A Rumor of War

A Rumor of War

by

Philip Caputo

Army of the Republic of Vietnam, also known as the South Vietnamese Army (SVA).
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ARVN Term Timeline in A Rumor of War

The timeline below shows where the term ARVN appears in A Rumor of War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
Heroism and Identity Theme Icon
The Morality of War Theme Icon
...the American soldier. These theories ignore the barbarous treatment that the Viet Cong and the ARVN inflicted on their own people, as well as crimes committed by the South Koreans and... (full context)
Chapter Three
Heroism and Identity Theme Icon
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...military region] and the Central Highlands and threatened to cut South Vietnam in half.” The ARVN are losing a battalion a week, and U.S. bases are in danger of another attack... (full context)
The Morality of War Theme Icon
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...battalion is going to provide security and nothing else. Their purpose is to free the ARVNs to fight because it is “their war.” When the commanders leave the office, they pass... (full context)
Heroism and Identity Theme Icon
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...opposite the dirt road and in front of them. The MLR is manned by the ARVN, which they will relieve in a few days. Peterson has told them that the rice... (full context)
Chapter Four
Heroism and Identity Theme Icon
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...and technicians at the base are grateful for their protection, given the unreliability of the ARVN. Some risk is involved in the small-unit security patrols that the marines run through the... (full context)
Heroism and Identity Theme Icon
The Morality of War Theme Icon
War and Disillusionment Theme Icon
Things are less “splendid” for the Vietnamese. One day, two Australian commandos, advisers to an ARVN Ranger group, walk into C Company’s area and talk about a fire-fight they were in... (full context)
Chapter Eleven
The Morality of War Theme Icon
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
War and Disillusionment Theme Icon
...airfield. The report is noted and buried in a file cabinet. On the 28th, an ARVN district HQ near regimental HQ is shelled. The VC also drop mortars on an isolated... (full context)
Chapter Twelve
The Morality of War Theme Icon
Loyalty and Camaraderie Theme Icon
Operation Blast Out begins and ends in early August. Three thousand marines and ARVN soldiers, supported by a range of high-tech equipment, manage to kill twenty-four VC in three... (full context)
The Morality of War Theme Icon
...search for documents. The documents are then placed in small piles and are examined by ARVN interpreters who ask the suspects questions. If everything is in order, the Vietnamese man is... (full context)
Chapter Eighteen
Danger and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...ages were falsified. Lieutenant McCloy, who now speaks fluent Vietnamese, interrogated them along with an ARVN militia sergeant. The men were released when the sergeant determined that they falsified their ages... (full context)