O'Brien writes,
The ribbons looked good on the uniform in his closet...he was proud of all of them...especially the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, because it meant he had been there as a real soldier and had done all the things soldiers do. (135)
I feel like in this section, O'Brien shows not only what war is really like but also what life is like. He shows that in war (and life), you often feel as though you have to live up too a certain expectation and achieve certain things. And if you don't, you're not fulfilling your true duty. You're not doing what a "real" soldier should do. This mentality is also highlighted in "The Dentist" where O'Brien writes "He had an opinion of himself, I think, that was too high for his own good. Or maybe it was the reverse. Maybe it was a low opinion that he kept trying to erase."
This was a nice synopsis it was really in depth and good!
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