Blog #14- The Things They Carried

The things they carried were largely determined by necessity.
        First of all I would definitely practice field hygiene like Dave Jensen and carry shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and conditioner. I could never imagine being out at war and being completely filthy. Therefore, I would definitely carry these things to make sure I could be as clean as a soldier can possibly be while marching or "humping" through cities. Other thing that I would make sure to carry would probably be letters from my parents. Being out there without any loved ones I would occasionally need a pick me up or a reminder of all the amazing things I was doing fighting for our country. Also I am very close to my family and since I would be so far away, letters from them would be the closest thing I have to seeing or speaking to them. Since my family and I would be writing letters back and forth I would need to carry a pen and paper to make sure I had something to write with and on. The last thing I would carry by necessity would be ace bandages or bandage wraps. I can only imagine the many cuts and wounds they get in war, so I would want to make sure that if I were to get into that situation I could prevent them from getting infected and also stop the bleeding.

What they carried was partly a function of rank, partly of field specialty.
        If I were to be in the army or at war I would want to be ranked a little higher up than everyone else, so I would want to be a First Lieutenant like Jimmy Cross. Since he guides the men around and determines their routes I would obviously carry a map and compass to make sure that I am leading them in the right direction. I would also carry a gun or two to make sure that if myself or anyone else in my platoon were in danger I could protect them, after all that is one of the jobs of a platoon leader, to watch after the people.

What they carried varied by mission.
        If we had a mission in the mountains I would definitely take bug repellent and mosquito nets because the men already carry enough diseases and so do bugs, so I wouldn't want to risk getting a disease from the bugs since that is one thing that I could probably prevent. Plus of course on every mission I went on I would carry a gun for protection. If the mission were tunnels or night missions I would bring a few flashlights, incase one of them went out.

The things they carried were determined to some extent by superstition.
        I personally am a very superstitious person so if I had something random in my hand or in my bag when something bad happened there is no doubt that I would take it out. One thing that I'm very superstitious about is my rings. One if from my sister that says love on it which she got me for Christmas and the other is a ring made of x's and o's from my mom and dad for my birthday. So, no matter where I was or what I was doing I would always have my rings on or at least turn them into a necklace.

Those are all the physical things I would carry, but emotionally I could only imagine all the thoughts that would be running through my head like all the men in the story. The biggest emotional baggage I would carry would be my fear of not making it home to my family and seeing my little sister and brother grow up.