I recently wrote about The Men of Killer Blue and compared it to Elie Weisel’s Night. After reading The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien, I feel that post needed an updating. After spending fifteen months over seas a regiment of marines returned home many found it difficult to transition back into every day life. They experienced many horrible things in Iraq and many of them carried these tragedies with them. It is through this thought that made me think of Tim O’Brien’s novel.
O’Brien in the first chapter defines what he means by things they carried. He mentions all of their ammunition, weapons and equipment weighs. But more importantly he writes about the mental side of what soldiers carried in the Vietnam War. He writes:
They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.
O’Brien is saying that along with all of the equipment, soldiers carried all of their thoughts. There were some horrifying events that occurred in Vietnam. This leads me to believe that their thoughts are much more sadistic than most. I can only imagine the burden of these thoughts on the Vietnam soldiers.
After reading about the men of Killer Blue and reading about their struggles I feel they may be carrying these burdens that O’Brien writes about. The Killer blue men faced their own death, caused death, and witnessed numerous deaths. They carried their thoughts.
Back from iraq, Killer Blue looks ahead. MSNBC.com. March 16 2009
Jesse said
I went back and read that article about the soldiers of Killer Blue and was really struck by how similar it was to what O’Brien said in his book. It was a great article that helps me to understand a little bit more about soldiers, but of course I can never really know. What I found particularly interesting about the article was how one soldier said he wanted to be a better person, father, husband for the soldiers who had died. He didn’t want to go home and be irresponsible and drink, because he knew the value of life. That was really touching. The article is really a great find.
Then as you connected in your post the mental burden the soldiers from Vietnam and Killer Blue have carried and will carried. All of the men in the article talked about how they were going to handle their home lives and many talked about honoring fallen soldiers by going home and living their lives properly. Like the soldiers of Killer Blue O’Brien is still adjusting to civilian life and juggling all of his thoughts. One soldier said it is better to talk about it, than bottle all your emotions up. You could say that is exactly what O’Brien is doing by writing these stories over and over again. Perhaps the most horrendous thing about war is that for those who survive have to, as you said, carry their thoughts.
Jordan Clark said
I agree with you that this is the O’brien writes these book. Perhaps this is why he keeps repeating “i’m 43 and a writer now.” I can’t imagine there were as many support groups as their are now for Vietnam.
I also found it nice to hear what their goals were upon returning. I have a friend who just returned and his goals are to get back in school (if you knew this kid, you would understand how big of an accomplishment this is for him) and be on his own two feet. I think coming back from war gives you a new perspective on life.
Comments « Did you know that the original title for War and Peace was War, What Is It Good For? said
[...] Comment #1 [...]
Comments « Three Little Birds said
[...] Killer Blue II [...]