The author calls this chapter in the novel "Spin". He talks about little things about the war and how you could put a spin on even the worst situations to make them sound good. He does this by saying "On occasions the war was like a Ping Pong ball, You could put a fancy spin on it, you could make it dance." I think this is his way of thinking back on the war and his time in the military in a not so morbid way seeing as how it's what he bases most of his writing on. As I read this I get the feeling as though he missed it. Not the war necessarily but the company and the times he spent with the men he formed a brotherhood with. He talks about how all the men would joke around with Ted Lavender when he took to much tranquilizers and whenever someone would ask him " How's the war today?" and he would reply with a spacey smile "Mellow man". Or when he talks about how sad it was when he and the men had to leave poppa-san, the man who led them through mine fields for months. I can connect personally and relate to the way he feels about all this I understand why he misses the companionship. Believe me I haven't been through nearly as hard of times as he has but I know what it's like to be part of a team and a brotherhood. Mine being my lacrosse team, we sweat and bleed together on and off the feild, we all had each other's back no matter what. If you messed with one of us you had to deal with all of us. We much like Tim O'Brien shared a lot of good memories outside of the blood shed and intensity. I still to this day think back to the post game BBQs the team would have so we could unwind after a hard fought victory or a tough heart-crushing defeat. I also know how sad it is when you have to leave that brotherhood, that team, much like he did with poppa-san. Just like the author I think back and remember not just the bad stuff but all the good things as well. It makes the bad things seem not so bad.