Baby water buffalo

This scene was shocking, very in fact. It is a metaphor for Rat Kiley and his young self, and the unbelievable pain he is put through. Not just one shot to the head, or something to concentrate on, to heal, his wounds are a mess. The young water buffalo is like Rat because they are young, so many possibilities for a future but it is taken from them by incredible pain. The war has ruined Rat from what he could have been. He is physically, emotionally, and mentally broken. To display this he has to destroy the Buffalo beyond repair. Not just kill him which would have been simple and to the point, Rat's pain is neither of these, his hurt is complex and it will linger for years and years.