Things They Carried
...mile. Some of the missions were dangerous, they may take you to the mountains or they might take you deep in the jungle, so you have to carry things to adapt to the mission, outside of the standard gear they humped insect repellant, entrenching tools, cold weather gear etc… They had to hump their weapons tools of their trade, some carried rocket launchers, M-16 rifles, 45 caliber pistols, mines and a 60 caliber machine guns some carried field knives. They carried the ideology of the oath that they took to uphold the protection of the nation. That the job they were doing was necessary for the United States to stop the spread of the Communist machine and protect South Vietnam from being overthrown by North Viet Nam. They carried the pride of the uniform. They carried every kind of unusual disease that the jungle could give from lice to dysentery, malaria, ringworm, paddy algae, and various rots and molds that may end up on your feet or on your private parts. They carried the land itself Viet Nam, the monsoons, typhoons, the humidity the heat, they carried the soil the powdered orange red from the chemicals like napalm that was used in the bombs from fighter jets on a bombing mission .They carried the thought of being thousands of miles from home in this strange land. They carried mementos from home, a letter from home a picture of that favorite girl, a sea shell something that could connect them to the “World” (home), they carried the memories of the three day furlough or the last good time with their buddies. Memories of songs that they last heard or the last date they were on, they humped the memory of better times, peaceful times. They carried their fears of the unknown and other phobias they had to overcome in order to be prepared and complete the task at hand. Sometimes they carried their comrades because they were wounded or killed in the course of battle. They carried the thought of all the training that they received, making sure they were not going to be the next one carried. Some carried the thought or the imagination of wounding themselves in combat and being transported back to the ‘world” the thought of being home again. They all carried emotional baggage that they had to cover up because it would have been a sign of weakness or fear. Some ...