
The Vietnam War was a major event that occurred in history that cost many people their lives. Many events and situations took place during the war that a lot of authors later took advantage of to write about including diseases that were acquired during the war such as malaria and dysentery, the daily lives of soldiers, and survival techniques that were used. The way soldiers were able to stay in touch and communicate with their family and friends back home was also a major event that occurred during this time. These specific situations that occurred in the war were discussed in The Things They Carried. The author used a first person point of view to allow for the reader to get in touch with the actual soldiers’ lives and to experience what it might have been like to live there at that time and place. This created a more personal relationship between the characters in the story and the reader because it allowed for the reader to experience and feel what the soldier might have felt during this time. 

During the Vietnam War, many soldiers contracted diseases such as malaria, dysentery and trench foot. As stated in a reference, “Malaria can be detected by a high fever, anemia and flulike symptoms.” Malaria was very common because if a soldier was bitten by a mosquito with the disease, then it could easily enter their blood stream and cause them to become ill. Dysentery was also extremely common due to the amounts of bacteria in the water and many soldiers suffered with bloody diarrhea because of it. Many soldiers had trench foot due to the prolonged periods of time that their feet were submerged in water and not having a change of dry boots or socks. One of the references state “Discoloration, numbness and sores can form from trench foot, and if left untreated, it could turn into gangrene, a flesh eating condition.”  These common diseases were represented in The Things They Carried when the author writes “They carried diseases, among them malaria and dysentery.” The author then goes on to discuss how this affected the lives of many soldiers through the way they were able to live their lives and if they would even be able to survive. If the soldiers acquired any of these diseases during the war, they had to be treated or the disease could and often ended up being fatal. 

Soldiers throughout the Vietnam War had to go on daily and sometimes longer missions that continued through the night and into the next day. These missions included walking all day with loads of supplies and ammunition on their backs while still being aware of their surroundings and being on the lookout for surprise attacks that could come at any time. One of the references supports this by saying “US Infantrymen carried either a rifle (M-16), or a machine gun, or an M-79 grenade launcher. If the grunt was a radio operator, he also carried a radio.” This shows how much the soldiers had to carry with them every day in terms of just guns however, there were other supplies that they carried with them on top of this. In The Things They Carried, the author goes into discussing what each character carried as they were walking on their missions to show the struggles and the amount of effort it took to survive. This is shown when the author says “…Henry Dobbins carried the M-60, which weighed 23 pounds unloaded, but which was almost always loaded…” This continued through each character in the main character’s unit, each one having a different role and different weapons and ammo they carried. This is significant because it accurately depicts the struggles that the soldiers had to go through and carry with them at all times during the war. 

Survival techniques were a necessity when it came to the Vietnam War in order to survive because there were so many things that put a soldier’s life in danger. These survival techniques included using mine detectors due to the heavy usage of mines during the war, frequently changing clothes and socks in order to stay dry and prevent diseases, and staying in groups to make it more likely to win a surprise attack. In The Things They Carried, the author discusses these techniques that were used in order for the unit to survive. The author says “In certain heavily mined AOs, where the land was dense with Toe Poppers and Bouncing Betties, they took turns humping a 28-pound mine detector…” This quote shows that many tools were necessary to use in order to survive even if these machines and methods were impractical. The author then goes on to discuss the ways they had to work as a team in order to survive such as staying in a unit and making sure everyone was ready for an attack. This is significant because it showed how during the Vietnam War, the soldiers had to always be on edge and ready for an attack because if they were caught off guard once, that could cost them their lives. 

In order for soldiers to stay in contact with their loved ones back at home in the Vietnam War, their only option was to send letters to them and wait for their families and friends to send mail back. This was a process that could take weeks at a time however there was no other option so most of the soldiers did this if they had loved ones back at home. In The Things They Carried, the author demonstrates sending these letters back home by having the main character talk about sending letters to a girl that he loves and receiving them back from her. He says “The letters weighed 10 ounces. They were signed Love, Martha, but…. Pretended it meant.” In this quote and part of the story, the author shows how significant it was for the characters to send and receive letters from the friends and family and also how that was their only means of communication.

Many events occurred throughout the Vietnam War such as diseases, types of living and the daily life of soldiers, all of which had an influence on writings today. Based on The Things They Carried, the author really wanted to convey to the audience what it was like for a soldier to live during this time and what he/she had to do on a daily basis in order to survive. This included changing socks and clothes, carrying the appropriate equipment to ensure survival, what the missions and the hardships that the soldiers went through each day and how the soldiers were able to stay in contact with their families and friends back home. All of these events that took place during the Vietnam War had an influence on writing and what authors wrote about. 
