Comparison Between 'Facing It And Spin By Tim O' Brien

In the novels “Ambush” by Tim O'Brien and “The Morally Injured” by Tyler Boudreau discuss both the consequences of war being a curse by having effects on the soldiers by being morally injured on what they experience in war. Furthermore when solider go to war they develope invisible wounds that affect the way the soldiers think when they return home. In the essay “The Morally Injured” by Tyler Boudreau shows that memories of war affect the way soldiers think by saying,”Thousands of veterans have come home in state of near mental collapse, harried by their memories of the battlefield”(P1) This affects the soldiers by having to carry the horrid memories of the war with them for the rest of their life. When coming home they have the experiences

More than half a million service members face mental health challenges during and after war. During war, soldiers are exposed to many different traumatic events that raise the chances of facing mental health challenges. The most common mental health problems soldiers are more likely to carry with them after war is PTSD, depression, alcohol addiction, and anxiety. In the book, “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien, characters carried things that are both literal and figurative. While the soldiers carry heavy physical items, they also carry mental, emotional, and physical baggage.

“I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again” (172). Even though O’Brien was too cowardly to look upon the faces of the fallen soldiers in Vietnam, through his stories, he is able to be brave and feel real pity and responsibility towards the fallen

When people reach the limit of trauma they can handle they will break down and become permanently scarred. The horrors of war and the gruesome events they experienced haunt Soldiers for the rest of their life. When civilians felt like they missed out by not fighting in Vietnam O’Brien responded with “Well, you missed out on having your legs blown off and you missed out on having nightmares the rest of your life. You missed out on horror” (O’Brien “Civilians” 31). War causes soldiers to witness many horrors giving rise to nightmares when their brains try to process the trauma and horrific acts they witnessed.

In the short story, “The Man I Killed,” O’Brien focuses on this to show that everyone fighting in a war has a story. He spends the story describing the man he killed and searching for justification of his actions. He carries around guilt with him because of it, and his fellow soldiers try to help him justify and come to terms with his action by saying things like, “You want to trade places with him? Turn it all upside down= you want that? I mean, be honest,” (126) and “Tim, it’s a war.

Not only were they physically and psychologically damaged, their new lives in the trenches were horrific, and after the war, veterans returned home unemployed. To begin with, the battle had put so much stress on those fighting in the war; many were not able to return to who they once were. Wounds were battle scars that the soldiers forever carried, and many who could no longer handle the memories of warfare broke down and were taken over by shell shock. William Halse Rivers, a neurologist who treated officers during World War One, states, “I hope to show that many of the most distressing symptoms from which the subject of war neurosis suffer, are not necessarily the result of the strain and shock to which they have been exposed, but are also due to an attempt to banish the mind distressing memories of warfare.” Shell shock and other damages were the results of the battle.

Living with PTSD What is it like to live with a person suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? What impact will this have on the individual's family? These are some of the questions I asked myself while researching my subject. In this paper, I will explore the effects of PTSD on individuals, making connections between two works of literature, "Unbroken" and "All Quiet on the Western Front".

They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice.... Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.” PG 21. This conveys that soldiers who struggled with post traumatic stress disorder faces emotional baggage which stays with them even after leaving the war.

He fought a war in Vietnam that he knew nothing about, all he knew was that, “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons” (38). He realized that he put his life on the line for a war that is surrounded in controversy and questions. Through reading The Things They Carried, it was easy to feel connected to the characters; to feel their sorrow, confusion, and pain. O’Briens ability to make his readers feel as though they are actually there in the war zones with him is a unique ability that not every author possess.

In “The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell”, John Crawford shows how war can drastically change soldiers by having psychological effects on them and when soldiers come back from war they can feel like they are alone. Some psychological effects are post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, depression,

War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead." (pg. 80). The effect of war on each soldier who fought in it was different and unique, and as a result, each soldier's experience with war has a different effect.

The novel focuses on coping with the death and horror of war. It also speaks volumes about the true nature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the never-ending struggle of dealing with it. In the

The True Weight of War “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.

However, they are left with the memories of what they saw. Soldiers affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD causes them to “often recall and re-experience the specific trauma of war” (The Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers). This means that any type of thing that reminds the soldier of the war, will cause them to relive that moment. Whether it’s a loud noise, a crowd of people, or a weapon, even the simplest word can make them remember the exact feeling of the war.

The effects of war on soldiers and their family are the level of stress and the aftermath of the war. They are different kind of situations and emotions that families experience during the time of war. First, is the concern that he/she is doing well and safety of that person. Then, comes the responsibilities and having to do things by themselves. Lastly, having the responsibility to take care of their kids emotionally and physically.