In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments...

[quoting Kurtz] Willard: In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action - what is often called ruthless - what may in many circumstances be only clarity, seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it, directly, quickly, awake, looking at it.

- Oh, yeah? How's that? - You don't want to hear about that. They lined us up in front of 100 yards of prime rib. All of us lined up, looking at it. Magnificent meat, really. Beautifully marbled. Magnifique. Next thing, they're throwing the meat into these big cauldrons. All of it, boiling it. I looked inside, man. It was turning gray. I couldn't fucking believe that one. That's when I applied for radioman school, but then they gave me the...