Death is nearly a character in its own right in Caputo’s memoir and forms the most significant background motif. Capricious and brutal, Death proves that the Marines’ bodies are no match for the weapons thrown at them: hideous battle wounds are inflicted by mines, shells, booby traps, and snipers, along with the psychological toll of ambushes and watching the man next to them fall, while they are not injured. Throughout the memoir, Caputo honors the fallen by describing their characters, their bravery and their personality quirks, and by giving each man’s name. Clearly, death stalks every man who enters Vietnam. According to Caputo, death is the only winner in this war or any war, as he states: “No one who had seen war cold ever doubt that death had dominion” (245).

Caputo also frequently discusses his state of mind regarding death. For much of the war, he is filled with an instinctive fear of death. Once he has completed his desk job and returns to the front lines, he reports:

A sudden and mysterious recovery from the virus of fear had caused the change of mood. I didn’t know why. I only knew I had ceased to be afraid of dying.