The phrase, “The Vietnam War Era” refers to the period of time in which the United States was involved in a war in the Southeast Asian country of Vietnam, a period which lasted from about 1961 until 1975. This period of time is arguably one of the most controversial times in American history. The American people generally did not understand the involvement in the war and deployment was decided via a draft lottery. This lottery allowed for the choosing of soldiers to be “randomized” and also lead to many inexperienced and unqualified soldiers. The conditions of the war were notably horrible and the unfortunate reality of the war was that because of the soldiers’ lack of experience along with the horrible conditions and typical horrors of war, the soldiers began to struggle mentally during and long after the war, as many soldiers developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The understanding of the logistics of the Vietnam War Draft lottery and the various effects and symptoms of PTSD allows the reader to understand the actions and reactions of Vietnam War soldiers, as described by Tim O’Brien in his novel, The Things They Carried, through the characters of Ted Lavender, Kiowa, and Lieutenant Cross. 

The article entitled, “The Draft Lottery and Attitudes Towards the Vietnam War,” allows the reader to gain insight on the effect of the draft on attitudes towards the war and offers an explanation for the variety of men serving, both qualified and unqualified, experienced and inexperienced. Although not the main focus of the article, the most important takeaway is the understanding of how the draft lottery worked. The article provides an effective explanation of the draft lottery system. The lottery system was an alternative to local draft boards, which were usually biased. This system was replaced with the lottery system to make draft calls in a more fair manner. It called for males born between 1944 and 1950, in which numbers 1 through 366 were drawn, with each number corresponding to a particular birth date (Bergan). They split these numbers into sections, any male with a number greater than 195 was not called for induction, however, males with numbers 195 or below were called to report for possible instatement (Bergan). This system, although controversial, allowed the males born between 1944 and 1950 to determine how likely they were to be drafted and lead to a variety of types of men serving, many of which were probably not meant for battle (Bergan). 

This article gives the reader of O’Brien’s The Things They Carried an understanding of how the draft worked, and leads them to the understanding that many of the men in the war at that time were not there by choice. It is confusing at first for the reader to understand the differences between the people that O’Brien describes without the knowledge that they were all drafted. The things they carried that O’Brien describes vary greatly, from photos of a girl, to dental floss, to condoms, to tranquilizers, all of these things represent each soldier’s respective personalities. O’Brien describes a man named Ted Lavender first, he explains that Lavender had anxiety and had to carry tranquilizers and dope. He states that, for Lavender, dope was a “necessity.” It is troubling to the reader to understand why a man with such anxiety would enter a war. It’s also challenging to understand how a man with anxiety was even allowed to enter the army, as it is common knowledge today that all soldiers must pass various mental health tests before they can enter the army and especially before they can be deployed. In another instance, O’Brien describes Kiowa. He states that Kiowa was a devout Baptist and always carried his Bible with him. Although many soldiers turn to God or their faith during war time for guidance, it is confusing to a reader that a man described as a devoted Baptist would be involved in such a war. Due to the fact that many Americans struggled to understand why they were involved in this war, it is confusing to know that a devout Christian would enter such violence, as it is not encouraged in their faith. After he explains Lavender and Kiowa, O’Brien then goes on to describe Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. According to the story, Lieutenant Cross was in love with a woman named Martha. He carried letters from her and various pictures of her, and O’Brien describes him as admiring her and explains his thoughts and daydreams of her in various instances throughout the story. In one daydream, Lieutenant Cross is imagining  a time that he kissed her outside her dorm room door. The inclusion of the detail that he kissed her outside of a dorm, provides the information that he is a college student. Though many men in the war at time time were of college age, it is confusing to the reader as to why he was not still in college with his beloved Martha, especially if he seemingly cannot shake the daydreams and thoughts of her. Along with the confusion of why these men were in war, comes the confusion of how these men all ended up together. The knowledge of the logistics of the draft lottery allows for an explanation for all of these things. It becomes clear to the reader that this collection of soldiers probably would not have been in the war if it were not for the draft. It allows them to understand that this was not their choice, which is especially helpful in understanding why someone with the anxiety of Ted Lavender would ever end up there. The explanation of the draft lottery allows the reader to understand clearly how it worked and how certain men ended up where they did. It is important for the reader to know the logistics of the lottery in order to understand the Vietnam war, the United States general public’s attitudes towards it, why these attitudes were present, and why so many soldiers were seemingly unfit for battle. 

The next article, “Study Raises Estimate of Vietnam War Stress,” written by Leslie Roberts, provides an explanation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), its effect on Vietnam war veterans, and the development of this mental disease since the Vietnam War Era. The article begins by stating that in an early study conducted by the CDC, they found only 66,000 Vietnam veterans had been affected by PTSD. It then goes on to explain that according to a new study conducted by the Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina, 470,000 Vietnam War veterans suffer from PTSD, translating to 15% as opposed to the previous estimate, which translates to 2% (Roberts). The article also states that at the time of the CDC conducted their study, PTSD was not taken as seriously as it is now. It explains that one may be diagnosed from a mild intensity-life threatening intensity. The way these are treated are different but all forms are typically triggered by exposure to a traumatic event (Roberts). The symptoms of PTSD include reexperiencing the event in nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance or withdrawal from the outside world, increased arousal, and exaggeration of minor things (Roberts). The article then goes on to explain that the study found that the Vietnam PTSD cases were concentrated in those who experienced heavy combat and war zone stress, those who lost friends, and those who witnessed or participated in atrocities (Roberts). 

This article is helpful to those reading The Things They Carried as it allows for an increased perspective of the ways in which the men acted, why they might have carried the items described, and why they felt certain ways, as told by Tim O’Brien. On page 333, Tim O’Brien describes the anticipation soldiers had while approaching tunnels. In this, he states, “In some respects, though not many, the waiting was worse than the tunnel itself. Imagination was killer,” after describing the thoughts and worries soldiers had while approaching these tunnels (O’Brien, 333). The article allows for an explanation of what he means by, “imagination was killer.” As stated earlier, the article describes many symptoms of PTSD, one being increased arousal and exaggeration of minor events. The knowledge of these symptoms allow the reader to understand why the soldiers’ approach of the tunnels might come along with terrifying thoughts. Later in the story, O’Brien says, “Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.” To the reader, being embarrassed to survive seems silly. However, the influence of the article allows for an understanding of why they might have felt that way. Because PTSD was not taken very seriously during the Vietnam Era, it might have been easier for them to die than live with the experiences they had in the back of their minds and not have anyone understand what they were going through, likely labeling them as crazy. The most clear representation of PTSD in this story is the way in which Lieutenant Jimmy Cross reacts to the death of his soldier, Ted Lavender. Along with the story of Lavender’s death, O’Brien provides a large amount of detail regarding Cross’ reaction. He essentially describes a depressed, guilt stricken man. On page 331, he states, “Lieutenant Cross kept to himself. He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her,” (O’Brien 331). One of the symptoms of PTSD is withdrawal, and through the description of Lieutenant “keeping to himself,” along with the knowledge of this symptom, we can assume that Cross is developing the disorder. He continues to describe Cross as keeping away from his men and becoming more and more guilty throughout the story. Through these descriptions, it is easy to see that Cross is experiencing a form of PTSD, especially with the knowledge that PTSD is usually developed after a traumatic event and these feelings were not present until after Lavender’s death. The background knowledge of PTSD allows the reader to understand these thoughts, actions, and reactions, and puts them in perspective as it is a very strong possibility that all soldiers described were experiencing a form of PTSD. 

The knowledge of the draft lottery system and the various effects and symptoms of PTSD allows one reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried to understand his characters fully. Throughout the story, he refers to the various things that soldiers carried and explains the ways in which they coped with certain situations. For a reader with little knowledge on the vietnam war and PTSD, it is understandable that it could be difficult to comprehend why the soldiers he describes react in certain ways and carry certain items. It is confusing for people to understand the reasons behind their actions and reactions without the knowledge of how the soldiers were deployed and the widespread, heavy effects that the war had on them. This knowledge gives the reader more insight into what is going on in the characters’ minds. 