|
The Things They Carried Home: Young Soldiers Document Their War |
|
|
|
|
Friday, 06 May 2005 |
The
Things They Carried Home: Young Soldiers Document Their War
New California Media - San
Francisco,CA,USA
SAN FRANCISCO--Tim O'Brien was 21 years old when he was sent to fight in
Vietnam. More than two decades later, he wrote the literary masterpiece "The
Things They Carried." The book describes a handful of soldiers in Vietnam, and
the things they carried -- a girlfriend's panties, a Cherokee hunting hatchet,
comic books, illustrated bibles, dope, cigarettes, condoms, photographs, chewing
gum and so forth. For years, O'Brien carried inside him the things his fellow
soldiers carried, before setting them down on the page.
These days, soldiers carry gizmos. If O'Brien were to document the things
soldiers carry today, he'd have to include a grip of technology. With digital
cameras, laptops and MP3 player/recorders, today's soldiers capture and convey
the non-fiction, funny, tragic, bloody reality of war at the same time they
experience it.
My boy C-los, 18, is one such soldier. When I met him four years ago, he was a
tall, lanky, shy kid addicted to smoking menthols and talking mess after whoopin'
the rest of us at the computer game Halo.
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
