Heart pounding against a chest, beads of sweat rolling down a face, high-pitched screams in the dark of night; this is what it is like to be a veteran experiencing a psychiatric condition known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs in individuals who live through a traumatic event such as going to war or a serious car accident. The severity of PTSD cases can vary from patient to patient, but each individual is likely to experience symptoms such as night terrors, flashbacks, and insomnia. In some cases the individual may go into a state of depression and appear detached from daily life.  In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” the main character, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, goes through some extremely detrimental events such as witnessing a fellow soldier die right in front of him; which led to intense emotional trauma. Events like these can be life altering and eventually lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. By looking at Lieutenant Cross’s behavioral patterns in the text we can see that he clearly suffers from early stages of this serious psychological disorder known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

The article “Legacies of a War: Treatment Considerations with Vietnam Veterans and Their Families” says, “It has been estimated that for half a million Vietnam veterans, war-related anxiety is a way of life”. This is a wide spread issue throughout veterans around the world, and especially prevalent in those who partook in the Vietnam War or were exposed to a violent environment. The article also mentions that, “About thirty percent of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD.” Lieutenant Cross could very well be a part of the thirty percent of men and women who experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many factors could contribute towards his predetermined mental disease. 

Many young men were required to go to war in Vietnam just like the young man in “The Things They Carried”, Lieutenant Cross. These young men may be considered adults in the eyes of the legal system, but they do not have much life experience before being enlisted in the war. The narrator of the story says on page 334, “He was just a kid at war, in love.” A war zone is a tough place for anyone, but especially for a young man who wishes he were back home with a girl rather than in the middle of Vietnam. Cross kept this special girl form home, Martha, near to his heart and appeared to be fixated on her instead of the war. Throughout his time at war, Lieutenant Cross would become disengaged from the task at hand and would space out daydreaming about Martha and wishing he were back home with her. One time in particular he was so distracted he forgot to keep a sharp lookout on his fellow comrades. Ted Lavender wandered off into the woods and ended up getting shot straight in the head. Lieutenant Cross blamed himself for the death of Ted Lavendar thinking it was because he was so distracted. Lieutenant Cross describes the scene as, “He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was a star-shaped hole.” Tim O’Brien paints a clear, chilling image of the young dead man, which is a horrific sight to picture. To Lieutenant Cross, Ted Lavendar had been a fellow soldier and a friend. Now, he was just a mangled body lying in front of him and Cross could do nothing to help. This image of the dead young man resonates with Lieutenant Cross and continues to haunt Lieutenant Cross throughout the text and most likely furthermore thereafter. No matter the age of the individual, seeing someone get shot in the head right in front of your eyes would have an incredible effect on them now and later in the future. 

Victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are susceptible to night terrors, flashbacks, insomnia, and often time’s individuals relive the traumatic event. Those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feel as though the war has followed them back home. In “The Things They Carried” on page 337, the author illustrates the intense flashes soldiers tend to go through during the war. He says, “Now and then, however, there were times of panic, when they squealed or wanted to squeal but couldn’t, when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said Dear Jesus and flopped around on the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and sobbed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and to God and to their mothers and fathers, hoping not to die.” These types of flashes may be relived by soldiers post war and veterans may feel like they are back under these circumstances. They can also appear completely emotionally withdrawn from reality. At another point in the text, Lieutenant Cross mentally checks out of the reality of the war and goes back to a time he spent with his love, Martha. He was not focused on crawling through the dark narrow tunnel for a mission, he was dreaming of standing on the white sand beaches at the Jersey Shore. Although Lieutenant Cross was physically there at war he was not all mentally there. Instead, Lieutenant Cross’s mind and heart were back home with Martha. 

The most difficult part for most soldiers returning from war is the transition period. It takes a while for these men to readjust back to a normal, every day routine. No longer are they exposed to gunfire and violent conditions, but a simple loud noise can trigger their condition, which can lead to the victim lashing out. An article called, “The Psychological Effects of the Vietnam War” explains how many soldiers in the Vietnam War have a hard time adjusting, but also have a hard time being accepted back into society. Many soldiers during the war turned to drugs in order to pass the time or use as a coping mechanism. These drugs include marijuana, alcohol, and heroin. When the soldiers returned back from war they brought their bad habits with them. The public picked up on this and made it difficult for those on drugs to get a job post war. This only added to the stress they were already experiencing from PTSD. The article also says, “those young men who came back between the age of 19 and 23 had a much harder time adjusting to society.” Lieutenant Cross falls straight into this category of young men. Other coping mechanisms including pushing aside what had happened or making a joke about it and carrying on. In “The Things They Carried” the men would “repair the leaks in their eyes” or they  “found jokes to tell” to move past it. They did not have much time to sit back and digest what they had just witnessed. They picked themselves back up, dusted themselves off, and carried on with their lives in order to return home alive. After returning home, they had plenty of time to reflect on the events that took place during battle. During this period is when they need the most help dealing with their issue. The text makes me wonder if Martha was the one who was there for Lieutenant Cross post war when he needed help the most. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something many veterans have to deal with, but it is not something that cannot be dealt with. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s behavioral patterns throughout the text gives the reader the idea that once he returns home from war, he will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his emotional trauma. The stress of leaving home to go to a new country, being in a violent environment, and leaving the love od his life all played a major role towards his emotional trauma. Although Lieutenant Cross’s physical scars and pain will eventually fade away, the emotional pain and memories from the war will evidently stay with him forever. 
