Did you know that the most common mental health problems faced by returning soldiers are depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder? These misfortunes are often caused by the physical and mental burdens that soldiers carry (“PTSD: National Center for PTSD”). In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, all of the men carry the figurative weight of grief and fear, as well as the literal weight of one another. While in Vietnam, lieutenant, Jimmy Cross faces several hardships, such as reminders of his love for Martha and the death of fellow trooper, Ted Lavender (O’Brien). The petrifying things a soldier experiences follow him throughout his life—if he manages to survive the
