The Vietnam War In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

Vietnam War

War is a horrific mind blowing event. Some people are mentally and physically scarred for life because of war. It can consume a person by what he or she thinks or by his or her dreams. In every war, there are platoons which are a group of people who make up a military. Each member has a different ranking. They are ranked by experience, knowledge of language or weapons, and even combat skills. One war that took a toll on American society is the Vietnam War. There are many stories that argue about what it was like, but not everyone experienced the same things. In addition, in the Vietnam War there were a lot of men who were drafted, which means they had no choice. In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien it talked

However, it was not only weapons, medicine, food, and a supply of basic things to survive, but it was also personal belongings. Henry Dobbins carried extra rations, his girlfriend’s pantyhose, and a machine gun (M-60); Jimmy Cross carried photographs, letters, maps, code books, and a compass; Dave Jensen carried extra hygiene items and vitamins; Ted Lavender carried tranquilizers, dope, and ammunition; Mitchell Sanders carried condoms and the PRC-25 radio; Norman Bowker carried a diary; Rat Kiley carried comic books and M&Ms; Lee Struck carried a slingshot; and Kiowa carried the New Testament bible and a hatchet from his grandfather. “What they carried varied by mission. When a mission took them to the mountains, they carried mosquito netting, machetes, canvas tarps, and extra bug juice. If a mission seemed especially hazardous, or if it involved a place they know to be bad, they carried everything they could.” (O’Brien

It gave the image of weapons, letters, photos, and the soldiers smoked, read, and shot dogs and chickens. Reasons that men often lost their morals: they witnessed their friend being blown to pieces beside them while their ears were ringing; they went without baths for weeks sometimes months; they ran off of very little sleep wondering if they would be next; they cut their way through jungles not knowing if it was booby trapped or if they would be ambushed; and they went through food shortages sometimes not eating for days or sometimes even weeks. However, there was a difference between combat soldiers and support troops. Support troops had nice clean uniforms with shiny boots and combat soldiers had dirty uniforms with faded scratched boots. Support troops just had to worry about contracting a disease or not getting enough channels on their television. Combat soldiers resented the support troops because they were out risking their lives and still had the same title as the support troops when they made it back home. All soldiers were called Vietnam Vets, and most men that got awards or medals or recognized were the ones that never faced the real