"How to Tell a True War Story"

I hate English.. reading all these feminist crap stories and always getting picked on for having some standards of right and wrong. Today we read and kinda discussed "How to Tell a True War Story."
Here's some of the dialogue and my thoughts on it.

"I thought that this story is indicative of the pain that people go through and how they can't tell it (girl #1)."---- That's because you wouldn't be able to understand it, you can't understand unless you have been through it.

"(girl 2 reads part of the story) I think this is so cruel what they did to the water buffalo.. wonder why they have so much trouble dealing with it." - That's because it's traumatic...

I reread part of the story. The narrator keeps repeating his horrid memory of his friend stepping out onto sunshine that lifts him into the tree. Over and over again the author rehashes how he saw his friend explode. The class babbles on about how the guy feels this and that.. but they don't know. They can't know. Something just sticks with you about these horrid memories, these flashbacks, they are like unpleasant ghosts. They happened.. but they are still around.. and they haunt you for the rest of your life. Maybe the class is right though.. maybe it's time to talk about it and get it out. Maybe it will help.

The moon was four fingers above the horizon, but I still had no sense of the time or how much farther we had left. I was tired.. and in the rear with my squad. People keep gapping and it's frustrating. Needham won't shut up neither will Kocher.. Good gosh.. won't they shut up! one foot in front of the other, step after step.
we are hiking on a road now.. the rocky trails hurt my feet and caused many of us to give up. They will hate themselves for dropping out. Butler, Grengs.. the names go on about those who quit that night. But there were others who didn't quit.. The van pulled up to pick up one of the quitters, and someone boiled out.
"Get back in the van!"
"Sir, this recruit is hiking!" I can hear the pain in Clarks voice.. He's got bad knees. yet he hikes on. He's a former marine.. that guy has got guts.
He hikes on for 15 or so minutes then he gasps for help.. I grab his right arm.. Sweatnam gets his other arm. one foot in front of the other, step after step.
Clark starts screaming.. these deep animal screams. Sandypants and Sweatnam keep trading out and I keep on.
Clark is hurting so bad.. I cry to hear it.
one foot in front of the other, step after step. Eventually they take Clark away from us and we finish the hike.
Sunday morning, Clark got up and thanked the guys who helped him.. but he forgot me, I hadn't said anything.. later I mentioned it to Sandy.. and he accused me of lying..
I still hear the screams though. I see Clark.. and I cry for the pain. I don't know why.. but it's still there. It hurts..