Editing Hearts in Atlantis (section)

=== "Why We're in Vietnam" ===
Two veterans, John Sullivan (another childhood friend of Bobby Garfield's) and a man named Dieffenbaker reunite at the funeral of a third. They revisit an incident that almost escalated into a [[My Lai Massacre|My Lai]]-type massacre: stressed by the effort at rescuing survivors of a helicopter crash, Ronnie Malenfant (who first appears as another Hearts player in ''Hearts in Atlantis'') vows to burn a village in [[Dong Ha]] as a message to the enemy. After Malenfant stabs a woman with his bayonet and things are spiralling out of control, Dieffenbaker has a soldier shoot dead another rampaging soldier to stop the impending massacre. Later, Sullivan is gravely wounded. When he is airlifted out of combat, he sees the old woman who had been stabbed ("mamasan") sitting in the chopper with him, a hallucination that has continued in perpetuity.

A recurring theme of the conversation between Sullivan and Dieffenbaker is the growing sense between the two men that the various characters of their youths "sold out" in various ways to the allure of materialism and conformity.

During the drive home from the funeral, Sullivan is caught in a traffic jam. Evidently hallucinating, he begins to see things fall from the sky: cordless phones, a grand piano, appliances, and a long yellow coat like the "low men" wear. He is struck by one more object, and picks it up to discover it is Bobby Garfield's [[Alvin Dark]] glove. Mamasan, glowing brightly, speaks for the first time, saying she will keep him safe. He abruptly finds himself back in his car. All objects which fell from the sky are gone, except the glove, which Sullivan wears on his hand. Sullivan grows very tired, closes his eyes, and dies of an apparent heart attack.