This is an extract that I took from the short story ‘How to Tell a True War Story.’ I took the part in the story where Rat Kiley is meaninglessly killing a baby water buffalo after the death of his friend. What was particularly interesting in this extract was the morality of killing and the power of control. After Curt Lemon’s sudden death, the soldiers are afraid and feel they have no control over their life and death. By killing this baby water buffalo, Rat Kiley aims to gain back some of this control by recognising the power he holds to take the buffalo’s life.