As Joe's plane lands in Vietnam, he is filled with anticipation, anxiety, excitement, fears and hope as to what the next year will bring and how it would affect his future. As he enters this "life of danger," as an infantryman, he begins to assess whether this "conflict" is worth the sacrifice of his fellow Americans in eliminating the armed communists inside South Vietnam. With the day-to-day experiences in the jungle, he encounters some unexpected and difficult chain of events, which will lead to his earning his prized Combat Infantry Badge, as well as, a deeper understanding of the political undertakings of the soldiers and officers who served in the United States Army in Vietnam.