War is a test of the greatest fears we didn’t know we had.
This image shows how war redefines the fear of the unknown. In many aspects, the isolation of war magnifies a soldier’s insecurities. As soldiers enter war, a prominent anxiety is the devastation of their loved ones if they came back in a flag draped coffin as shown in the image. The overlay image was taken in Vietnam, features the most prominent soldier looking confused and distraught, almost as if to say “what is all this for?” For many soldiers, this type of questioning, wondering what the meaning of the chaos around them is, pushes them over the edge. Tim O’Brien exemplified this through the story of Norman Bowker. After the death of his fellow soldier and close friend Kiowa, Bowker is constantly haunted with guilt. This makes him to go through a routine of driving around a lake every day, just thinking about how he wishes he could have saved Kiowa, although it clear to the reader that it was an impossible situation. At its core, this guilt surfaced because of an underlying fear of inadequacy. Earlier in the book, O’Brien had described how Bowker wanted to leave the war with medals to make his family proud. Ironically, for Bowker and many others like him, the fear of leaving loves ones distraught by their possible death fills a soldier’s mind in battle, it is that same fear of disappointment that brings many to the battlefield. On another level, this concept is also applicable to the family and friends of a soldier. Their immediate fear is to receive a phone call telling them that their soldier as been killed in war. It is scary enough to have to ask questions like, what does life look like without someone? But a fear that is even more scary, is that they may not physically lose their soldier, but that they may come back a different person: lost in a different way. There is no handbook to helping who is someone suffering from PTSD. In some ways, it is just as difficult to see someone you love struggle and not be the happy person they once were than to see them in a coffin. The combination of a family member devastated at the cemetery, with the image of a soldier looking hardened by the struggles of war, is a representation of the two deepest fears of family members. Not only to fear losing them, but to know that if they are lucky enough to come back, their soldier will have experienced traumatic things that they cannot relate to, to be forever altered.
Bibliography:
"Spring Edition 2013 | Coronado Clarion." Coronado Clarion. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.coronadoclarion.com/spring-2013-edition/>.
"Vietnam War." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War/images-videos>. - vietnam war image
The analysis, statement, and quote were amazing! I especially loved the connection between Norman Bowker in the Things They Carried and how though he physically came back home, he still faced difficulty trying to adjust back to his normal life. Not only did you focus on the hardships these soldiers face when they come back home, you also focused on these hardships on loved ones and how it pains them to see the emotional distraught. Lastly, it gave me a deeper understanding of how soldiers will never be the same. Beautiful and insightful post! :)
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