How was Rat Kiley wounded? He shot himself in the foot. What wouldn't the narrator do, despite the urging of the other soldiers? Shake the hand of an old man that was killed in a napalm strike.

How did Rat Kiley get injured?

He begins to see his own. Finally the tension gets to him and he shoots himself in the foot, a war wound that would rotate him out of the combat area. ... We know that Rat Kiley gets "hurt," but we do not know how badly and the nature of the wound.

Why did Rat Kiley wound himself?

In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots himself in the foot order to get out of fighting. As a result, he is transferred out of the combat zone without causing himself any serious damage.