

Is it possible to have anyone that knows the true reasoning for the Vietnam war, or is this a daunting mystery that America and surrounding nations will never be able to unfold? The idea is that the Vietnam War caused more harm to the unprepared soldiers than government may have anticipated, or knew was happening. This idea is brought to light through Fredrick Logvall’s Choosing War, and knowing the effects of PTSD through Smith-Morris, The Cultural Context of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The soldiers were confused and not sure their purpose, causing them to carry items with them for hope to return home to their loved ones. These two texts help the reader understand the soldiers’ confusion that was depicted in, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. In O’Brien’s story, the reader is able to recognize their mannerisms as unusual, and use the knowledge from Smith-Morris piece to recognize the fairly new term, post-traumatic stress disorder. Having knowledge of the war and how unprepared the men were, can bring understanding as to why the disorder was finally brought to attention. This is all seen through The Things They Carried, as a prevalent example of the change endured by the soldiers. 

In Fredrik Logevall’s Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam, Logevall presents many convincing arguments that state the Vietnam War could have been avoided if it was not for the political figures trying to assert their power. Logevall states that the power of democracy versus communism made Kennedy, and President Johnson, to act on a war to show their dominance. The essay portrays the idea that the war was a war against America and its power of democracy, that was hidden by the idea of fighting the Vietnamese and other southeast Asian countries. Logevall continues to describe the integrity from the Johnson presidency as the true reasoning for the war. Further explanation of Johnsons integrity, is the idea that the defeat against China threatened Johnsons reputation. In return, making the United States go to war with Vietnam as the attempt for his name be remembered for victory rather than a loss. With the lack of a strong government, and the lack of rules from a president, the soldiers felt a feeling of forgetfulness’ and confusion, that had many tragic psychological alterations to the soldiers.

Having prior knowledge about the confusion and inexperienced soldiers of the Americans during the Vietnam war is very helpful before reading, The Things They Carried. While reading the story, it is evident that the soldiers were clueless as to why they were even fighting, if they had no purpose to strive to do well, except for survival. Many accusations of the soldiers invading towns and bombing them for no sole purpose are made in the story, further connecting to the idea that the war had no reason. All throughout the story, remarks that regard Martha’s letters indicate that even the America people waiting at home were in misunderstanding as to why the war was happening; “…she never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy take care of yourself” (O’Brien 328). The idea that a soldiers’ only purpose during the war was to survive in Vietnam is evident; for the soldiers and American people, felt there was no true reasoning for fighting. Reading Logevall’s essay prior to O’Brien’s, further supports the argument that the men carried sentimental items with them to help their will to survive during the traitorous months. Each solider carried items with them for combat, survival, and a little piece of hope to return home. The little piece of hope items carried by each solider were unique, as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried his hope for Martha’s love, as a way to keep himself safe and alive. While the hope for Martha’s love, and the optimism to return home from the war may be seen as a positive, however, in this scenario it was seen as a negative; as Lieutenant Cross got distracted, and ultimately failed to pay attention to his men. The notion that the men were not fully prepared for the war, ties in with the idea that the men were also not fully trained, for the quick transition into combat. As many soldiers were drafted with no experience, and lacked maturating due to young age; “They had no sense of strategy or mission. They searched the villages without knowing what to look for, not caring…then forming up and moving on to the next village, then other villages, where it would always be the same” (O’Brien 335). The confused and unprepared men however, commonly shared a goal to be back in America with their loved ones. Not having a desire or a strong will to fight made the men carry items with them, making for a purpose to survive the months being gone. Knowing this can help understand why all of the men individually had unique items they carried with them to remember their own personal goals. Also knowing that the men were just as confused, or even more so, as to why the war was happening as we still are today, can further help to understand the mannerisms and thoughts perceived in, The Things They Carried. As war is known as a dangerous thing, its noticed even more as each weapon was named in full detail, “…they carried M-14s and CAR-15s and Swedish Ks and grease guns’ market uzis and .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handguns…” (O’Brien 331), giving the reader the feeling of how precise a war can be. One failure, or mishap can cause a life during war. Being very attentive is key, and for these young boys, they may have not known any better and were not fully prepared. Knowing the fear and paranoia, Americans felt by communist countries during the Vietnam War, also helps one understand the different attitudes and comments made pertaining to the preciseness of each weapon. Paranoia mixed with the addition of being place into a new and stressful environment, is a linking cause to the soldier’s psychological alterations. Also having the poor leadership that was presented in our presidency also had an effect on the traits the lieutenants presented to their men. Coming from a modern day army that’s leading a new tactic, Israel has a new motion for the leaders to say, “Follow me!” rather than screaming, “Forward!”. This helps the Israeli soldiers follow a strong leader, and in return makes the army efficient and powerful. In Logevall’s essay, the reader is presented with the idea that America had a weak and confusing president during the Vietnam War, and that their attitudes were reflected down on the lieutenants. The lieutenants weren’t as prepared and strong as they should have been, thus making for a weak army. This is shown in the story as lieutenant Jimmy Cross relentlessly day dreams of Martha, and lacks the attention to his men. Learning the lack of leadership and confusing presidency during this time further explains why the war was so tragic and the horrible outcomes the men psychologically went through.

The psychological alterations the men experienced were unrecognizable, until the Vietnam War. The confusion, and lack of a strong government, made the men endure horrible conditions, causing for a change in their mannerisms and thoughts. When returned home, the young boys were unable to forget the traitorous months away. This pushed for doctors to acknowledge an uncommon term, Post-traumatic stress disorder. This disorder has always been around during times of war, however, during the Vietnam War America citizens made light of it and recognized its seriousness. While reading Smith-Morris, The Cultural Context of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it is stated that PTSD is the new nickname used to describe the psychiatric disorder. This disorder comes to an individual who either experienced, or witnessed, a stressful event or life threatening scenario. Many patients under this disorder experience flashbacks, nightmares, and depression, which can further lead to drug abuse. In The Things They Carried, the men began to resort to drugs as a simple, and easy way to calm their nerves during the war; “For a few moments, perhaps, they would fall silent, lighting a joint and tracking its passage from man to man, inhaling, holding in the humiliation” (O’Brien 338). PTSD is noted in Smith-Morris’s essay, by a patients psychological, and biological alterations and can have many other physical health problems. Along with the men carrying dieses with them, and having other war related health issues, they also had the health problems from pure stress. The term “post-traumatic stress disorder” originated after the Vietnam war, and was first noted in 1871 as soldiers were very fearful and experienced stressful situations, and new pressures. Smith-Morris essay states, that stress can completely alter one’s immune system, sleep, and physiological regulation, which in turn leads to a worsening condition. Stress is shown differently in individual people, as the ability to communicate emotions improperly to others, being one. The men had to witness death tremendously, and always feared dying, making them unable to express their emotions about it; “They were afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it” (O’Brien 338). Learning the symptoms, and changes caused by a traumatic event in Smith-Morris’s essay, can help explain why the men acted in a peculiar way. 

From reading, The Cultural Context of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder one can learn the side effects of PTSD, and realize that the presence of the disorder can alter an individual’s personality completely. War can make people do irrational and unheard of things, like carrying a human body part cut from a corpse; “Norman Bowker, otherwise a very gentle person, carried a thumb that had been presented to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders” (O’Brien 334). This striking image of a young boy carrying another boys thumb can be disturbing to the reader and the men around the solider, however, they did not seem alarmed. As a commonly known good luck charm is a rabbit’s foot, it can be noted as strange to give a gift of a human body part away. Along with good luck charms, the men all carried items with them for a sense of hope to return home, even if outsiders found the items odd. Each item they carried had a reason behind it, and was a way for the soldiers to try and abstain sanity. Throwing young boys into a war can alter their mind, and the presences of anxiety and stress can change the way one thinks. The idea of war is taunting, as young boys are killing each other, cutting parts of corpses off, and one can wonder is there a definite “good” side? This uncertainty can completely alter the way someone perceives a situation. The uncertainty of a “good side”, can relate back to the lack of a strong president, that causes questioning as to why the war is happening. Making for the men to be unsure as to why they are killing other humans and being put into horrible situations. The killing of another human-being is life changing, and without a true purpose, can explain why the men experienced guilt and anxiety; “…and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (O’Brien 336). The killing of other young Vietnamese men, and the responsibility the Lieutenants were faced with, was over powering and stressful. Lieutenant Jimmy cross was very young, and unprepared to be a lieutenant presented with enormous responsibility, “He was just a kid at war, in love. He was twenty-four years old” (O’Brien 334). Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s carrying of hope for Martha’s love, was an unconscious mechanism to help him push through the war. With the lack of a strong leader, to look to for a sense of relief and optimism, the men had to develop their own hope.

 As the young boys were placed in the Vietnam War, and expected to act as trained combatted men, many didn’t know how to respond. Developing the idea of Americans not understanding the reasoning for war by reading Logevall’s, Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam, one can understand why the soldiers were not mentally stable. The soldiers were forced to mature sooner than expected, and placed in horrible conditions, which can lead to an uneasy perception on the reliance of a government. The young men witnessed many other soldiers and newly made friends die, and were forced to continue fighting and acting strong, even without a sole reason to fight. As each solider carried physical objects that were necessary for survival, and items to give them hope, they also carried emotional bagged. The emotional bagged brought on from stressful and horrible situations would continue to lingerer in their heads even after the war was over. This lingered bagged can be directly linked to the presence of PTSD. Understanding what PTSD is, and the symptoms from Smith-Morris’s, The Cultural Context of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, helps the reader know the particular mannerisms and attitudes in The Things They Carried. The new awareness of PTSD in veterans, can be directly linked to the Vietnam war, that was brought on by a corrupt government, and weak presidency.
