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Roger Bonsant

Field

LNG 405

9 November 2010

Nature of the True War Story

A true war story, by its nature, seemingly “makes the

stomach believe”. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried argues that the true war story is its

own kind of beast, and that it cannot simply be emulated by pretty words and good storytelling.

The American people typically see war through the lenses of politicians and through newspapers

and television screens which often do little justice in reporting the truth. Tim O’Brien allows us

to view this conflict from the different but very real perspective of the soldier, from the eyes of

the men and women who find themselves doing battle overseas for their country. Directed by

Randall Wallace, We Were Soldiers Once and Young presents the Vietnam War from several

perspectives, but most notably from that of the soldiers. This visualization of the gruesome

battles that take place helps to aid our minds in comprehending the crude and unforgiving nature

of true wartime combat. Both of these representations allow us to truly understand the incredible

hardships suffered not only by these men alone, but also by those who hold them dear.

It may be argued that although war is a very physical machine, fighting as a soldier also

comes is also an incredibly emotional experience that is the mark of a true war story. There are
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many emotional experiences to be observed in We Were Soldiers Once and Young. When asked

by reporters the number of casualties after the battle, Lt. Col. Hal Moore gives no reply. Another

under-ranking officer also withholds his answer when asked the same question immediately

afterwords. Only the soldiers who fought with the men who died could truly understand the

enormous grief felt by the loss of every single man who took up arms to defend their country,

while the press were only interested in numbers. While both forces exchange blood, countless

lives are lost and only those who held those lost souls dear or fought alongside them can truly

appreciate the emotional aspects that the war carries. This quote from John Steinbeck's Why

Soldiers Won't Talk argues the same message: “In all kinds of combat the whole body is battered

by emotion” (Steinbeck 1116). According to these sources and many others, the true story finds

itself in the emotional integrity of the events taking place.

Many will also argue that the experience in and of itself is the true war story. In other

words, from this perspective, a true war story really can't be told. O'Brien takes this position in

The Things They Carried, “They Won't understand zip. It's like trying to tell somebody what

chocolate tastes like” (O'Brien 108). It may also be understood from reading the story that the

war is a personal matter in itself to every individual man and woman who find themselves

involved. When the recollection blends itself with personal perspective, one may wonder if the

truth lay forgotten in the process, perhaps intentionally. O'Brien shows us how there might not

be a lesson or moral to be learned from the story, and how it will not be understood even if it is

told; “ 'In a true war story, if there's a moral at all, it's like the thread that makes the cloth. You

can't tease it out. You can't extract the meaning without unraveling the deeper meaning. And in

the end, really, there's nothing much to say about a true war story, except maybe 'Oh' ”(O'Brien
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74). O'Brien argues that the truth cannot be told because the different truths contradict one

another, “War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and

adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love.

War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man. War makes

you dead. The truths are contradictory” (O'Brien 76). The underlying message here is, since the

story obviously cannot be told and understood, it must be experienced.

The true war story is very physical in nature, as it lends itself death and destruction,

dismemberment and slaughter, and to laborious combat and strategy. The soldiers that belong to

each respective army do battle and partake in a game that plays in exchanging blood. Many

soldiers recall that it becomes increasingly easy to lose sight of reason, and some even come to

think of their objective as pointless slaughter. O'Brien presents this idea in his story as well,

“You take a feeble swipe at the dark and thing, Christ, what's the point?”(O'Brien 79). To deny

the physical nature of war only in favor of the emotional and physiological aspects is to deny the

warfare itself. We Were Soldiers Once and Young certainly pays tribute to this hellish aspect of

warfare with its shocking visualizations of true combat situations that depict heavily graphic

deaths, including even unfortunate events of friendly fire. This theme also pays tribute to the

idea that the true war story can only be experienced, for the combat is also something that only

the men on the danger lines can partake in.