    Post-traumatic stress disorder has been a serious problem for many veterans that come from Vietnam. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or traumatic event. The Vietnam war provided many dangerous events that would induce this disorder, which caused many troubles for veterans when they returned home. Soldiers are forced to let go off the past, and solely focus on fighting in the war, which is difficult for most men to handle. From reading of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, personal experiences from a former veteran titled “The Torment of a Distant War,” and findings from "History of PTSD Through Warfare”, post-traumatic stress disorder affects veterans severely during their service and when they return home because they are unable to live normal lives.  

    The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien provides an inside look into a group of soldiers, and the events they must endure daily in Vietnam. Each soldier had their own certain items they would carry around to make them feel safer and provide an escape from the war. For instance, Ted Lavender carried around "6 to 7 ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity"(O’Brien p.329).    Lavender felt the need to escape the war by using marijuana and taking tranquilizers. This was helpful to Lavender because he could escape reality for as long as possible when he was high.  Kiowa a religious man, carried his new testament everywhere he went to release tension and stress. Kiowa used his faith as a guide to keep him safe and alive, looking for anything that could raise his spirits and keep his morale high.  Lieutenant Jimmy Cross would escape his troubles with an obsessive love with a girl back home named Martha. He carries around her letters until finally he comes to his senses, when he blames himself for the shooting of one of his men, Ted Lavender. This instance of a traumatic event causes Cross to burn the letters and become a stronger leader for his troops. What each of these carried had a lot to say about them as individuals, using their own certain ways to find inner peace and keep themselves afloat during such a troubling time.  O’Brien recalls, "He hated himself. He loved Martha more than his men, and therefore Lavender was now dead"(O’Brien p. 336). O’Brien uses the word “therefore” to symbolize how Cross believed it was his duty to keep him alive, and since he did not do his duty properly his friend was now dead.  He learns that he must focus on the tasks at hand and not the love of a girl in a whole different country, who most likely does not even love him back.

 The tragedy of seeing one of friends being shot in cold blood would change a man forever, but these men in war are taught to move on and feel no remorse. Death starts to become an everyday reality for these soldiers, and getting used to these harsh circumstances changes men, and makes it tough for them to come back to reality. The article “The Torment of a Distant War” details the personal story of man named Mike A. who details his struggles during and after the war. This will be applicable because it relates directly to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried which is also a story about the adversity and misfortune of the Vietnam War. From the research, service during Vietnam changed a man's life forever. Both stories have certain instances where people witness someone in their group get killed in front of their eye. Most of these men are drafted against their will, and are being forced to fight for a cause that they might not certainly agree with.  O’Brien constantly refers to the shooting of Lavender on several occasions throughout his story, this provides evidence that the event truly shook up O’Brien mentally, but he was forced to continue like it was nothing. These are the reasons that these men have so many problems when they come back home. Trying to go back to a normal life after hearing gunshots as one sleeps, and wondering if one would be alive the next day would be difficult and troubling. Also, being around people such as Mitchell Sanders a violent and crazy man would alter a man's life. Sanders, who saw a young dead Vietnamese boy decides to "remove the thumb and kick the boy's head"( O’Brien p.334). Seeing that visual would stick in a soldier's head, and change the course of their thinking which could cause cases of PTSD. 

    . The historical connections in the text help give information about the severities that these men go through which affects their life way after the war. These men are forced to hold on to anything that will take them out of the horrors they are going through.  A. sees his men get killed and blames himself, when it is truly not his fault and no one should place that burden on oneself. He goes on to say, “The self-criticism never stops. I am my own worst enemy (P.1)". This is a symptom of PTSD called "survivor's guilt" where the soldier feels guilty for being alive when other men died around him doing the same tasks.  The historical and cultural information shapes the reading of the text because PTSD can affect veterans for many years and ultimately take them into a downward spiral which leaves them dependent on alcohol and other drugs. When Lavender was shot, Cross had felt serious guilt as he “crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned all Martha’s letters” (O’Brien p. 339). Cross could not stand to keep alive what he believed ultimately cost his friends life. War makes people work in strange ways, and the guilt got to Cross and he made a change right there in that foxhole. Once addicted to such substances to escape the pain, PTSD can overtake one's whole life and ultimately leave them homeless and on the street with nothing after risking everything to fight for their country. Witnessing the destructive circumstances in these stories would shake one up, and change a man into a different person. Seeing a soldier getting his head blown off and then acting like nothing happened is the reason that these men have so many issues. Observing a friend's death is a life altering event, but these men in the war are taught to move on and not show any remorse because it then leaves yourself vulnerable, but ultimately that event will never leave one's memory and will eat at a person. War is kill or be killed, so sulking and complaining during the event will not help one's cause. It is important to understand the historical background of this story because Vietnam was a heavily protested war. Veterans did not get the same credibility as veterans in World War II. The disapproval of Vietnam veterans increased the rate of PTSD and left veterans out work and to fend for themselves in a difficult world.

    The second source is an article titled, “History of PTSD Through Warfare, “by Dan Bregg, which entails the trauma Vietnam veterans were forced to deal with at home and at war. Obrien states, "I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war” (O’Brien). The historical connections to both texts include veterans who were shunned by most of the American community and who were looked at as “murders," when prior to Vietnam, previous veterans were viewed as heroes. During this time in America, there was a serious anti-war culture that was present, which enhanced the animosity when the veterans returned home. Normally, a veteran is supposed to feel as he accomplished great tasks overseas, but in this case men were looked at negatively which increased PTSD in these veterans which people haven't seen in previous wars at such a high rate. The government also did not view PTSD as a serious disease that deserved compensation, Bregg went on to explain, "Even though the soldiers who were victims of PTSD did not receive compensation from the government (P.1)."  During the war, the historical connection between the Americans having to fight alongside the South Vietnamese increased tensions and caused for cultural differences that were hard to handle for some soldiers. O’Brien recalls, “They searched the villages without knowing what to look for, not caring,” (O’Brien p. 335).  The similar identities between the South Vietnamese and the enemy the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese made for intense stress not knowing who a soldier was trying to kill. American soldiers did not want to make the wrong call and kill innocent people fighting for them. The fighting tactics the Viet Cong used also caused the American soldiers to be on constant alert, the enemy would use guerilla warfare which includes a series of surprise attacks which causes the opponent to be caught off guard. 

    In closing, the stories told throughout these three sources are directly correlated with PTSD. Soldiers during Vietnam saw shocking and life changing events that cannot be unseen. Unfair to the soldiers, their duty is to protect this country and that is all they try to accomplish. These brave men and women to not deserve to come home with such traumatic issues that make living in the real world so unbearable. Living in fear and being looked at in a negative light by society as a veteran is unheard of until Vietnam. Veterans should always be given ample amounts of respect and know how much all Americans appreciate their service. Thankfully for the most part, today veterans with PTSD have been given tools to help them fight the disease and come back into society unaffected by the disease. Some veterans never return to a normal state, but programs that try and help these brave men and women have a chance are truly remarkable. PTSD is a serious disease, and Vietnam veterans caught the hard end of it, and some are still battling the disease today. 