The Things They Carried

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The Things They Carried

• Tim OBrien

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Strategic Overview

• Vietnam was longest US combat deployment (so
  far)
• US combat units fought hostile actions (1965-72)
• But no fixed date of start of US involvement
• No Lexington Concord or Pearl Harbor
• or New York Trade Center Towers
• US entered left incrementally
• In series of incremental steps gt 1950s-1970s
• Successive US Administrations actively
  participated in the War
• From Truman to Nixon
• All tried to save Vietnam from Communist
  take-over (as part of Containment Policy)
• All would ultimately fail

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Statistics Vietnam Syndrome

• Statistic totals 2.7M served in Vietnam gt 1.6
  in combat
• 58K KIA 300,000 WIA, approx 2500 remain MIA
• US spent between 140B to 175B on the war
• American outlook deeply influenced by Vietnam
  War
• Future Presidential Foreign Policy decisions
  affected as result
• Vietnam syndrome hovered always in background
  to present

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• Not since Civil War has a conflict divided US
  society so
• Americas first war ever lost
• Humiliating political defeat for USG institutions
• Especially for the US military- long time to
  recover
• VN vets came home as Nation tried to forget
  move on
• VN Vets were ignored at best blamed for war at
  worst

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Historical Experience with Outside Threats

• French involvement came in late 1850s
• Vn persecuted Fr Euro missionaries their
  converts
• Gradually (late 1800s) gt Fr establish expand
  their colonies
• French then expanded throughout all of Indo-China
  gt
• Also suppressed Vietnams civil war in process

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US Counter Insurgency (CI) Limited War

• US foreign policy (FP) focused on Containment
• Halt communist expansion directed from Moscow
• Main focus of US FP throughout Cold War (CW)
• Vietnam War viewed as just another communist
  threat of attempted expansion
• Specific attempt at communist expansion in SE
  Asia
• Ho Chi Minh N Vietnam inspired by Moscow
  Beijing

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Serious Strategic Disconnect

• US approach to war appeared to have serious
  disconnects
• Political Aims were unrealistic given military
  constraints
• Operational Strategy poorly matched to those
  strategic aims
• Tactics employed served a failing strategy
• Result Tactical success served poor operational
  strategy
• Which in turn attempted to achieve Unrealistic
  strategic aims gt
• Which ultimately resulted in political failure at
  the end of the day

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• Political decisions makers failed to realize
  until too late
• That superior American military power cant make
  up for what?
• American peoples lack of political will to
  continue war indefinitely!
• These failures would affect many in different
  ways
• Including foreign policy decisions taken
  following the Cold War

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Vietnam War

• 1941 Ho Chi Minh returns to Vietnam after exile
• 1945 France attempts to regain control of
  Saigon
• 1946-1954 Ho Chi Minh negotiates with France
  over independence

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Vietnam War

• Divided Nation
• North Communist who advocated independence
  wanted to unify country
• South worked with France
• 1965 America sends troops to help South defeat
  North

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Vietnam War

• 58,000 Americans dead
• 150 Billion dollars cost of America
• Wanted to keep communism from spreading domino
  theory
• Guerrilla Warfare
• Surprise attacks, ambushes, bombings, no clear
  enemy, terrorist in nature

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Vietnam Views

• Proponents
• Keep communism from spreading
• Protection from Soviet Power
• Treaty obligation Geneva 1954
• Use as a buffer state in Asia
• No point of rescuing them from Japan if handed
  over to communism

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Vietnam Views

• Opposition
• Not obligated under Geneva treaty to help
• Civil War no right to intervene
• Vietnam chose not to honor Geneva treaty
• No Chinese threat long history of China and
  Vietnam animosity
• South wanted unification
• No democracy in Vietnam
• Bad military tactics napalm, ambushes, etc.

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Post Vietnam

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Frightening thoughts and memories
• Lack of emotional attachments to others
• Sleep disorders
• Easily startled
• Nightmares/flashbacks
• Psychiatric problems
• Lack of interest in life
• 30 of Vietnam Veterans

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Lingo in War

• AO area of operation
• PFC private first class
• M Ms sarcastic for medical supplies
• R R rest and relaxation
• SOP standard operating procedure
• RTO radio and telephone operator
• AWOL Absence without leave

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Tim OBrien

• Born October 1, 1946 in Minnesota
• Drafted into Vietnam in 1968
• Went to Harvard upon return
• Teaches Creative Writing at Southwest Texas State
  University

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Vocabulary

• Dynamic character changes in story
• Static character does not change
• First Person Narration narrated by OBrien
  limited perspective
• Flashback/Flash-forward going back in time or
  going into present.
• Indirect Characterization when author provides
  details in which the reader makes assumptions
  about a characters personality.

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Themes

• The justification of killing
• Loss of a friend
• Isolation
• Corruption of war
• Inability to adjust back to normal life
• Individual consequences of war
• Racism as a coping mechanism