What spin is Tim O'Brien putting on the war in the chapter "Spin"?

Throughout "Spin," O'Brien attempts to portray the lighter side of war while simultaneously examining the inconsistent, violent nature of conflict. O'Brien begins the chapter by saying,

"The war wasn't all terror and violence. Sometimes things could almost get sweet...On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance" (O'Brien, 20).

O'Brien then shares unconnected anecdotes that illustrate the fragmentation of war. He describes how...

Throughout "Spin," O'Brien attempts to portray the lighter side of war while simultaneously examining the inconsistent, violent nature of conflict. O'Brien begins the chapter by saying,

"The war wasn't all terror and violence. Sometimes things could almost get sweet...On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance" (O'Brien, 20).

O'Brien then shares unconnected anecdotes that illustrate the fragmentation of war. He describes how Azar gives a chocolate bar to a boy with one leg and how Mitchell Sanders peacefully picks lice off of his body under the shade of a tree. O'Brien also recounts how Henry Dobbins and Norman Bowker play checkers every night in a foxhole, which contrasts sharply with the enigmatic, unpredictable nature of the Vietnam War. The unrelated stories concerning the old Vietnamese man who helps the Alpha Company traverse a mine field, Norman Bowker's comments about his father, and Mitchell Sander's story about a soldier going AWOL illustrate the various everyday experiences throughout the war. Peaceful moments like Kiowa teaching Rat Kiley a rain dance and Henry Dobbins singing to himself as he sews, are juxtaposed against violent stories involving Azar exploding a puppy and Curt Lemon's body parts hanging in a tree. O'Brien's anecdotes give the reader a different perspective on war by putting a "spin" on the solely brutal nature of conflict. Unlike Henry Dobbins and Norman Bowker's structured, predictable game of checkers, soldiers encounter a myriad of experiences ranging from tranquil and lighthearted to brutal and traumatic.