If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home

O'Brien lands in Vietnam. It's another new beginning, "much like arriving at boot camp like a recruit" (70). His "new home" is LZ (landing zone) Gator, home of the Fifth Battalion, Forty-Sixth Infantry. Within the Forty-Sixth, O'Brien is assigned to Alpha Company, and, within that, to the Third Platoon.

Everyone has different, contradictory advice for O'Brien and his fellow recruits. One sergeant says the new recruits will soon be sent out to "the boonies" to see some action (71). Another sergeant tells O'Brien to forget that: "No sense sending you out there now […][g]o see a movie tonight, get a beer or something" (74). One night, soon after their arrival, LZ Gator is attacked. Some of the seasoned soldiers sleep through the mortar fire. In the morning, two American soldiers are found dead on the perimeter of the LZ.

Like the advice about the odds of getting killed, the soldiers' views on the mortar attack are contradictory. Some call it a "lark" and contrast it with the "really bad shit" they've seen before (77). A soldier calling himself "the Kid" claims the attack must be taken seriously (77). Regardless of their views, all the seasoned soldiers agree O'Brien is an FNG, or "fucking new guy.