Nicholas Zilhaver

Professor Smith

ENGL-101 019

11/16/16

Essay 3: An Insight Into PTSD Affliction During The Vietnam War

As Defined by the Mayo Clinic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological condition triggered by participating in or witnessing terrifying or traumatic events (Mayo Clinic, 2016). It is the epitome of Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried, a story about the plight of young Lieutenant Jimmy Cross leading his platoon across war-torn Vietnam. The Lieutenant recklessly leads his platoon, plagued constantly by his obsession with a woman in an entirely different world. He keeps her in his memory only as a means of mental survival. The death of one of his comrades however, burdens the young Lieutenant with post-traumatic stress. As a result, he sacrifices his means of mental survival and refocuses his efforts towards establishing and maintaining his unit’s combat effectiveness. A number of studies and scholarly texts have been gathered so as to provide better understanding of the post-trauma mindset and therefore the decision making process of the protagonist. In doing so, this understanding makes evident the role of PTSD in the Vietnam War.

While not personally responsible for the incident, Lieutenant Cross blames himself for the death of Ted Lavender, one of the soldiers under his command. It is this incident that accounts for the trauma resulting in the protagonist’s PTSD. This trauma causes Lieutenant cross to undergo a personality change which can be reflected in his decisions. Before the incident, occurs, O’Brian specifically mentions that while observing a tunnel clearing, Lieutenant Cross, “tried to concentrate on Lee Strunk and the war, (and) all the dangers… yet he could not bring himself to worry about matters of security”. Lieutenant Cross’ obsession for this girl leads him into precarious situations where he allows his fantasy to distract him from the precarious and ultimate charge of leading his men and keeping them alive. When Lavender finally dies and this girl once again creeps into his thoughts, the protagonist finally realizes that his one-sided love for this girl is what led to his poor leadership, and ultimately Lavender’s death. As a result, when his obsession resurfaces, he rids himself of the pictures, letters, and emotional burden of his obsession. His obsession with this girl was a means of mental survival as O’Brian points out, however the trauma from the event leads him to reprioritize eventually concluding with the danger in having this obsession and its impact on his ability to survive. 

It is important to understand the physical motivation involved in Cross’ reprioritization, so as to better understand how he is afflicted with PTSD. A recent study analyzing the structural neuroplasticity of PTSD afflicted combat veterans provides insight into the physical neurological reasoning for post-traumatic action. Lieutenant Cross eviscerates his means of psychological survival as a result of his trauma clearly, however this study explains how fear plays a pivotal role in this decision. When the brain re-tasks itself in such a way that prioritized mental and physical survival, the primary reason is fear. Fear pathways stem from traumatic events such as the immediate death of Ted Lavender (Kolassa et. al, 2007). Furthermore, the undignified and random death of Lavender constructed by O’Brian only adds to the constant and prevalent fear of death. These fears feed into fear pathways which command Cross’ decision making and therefore plays a significant role in command decisions during the Vietnam War.

In addition to the realization that death is ever present, Lieutenant Cross’ disposition towards his men dramatically changes. O’Brian mentions that before the event, due to the nature of the combat zone and the conditions they faced, Lieutenant Cross would allow them to at compromise their safety in exchange for comfort and ease. Examples of these include abandoning equipment, smoking dope, and not following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Charles Kaiman’s “PTSD in the World War II Combat Veteran” offers diagnostic criteria and case specific examples of post-traumatic influence on an individual’s personality and decision making. In almost all cases, there was a severe personality shift after the trauma occurred. More specifically, Kaiman mentions that very frequently, veterans would return home and throw themselves into work so as to drown out the constant thoughts of the trauma (Kaiman, 2003). In much the same way, Lieutenant Cross throws himself into the work of plotting courses and enforcing the standard after he endures his traumatic event. 

Moving forward, it is important to note that O’Brian makes mention that the obsession Lieutenant Cross develops is deployed by him as a means of mental survival. He reiterates that everyone in Vietnam only burdened themselves with things that were essential to survival, and does this by making constant mention of the specific weights of all “humped” items, to the ounce. These effects ranged from additional ammunition, to psychological groundings. Initially, O’Brian mentions that Lieutenant Cross carries his obsession with a woman, and as made evident by the other things that were burdened, this was necessary for psychological survival. When Lieutenant Cross endures his trauma, he sacrifices his previous means of survival, his obsession, in favor of good leadership as the latter was proven ineffective. In a recent study conducted by military scientist Fred Allison, a Vietnam war veteran was asked to recollect the events of a traumatic firefight almost 40 years later. This account was compared to one he gave immediately after the event. In doing so, the effects of PTSD could be isolated, and the healing process could be better understood. At one specific point, the account immediately after the event (The one under the influence of PTSD), made mention of the loss of a combat knife. In the later recollection, there was no mention of this piece of equipment. Allison attributes this to the post traumatic mindset. He states that when afflicted, the psychological condition of the individual is focused heavily on survival. Combat tools such as a knife, are imperative survival, and therefore not omitted from a recollection afflicted by post-traumatic stress. However, when the psychological condition of the individual has been given time to heal, this survival mentality fades with the post-traumatic stress (Allison, 2004). Therefore, the omission of a combat knife is significant, in that it reflects a shift in the mindset of the subject from one that is afflicted, to one that is “disinfected”. The importance of this stems from Cross’ decision making process. As mentioned previously, fear plays a significant role in this decision, but it is merely a motivator for ensuring survival. In essence, the combination of these two factors establish a central trauma pattern, in which a traumatic event triggers a fear response, which in turn ingrains a survival mindset into the afflicted individual. This pattern is evident in Lieutenant Cross. The constant fear of death, and the immediate trauma of Lavender’s death, trigger a survival response which in turn eviscerates Cross’ obsession and reprioritizes him to maintaining his physical survival by maintaining his unit’s combat effectiveness. 

In conclusion, Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried speaks strongly about the effects and prevalence of PTSD during the Vietnam War. However, a better understanding of its role can be ascertained by analyzing the physical and psychological plight of the protagonist, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Fear and a survival mindset lead the protagonist into a reprioritization in which a new decision making process is deployed. This dramatic shift in personality epitomizes PTSD and its effect. The prevalence of specific elements in the text further provide insight into the constant plague of post-traumatic stress. While the focus of this essay has been on O’Brian’s core message, it is important to note that the application of what has been understood provides insight into countless cases of this plague across the country. Hopefully then, this greater understanding of PTSD, and the tragedy of its existence, can help to better the lives of those poor souls afflicted.

Works Cited

Allison, Fred H. “Remembering a Vietnam War Firefight: Changing Perspectives over Time.” The Oral History Review, vol. 31, no. 2, 2004, pp. 69–83. 

Kaiman, Charles. “PTSD in the World War II Combat Veteran.” The American Journal of Nursing, vol. 103, no. 11, 2003, pp. 32–42.

Kolassa, Iris-Tatjana, and Thomas Elbert. “Structural and Functional Neuroplasticity in Relation to Traumatic Stress.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 16, no. 6, 2007, pp. 321–325. www.jstor.org/stable/20183228.

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Note: 

Hopefully you have the opportunity to see this. I’m asking that you do not count this aside as part of the essay. I would like to mention however the last several lines of my essay. While I understand they stray from the core message of the text, I felt it extremely important to make mention of my vision and hope for this text. I’ve personally known people who’ve suffered from PTSD, and researching the disorder only made me more aware of how serious this condition is. I therefore felt it was above reproach, that I make mention of how I want my essay to stand for more than just a text analysis, or a letter grade. I honestly want people to read this, gain greater insight into the affliction, and hopefully by that action, change the way people perceive the condition. Hopefully then, with a greater understanding I hope is conveyed through the text that my small part in aiding the lives of those veterans is satisfied.