Question

according to o'brien, how do you tell a true war story? what does he mean when he says that the true war stories are never about war?

Answer 1

"According to O'Brien, how do you tell a true war story?"
O'Brien states that you can tell a true war story "by the questions you ask". For example, if someone tells you a story and you have to ask whether or not it is true and the answer matters, then it is not a true war story.

"What does he mean when he says that the true war stories are never about war?"
O'Brien is trying to say that the stories are about friendships, associations, lives and deaths, and the people in the war. The story is never about the war itself.