Just like the girl repeating her mother’s words, Johnnie quotes the textbook definition of citizenship verbatim. He doesn’t understand or believe it himself, which is what Mr. Dubois wants the students to be able to do. The definition, however, isn’t wrong, it’s just that Johnnie doesn’t have the experience to understand it yet. The first half of the book, which covers his military training and early career, traces his maturation as he comes to understand and embody the soldier-citizen’s responsibility in himself.