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Cashay Harris
Prof. Kathy Dzielawa
Comp. 101
Revised Essay 1
03 March 2014


Have You Heard A True War Story?
In Tim OBriens article How to Tell a True War Story, he notes that a true war story
doesnt consist of morals. According to OBrien one cant tell a true war story because half of
the story is told from ones own perspective and the other half is truth. Because of this binary,
one must continue to tell the story forever, changing truth to get truth. He claims that it is
impossible to tell a true war story because in the end, the story isnt about war. Furthermore, he
goes on to say a true war story isnt really a war story. Its a story of the emotional endurance
that soldiers experience during time at war.
A true war story isnt about the righteous or the principles of war. Meaning, it isnt about
morals. He states that A true war story is never moral (OBrien 1). When hearing or reading a
true war story, the story shouldnt make one feel as though they want to change or alter aspects
of their own lives. Specifically OBrien explains that It does not instinct, nor encourage virtue,
nor restrain men from doing the things they have always done. (OBrien 1). What OBrien is
stating is that a true war story shouldnt make one feel as though they have to change their
characteristics.
According to OBrien, You can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising
allegiance to obscenity and evil.(1). For instance, OBrien tells the story of a soldier named Rat
Kiley whom shot a baby buffalo multiple times because he was upset about the death of a good
friend of his named Lemon. Nether less, Rat Kileys actions would be thought of as obscene and
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evil for killing the innocent baby buffalo out of anger from losing his friend during war. OBrien
states that the story he told Wasnt a war story. It was a love story. (OBrien 9). He expressed
that his story was a love story by painting the picture of Rat Kileys strong emotions about the
death of his friend.
Stories are sometimes told from different angles. It helps you to begin to fully grasp what
actually happened and gives you a chance to imagine the events. OBrien wants the reader to
know that theres not just one way to tell a true war story. In fact it can be told in many different
ways with add-ons or things subtracted from the original story. OBrien explains that Often the
crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isnt because the normal stuff is necessary to make you
believe the truly incredible craziness. (OBrien 3). This goes to say that when telling or hearing
a true war story, one may add events that seem to be normal with events or situations that may
sound unbelievable to balance out their story.
A soldier named Mitchell Sanders told the story of a six-man patrol that goes up into the
mountains on a listening-post. While on the listening post for seven straight days the men began
to hallucinate. Their minds made them believe that they heard things that werent really there
such as music playing and even a concert. Mitchell Sanders goes on to say that one of the men
even put gum in his ears to block out what was happening around him while on the listening-
post. Mitchell Sanders story of the soldiers supports OBriens claim that In any war story, but
especially a true one, its difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What
seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way (OBrien 2). Due to the
interference in the mens psyche OBrien stats that the story he retells Wasnt a war story it was
a ghost story. (OBrien 9). OBrien generalizes that one who is in war loses their sense of what
is real.
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A true war story must be full of contradictions. Because when listening to a war story one
only listens to what the narrator is telling or having one to believe for The truths are
contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque, (OBrien 5). OBrien is
stating that when one hears a war story one may feel that the story is absurdly incongruous or
bizarre because of the content. This is done to make people feel as though everything the
narrator is saying is true, so that one wouldnt have to judge the narrators credibility or
knowledge by just hearing the craziness of a war story. As OBrien explains, its hard to tell
what happened from what truly happened. Thus, the details found in a true war story cant truly
be told. He asserts that All you can do is tell it one more time, patiently, adding and subtracting,
making up a few things to get the real truth (OBrien 9). In other words, OBrien is stating that
in order to tell a true war story you have to keep telling the story many time to get the
understanding of the truth and adding and subtracting details so that one doesnt judge your
credibility of the story.
In order to tell a true war story one has to keep telling it. According to OBrien, he poses
that All you can do is tell it one more time (OBrien 9). This goes to say that in order to tell a
true war story you have to keep telling it in order to tell the general truth. Contrary to how to tell
a true war story, war stories are not only focused on the fight of the war, but also the hardships
endured during war. OBrien claims that the story he retells Wasnt a war story. It was a love
story. It was a ghost story (OBrien 9). Tim OBriens article delineates more so of the soldiers
journey and pain, their sanity and love and what they were enduring during their time at war. It is
not about the bombings and the grenades or of the hundreds of people that died during war. It
focuses on emotions of the soldiers. In a roundabout way, OBrien urges readers to realize Its
about love and memory. Its about sorrow, (OBrien 9). This goes to state that when an
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individual tells a war story, theyre not telling a story about fighting with the opposing team;
theyre telling a story of emotions endured during war.
In conclusion, one shouldnt let a war story influence or alter their individual lives. If one
feel the need to seek change within ones own self while hearing a war story then one isnt
listening to a true war story. People tell stories because they are able to put stories into their own
words, and add in their own perspectives. When people tell war stories they alter the facts of
what has truly happened to fit their own individual version of the story. A war story is not based
on war, but the emotional struggle endured during the time in war.

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