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The Things They Carried What is it that really helps troops survive war? It is said that faith in humanity and religion are known to fizzle amongst times of wars; therefore almost every man will tell you it was the hope of coming back to loved ones and family. Ask any man that has been to war what it was like, what was going on inside his head, what he felt when he smelled death, what he felt when he caused death. The answer, inevitably, will be one that could never be put to words, an answer that you or I could never fathom. In The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien illustrates the mindset of the soldier through what he brought with him to the war-zone, and more importantly, what helped him get out of that war-zone. What he carried with him night and day, what he kissed every night before bed, what he must carry to survive, what he held with him while he was in hell, this is what helped him survive.
There are very few experiences as devastating to the human spirit as war, and though these things can never capture the human spirit, The Things They Carried certainly gives us insight as to what helped soldiers keep hope and survive war. One of the ways that troops in the Vietnam War often escaped the reality they were in or simply kept motivation to make it back home alive was to carry pictures or letters with them of lovers close to their heart. In The Things They Carried, First Lt. Jimmy Cross carried with him letters from the girl that he was in love with, Martha.
He looked at the letters every night before he went to bed, even went as far as to lick the envelope, because he knew that at one point she did the same. These letters gave him hope and inspiration. These letters were the last things that he thought about before going to bed, only to wake up to war the following day. The soldiers also carried things with them that were necessary for survival, depending on what their particular positions were. As a first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a. 45 -caliber pistol that weighed 2. 9 pounds fully loaded.
He carried a strobe fight and the responsibility for the lives of his men. He needed to carry these things with him so that he would be ready for any and every situation that he might come across. He is also responsible for other members of his platoon, and not only does his life have to be looked out for but so do his mens. Not only did he carry these things with him but he also carried the weight of his platoons lives on his shoulders, a responsibility that few people would envy.
On ambush, or other night missions, they carried peculiar little odds and ends. Kiowa always took along his New Testament and a pair of moccasins for silence. Dave Jensen carried night-sight vitamins high in carotene. Lee Strunk carried his slingshot; ammo, he claimed, would never be a problem.
Rat Kiley carried brandy and M&M's. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried the starlight scope, which weighed 63 pounds with its aluminum carrying case. Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's panty hose wrapped around his neck as a comforter. They all carried ghosts. Ghosts were the spirit of the soldier. Ghosts sometimes helped them along their journey, sometimes held them back.
A soldier had to be mentally prepared. The most important state of preparation any soldier can be in is that of psychological confidence and a longing to go back home. If a soldier dies psychologically from a ghost, all the guns and ammo and helmets and grenades cannot save him, for he is already dead. Every single thing that these men carried with them held great significance. Whether it be for protection from the enemy, protection from the cold, protection from the rain, protection from lonely nights, or protection from losing hope all together, the things and thoughts that soldiers carry with them in war are for more than just killing the enemy, but also saving themselves and giving them hope for waking up the next day. There were many things that stood in the way of soldiers, but as the following describes, this adversity just made them stronger.
In the time of the Vietnam War was the controversy of equality amongst blacks and whites in the United States. Many black soldiers were sent to war, and for this they claimed that their country would not give them equal rights but would be more than happy to send them off to the jungle to die for the country. Amongst one of the things that many black soldiers carried with them was not only resentment, but an even bigger will to come home and to prove to the people of America their love for their country. Amongst all the things that soldiers carried with them throughout the war, perhaps the thing that they remember most, was the pride of The United States at their back. Yes, it took more than this for them to survive in the jungles, but many veterans credit the government for support, regardless of how the American public was torn apart in this time of war.
Without the government at their back many soldiers believe that there would have been more casualties than there already were. They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried. OBrien states toward the middle of The Things They Carried. Soldiers carried everything physically possible that they could carry, but everybody neglects the shame and indignity that they carried when they would kill and maim a thirteen year old Vietnamese boy, when they would bombard a village of women and children; only to seize no weapons, all on their Lieutenants order; all for the sake of The United States. Mentioned many times throughout The Things They Carried were the things that soldiers carried for physical safety and for emotional safety. OBrien brings another factor into play: the illusion of safety.
This is how he refers to soldiers carrying a twenty-eight pound mine detector. With its headphones and big sensing plate, the equipment was a stress on the lower back and shoulders, awkward to handle, often useless because of the shrapnel in the earth, but they carried it anyway, partly for safety, partly for the illusion of safety. Even if the soldiers were not safe, the illusion of safety gave them courage to go on. The Things They Carried brought to the attention of the reader many things that the soldiers during the Vietnam War carried with them to shield off illness, stay warm, protect their comrades, to kill the Vietnamese soldiers and to remember their loved ones at home. It does not, however, give mention of the fact of how these things plus many more led to their survival during the war.
It does not give mention to the importance of emotional stamina and strength, and how looking at a picture or a letter every night before bed can give you the hope that you need to wake up the next day, the hope of going back home. Many soldiers in this war were lost, and many lost themselves before they were even killed physically. Words Count: 1, 241
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