“The Things They Carried” by Time O' Brien is a short story set during the Vietnam War. The story focuses on a platoon of seventeen soldiers. The title, which is repeated throughout the story, has two meanings. The first concerns the soldier's duties and war equipment, which includes rank, position, firearms and personal items. The second meaning is the emotional burden that soldiers carried during the war. Constant worry about death, the soldier's needs and desires, and personal issues were just some of the emotional baggage they carried with them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During the Vietnam War, like all wars, soldiers faced difficult times. They always saw some form of death, whether it was an enemy or a friendly soldier. Through "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien explores the motivation of soldiers in the Vietnam War to understand their role in combat, stay in good shape, and accept the deaths of their fellow soldiers. O' Brien uses repetition to bring the reader to the main point: "What they carried was partly a function of rank, partly of field specialty." The Army is good at following the chain of command and believes that every soldier should earn their rank. Each soldier has a role based on their rank. In the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was the leader of the platoon. At the beginning, although the story is about eight men, there are seventeen in the platoon. The story is about the different positions of the men being transported and the equipment assigned to them as standard procedure. Jimmy Cross was the platoon leader. He carried with him a compass, maps, code books, binoculars and a pistol. Mitchell Sanders was a Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) and had to carry a twenty-five pound radio. Rat Kiley, being the platoon's medic, carried a bag containing morphine and other essentials. Henry Dobbins was the gunner. He carried an M-60 along with ten or fifteen pounds of ammunition, some of which was draped over his body. The remainder of the platoon consisted of grunts and carried the standard M-16. If soldiers found weapons, such as captured AK-47s and black-market Uzis, they would collect and transport them. Most, if not all, of the men in the platoon carried with them some type of sentimental item, good luck charm, or souvenir from their tour. For example, Jimmy Cross carried with him photos and letters from Martha, a girl on whom he had a huge crush. Another character, Kiowa, carried a Bible and his father's feathered axe. Henry Dobbins wore his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck. Norman Bowker carries with him a thumb of a corpse given to him by Mitchell Sanders. Towards the end of the story, Lieutenant Cross realizes that he is not doing his job well enough. He thinks about Martha constantly and often daydreams about returning home and making love to her. After Ted Lavender is shot, Cross decides that he will man up and be the leader he was meant to be. He blames himself for Lavender's death. “He was ashamed. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a result Lavender had died, and that was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war. Soon after, the story is about Cross' new expectations. ”From now on, he would have told them, they would no longer abandon their equipment along the route of the march. They would police their acts, they would get their shit together, they would keep it together and keep it in order and in good condition. After Lavender's death, JimmyCross is full of motivation to fulfill his role in the war, as the platoon leader. During war, soldiers must stay healthy, both mentally and physically. In “The Things They Carried,” the men carried standard C rations and two or tremenses of water. To help with mental health, soldiers also carried various favorites such as chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, and packets of Kool-Aid. These items were used to give soldiers pleasure and consequently keep morale high. “Henry Dobbins, who was a big man, brought extra rations; he especially liked canned peaches in syrup on top of pound cake. Good hygiene was essential during the war. Jensen had a toothbrush, dental floss and test shampoo with him. He also used three pairs of socks along with foot powder to protect himself from trench foot. Trench foot symptoms occur when the feet become numb, swollen, and turn red. Later blisters and sores appear and the feet start to turn blue. It is common for sores to become infected with fungi. In Vietnam there was a huge problem with malaria and dengue, which made life difficult for the soldiers. The soldiers were well aware of these diseases and carried mosquito repellent with them to keep themselves safe from malaria and dengue. Soldiers were forced to wear steel-framed helmets and body armor to protect themselves from gunfire or explosions. The desire to be with loved ones kept soldiers motivated to stay healthy and watch out for danger. When arriving at the city of Than Khe the platoon finds a Vietnamese tunnel. Their mission was to destroy all tunnels found, but they had to be searched first. Each soldier drew a number and whoever had the number seventeen had to search the tunnel first. There were many things that could go wrong at any moment: the tunnel could collapse, there could be a mine or enemies waiting with weapons. Whoever was to enter, had to go first, and if anything happened, it could be potentially fatal to the soldier. Lee Strunk took number seventeen and, after taking off his gear so he could fit, had to inspect the tunnel. Fortunately, Strunk survived, but Lavender was killed after returning from using nature as a men's room. The men were too focused on getting Strunk out of the tunnel free of damage to not think about covering their surroundings. Due to this routine absence, Lavender was shot and killed. Everyone carried fear with them, and it kept them in good shape because it kept them alert. Lavender was so full of fear that he carried tranquilizers with him, otherwise he wouldn't have been a useful soldier. Accepting the death of a fellow soldier is an important process during war. After Lavender is killed, the men burn the city of Than Khe. The loss of their companion angers them and they completely destroy the city. A plane is called to take away Lavender's body. Meanwhile the men talk about wanting and wanting to return home, or at least leave Vietnam. After Lavender's death, the men respond in various ways: relief, hysterical grief, and destruction of the nearby village. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross cried over Lavender's death because he was responsible for her life; for the lives of all the remaining men. He told himself that Lavender's death was his fault because he had been too caught up in his daydreams about Martha. He knew she didn't love him like he loved her, but he continued to fantasize about her, risking the lives of his men. Kiowa constantly talked about Lavender's death for..