The Things They Carried and so much more...

This story was really good. Its the story of soldiers and what they really carry? Sure its things like Guns and health supply's and everything in between but its love letters, its personal thoughts and other things that make you realize not only the effects of war but also the depth of love and pain in which a man feels. I like in the end how Lieutenant Cross figures out that what men fight for isn't honor and anything else like that but its to not have dishonor in there lives. Their very pride has led many of them to this place of certain death and yet they have become so cold to death it is another joke to them, another game to play, another thing to make light of. All of this chaos and mayhem is going on and lieutenant cross can only see one thing can only feel one thing and that's his love for a girl named Martha yet it is a sad love because he feels like she doesn't love him which could be true or far from the truth. As the book describes these men are losing there minds daily, the blood, destruction and mayhem of war has put them in another mind state and because of this maybe Cross doesn't realize that she really does love him. He burns her pictures and letters trying to convince himself that he could let her go but doesn't he love her so much he can't burn her out of his head and heart no matter what. He just wants to be in this place of peace, in her chest as the book puts it, but he can't, this war, this world whatever it is in the way. Will he ever get back to her? Will she continue writing him? If he dies what kind of reaction will she have? These are all questions I wish we could see answered but like every good writer the author just keeps us guessing.