The Vietnam war is known as one of the most brutal wars in our nation’s history. Battles were fought in the dark and eerie jungles of Vietnam. Resources were limited, as well as hope. In the book, “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, it is clear how mentally stressful this war was on the American soldiers. The soldiers in this story carry sentimental items with them wherever they go as a way to cope with the brutality of the war, which was very common during this time. For example, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries letters from a girl named Martha who he has loved for a long time back home. Small items like this allowed the soldiers to forget about what was going on around them by reminding them of the much easier life  back at home. When analyzing the text, “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, it is important to be aware of the mental stress the soldiers were under while at war, in order to better understand Lieutenant Cross’ feelings towards Martha.

The brutality of the Vietnam War was unlike any other war in our nation’s history, in that the odds of you leaving Vietnam unscathed was unlikely. Battles were fought in the dark and muddy jungles of Vietnam, where hope for wounded soldiers was scarce. With this in mind, soldiers had to keep careful watch over their safety at all times. This alone can create a lot of stress on a person’s mind; never being able to relax to try to take your mind off things, because in those jungles, everything can end in a matter of seconds. This is why Lieutenant Cross carries the pictures of Martha in his pocket. He knows that at all times, she is “with” him. “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letter from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letter, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rutsack” (328). Lieutenant Cross clearly has deep feelings for this girl, considering it later goes on to say, “He would sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (328). Just knowing that he has some part of her with him at all times, gives him a sense of comfort and allows him to take his mind off things. Three students at Stanford University, Josh Hochgesang, Tracye Lawyer, and Toby Stevenson wrote an article, “The Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War”, that talked about the brutality of the war, and how hard it was for young soldiers to cope with this violence. For example, the article begins with statistics that show how violent this war really was. “Fifty eight thousand were killed, two thousand captured, and three hundred fifty thousand; maimed and wounded, almost everyone in this country still feels the effect of this conflict. Today, the young people of this country cringe in response to the senselessness and waste of this struggle” (2). Just by looking at these few statistics shows that families that sent their loved ones away knew that there was a likely chance that they never came home. S

Throughout the text, you can see Lieutenant Cross’ feelings for Martha develop, which also shows how mentally stressful this war was on his mental health. His feelings seem to get much more emotional as the story goes on. He first begins talking about Martha without much emotion, just talking about some letters that he keeps. He later talks about a pebble that Martha sent him from the Jersey shore. He doesn’t seem to fully understand why Martha sent it, so he begins question it deeply. “He wondered how the tides and waves had come into play on that afternoon along the Jersey shoreline when Martha saw the pebble and bent down to rescue it from geology. He imagined bare feet” (331). This vivid imagination of Martha’s full train-of-thought is not your normal thought of your lover. He later describes a time where he is looking down a tunnel, “And then suddenly, without willing it, he was thinking about Martha. The stresses and fractures , the quick collapse , the two of them buried alive under all that weight” (333). This experience also goes to show how Lieutenant Cross’ mind has been altered throughout this war. You can see his emotions develop for Martha as the book goes on. Lieutenant Cross’ mind clearly isn’t in the right place. He is most likely thinking about the next time he is going to be able to go home and see Martha, which is not what he should be thinking about during combat. Soldiers in Vietnam were given a date of return prior to being deployed. This system was known as the DEROS system (date of expected return from overseas). “The soldier’s primary concern was focused on reaching his personal DEROS instead of preparing and fighting in battle” (Hochgesang, Lawyer, and Stevenson). After knowing about the DEROS system, it is possible that Lieutenant Cross is thinking about his date of return, when he should be focusing on the combat he’s facing. 

Another thing that was easily noticed about Lieutenant Cross’ mental health was the fact that all of his thoughts about Martha were just him imagining. There are no actual memories of things that he did with Martha before he was deployed. For example, he thinks about “romantic camping trips” (328) in the mountains of New Hampshire.  As the story develops, it seems as if Lieutenant Cross is telling stories to himself, most likely as a coping mechanism. He has found a sense of comfort with Martha, whether it’s “tasting the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there” (328), or it’s thinking of stories that he wishes he was able to do with Martha, but he can’t because he is fighting in the war. This sense of comfort with Martha allows him to cope with the brutality of the war. “They constantly feared death and were deeply traumatized as they saw their comrades being shredded to pieces by bullets and mines. They were also frustrated and confused, not knowing exactly where they were going or how America was going to win the War” (Hochgesang, Lawyer, Stevenson). Knowing how brutal this war was can help the reader understand why Lieutenant Cross’ mind is always wondering off and thinking about Martha. 

In 1983, a study called The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) was conducted in order to find out more information about PTSD, and other mental illnesses, post-Vietnam.  A common problem that came up  throughout this study was soldiers having a tough time keeping relationships with people back in the United States. Families that sent off their family members across the globe to fight in a war in which they didn’t quite know what they were fighting for, was a scary thing to do. There was always the thought that they may never return, and some families were forced to move on if they never came home. “In addition to the psychological disorders listed above, a substantial minority of Vietnam theater Veterans also reported readjustment problems such as occupational instability, marital conflicts, and family problems” (Hochgesang, Lawyer, Stevenson). Although Lieutenant Cross and Martha are not related or dating, Lieutenant Cross almost thinks as if they are. He is constantly thinking about her, looking at the letters she has sent him, and many other things as if Martha was his spouse. It is very common in today’s military for soldiers overseas to carry pictures of their families with them at all times. But it is different in Lieutenant Cross’ case: he doesn’t carry any real memories of Martha with him. The fact that Lieutenant Cross has no memories with Martha shows the mental state that he is in. Cross appears to be mentally confused, most likely due to the stress of the war. 

At the end of the reading, Lieutenant Cross came to an important realization: that his leadership in the military should come before his love life. He came to the realization that defending his country was far more important than the love of his life back home. Without knowing about the mental stress that soldiers in Vietnam were under, it can be hard to understand Lieutenant Cross’ feelings towards Martha. Understanding how much pressure and stress soldiers in Vietnam were under allows the reader to better understand why Lieutenant Cross had such intense emotions for Martha. He found comfort knowing that there was a part of her wherever he was. 
