- When Billy gets back from his emergency trip home, he's immediately sent to Europe to fight the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge.
- Billy never even gets to meet the new chaplain he's supposed to assist. He never gets a helmet or combat boots.
- He somehow manages to get lost behind enemy lines.
- He falls in with three other American soldiers (two scouts and an anti-tank gunner), none of whom have maps, food, or anything helpful.
- Billy is the most pathetic of all: he is tall and skinny and without a helmet, overcoat, weapon, or boots. Even though he's only 21, he's going bald and his beard is coming in white.