Every day Quote by Michael Herr
““I met this kid from Miles City, Montana, who read the Stars and Stripes every day, checking the casualty lists to see if by some chance anybody form his home town had been killed. He didn’t even know if there was anyone else from Miles City in Vietnam, but he checked anyway because he knew for sure that if there was someone else and they got killed, he would be all right. “I mean, can you just see *two* guys from a raggedy-ass town like Miles City getting killed in Vietnam?””
About This Quote
A young soldier finds comfort in shared tragedy, believing that if another hometown friend dies, his own loss feels less isolated.
In simple terms: Finding solace in shared loss eases personal grief.
Key Takeaway
Recognize community bonds in hardship.
Themes
war
grief
community
solace
identity
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
narrative
historical
emotive
When to use this quote
- military service
- homefront families
- support groups
- counseling sessions
Key Concepts
shared trauma
coping mechanisms
psychology of loss
Questions to Reflect On
- How does shared tragedy affect personal mourning?
- Can community ties replace individual grief?
A Different Perspective
Assumes shared loss always eases pain, which may not hold for everyone.
![“Going out at night the medics gave you pills, Dexedrine breath like dead snakes kept too long in a jar. [...] I knew one 4th division Lurp who took his pills by the fistful, downs from the left pocket of his tiger suit and ups from the right, one to cut the trail for him and the other to send him…” quote by Michael Herr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4d2/michael-herr-21675_too-long_going-out-at-night-the-medics-gave-you-p_1189943.jpg)
