypeg..........................................................15

K'reans.................................................................16

First Blood...........................................................18

Hunger 1.............................................................19

Rogue River 1.....................................................21

Finding Jesus, and

      Eb Hogue's Knife……..................................23

A Rifle, A Pistol..................................................27

Dress Blues 1.......................................................33

Almost a Cowboy................................................36

Canal....................................................................44

Dogs of Eberlein Street........................................48                     

Rogue River 2:

Rattlesnake Air………….....................................51                             

Sunset over Klamath Lake...................................63                             

Second Buck.......................................................64                      

Crater Lake..........................................................67

Semper Fidelis..................................................................74

Gunny Rogers 1. Mama's boy...............................74                       

Sergeant Vance……………..................................77

Man and Rifle Reaching........................................80

Gunny Rogers 2:

The most powerful weapon...................................83

Dress Blues 2.......................................................86                     

Marine Corps History...........................................89

Adeste Fidelis, Semper Fidelis.............................95                                        Banning...............................................................98

29 Palms      

 1. Ungentle........................................................100

 2. Old Enough to Bleed……………………....102

                         3. Footprints.......................................................103

                        Okinawa................................................................106        

With God on Our Side...........................................111

Tonkin.................................................................112                                Olongapo.............................................................121

Put Me In, Coach..................................................123

III. WAR…….............................................................................124

Oakland................................................................125

Going Over............................................................128

Ky Hoa..................................................................137                         

Gunny Rogers 3.....................................................139

Phantom Pisser………………...…........................141

Hunger 2................................................................144                                     
To Kill a Gook.......................................................145

Tam Ky.................................................................146

"You're too late."...................................................149

An Tan.................................................................159

Request Mast........................................................163

Tho An.................................................................166

Man and Pistol......................................................183

Rats.....................................................................185

Marines in Skivvies………………….................191

Howard's Hill.........................................................195

Sergeant of the Guard...........................................198                 
Wartime Is Wonderful............................................202                  Danang.................................................................208

IV. RELEARNING WAR................................................................211

 Back to School, Back to War.............................................211

 Kicking the Leaves...........................................................211

Townies.................................................................216                                             Missouri Squirrels....................................................218

Hunger 3................................................................223

Dark‑skinned Warriors 1..........................................224

Packing .................................................................226

Seminar.................................................................228

Cho Lon.................................................................229

Interlude:

        A Veteran's Dreams...........................................235

        Dream: Nazi Pursuit.........................................237

        Dream:

     Money Man Pursuit……..........................237                     

Mangbuk

                            The Camp.......................................................239

     Soldier Tin......................................................248
     Dream: Bodies of Water...................................258

     Dalat..............................................................259                                     
Saigon    
     LA Cop..................................................................262

                             Kids………………................................................263

                           Dream:

  Vietnamese Children.........................................265                                  
  Spook‑hunting in Laos.......................................266

  Mark................................................................295

              J. Glenn Gray and Kierkegaard and

  Abraham and Isaac...........................................298

              Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, Baku,

  Moscow,Vienna, Prague.....................................305

              Samaritan in Los Angeles...................................339

  Chinese Soldiers................................................340

              Dream: A6 and Wolves......................................342

              Hauling Anchor in Shelter Cove..........................345

                             Triptych

                                     1. The Clubbing......................................359

              2. Bait....................................................362

                                      3. Dream: Vietnamese Women.................364

              Spider and Fly...................................................365

  Fear.................................................................367

  Guard Dog........................................................369

  Dream: Panther, Wife, Rifle................................369

                                      Zen Warrior Bass Player.....................................371

              Sandinistas........................................................373

              Missing Man......................................................385

              Dark‑skinned Warriors 2.....................................398

  Dream: Guts......................................................399

     Indians and Cowboys........................................................399

                            Mercenary 1.......................................................399

          Rus Rus            

                                            1. Maco Stewart's Letter............................405

                    2. Flaco and Luque....................................408

                                            3. Babes in James Bondland.......................411

                    4. Rus Rus.................................................415                                                 5.                                         5. The Tape.................................................423                                                    
                    6. Lasa Tinghni….......................................428

                    7. Red Chief, White Chief............................432

                                            8. In Camp.................................................433

                    9. Border Crossing......................................435

                                          10. Skulls of Tulin Bila..................................440

                  11. Perico's Garrote,

and other stories..................  444

                  12. Meeting.................................................451                                                                      13.                                     13. Out of the Woods...................................461

                  14. Aftermath..............................................464

         Dream: Deadribs..................................................474

         Mercenary 2.........................................................474

                  Guns in Costa Rica................................................482                                               I nter                        Interview with Bill Gandall.....................................497

                   Guatemala: La Violencia........................................506

                  At the Battered Women’s Shelter...........................509

                  Palestinians and Israelis and Americans..................511

                  Dream: Dance of the Arrows..................................532

Ants.........................................................................................534

Dream: Rattlesnake and Pistol....................................................535

IV. THE WEB (ESSAY)..........................................................................538