All I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war, and rule number one is young men die. And rule number two is, doctors can’t change rule number one.

Henry passes on what command school taught him: in war, young men die. Doctors, he adds, can't change that fact. It's a blunt, weary rule that admits the limits of even the best medical effort.

Context reviewed 28 September 2026