"The Man He Killed"

I enjoyed reading the poem “The Man He Killed”. This man is telling someone his war stories while enjoying a drink. He tells about how he shot him right when he appeared “and killed him in his place.” (line 8) He was being approached by the enemy, and of course would shoot right away instead of being in the position of being shot first. I think that he feels bad that he killed him because he probably enlisted for the same reason as the narrator. “Off-hand like just as I/Was out of work had sold his traps/No other reason why (lines 14, 15, & 16). He has respect for the man he killed, but yet had to do what he did in order to survive himself. I think war is a very difficult thing to experience and since I have never had to, I will not understand what it truly is like. But I think if I was in that position I would be more worried about keeping my own life and would do what I have to without thinking twice about it.