Journal Posting #14. Along the Broken Road

After reading "The Things they Carried" by Tim O' Brien, I could not help but imagine myself in their positions, or worse, my friend who is about to be in that position on January 3, 2012.  How do these men carry themselves, let alone the weight of their equipment and the burdens from their actions? O' Brien claims they cover their emotions, their deepest fears and feelings, in order to move forward and perform in a proper military fashion. Yet even First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross struggled with maintaining authority and control over his mind, his wants, and his desires. If I was apart of Jimmy Cross's group, I can only imagine that I too would bring pictures. For me, pictures are the greatest form of memory. Just looking at an image refills me with emotions from that memorable event. Furthermore, images tell stories. They relive a moment in your past, either good or bad, but always memorable and significant. I wondered if I would bring a dairy, however, I feel I am not one that would sit and take the time to write out my thoughts and feelings. A picture would be able to take my mind to a different place. A part of my brain would disappear from the worries, troubles and hardships of the war and be able to re-experience a moment in my old life by just glimpsing at a picture. What the pictures would be of, I do not know. Perhaps me smiling with friends and loved ones, to help remind me during hard times that smiling is the greatest cure. Perhaps a hero in my life, one that can help me keep moving forward in order to achieve my goals, hopes and dreams. It was rather difficult to read this story as I constantly thought about my friend leaving in two months. Experiencing the unknown, perhaps he too will be carrying his hidden fear. Will his letters be somber as he will be able to openly express his emotions to me rather than his crew? Or will he too try to cover up his fears in his letters, ultimately trying to create a persona of strength and dignity; however, after reading this story, it is quite apparent just how much these men think about, concern themselves over and yearn for.