Wasdin’s morals are revealed and tested in three key sections of the novel. Readers get a first look at Wasdin’s morals when he recalls when his uncle died. Like any sane human being, Wasdin was dramatically affected by a loved one’s …show more content…
At one point in the novel, Wasdin recalls his time on a suspected enemy transport vessel. In this scene, a crewmember of the ship tries to fight back against the boarding seals. Just as one of the SEAL team’s “Shooters was about to cap him for non-compliance”, Wasdin steps in and takes a more peaceful approach, “cuffing fire extinguisher” and “kicking him in the ass down the hallway” (Wasdin 129). This scene shows Wasdin remaining true to his own morals, not wanting to murder anybody he didn’t have to. However, Wasdin later on reveals to be completely loyal to his own orders and therefore his own brotherhood. In this scene,he is told to kill an old man who is transporting mortars for the enemy. He is “given permission by his superiors to off an old man”, meaning kill him, and Wasdin “squeezes the trigger, right between the eyes - He nailed the donkey” (Wasdin 194). Although he missed the shot, he still was willing to kill even the weakest individual if it meant a few of his own comrades’ lives would be spared in the process. When Wasdin is stationed in Somalia, he encounters a terrible situation with the house next to their safehouse. The household’s son had stepped on a landmine and was left out in the dark and cold at night. Wasdin, sympathetic, “asked the CIA for permission to help the crippled boy” and was “denied” (Wasdin 190). Instead of following orders Wasdin took manners into his own hands, “kicking in the door” of the house and giving the boy “antibiotics, bandaging his wounds, and stopping the infection” (Wasdin 193). This shows Wasdin staying true to his own morals even in times of war, helping out his fellow - innocent - man when he