Exploration 4 : Alison Mroczkowski

Soldiers were commonly looked down on and were labeled as
"fragile" or "weak" if they sought help for
mental conditions. 

A specific theme I had noticed not only in the last few chapters but throughout the whole book of The Things They Carried is the theme of burden. Emotional burdens appeared throughout the story for all of the characters. This theme is significant for this story to convey the actual thoughts of the soldiers as well as how they were impacted. The idea allows readers to go into the minds of these men who experienced these troubles. These young men had to suffer the emotional burdens of being taken from their hometowns at a young age and thrown into a war. They were forced to leave friends and family behind to fight in a war they might have not even believed in. Tim O'Brien goes into more detail of the emotional burdens soldiers faced in this quote. "They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing - these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down.." (O'Brien, 20)

Everybody knows that soldiers go through a lot of trauma while in a combat situation. They are put through some intense situations and that takes a toll on the human body as well as the human mind. Was there any support available for troops who were there in the war? I wanted to explore and research the idea of available resources to the soldiers at the time of the war. Sure there are physical resources for the soldier's bodies and they get help for any physical wounds, but what about mental wounds? Was there help for those?

After some investigation, I listened to an NPR report on how soldiers were treated in past times and how resources have changed. By listening to this report, I found out that measures were not in place to help the minds of soldiers in war zones. In fact, soldiers were often expected to "man up" and "get over" the things they witnessed or felt. It was also a common belief that soldiers were faking symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Men in battle were often treated like outcasts when they would come forward and open up about problems that they were having. The idea of mental problems was shunned and you were perceived as weak if you suffered from any mental conditions.

In our current time, there have been a lot more resources put in place for soldiers who may be experiencing any mental issues. There are now resources available for current soldiers stationed ina place of war as well as resources available for veterans who have served in the past. The most common resource for both current and former soldiers is counseling. Nowadays it is okay for soldiers to seek help for problems they may be experiencing and many people do take advantage of the help. No more worry of being perceived as weak, that stigma is gone.



Citations-

Brown, Matt. “Veterans With PTSD at Increased Risk for Receiving, Abusing Opioids, Study Finds.” AAFP Home, 28 Mar. 2012, www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20120328opioidsinvets.html.

Zwerdling, Daniel. “Do Soldiers Receive Adequate Mental Health Care?” NPR, NPR, 7 Dec. 2006, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6593000.