Chapter 1, The Things They Carried

The first chapter starts off talking about exactly what the title is talking about. The items and emotional baggage that men at war carried. There is a narrator, not sure who he is in the beginning, but we soon find out in later chapters. We are immediately hit with the pressures of war, starting with the physique required to carry so many items all at once, while in combat, in a hot, humid, rainy, tropical climate. These men are desensitized towards death, being that they are surrounded by it almost constantly. They joke about death as if it isn't the end of a person's life. They have to joke... to keep from crying. They have to keep fear far away and I guess pretend that it's a game so that they wont go insane. Vietnamese seem like some crazy loyal people. From what I heard, they go into war not afraid to die, which to me, seems like they want to die, (e.g. Kamikaze planes). I don't seem to understand how commiting suicide will help anyone, unless of course you're Hitler, whose death actually helped people. But besides all that, war in general is described as Hell. I know i've heard stories, including this book, but i've never been exposed to war, or any deadly, tramatic experience, ever. How can someone describe war as Hell unless they've been to Hell and know what Hell is like? I know that a Vietnam War vet may want to kill me if they heard me say this, but, I kind of want to know what all the hype is about...