Fact Verses Fiction in O'Brien's The Things They Carried "The difference between fairy tales and war stories is that fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time,' while war stories begin with 'Shit, I was there!'" (Lomperis 41). How does one tell a good war story? Is it important to be accurate to the events that took place? Does the reader need to trust the narrator? In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien examines what it takes to tell a good war story. He uses his own experiences in Vietnam
"The Red Convertible," a short story written by Louise Erdrich's, she writes about the travesties of war that impose on the relationship of two brothers, Henry and Lyman. The author uses symbolism to unveil the troubles brought home by Henry after he leaves the battlefields of Vietnam. The story emphasized difficulties Lyman was forced to Handel the separation from his brother. The goal of Erdrich writing the "The Red Convertible" was to communicate the emotional stresses war creates for a soldier
Yusef Komunyakaa, the poet of war, vividly describes his vacillating emotions about the Vietnam War and his relation to it as an African-American veteran in the poem, “Facing It.” Komunyakaa, the protagonist of his narrative, reflective poem, contemplates his past experiences as he promenades around the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, struggling to conceal his ardent emotions and remain hard and cold as “stone.” He writes one stanza in a dark mood, and by using metaphors and visual imagery, he paints
addition to their primary mission they also participated in medical evacuation, an invaluable asset on the battlefields of Vietnam. The 123rd Aviation Battalion was comprised of multiple airframes of which included the OH-23 Raven, OH-6 Cayuse, UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, and even at one point an attachment of CH-47 Chinooks. According to the Resume of the 123rd Aviation Battalion the A Company and B Company delivered over 1,400 tons of cargo, destroyed 575 structures, killed over 700 enemy combatants, and
the Bell AH-1 Huey Cobra, made its first appearance in combat where it used Thumper grenade launchers, TOW missiles, and mini-guns to destroy North Vietnamese troops and armor. The Mil Mi-24