Bob "Rat" Kiley

  Bob "Rat" Kiley is a friendly and skilled medic, who braves danger to keep his fellow soldiers alive. He carries comic books, brandy, and M&Ms. Kiley previously served in the mountains of Chu Lai, the setting of “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.” O’Brien has great respect for Kiley’s medical prowess, especially when he is shot for the second time and is subjected to the mistreatment of another medic, Bobby Jorgenson. Though being levelheaded and kind, Kiley eventually succumbs to the stresses of the war and his role in it—he purposely blows off his toe, so that he is forced to leave his post.

Bob “Rat” Kiley, a paramedic. He served as a health care worker, who provided emergency care at the stage of rehabilitation. The term is used predominantly in countries with the Anglo-American model of emergency care. Bob “Rat” Kiley carried a cloth pack with morphine, plasma, malaria pills, surgical lotions and other medical equipment, including comic books and chocolate for the seriously wounded, to only twenty pounds.

Rat Kiley snatched comics. He carried comics and M & Ms with him. He sees worst of the worse-comics, provides relief, provides comfort and distraction to dying soldiers. He carries the responsibility to ease pain and fears of death.

Rat Kiley comes to accept the death of his best friend Kurt Lemon, killing a buffalo child, and they can no longer accept the war and shoots himself in the foot.

Rat Kiley had lost his best friend in the world. Later he wrote a long personal letter to the guy's sister, who didn’t write back, but for that time, it was a question of pain. He shot off the tail. He shot away chunks of meat below the ribs. All around him was the smell of smoke and filth and deep greenery.