How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Paragraph)
Quote #7
Over the left-hand pocket he was wearing the Combat Infantrymen's Badge (which, technically, he wasn't authorized to wear), the European Theatre ribbon, with five bronze battle stars in it (instead of a lone silver one, which was the equivalent of five bronze ones), and the pre-Pearl Harbor service ribbon. He signed heavily and said, "Christ Almighty." It meant nothing; it was Army. (113)
The "It meant nothing" refers ironically to two things: first, and more straightforwardly, the oath, "Christ Almighty." More significantly, the meaninglessness of Clay's show-offy display of his decorations – he thinks they mean something, but they're really just empty, worthless signs.
Quote #8
"No, you know the reason I took a pot shot at it, Loretta says? She says I was temporarily insane. No kidding. From the shelling and all."
X threaded his fingers, once, through his dirty hair, then shielded his eyes against the light again. "You weren't insane. You were simply doing your duty. You killed that pussycat in as manly a way as anybody could've under the circumstances."
Clay looked at him suspiciously. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"
"That cat was a spy. You had to take a pot shot at it. It was a very clever German midget dressed up in a cheap fur coat. So there was absolutely nothing brutal, or cruel, or dirty, or even – "
"God damn it!" Clay said, his lips thinned. "Can't you ever be sincere?"
X suddenly felt sick, and he swung around in his chair and grabbed the wastebasket – just in time.
The problem here is that Clay is right – X has seemingly lost his capacity of sincerity, and this realization makes him physically ill. The war has taken its toll on his inner self, and the cruel, sarcastic X we see here is dramatically different from the kind, kid-friendly narrator we know from the first part.