Otis Schnurr: World War II Veterans

“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery. Over all, this story allows us to observe changes within the mentalities of army officers.

“...every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief” (395). Afghanistan is overwhelmed with casualties and agony due to the event of war. In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, Author, Khaled Hosseini explains the life of two women, Mariam and Laila, who live in Afghanistan. Mariam and Laila experience unfortunate events due to the war; certainly, it affects them greatly. Thus, the theme of the effects of war develops throughout the novel by showing war has the ability to impact individuals, families, and society.

Dear Veterans: Thank you very much for your time, bravery and sacrifice. Thanks to you we are forever free. I for one have a lot of respect for veterans like you. Thanks to you we have peace in America. Thanks to you there’s justice. There are so many things you have done that I am forever grateful for. If you have served in the Coast guard, Army, Marines, Air force or Navy you should be proud of yourself because you have helped America in many different ways. If you served in the Vietnam, Korean or world wars I cannot imagine someone with as much bravery as you. You sacrificed yourself for America’s freedom. I shall forever cherish Americas’ freedom. Once again thank you for that

We like to think that we have control over our destinies. But the question remains, how much of that future do we really control? In the book In the Lake of the Woods, by Tim O 'Brien, a man named John Wade is in a rough spot in life. He has been in politics for years and recently just lost a primary election for Senator in the state of Minnesota. John’s experiences like his alcoholic father, his experiences in war, and what he did to hide his past all led to the demise of his career and his long-standing reputation. Considering this predicament, the evidence shows that our past has a clear connection to our future. Nevertheless, it is clear that our destiny is fated and the events of our lives have a distinct connection to our past, placing

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of mental illness closely associated with military veterans. Jessie Bratcher, a 27-year-old Iraq veteran, facing a 25-year sentence for first-degree murder, claimed he suffers from PTSD. Oregon native, Batcher, shot Jose Ceja Medina six times for allegedly raping his girlfriend, Celena Davis. The state of Oregon ruled that Jessie was guilty of murder, however, deemed him insane due to PTSD. Jurors conceived this was not merely a crime of passion, but an offense of a severely disturbed man affected by years of deployment without proper medical care. Instead, the state sentenced Batcher to Oregon State Hospital Psychiatric Unit1.

One often recalls the pounds and pounds of gear soldiers in war must carry: rifle, knife, helmet, body armor, grenades, and many more. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien begins the novel with a detailed description of the physical gear soldiers carried in Vietnam; with each listed item, the total weight of a soldier’s equipment slowly grew into a massive number. One would assume the equipment would prove to be a soldier’s largest burden in the battlefield. Although the soldiers in Vietnam certainly carry backbreaking amounts of equipment, their emotional and psychological burdens far outweigh their physical gear. “Grief, terror, love, longing - these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had

War often has drastic and lasting effects on individuals; the violence and horror ages soldiers mentally and physically. World War I was a violent and distressing war; men came home with mental illnesses and never were fully able to sink back into society. Through these lasting effects common civilians with no affiliation were unaware to the consequences. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque investigates the damaging effects of war on an individual’s identity using Paul Bäumer as a representation for all soldiers; he draws specific attention to the continuing loss of purpose and ability to relate to the rest of society.

Even when Americans were victorious they had to be careful. In the victory people are tempted to rip down flags and steal the remaining useful supplies, but the Vietnamese wouldn’t let them get valuables that easily. They added explosives to flag poles, and supplies, even ballpoint pens could be rigged. The soldiers always had to be focused and ready for any kind of situations. These traps could be anywhere so the people first in line, or leading the group, always had to be extremely observant and gained a huge symptom of paranoia. PTSD is an illness that cannot be easily healed. The symptoms include: Nightmares, flashbacks, triggers, hard time sleeping, difficulty concentrating, you could also be easily startled. There are many situations that you would make you angry, or upset. If you were close to death in a Vietcong dug hole, you may hate being in small places, avoiding them at all costs becoming claustrophobic. This disorder often times does not end up being healed and is something you have to deal with for the rest of your

During the turbulent times of the Vietnam War, thousands of young men entered the warzone and came face-to-face with unimaginable scenes of death, destruction, and turmoil. While some perished in the dense Asian jungles, others returned to American soil and were forced to confront their lingering combat trauma. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried provides distinct instances of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and reveals the psychological trauma felt by soldiers in the Vietnam War.

Louisa Rodriguez awoke to her partner Simon crying out: this awful, blood-curdling scream. “Suddenly he was back in the war zone with a gun in his hand and a woman in front of him, covered in blood. He squeezed her hand tightly and wouldn’t let go until morning. She recalled thinking, ‘By day he’s my brave ex-soldier; but by night, who is this man?’” (Howard).

In Soldier from the War Returning, Thomas Childers writes that “a curious silence lingers over what for many was the last great battle of the war.” This final battle was the soldier’s return home. After World War II, veterans came back to the United States and struggled with stigmatized mental illnesses as well as financial and social issues.

War Veterans risked their lives fighting for our country, but after the war, they struggle to adjust back to normal life. Many soldiers go through hell on Earth fighting for our country, and witness unimaginable scenes and acts of inhumanity that scar them for life. Nevertheless, when they get back from the war, they still struggle with society along with being unable to cope with their war experiences. They become extremely paranoid and strictly follow the rules and tactics they learned in the military. Most of the time they are unable to adjust back to an ordinary lifestyle. Therefore, war veterans will always be in “combat mode”, and treatment with War Veterans must enhance, including how society respects them and how they help them recuperate.

The Chief of Staff at the Wiesbaden Community, Colonel Weafer, owned a lovely home in Leavenworth that he wanted to rent. He also had a connection with the housing office that could get us a statement of unavailability on the post so we could rent off the post. We arrived at a beautiful home and arranged for our household goods delivery. We had three shipments; one from Germany, whole baggage waiting for delivery, and a storage shipment from my mother’s house in Phoenix. Most of our valuable positions asked Mom to hold because we didn’t trust to 3-year non-climate controlled storage. Transportation notified us there was an undetermined amount of damage, and the delivery arrived in two gigantic wooden crates on the back of a flatbed truck. The workers unloaded the first one, and we didn’t find any

Leadership is a hard trait to have, so when a person becomes a leader, it either messes with their emotions and goes to their head, or shows the good that is really within you and this might not go well when if you aren't the leader nobody can. This happened in the stories “Hunger” by Michael Grant and “Stop The Sun” by Gary Paulsen. In both stories, the main characters (Sam from “Hunger” and Terry from “Stop The Sun”) become leaders based on what they learned and how they solve the problems in the plot. When Sam becomes a leader, he gains respect from others and he is always expected to do everything right, because of this Sam becomes irritated more easily which brings out the worst in him when people talk to him. When Terry becomes a leader

War has a way of affecting everyone. When a soldier returns home from their service, they may not be the same as they left and it may take some time for their family to adjust to the changes. This change in a veteran’s behavior has been known by many names throughout history. It really isn’t something people want to bring up in conversation or even accept as an issue. This story in particular deals with a boy who is not adept to adjusting to his father's Vietnam syndrome. Terry Erickson is bothered by the way his father’s eyes seem to have vanished and how he would pause abruptly during a meal. He inquires with his mother about this and decides to do some research on the war. His father begins to act out and Terry finally picks up the courage to ask him about Vietnam. “Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulsen heavily regards the effects of PTSD and by doing so provides a great example of point of view and theme.