During the few months Troy had been back home, he’d told his friends about us, and so we quickly eased into the conversation as though we’d all known each other for many years. They embarrassed us with great thanks for having served overseas. They recounted combat events Troy had told them, and we realized by the context of their stories that Troy had made us heroes for his friends because we’d been heroes to him. At this point I was the saddest I’d yet been over Troy’s passing, because the true friend from war is the friend who obliterates his own story by telling the stories of others. .Anthony Swofford
About This Quote
The truth is that, when it comes to war, most people care very little about the actual people they are fighting. They care that the fight continues, that their side wins, and that they get to tell stories about what they did when the fight was over. We all like to think that we would do better than the men who have gone before us. And so we send our sons and daughters off to fight in wars where they have no idea what is happening beyond their own front lines. At best, these young men and women sacrifice their lives so that others can continue to live in ignorance of the true horrors of war.
Source: Jarhead : A Marines Chronicle Of The Gulf War And Other Battles
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