Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” is a short story told by a 3rd-person narrator about Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his Army unit as well their experiences in Vietnam. The narrator names all of the things that the soldiers carry with them on their voyage in order for the reader to understand the characters more closely and get a sense of their personalities and who they really are through the items they transport. The items that the soldiers carry give a direct representation as to who the soldier is, and how they are internally. For example, Ted Lavender carries weapons and ammunition, along with most of the other soldiers. This depicts that Ted is a regular American soldier fighting in Vietnam. He also carries tranquilizer pills and pot, which further represents that he is frightened or scared of battle and is looking for a means of escape. Items carried can have emotional/intellectual meaning, not only just physical meaning.

Vietnam War and US: Haunting Legacy is a brief overview of the Vietnam War that particularly focuses on Democratic senator, Bob Kerrey, and his wrongdoings while stationed at war in Vietnam. A combat mission that Bob Kerrey led way back in Vietnam resulted in the killings of over 20 innocent civilians. The commander of the unit reported that 21 Viet Cong were actually killed and Kerrey was awarded a Bronze Star. The article mainly focuses on Kerrey and how his situation played out, but a lot of information included is found very useful when researching the Vietnam War and its relevance to “The Things They Carried”. For example, information like the length of the war (14 years) and even specific events that happened like Kerrey’s situation give a broader picture as to what Vietnam could’ve been like at this time. 

The article, Vietnam War and US: Haunting Legacy, has undoubted applicability to “The Things They Carried”. The article provides you with very broad, useful information about the war which gives you a solid background of the war and the events that took place during that time. It also provides examples of specific events that happened in Vietnam that gives the reader an even better understanding of things that truly occurred there. I could make the argument that Vietnam is indeed a very terrible place filled with evil and death, given the information from the story and the article. Knowing about the historical context of the Vietnam War is very necessary in order to effectively understand Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”. The article gives a lot more useful information involving the war, including things like how Vietnam was the first war to be televised, leading to anti-war protests around the world, and collectively just how the war was unnecessary, violent, and very disgraceful.
