Because of the emotional scars that war can leave on soldiers then it makes it harder for them to feel like they fit back into society when their past still seems to haunt them. In the book “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien the guilt of the past the character Norman Bowker feels did not disappear up until the time of his death. While Norman was serving in Vietnam his was unable to save the life of a fellow soldier and it seems that he puts most of the blame and the guilt on to him. And when he returns home, things are not the same that he had remembered them to be, Norman says, “The thing is there’s no place to go. Not just in this lousy little town. In general. My life, I mean. It’s almost like I got killed over in Nam.” (150 O’Brien)
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The man in the stalled motorboat was gone; the mud hens were gone” (146 O’Brien) Norman was stuck and he knew that, he was in an endless cycle that the war had created that he knew that he would probably never get out of because accepting the past and forgiving himself for Kiowa’s death was something that he could not do. And while he is stuck in this cycle waiting to get out, the world does not stop to wait for him, the home that he used to know and was comfortable with is getting farther and farther away and is something that he cannot stop until he is ready to move on from the past. Another man who is an Iraq Veteran who is shown in the “Alive Day Memories” documentary talks about his own experiences in the war and how they have impacted his life. Jay Wilkerson was in an accident which ended up with him having a traumatic brain injury. He has troubles doing basic everyday things and needs assistance to even help him remember. Wilkerson says, “I fought for everyone to feel free. Sure they give you medals and they tell you, you know, you’re
The man in the stalled motorboat was gone; the mud hens were gone” (146 O’Brien) Norman was stuck and he knew that, he was in an endless cycle that the war had created that he knew that he would probably never get out of because accepting the past and forgiving himself for Kiowa’s death was something that he could not do. And while he is stuck in this cycle waiting to get out, the world does not stop to wait for him, the home that he used to know and was comfortable with is getting farther and farther away and is something that he cannot stop until he is ready to move on from the past. Another man who is an Iraq Veteran who is shown in the “Alive Day Memories” documentary talks about his own experiences in the war and how they have impacted his life. Jay Wilkerson was in an accident which ended up with him having a traumatic brain injury. He has troubles doing basic everyday things and needs assistance to even help him remember. Wilkerson says, “I fought for everyone to feel free. Sure they give you medals and they tell you, you know, you’re