TTTC: The Transformation of Mary Ann Bell ("Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong")

Mark Fossie: A young medic who sneaks his high school sweetheart, Mary Ann Bell, into his remote medical outpost.

Mary Ann's Evolution: She arrives as an innocent, bubbly girl in a pink sweater. Gradually, she becomes fascinated by the land, drops her makeup, learns to fire an M-16, and begins going out on ambushes with the Green Berets.

The Climax: Fossie discovers her in a dark tent surrounded by bones, wearing a necklace made of human tongues. She tells him that Vietnam "makes her feel alive."

The Symbolic Meaning: Mary Ann proves that the jungle is a corrupting, consuming force that doesn't care about gender. She completely sheds her American identity and disappears into the wilderness.