This novel of the Vietnam War examines the effects of prolonged stress on individuals and groups. The narrative, which is told from the points of view of four widely different characters, follows an infantry company through three days and two nights of combat on a small island off the coast of the northern I Corps military region. The story's principal themes are the loss of communication that contributes to and is caused by the background of chaos that arises from combat; the effect of brutal warfare on the individual spirit; and the way groups reorganize themselves to cope with the confusion of the battlefield. The thesis includes an explication of the novel, explaining some of the technical details of its production.

Interview with Marvin Tilghman, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Tilghman discusses the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Saigon and Da Lat, French Indo-China (1944-1945), American air raids, and his liberation.

Interview with Seldon D. Reese, a Navy veteran and survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Reese talks about the sinking of the USS Houston (1942), capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java, Bicycle Camp, Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp, Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-44), Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and American air raids (1944), Saigon and Da Lat, French Indo-China (1944-45), and his liberation.

Transcript of an interview conducted in Azle, Texas with Jack Burge, a Navy veteran and a survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.