Philip Caputo: "A Rumor of War"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the statement by critics of Philip Caputo's book, "A Rumor of War," that Caputo should be held accountable for the deaths of two civilian Vietnamese that he describes in his book. The writer argues that, based on the mentality ingrained by training, wartime circumstances, and the responsibility forced upon Caputo, the deaths should not be laid at Caputo's door. The paper describes the changes that Caputo had to undergo and how these drastically altered his worldview and concludes that ultimate accountability lies with those who ordered Caputo to increase the body count and those who trained him to become a machine of war.

From the Paper:

"Caputo's transformation into a weapon of war began with his induction into the United States Marine Corps and the changes he endured under the watchful eyes of his superiors. "Like all evolutions, ours was accompanied by mutations. The Marine Corps had made highly efficient fighting men of us, and we had begun to look it." The Marines employed a succession oriented process to create soldiers with each progressive evolution being designed to reinforce primal instincts of killing and survival. As described by Caputo, "Week by week, month by month, we learned our violent craft, each lesson a step in our evolution from civilians to professional soldiers." These skills would later prove to be Caputo's means of survival and a cause for numerous nights without sleep."

More papers on Philip Caputo: "A Rumor of War":

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