English Notes
October 15, 2013
Homework: Finish reading the chapter tonight!
“Sweetheart of the Song of Tra Bong”
Tim tells Rat’s storyRat’s story is about Mark Fossie and his girlfriend
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Rat—reputation for exaggeration and overstatement of his stories. Most men in the troop knew
this. Rat wanted to “heat up the truth”
This story, however, Rat never backed down from
Rat said “I saw it, man. I was right there. This guy did it.” Rat’s answer to Sanders
We find out that Rat’s story is regarding a soldier who got his blonde girlfriend to come to war
In the village of Tra Bong the men didn’t have to keep the same standards—could grow their
hair, didn’t have to polish their boots, could drink cold beer
Green Berets—loners by nature, “Greenies” who avoided associating with the others
Rat said he felt safe there—seemed like the war was far away and things were peaceful. Men
played volleyball, lazed away the afternoons, drank
Eddie Diamond—came up with the idea to have Vietnamese women come to sleep with the
soldiers there. Another solider, Mark Fossie, brought the subject up again.
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Rat Mark Fossie’s 17 year old girlfriend showed up (Mary Anne)
Fossie said it was expesive and complicated, but he was able to fly Mary Anne to Vietnam. He
says he was able to do this because he wanted it enough.
Fossie and Mary Anne Bell were high school sweethearts who were in love. They planned on
marrying one day.
Mary Anne—“good for morale” and fun to have around. Fossie was very much in love for her.
Mary Anne learned Vietnamese, cooked rice, learned about the base, trip flares, etc. She
wanted to learn more about the land and who lived there. She seemed “at home” there and
loved to see the simplicity of village life. Eddie knew she would learn about war measures.
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Rat reenters the narration. He tells the men that by the end of the second week Mary Anne
wasn’t afraid to get her hands bloody. She took care of 4 casualties. She learned how to tend to
bloody victims—clipped arteries, made splints. She amazed Mark Fossie.
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Mary Anne stopped wearing jewelry, cut her hair short, didn’t wear make-up, learned how to
disassemble a gun (M 16)—she became confident and changed into a soldier.
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Mary Anne didn’t want to go home. Her relationship with Mark changed—she now expressed
her thoughts. She questioned the amount of kids she wanted, living together before marriage,
etc. She didn’t seem bubbly, nervous or giggly. At night she looked into the dark in silence. She
said she was never happier in her whole life.
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One morning Fossie told Rat that he couldn’t find Mary Anne—she was gone. Fossie claimed
Mary Anne was sleeping with an 18 year old (Eddie Diamond?—we find out it wasn’t him).
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Rat and Fossie search for Mary Anne. She wasn’t with the other soldiers in their troop. They
search the mess hall, helipad, etc.
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Rat, when telling the story looks at Sanders for “his vote” as to what happened to her. Sanders
thinks she snuck off with the Green Berets.
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Mary Anne came back. She wore a bush hat and fatigues. She told Fossie they would talk later.
He wanted to know NOW what happened.
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Fossie set down “rules” and Mary Anne went back to being shampooed, wearing nice clothing,
being polite. She looked to Fossie for clearance when others asked her about the Green Beret
ambush.
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Fossie reveals that he and Mary Anne are engaged. They “compromised” on things.
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Mary Anne and Fossie sunbathed together, seemed perfect—however it “seemed” like they
were prefect but they weren’t
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If Mary Anne left Fossie’s side he would tense up.
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Mary Anne and Fossie were “too intense”—held hands, talked of their wedding
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Fossie made arrangements to send Mary Anne home. Mary Anne became gloomy and “seemed
to disappear inside herself”---“The wilderness seemed to draw her in” and it was “as if she had
come up on the edge of something, as if she were caught in that no-man’s land between the
Cleveland Heights and deep jungle” (100).
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Rat sees silhouettes in the distance. He said he saw Mary Anne’s eyes (now jungle green, not
blue).
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Mary Anne had a weapon and was with Special Forces.
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When Rat usually tells a story he goes off topic to clarify things. Sanders would redirect Rat back
to telling the story. Sanders believed digressions changed the flow of the story.
Rat said that she “joined the zoo”—end of story
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Fossie waited for Mary Anne all day. Rat cautions Fossie that he shouldn’t mess with “Greenie
types”
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After midnight Rat and Eddie went to check on Fossie. He was swaying to music—he thought he
heard Mary Anne.
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The men enter a room—decaying animals, stench. Rat said he couldn’t process it all. The
background music came from a tape deck—the high voice was Mary Anne’s.