[ENG] The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

The things they carried is a novel by Tim O'Brien, who actually served as an infantry in Vietnam War. The author takes us below the surface of the war itself. He shows not just about things he saw, he shows the true meaning and inside of each men's minds, the mind that I want to call as "world". As the Vietnam War was brutal and cruel, the book is so. It gave me the feeling that I am in the war. I could hear the gunsound, the breathing of the dying brother, I could also sense the humid tropical smell. The part where he explained the combat was truly vivid. Also, the book was easy to read but it requires you to know some military words to fully understand the content.

I'll skip the part about history of War, how it happend, the numbers, and so on.

My personal experience about this war is none. But I've been to Vietnam twice, simply because I had curiosity in the place, where most powerful country in the world had defeated. I wanted to know the people, the culture. And by doing so, I wished to know the little of why they defeated and what's about Vietnamese. My first trip was a family trip and second one was alone, to photograph the things I've mentioned above. I was hoping to understand more than I could learn by media.

The place is beautiful. Traces of War were hardly found and people was nice. Most traces I was searching for was erased by bright and fast development. So I was quite disappointed. I went there to know about War, but I couldn't find them anywhere in people, in culture, in most places. I've traveled from HCMC, to Sapa, almost from the southest to northest part of Vietnam. But what I found was little to amount of efforts I put. So if you are planning to go there to feel the same of 1960's U.S. soldier felt, you won't find any except for such place for tourists.

I've visited the camp that U.S.M.C. used to stay, the Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB). The base took harsh attack from North Vietnamese Forces for 5 months. The mortars, snipers, they had to fear the unscheduled deadly attacks every day, every night. KSCB stays still in these days. Just like they evacuated the place right before you've visited. You can see the marks of bullets, the writings on the wall by U.S.M.C soldiers. It's vivid. It's placed on high ground but surrounding of the base is not a good place for defense. Sight from base was short and it had too much advantage points to V.C. to attack. I could knew why they failed to defense it. It's the only place gave me the same chill as this book did.

Being a marine in Khe Sanh

This book, "The Things They Carried" is enough to feel the war, more than my total 20 days of stay. So don't visit the place for such purpose I had. Anyway, if you are willing to go there to see, and feel way they are then it's good.

Easy to read, and the way he delivers his experiences is vivid as I'm there. I recommend this book everyone who's interested in the Vietnam war.

4.5/5