Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong
In the short story, "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," by Tim O'Brien, the author shows that no matter what the circumstances were, the people that were exposed to the Vietnam War were affected greatly. A very young girl named Mary Anne Bell was brought by a boyfriend to the war in Vietnam. When she arrived she was a bubbly young girl, and after a few weeks, she was transformed into a hard, mean killer.
Mark Fossie decided he was going to sneak his girlfriend onto his base in Vietnam. When she arrived, Rat Kiley described her like this, "A tall big-boned blonde. At best, Rat said, she was seventeen years old, fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High. She had long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream. Very Friendly, too." The first couple of weeks, they were always together. They would hold hands and laugh. It was obvious they were in love. She started changing shortly after she began asking questions about everything. She wanted to go into town one day but it was very dangerous because the VC owned the placed. But she kept asking Mark and finally he agreed. She walked right through the whole town without one single hint of fear. As if she wasn't aware that she was in great danger. Then she began helping with the wounded victims. She wasn't afraid to get blood on her hands at all. Even the really gross wounds didn't seem to bother her. Rat Kiley explains, "In times of action her face took on a sudden new composure, almost serene, the fuzzy blue eyes narrowing into a tight, intelligent focus. Mark Fossie would grin at this. He was proud, yes, but also amazed. A different person, it seemed, and he wasn't sure what to make of it." She stopped wearing makeup and jewelry. She cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark bandana. She was beginning to look like a man. She learned how to shoot a gun. Mary Anne began talking her and Mark's future. Instead of getting married like they had planned, she wants to...
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