I remembered the way a Phantom pilot had talked about how beautiful the surface-to-air missiles looked as they drifted up toward his plane to kill him, and remembered myself how lovely .50-caliber tracers could be, coming at you as you flew at night in a helicopter, how slow and graceful, arching up easily, a dream, so remote from anything that could harm you. It could make you feel a total serenity, an elevation that put you above death, but that never lasted very long. One hit anywhere in the chopper would bring you back, bitten lips, white knuckles and all, and then you knew where you were. It was different with the incoming at Khe Sanh. —Dispatches, Michael Herr What is the overall effect of the imagery in this passage? Terrifying images show that people continue to dream about events after they have happened. Vivid images of a Phantom pilot show the terrible dangers that soldiers faced at war. Beautiful images of deadly weapons create tension. Serene images of the night sky show that soldiers found comfort in the natural world.