How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
None of us knew why our commanders had let us go. We were excellent fighters and were ready to fight the war till the end. One boy was telling us that he thought the foreigners gave our commanders money in exchange for us. No one said anything to this. I still had the grenade in my hand as we conversed. Sometime during the conversation I turned to the man who had brought us to the kitchen. He was sitting at the edge of the table, shaking. His forehead perspired profusely. "Do you know why our commanders gave us up to you sissy civilians?" (15.32)
Even when Ishmael's able to escape the horrors of the war, he doesn't want to believe it's over. That's how tight a grip the war has on him. It's hard for many adult veterans to return to civilian life; can you imagine what it's like for brainwashed boys who can't even think straight anymore?