The first chapter of the book really focused on the things soldiers carried and I found myself fascinated by the list on p.13, both the actual items the soldiers carried and the way the author transitioned into specific things individual people carried, and then what everyone ‘carried’. It was an incredibly well crafted piece, tangling the everyday and mundane with the realities of war in a way that gave me reference and allowed me to be part of the story.
I had to look up Psy Ops leaflets, p.13. Psy Ops is short for psychological operations and in Vietnam one of the psy ops used were in the form of leaflets. It’s a form of “non-lethal warfare” and apparently quite effective. I found a pic: http://www.psywarrior.com/viet.html with links to more examples and another site with a pic of an aerial drop: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flounderfishcamp/4423391285/ . There’s also a brief history of psy ops at: http://www.psywarrior.com/psyhist.html . I had honestly never heard of psy ops and it really gave me a pause when I realized how much more is involved in fighting a war than guns. My husband also told me that they would drop ‘bombs’ on villages, so called bombs with flares in them, but they only sounded like bombs and would explode with a flare. This was another form of psy ops used to scare people. This kind of disturbed and depressed me, and kept me thinking for awhile about the trauma of war, the way it insults the minds of everyone a war touches. And yet TO writes it into the list in such an innocuous way that I didn’t think it would be anything in particular.
How everyday he made those leaflets seem!
I was tricked into being complacent by the way he sandwiched psy ops between fingernail clippers and bush hats, as if this was just everyday stuff. And then when I found out what they were, I was jarred. It's as if I were looking at a table strewn with everyday knives, forks and spoons only to suddenly notice that all the handles are carved from human bone.
How did you react to the things they carried?
The first chapter really got me thinking. What would I carry if I was in a far away place and my life was on the line every single day. I wonder how my life would change and what things I would find my self thinking about. It was interesting to read about what the soldiers were thinking and why they carried the things they did. It seemed to me that some carried things for hope and fear while others carried things from their background. What do you think you would take? I would take photos of my family, my bible,a few candy bars, and many more. I am excited to read more and can't wait to see what comes next!
ReplyDeleteWhat I found the most profound, was on page 20, when they talked about the emotional baggage that they all carried. "They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run, or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture." I think it made a very good point that in most cases everything else while important was material and could be removed and left when the war was over, but when they ultimately left, they were left with this knowledge and burden. The statement I liked best was "They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing." With all they faced was this really it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the Psy ops leaflets. I read right over it! The pictures of the leaflets are very disturbing to me! Those are REALLY DEAD PEOPLE! WAR is Horrifying! I'm so glad my son is back home from Abu Dhabi last week. He's in the USAF. He's been almost 3 years and he's just 21. As I was reading I realized how young these guys were. The things they carried had a lot to do with their hope and dreams for living! They just wanted to live and get back home. It changed them permanently! The author does a brilliant job of letting the reader understand the reality of the daily life over there.
ReplyDeleteI found the first chapter and the "things" to be a short introduction to each individual. We got to know Lieutenant Cross by observing how he saw his men in relation to what they carried. Lieutenant Cross carried his own things, but is seems to me that his inner “things” were more significant to him than his possessions. This is a hard book to read. It hits home to think that these are situations that really happen in war. I think it’s easier to pretend that they don't, which makes this book a crucial read.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be a pessimist, but the first chapter of this novel has been the most boring to read. I've reread it nearly three times now and still, I find what he has to say in later chapters is much more powerful. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this book just as much as the next person, however, I feel that he overloads the reader with all of those facts. The things the men carried were an integral and important aspect of the war, yet I feel he may have introduced them too early, or with too much emotional weight. It is beautifully crafted and presented, but I think it would be even better had O'Brien placed it later in the book and with even more in depth analysis of the things they carried.
ReplyDeleteA personal anecdote to this comment; I have lived with a former Marine who served two different tours of duty in Iraq. The only reason why I was familiar with the term "psy ops" was due to his descriptive and personal definition of the concept. It made me appreciate the air I breathe, food on my table, and bed I sleep comfortably in at night. Warfare is something I hope to never experience.
I, too, was caught off guard by the way TO rattled off the items of "neccesity" as if they were everyday, oridinary things. My first thought was that his approach was quite light for such a heavy topic for which most of us can't relate; however, I realized the affects this heaviness caused him when TO wrote "they carried the land itself- Vietnam, the place, the soil- a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces. They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity" (15). This struck me to the point of having to stop and reread. Physically and emotionally, these soilders were weighted down, and I then think how soilders, after horrifying experiences, return to their homes to live their daily lives. I can only assume they will forever carry "the things they carried."
ReplyDeleteI must admit when I first started reading this book I had a hard time getting into it. I didn’t just know the vocabulary, I had to ask and look up much of the abbreviations (I was surprised I knew any at all). As I kept reading it though I found it more interesting. It was interesting to read about some of the tangible things they carried. Some items they had to carry by standard and some they did to stay themselves (as it appeared to me at least).
ReplyDeleteI started to get more into the story once it got into the emotional burden they carried. War truly does seem horrible.
Wow, I never realized how brutal war actually is! Sure, I knew that it wasn't good and there were a lot of angry words and actions being passed back and forth between the enemies, but the whole idea of PSYOPS really opened my eyes to how disgusting war is! I think it's interesting how the enemy does everything in their will power to plan their propaganda and eventually plan their attack. They do everything they can to get into their enemy's heads and attack them through their weaknesses. I never knew that there were even such things as "leaflets of PSYOPS" that were made with the intentions of getting the enemy to surrender. One question that I do have is: Are the leaflets just little pieces of paper like on a note card of something? What were they like and how were they distributed out to the enemy? Anyway, I am really fascinated with the facts of war and I am excited to finish reading The Things They Carried. I couldn't imagine being personally involved in war or have a family member that was. It would be absolutely devastating!!! Thank God I am lucky and don't have to deal with that crap! Well, not directly that is. I guess our nation is dealing with it right now:(
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first chapter I found myself constantly aware of what I was carrying. I think that TO was making a point of the weight that the soldiers had to carry but in making this point he was using the objects they carry as a metaphor for how heavy war really is emotionally on all of us.
ReplyDeleteLife is a war (though most of the time less gory) and we all carry the tools necessary to fight our own war. When I started down this path of thinking I cried. With the stress of school, job, family, and life, and any trauma that we may have experienced its a true miracle that any of us are able to hump it through life.
Through the first few pages, I wondered the relevance of including every single item the troops carried. Of course, the author had a point to this. On page 6, I realized how ironic it was that Ted Lavender carried the most ammunition, and ended up getting shot. The author gives such an idea of each character's personality by just saying what each soldier carried. It is creative and fascinating, and I enjoy how well written this book is so far!
ReplyDeleteWell I was clearly wrong about who the main character was. Amanda I agree, reading about war is pretty eye opening. With the risk of sounding lame, I've never liked the idea of war and this just cements my original ideas. Terrible things happen, it’s hard to believe people can live through it and be normal again. Well normal is an interesting description; I mean go on living day-to-day back in their old lives.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised at what all the soldiers had to carry. As I was reading chapter 1, I was amazed at how the lost of things carried just seemed to go on and on. I could not imagine being in wat let alone being responsible for carrying all of the equipment required. The emotional baggage alone would be enough to bring me down!
ReplyDeleteIt is a devastating read. I think about all the men,and now women, who have ever been in wars and I wonder about the passing down of the trauma. People are forever changed by war. Literally. The neurological make-up is changed, the mind, the perspective... and on top of that the compounding effects of damage from enemy attack to friendly fire, not to mention the chemicals used to strip foliage - like Agent Orange - and other unimaginable horrors.
ReplyDeleteBy the things they carry back with them, willingly and unwillingly.
The amazing thing about Psyops is that once the enemy understood that the US was advertising the coming of our troops via leaflets from the sky, the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and the Vietcong would leave the village, wait for the military to come in clear the village, then move back in again. Once we had gone it became a early warning for the enemy that our troops where headed their way.
ReplyDeleteThe things one carries in the field is much like packing your suit case for a trip knowing there is a weight limit on the plane. A soldier knew his weight limit, how long he could carry his pack before exhaustion would over take him. And the weight of a bullet over a photo often won out, memories and extra thoughts became as heavy at times. To stay alive one needed to keep one’s mind on the mission… if not you didn't come back.
Reading your post I see that you are disturbed by the fact that he put the Psy Ops as if they were everday things but I think that there is a reason for him doing that. I'm not saying I know the reason but I can think of a couple. 1.) Possibly because to them it was every day things-they had alot to deal with. or 2) a literary reasoning. Once I started reading Chapter 1, I remember reading this before, then I remembered that we read the beginning of the story in an NIC English class so now I get to complete the book. This chapter really makes one think. Personally it makes me sad just thinking how hard our soldiers have it and how much we take it for granted. Life in the war changes ones attitude on life itself. The part that gets me the most are there emotional baggage because everyone carries that around, some worse than others but we all know soldiers have it the worst. The thought of knowing that you are killing people (even though thats what they are there for), seeing you friends and others die before your eyes. Won't make a person sane-that's for sure. I'm glad that I get a chance to read the actual book-it's been awhile since I've read for entertainment. :)
ReplyDeleteI really have enjoyed learning about war in class and through this blog. It has been interesting to me since my life has been more isolated from war. I have few family members that have been in the war and so I don't know a lot about war or what goes on there. This book has opened up a new perspective that I have never seen. It opens up thoughts of characters and a scene to the past. As a future teacher it is good for me to be exposed to many things that the world is going through. I am happy that we are reading this book and that I can experience something that I wouldn't in daily life.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading the first chapter's list of items, my stomach started churning when O’Brien started mentioning emotional and psychological baggage. When I read your post, Gary, about how each soldier knew his limit, it made me think about that list again. Yes, they knew their limit on tangible weight, but what was their limit on the emotional and psychological baggage they carried. The possibility that one minute you could handle your load and the next you could be out—you have seen, heard, and done too much—seems like a scary load in itself.
ReplyDeleteBrandi, you talk about not knowing when you would reach your emotional and physiological limit over there. Often, when push came to shove, a soldier would make the choice that could be any number of responses. Tim offers up a few: shoot yourself in the foot, like Rat; use drugs, like Ted Lavender, so that everyday it’s a good day; and just drift into the jungle like Mary Anne. Other people, not unlike myself, put the over limit things deep inside our heads with “this is just another day we need to get through” and the knowledge that if we didn’t, we would end up in a black body bag as just another dead soldier, headed home to be buried in a flag draped coffin, a government statistic to be looked at, by a bean counter, as a loss. Often the limits as to what your mind can handle never showed up until you came home. That edge that kept you alive in Nam was no longer needed but your body aches for the feelings you’ve left behind. That adrenaline rush you got, will the next sound I hear be a VC, or will the man coming in behind you bring a knife to your throat….
ReplyDeletePost Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)… everyone that has ever served in a war or conflict has it. We all deal with it everyday, each in our own way; it’s the thing the people who have never experienced war will go on to say, “Gary seems so different since he’s gotten back for Viet Nam he’s just not the same person.” And how could he be?