Within the last five chapters, one main theme that I noticed is emotional burdens set on the soldiers as the war unfolds. This is a very important theme and is shown throughout the entire book, but I believe it is shown well in the last few chapters. War affects both the physical and the emotional side of soldiers throughout its entirety. It tests both the soldiers physical strength and ability, but also the ability to stay calm under pressure. These soldiers are tested to the max with their physical and emotional mindset, especially the emotional side. Soldiers are forced to see their brothers in combat die right in front of them. They are forced to face this head on and be required to shake it off and continue fighting, a task that is almost impossible. This theme is extremely important because it shows how the soldiers react to this. It has them experience this horror and explains their frame of mind. This is shown in a bunch of chapters, like in Night Life where Rat Kiley couldn't handle the trauma anymore. The emotional trauma was too much for him, "how crazy it was that people who were so incredibly alive could get so incredibly dead" (O'Brien, 212). It is shown in Field Trip where O'Brien visits the spot where Kiowa died. He visits to cope with what happened and to deal with the fact that his friend died. He visits to alleviate some guilt from Kiowa's death. The emotional trauma these soldiers are forced to face sticks with them. They all cope with them in different ways but all affects them majorly.
One research question I explored is the mental illness rate right after the war and the options the veterans have to deal with these mental illnesses. Mental illness is a huge issue in veterans and has been for a long time, especially after the Vietnam war. People treated the Vietnam vets after the war terribly. Everyone would yell and scream at them, even throw stuff at them. Most of these vets were too afraid to wear their uniform because of the way people reacted to them. I am very curious about this because I want to see how some of this changed from back then and to see how vets now handle their mental illness. According to the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, the three major illnesses are either Major Depression, PTSD, and traumatic Brain Injury. There are many barriers the vets face when finding mental health treatment like personal embarrassment, fear, long waits, and shame. Substance abuse is a major problem right now by vets and funding for mental health care needs to be increased majorly. Even though mental health is still a major problem, the VA is making progress and it is slowly getting better.
Sources - https://nvf.org/veteran-mental-health-facts-statistics/
The picture shows the major problem that is mental illness in Vets. It shows how bad it is and how important it is to fix as fast as possible.
I hope that we will eventually be able to fully grasp mental as a society, to treat all those who are suffering. It truly breaks my heart knowing so many Veterans suffer every single day.
ReplyDeleteI noticed this theme while reading too. I think it is a very important thing to add into the book because of how serious of a topic it is. I feel there should have been more support for veterans after the war that could have saved many lives after the war.
ReplyDeleteBen, I also noticed the emotional burden put on the soldiers while they were at the war. You talked about what they face during the war that makes it so hard for them. I sometimes think about how hard it would be for the soldiers and their families being away from each other for so long. That has so be one of the hardest parts about going to the military.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said, "They are forced to face this head on and be required to shake it off and continue fighting, a task that is almost impossible." This couldn't be further from the truth. We should support our vets better after the war. The things they witness would make even the strongest of men whimper.
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