Chrystian Munoz
May 9, 2016
Professor Raymond Masullo
English Composition II, ENGL 112-61
Essay # 4: Research paper
Post Traumatic Stress Disorders in The Things They Carried
From 1965 to 1975 the Vietnam was the longest war in American history and the
most unpopular American war of the twentieth century. It resulted in thousands of
American deaths and millions of Vietnamese lives. Thousands of young soldiers that left the
United States to enter a war zone where many of them faced unimaginable scenes of death
and chaos. Most of these individuals struggled with some form of Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) brought on by combat trauma, diseases by the exposure in the jungle and
guilt by the terrible actions they have made. Among soldiers who exhibited signs of PTSD
after Vietnam, some of them overcame their difficulties while others failed to resist the
mental disorder’s devastating effects.
Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien is both the narrator and protagonist in his combat
novel
The Things They Carried
recounts his personal experience in the Vietnam War and
allows him to comment on the war. His point of view shapes the events he relates. In many,
if not most, cases, O’Brien holds himself up as evidence for the generalizations he makes
about the war. He also explores the effects of mental trauma on soldiers in the Vietnam War
with vivid narration of the struggles experienced by him and those around him.
1
A subgroup of Vietnam veterans suffering from combat-related Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD), committed atrocities while serving in Vietnam. Years after their
service in Vietnam ended, certain veterans continue to exhibit shame, guilt, self-hatred and
a sense of being interminably unforgivable, all feelings related to the atrocities they
committed. In this paper, the inability of these veterans to express remorse is seen as a key
dynamic in their treatment.
Although, various descriptions of PTSD are presented in
The Things They Carried
,
PTSD is never directly named or associated with anyone in the story. For instance, we know
that Ted Lavender did self-medicate because he probably had PTSD. Taking the drugs made
the war seem easier, so he did not have to face the traumatic events of war as O’Brien’s
writes, “Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot”(518). He
goes on describing Ted’s drug addiction, “Ted lavender carried six or seven ounces of
premium dope, which was a necessity”(518). Lavender drug abuse was a problem that
many soldiers in the Vietnam War struggled with. Many soldiers like Lavender try to
separate from reality in some form in order to survive the daily dangers and stress that the
war offered.
Veterans struggling with PTSD often resort to drugs and alcohol to help alleviate the
mental stress they experience on a daily basis. Because the psychological pain persists for
years, veterans’ who retreat to alcohol and drugs to lessen the pain associated with PTSD
often become substance abusers. According to a study on addiction and PTSD by Josef
Ruzek, “73% of veterans with PTSD also have problems with substance abuse. Drowning
