The reason Birdy understands why his uncle Richie didn't talk about the war is because everything he went through he didn't really want to talk about so he sees how his Uncle Richie feels. a quote to show this is "if I have ever had kids, I think I won't tell them much about what I did here, or what I've seen." The quote shows that Birdy sees that the war is dark and hard to talk about it helped him understand why his Uncle Richie didn't talk about the war. Birdy also has found a new sign of respect for his Uncle Richie and why he doesn't talk about the war a quote to help explain this is "Uncle Richie, I used to be mad at you when you wouldn't talk about Vietnam. I thought you were being selfish, in a way. Now I understand how light the words