I wonder what it was like to witness the Vietnam War in combat. Well, in the short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the theme was described as the physical and emotional burdens that soldiers faced during the Vietnam War. Throughout the story, the author goes into great detail about the heavy physical loads the soldiers had to carry with them. Even the way O'Brien describes the numerous charges seems to draw your attention to the extreme conditions these men had to go through just to survive another day. The most interesting thing I found while reading this story is that even though the soldiers carried a ton of weight with them, they insisted on carrying as much as possible to emphasize that they were prepared for any given situation . Additionally, just as we are all different individuals, each soldier carried his own personal belongings which depended on his own habits and hobbies. Here are some examples of the basic necessities that soldiers were required to carry with them: “Necessities or near-necessities included P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat strips, wrist watches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, Kool-Aid packets, lighters, matches, sewing kits, military pay certificates, C rations and two or three water canteens (O'Brien 125). These were just some of the things these men had to carry with them simply to endure some of the conditions around them. Besides these, I explained that things like weapons and magazines make up most of the weight. What really shocked me at this point was that with all that weight the soldiers had to carry with them, they were supposed to be very mobile and able to carry everything for miles at a time. The only advantage I could see coming out of whatever they were carrying was the protection the backpack gave the soldiers from flying bullets during battle. Apart from that, the more the men wore, the more their morale dropped in these conditions. I think the author portrayed this story brilliantly. It was almost like I felt my backpack getting heavier as I read and the articles continued to increase. Towards the end of the story, I felt a bit like the soldiers, weighed down and dead tired. The second half of the story looked at the emotional tolls the soldiers endured in addition to the physical amounts..