ee inthe rooms around me are losing too. Even if I heal this leg, I will lose. No one ever leavesthis place without losing" ( Kovic 129 ). He felt this way, because he had seen the realityof the war, and he was appalled by the treatment the men received. Even after they hadfought for their country and risked their lives, they realized they hadnt made muchprogress, and they were only losing what the dignity and life they had left.Ronnie suffered a paralyzing injury in Vietnam. He was numb from the waist down. Hewould never walk again. He would spend the remainder of his life stuck in a wheelchair,and it hurt him because it was a constant reminder of the war and of his sacrifice that noone noticed. Ronnie struggled most with his conscience when he killed innocent people, like thecaptain. " The chaplain had a memorial service that afternoon for a man he had killed andhe sat in the tent with the rest of the men. There was a wife and a kid, someone said" (Kovic 194 ). For years Ronny felt extremely guilty for killing the soldier. He had trieddesperately to confess and apologized to his wife and child, but their hearts could notpardon him.Ronnie felt desperate. He felt he had no use in the world because he could not use hislegs. Before the war he was known for his athleticism. After the war, he had no choice,but to rely on his heart and mind , and that was something he wasnt sure how to do. Toexpress his thoughts and feelings was almost unheard of. The emotional impact on all of the veterans was a horrid one. " Being trapped seeingsomeone blown to pieces, his blood ad splinters of bones and insides and brains all overyou is outside the range of usual human experience" ( Mason 23 ). Many veterans hadpsychological problems and suffered from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which is apsychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced profound emotionalshock, such as torture or rape, characterized by periodic flashbacks of the trauma...
