How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
It all looked good on paper, but I knew that Miller would have trouble with it. I was beginning to see where she was coming from. She didn't have easy answers, but she didn't need them. (9.107)
Birdy feels guilty about Coles' report that Halima's people could be considered enemies. It's true that they were planning to shoot at Americans, but the situation is more complicated than enemies and allies. Was having the truck carrying their men bombed in front of all the village children really justified?
Quote #8
But I felt good as we undressed and fell across the bed. I hadn't been shot at, and the First Squad had found the detonators. Maybe we had even saved some lives. But then I started thinking about the Iraqi women, one crying and one rocking the baby. I remembered how bad I had felt for them, only to find out that they were in a family that probably would have killed me if they had the chance. (10.109)
The relationship setting for this war is always "it's complicated." Birdy had felt guilty for interrupting people's lives, when they were hiding detonators that would kill Americans. Even knowing that doesn't completely take the guilt away.
Quote #9
Later, as I lay in the darkness, I thought about Pendleton's two little girls. How he had talked about sending them to college. I hadn't even looked at their pictures when he was showing them around. Oh, God, why hadn't I looked at the pictures? (12.182)
It probably didn't mean too much to Pendleton that Birdy didn't look at the pictures. But now that Birdy feels guilty that he's alive and Pendleton isn't, that one incident means a lot to him.