The Vietnam War is one of the most significant wars in history. The reason this war is so significant is because of how traumatic the events of the war were for the soldiers and for the people who were not directly involved in it. During this period the media displayed their exaggerated interpretation of the events of the war (M.S.S. 1794). This changed the perception of the United States for other countries and the citizens of the United States drastically. The main issue produced from this war is how the veterans were affected. Many veterans had occurrences of mental illnesses such as PTSD, depression, or anxiety during and after the war because of what they experienced. Many people in the current society support and praise soldiers during the war, but they do not show have a long-lasting appreciation for the soldiers when they return from war. This issue was first represented after the Vietnam War but it still exists today, especially since the funding for veteran’s benefits is being cut continuously. Through looking at the events of the Vietnam War in terms of the events in “The Things They Carried”, the reader can see that the Vietnam War had significant effects on the mental stability on the veterans of the story. This is important because the mental illnesses that Vietnam War veterans acquired from the war are life changing and this story was written to spread the awareness of the effects of this historical event. 

The author Alair MacLean wrote an article based on his research on mental illnesses that occurred in Vietnam War veterans. The concepts and results in his studies support the idea that the soldiers in “The Things They Carried” demonstrate symptons of these mental illnesses because of their experiences in the war. “The Things They Carried” is a story that revolves around a group of soldiers and is focused on the things that they carry with them through the Vietnam War. These things that the soldiers carry can be anything from personal items to memories of their pasts or things that they carry emotionally. The soldier that the story revolves around the most is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. He is the soldier that is most likely to develop some mental illness in the story because of how much emotions influence him. An emotional influence can affect someone more severely when actively experiencing an event such as war. The thing Jimmy carries emotionally with him would be his love for his crush Martha. He also carried pictures of Martha and letters that he wrote for her. Jimmy constantly thought about Martha because of these items.  His constant thoughts of her along with his war experiences is what can cause PTSD or other mental illnesses. Jimmy kept letting his fantasies of Martha haunt him and take control of his emotions which significantly impacted how he operated during the war. Eventually in the story he realized that it is better for him to not think about her and that they were not meant to be together. To relieve himself from thoughts of her he decided to burn his letters and photos of her. These thoughts and emotions were some of the things that Jimmy had to carry with him and it can be argued that this resulted in him being effected mentally. Combat experiences is not the only thing that can cause these post traumatic mental illnesses. The things a person carries with them into a war also has a large impact on how the war affects them. The way that the war effected Jimmy Cross is a great example that helps support MacLean’s research on PTSD. Alair Maclean claimed that the consequences for being involved in the Vietnam War and other wars are not only physical but also psychological (Maclean 564). According to Maclean’s research both of these types of consequences caused Vietnam War veterans to struggle after the war socially (Maclean 564). They had trouble finding work because of their mental illnesses. After comparing “The Things They Carried” with Maclean’s article the audience can infer that mental illnesses in war veterans is a major issue and should still be taken seriously today.

The events and actions taken during the Vietnam War have changed the perception of United States drastically. The article “Vietnam War and US: Haunting Legacy” is about this change in perception and how it was caused. Many soldiers of the Vietnam War were accused of their “misdeeds” while at war (M.S.S. 1794). According to the article, the media during the Vietnam War did not censor any of the soldiers’ actions. The media also may have exaggerated these actions by claiming many reports of United States soldiers killing innocent women and children. Even if it was true that these soldiers did commit these actions in many cases they argued that they did not intend to do any of it. Many soldiers were questioned about what happened and many of them said that they did kill innocent people but the reason is because at a certain point in the war they could not tell the difference between the innocent and guilty. Many men also claimed that they did not think of the consequences of their actions because they did not have time too. For example, in the article there is an explanation of what a bomber plane technician experienced. He said that the pilots of these bombers did not have any time to think of their actions because they do not see what they are doing because of how fast it takes them to fulfill their duties (M.S.S. 1795). In “The Things They Carried” none of these events happened so when comparing this article to the story it is hard to determine what actually happened at the Vietnam War. Either way the events of the Vietnam War were very traumatic and impacted the veterans and the people who saw what happened. This war changed the perception of the United States in a bad way and after looking back at it today it has changed the United States’ policy of war intervention. 

The idea that the soldiers in the story “The Things They Carried” is supported by both Maclean’s research and the article by M.S.S. The soldiers in the story are susceptible to acquire post traumatic mental illnesses when comparing the types of things that real Vietnam War veterans had to experience. The idea that the story revolves around is the things that the men carry with them into and throughout the war. When the soldiers experience something like the death of a comrade or some other emotional moment they must carry that experience with them. These memories of war are what cause mental illnesses like PTSD. In the story when one of the soldiers died, the other soldiers decided to grab all his belongings and carry them with them. This also had a significant effect on the soldier’s war experience because this reminded them of what happened. Carrying memories like these can increase the likelihood of developing a post traumatic mental illness.

The Vietnam War changed the lives of many people. After comparing the articles about the effects of the Vietnam War with the story “The Things They Carry”, the audience can see that the Vietnam War affected the soldiers who fought in it mentally. Veterans of the war suffered from mental illness such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The soldier’s experiences along with misconceptions portrayed by the media are what caused some soldiers to develop mental illnesses and what caused the perception of the United States to change. Now when the United States looks back at the events and actions taken during the Vietnam War there is a lot of regret. This war has shaped the United States in a bad way but also has motivated the United States to be better. The United States now has a war intervention policy of protecting the rights of human beings everywhere. The purpose of these articles and story about the Vietnam War is to raise the awareness of the effects of the war and how drastic of an impact it had on society. Today people look back at the war as a learning experience but they do not praise those who suffered from the war. Vietnam War veterans do not get the right attention for what they experienced and the goal of these pieces was to attempt to fix this issue. 
