Talk about impersonating an identity, about locking into a role, about irony; I went to cover the war and the war covered me; an old story, unless of…

- Michael Herr

How many times did someone have to run in front of a machine gun before it became an act of cowardice?

- Michael Herr

Vietnam was what we had instead of happy childhoods.

- Michael Herr

What is the difference between the Marine Corps and the Boy Scouts? The Boy Scouts have adult leadership.

- Michael Herr

All the wrong people remember Vietnam. I think all the people who remember it should forget it, and all the people who forgot it should remember it.

- Michael Herr

If war was hell and only hell and there were no other colors in the palate I don't think people would continue to make war.

- Michael Herr

Some people just wanted to blow it all to hell, animal, vegetable and mineral. They wanted a Vietnam they could fit into their car ashtrays.

- Michael Herr

You can still see the shadow from when the Zeppelin floated over America; it took like Islam in the desert . . .

- Michael Herr

Maybe nothing's so unfunny as an omen read wrong.

- Michael Herr