Prapaganda

One thing Anthony Swofford constantly associates with the Marine Corps is propaganda. He experiences this in recriutment, training, pre-combat, and mid-combat. In training, his Drill Instructor attempts to push the idea of a close and constant bond with his fellow Marines is always present. He comes to the realization that the only other Marines besides himself he can trust are the ones in his own Battalion. He finds further propaganda with Defense Secretary DIck Cheney's claims of a massive and elite Iraqi army ready for the U.S. forces. If this were the case, Swofford might not have been so bored in the desert. Propaganda plays an important part in Anthony's development because it leaves him with a continued contempt for his profession.