The Vietnam War is one of the most significant battles in the history of the United States, even with its unfavorable outcome. The United States withdrew from the conflict in Vietnam, eventually leading to victory for North Vietnam, and a victory for communism. The war was very controversial because of the politics involved in the United State's activity in Vietnam. This war was very much motivated by John F. Kennedy's attempt to stop the spread of communism, which would prove to set a precedent for the future foreign policy of the country. The song, "Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen and the short story, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien both highlight the Vietnam War, and through their similarities and differences a greater understanding of the time period and conflict is achieved. 

Although Springsteen's song and O'Brien's story are two completely different concepts of writing, the similarities they share are crucial. At the start and throughout the Vietnam War, citizens of the United States constantly questioned why the military was involved in a war that didn't directly affect their home. Vietnam is on the complete opposite side of the world than the United States, yet they committed hundreds of thousands of military personnel to the conflict. It is an understatement to say the moral of the United States home front was low, for it was essentially non-existent. Not only was the military shipping its soldiers across the globe, but also they were not even winning the battle, and many were dying for a questionable cause. This is reflected in Springsteen's song, as he, "got in a little hometown jam, so they put a rifle in [his] hand" (Springsteen). The way Springsteen delivers this line hints that he had no desire to join the military, but he was forced into it by some trouble he got into. This line also doesn't reflect excellence in the soldiers the United States sent to Vietnam, as they just put a rifle into the hand of a troubled teenager. These soldiers weren't the top of their class, but rather just anyone who they could convince to fight for the cause. This is reflective of the American view of the Vietnam War, as Springsteen basically expresses identical opinions. Springsteen represents the average American's point of view in his song, a factor that contributed to the popularity of this song. Although O'Brien represents a completely different point of view in his story, their opinions could not be any more similar. O'Brien writes his story about First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, for much the text is based off O'Brien's personal experience as a soldier. His experience as a soldier is where O'Brien draws his perspective from, a source of credibility for the actual opinions of a soldier in combat. Cross and his men, "searched the villages without knowing what to look for, not caring  sometimes setting fires and sometimes not, then forming up and moving and moving on to the next village, then other villages, where it would always be the same" (O'Brien, 310). The soldier's didn't know what their purpose was in Vietnam, and even worse, then truly didn't care about what they did overseas. Not only did the American home front not know what the purpose of their involvement in the Vietnam War was, but also the soldiers knew about this lack of support. How could one expect these men to fight for a cause that they don't believe in, nonetheless expect them to win the battle. These soldiers were not fighting the war because they wanted to, but because they were forced too by the government. This mindset is identical to that of the character in Springsteen's song, who involuntarily joined the military after a couple bad decisions. This connection between the two pieces of writing is crucial in understanding the time period of the Vietnam War because it confirms that the mentality of both the citizens at home and the soldiers overseas were alike. This message is not the only similarity between the two texts, as racism is prevalent in each of them. Springsteen describes his duties as being sent, "off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man" (Springsteen). This subtle form of racism is not something that jumps out to a listener of the song, but is nonetheless important when analyzing the lyrics. Yellow is a popular stereotype towards people of Asian background, as it is assumed their skin is the color yellow, much like the skin colors white and black. This insult, which may seem causal and insignificant to a listener, is actually crucial insight into the prejudice felt by many American's during the Vietnam War. If Springsteen represents the view of the general public in his song, this racism must be normal and accepted on the American home front. Not only was this racism prevalent on home soil, but also across the ocean soldiers had many similar prejudices. While raiding villages in Vietnam, the soldiers "kicked corpses, they cut off thumbs" (313). Blatant disrespect of enemies killed in battle is not something that the United States military prides itself on or wants citizens to find out about. These actions are rooted in the racism felt towards Viet Cong soldiers, who were seen as lesser human beings than white men. These dead soldiers were treated like animals, because that is the general mentality soldiers had towards Vietnamese during the war. Although the levels of racism expressed in both texts may vary in severity, it is clear prejudice was prevalent both in America and with soldiers overseas. This realization of the prejudice during this time period is not meant to justify actions by any party, but it is crucial that this is understood and revealed through close reading. Of the several factors of war Springsteen emphasizes in his song, one that appeals to the emotions of the listener is the woman his character left at home. The soldier, "had a woman he loved in Saigon, [He's] got a picture of him in her arms now" (Springsteen). Springsteen implies that this soldier never made it back home after the war, dying overseas and leaving the love of his life behind in America. This tragic separation is one that can go easily unheard in the lyrics of the song, but how Springsteen's connection to the song on an emotional level. All too often people forget that these soldiers are leaving lives behind when they ship overseas to fight, and their families are left with no chance of protecting them. This is another reoccurring theme in O'Brien's text, as much during much of the story Lieutenant Cross battles his love for a girl back home. Everywhere Cross traveled while in Vietnam, he "carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey" (O'Brien, 303). Although this picture of Martha never left his side, he couldn't have felt more separated form her. Soldier's like Cross essentially put their lives on hold when they deploy for battle, as they can't help the people they left behind from moving on while they are halfway across the world. Both Springsteen and O'Brien sympathize with the emotions of soldiers in their separate texts, an important connection to make to understand where the influence of their writing comes from.    

While both Springsteen's song and O'Brien's text focus on the time period of the Vietnam War, there are some significant differences between their messages. Springsteen's song is seen as one of the most patriotic songs of the time period, and is very much a song that reflects pride in American culture. This song promotes a general mood of happiness, with the lyrics, "born in the USA," repeated several times as the chorus (Springsteen). This lyric reflects the pride that Springsteen has in his nationality, and is a chorus recognized across the country by people of all ages. Despite the context of the Vietnam War in the song's lyrics, this chorus promotes an overall positive mood. This cheerful mood may be the basis of the song, but it is not reflected in the text of O'Brien's story. Soldier's overseas in Vietnam couldn't escape the depression in their everyday lives, which often led them to commit gruesome acts. Soldiers hit rock bottom when it became a common occurrence for men to, "find release by shooting off their own toes or fingers" (O'Brien, 314). American soldiers were actually so desperate to get transported out of Vietnam than they forced harm on themselves to receive medical leave. This along with many other events creates a very dark and ominous mood throughout the text, a clear distinction between the upbeat mood in Springsteen's song. Although these two texts share distinct similarities, it is necessary to recognize this severe difference between the two. The American home front was able to escape the horrors of Vietnam even while engaged in conflict, while soldiers woke up everyday in a living Hell. This inability to escape their circumstances heavily motivates the general mood of the story, and makes it possible for two texts with so much in common to convey completely different moods. 

"Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen is one of America's most recognizable songs in history, and is a song that dives much deeper than it's patriotic roots. "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien is one of America's greatest war novels, which exposes elements of the Vietnam War never seen before by the American people. These two extremely influential texts may not seem particularly connected, but the themes they share allow the listener and reader to develop a truly special understanding of the Vietnam War and time period. The differences between these two texts are also crucial to develop a greater understanding, as they expose perspective from their respective authors, and offer insight to the minds of soldiers and American civilians almost fifty years ago. Alone each text is special, but together, conclusions from each text build upon one another, and even new realizations appear along the way. 

