Mary Anne’s transformation in Vietnam shows wars traumatic effect on anyone exposed to it. Mary Anne serves as a mirror to the soldiers of the Vietnam War, reflecting how these men have transformed and changed into people no one would ever understand. Mary Anne’s presence in “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” shows the wars’ effect on not only male soldiers, but all human in the Vietnam War. In the story of the Song Tra Bong, Mary Anne originally went to visit Vietnam, but the rush she felt towards the activities in the war took over her body and state of mind. She went through a transformation that turned her from the sweet teenage American girl into to a savage. Mary Anne became part of the land and the culture of Vietnam after just one visit and was unable to return to the traditional, gentle, and peaceful girl Rat Kiley described when she landed.
Mary Anne’s time in Vietnam opened her eyes and showed her there were bigger and more important issues in life. She realized fighting in the forest to save a single life became more important than her personal hygiene. Mary Anne got to experience fighting first hand, and putting her own life on the line. She was part of the action and the adventure the war brought, and instead of sitting home waiting to hear about it, she was part of it. Mary Anne’s time in Vietnam helped her realize how humble and insignificant her life was. Mary Anne was affected by the Green Berets because Mary Anne felt part of a group she fit in and understood her. The war brought her together with people she never would have thought to be friendly with, but the Green Berets understood how she felt about the war and the night adventures. Mary Anne made sacrifices for what she use to think was important in order to fit in with her new group. Mary Anne started to care less about hygiene, cut her hair and picked up on weapons and wounded patients fairly quick. Her make up suddenly seemed to not be an issue, when there were people’s lives at...