Mark my words, every single character here can be seen as possessing some degree of goodness. Matters are never simple in this world. Politics are forever making people miserable. In fact, the entire war can be regarded as a thinly-disguised version of the Vietnam War. And the root of that motivation is dishearteningly political, and everybody knows it.
Soldiers die on a daily basis, experiencing the grim realities of battle.
Warriors miss their homes and loved ones. Patriotism is questioned. What really makes this book work is the absolute unpredictability. You never know where this story is going to take you. But you can always feel the emotional scope getting grander.