Reflection Questions about the novel "My Brother Sam is Dead"

My Brother Sam is Dead
Chapter 1
Explain Mr. Meeker's statement, "You may know principle, Sam, but I know war."
Mr. Meeker is saying that Sam doesn't really know what a war is. He has been in a war but Sam hasn't. He has seen a lot of things like 'a dear friend lying in the grass with the top of his skull off and his brains sliding out of them like wet oats' (p21) which Sam hasn't. He is telling his son how terrible a war is and trying to make him not join the army. He is also telling him that he shouldn't risk his life on anything like his principle because his life is the most important…