THE DEATH OF A COMRADE
TIMES MAGAZINE October 13, 2013
By Patrick Chang
Photo by Tim Page
Patrick Chang graduated with a Bachelor’s degree
in English from The University of California Berkeley. He is the co-author for New York Times
best seller, “The Vietnam War”
To a soldier, the physical burden of a 128-­‐pound M2 Machine Gun is weightless in comparison to the emotional burdens of love, shame, fear, and death carried by the individual. “The death of a comrade can
dramatically change the habits of an
individual”
Cross. According to interviews with several members of the Alpha Company, guilt became the most pervasive emotion of all. They also mentioned that Ted Lavender carried excessive amounts of ammunition when he Ted Lavender, a young soldier of was shot, suggesting that the the Alpha Company led by physical burden of the Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, was the ammunition may be the main Dirst casualty and one of the only cause of death. However, casualties of the platoon. He was Lieutenant Cross holds himself shot in the head outside the greatly responsible for the death village of Than Khe. While the of Ted Lavender; he attributes death of Ted Lavender struck the the cause of this tragedy to his entire platoon, the person whom feelings for Martha, a woman he Lavender’s death affected the deeply loves, and to his inability most was Lieutenant Jimmy to leave personal feelings aside. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross mentions that it was after the death of Ted Lavender when he comes to the realization that he and Martha lived in two different worlds, and that it is impossible for him to handle both of these worlds in harmony and balance. As a result, Lieutenant Cross decides to burn the photographs and letters from Martha and convinces himself that he no longer loves her. The death of a comrade can dramatically change the habits of an individual, and it is during times like this that an individual may TIMES MAGAZINE October 13, 2013
Photo by Bruce
Crandall
“The different ways of communicating fear describes the
individual in a deeper level than they would ever share with
themselves”
take on a whole new course of living. According to the members of Cross’s platoon, after the death of Lavender, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross started to restructure his platoon by demanding more discipline out of the members. Jimmy Cross believes that his demanding policies will lessen the chances of death within the platoon; therefore, he started to be less of a friend and more of a leader. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross also shared a story about his transformation; he commanded his platoon to carry out a destruction that allowed him to re-­‐
obtain his feelings. Lieutenant Cross says, that it was through his ability to “feel” again that he became conscious of the importance of his men. handle the fear of death. Lieutenant Cross shared in an interview that, before Ted Lavender’s death, he handled the fear of death through the use of drugs. It was after the tragedy that Lieutenant Cross started to cope with this fear through abandoning his love for Martha, the love that killed Lavender. Other members of the platoon used objects as a way of coping with the fear of death. Norman Bowker, a quiet soldier and one who embodies the long-­‐
term psychological effects of the war, copped with the fear of death by carrying a talisman, a thumb of an enemy boy-­‐soldier. During an exclusive interview with one of the platoon member, Kiowa, he mentions that he did not confess his fear of death; instead, he comforts himself through jokes about Lavender’s death, and his attempts The different reactions to the death of a comrade to replicate the feelings of peacefulness at home.
indicated the different platoon member’s ability to TIMES MAGAZINE October 13, 2013
The different reactions to the death of a comrade indicated
the different platoon member’s ability to handle the fear of
death.
The soldier’s said, “The individual’s different ways of communicating fear describes them in a very deep level”
It was through the merciless atmosphere of the war and the death of a comrade that the platoon members’ true characteristics are revealed. The death of Ted Lavender helped differentiate Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from the other members of his platoon, Lieutenant Cross revealed a stronger sense of responsibility for casualties. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross realizes that along with leadership and power comes responsibility, and that is the catalyst that led Lieutenant Cross to be more responsible and protective of his fellow platoon members (Lieutenant Cross believes that in order to prevent similar tragedies from happening again, he must have a different reaction to the event than the members of his platoon). Lieutenant Jimmy Cross continued to live with the guilt of Lavender’s death, while the other platoon members are only happy to be alive. Lieutenant Cross concluded that the fear of death would either allow an individual to live a strong life or would trap the individual in constant tension and terror. It is clear that the death of a comrade may be the catalyst to a stronger life. It is only through war that we realize the soldiers’ emotional burdens far outweigh their physical burdens. Word Count: 812
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Rationale:
In this written task, I picked up the theme used in the book “The Things They Carried” (Physical and mental burdens of war) and challenged my understanding of the text by writing about the death of Ted Lavender and its effect on Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s platoon. The text type I chose to emulate was a magazine article; I chose this text type because it allowed me to inform a wider range of audiences, adding my own knowledge and viewpoints about the subject. A magazine article will help reveal the mystery and truth behind certain issues, it will entertain you and persuade you about a particular viewpoint. I will be writing from the perspective of a Times magazine publisher who’ve interviewed Lt. Cross and his platoon members; my perspective will be bias towards Lt. Cross. My text is written for a wide range of people, but my speciDic target audience are Americans who are interested in stories of the Vietnam War. The purpose of this text is to educate the public on the issues that may arise during war and the burdens carried by the soldiers during and after the war. My response is written 4 years after the death of Ted Lavender; it is set in the United States and set at a time period where Americans are still healing from the damage made by the Vietnam War. To replicate a magazine article, my response will be written in columns, a big title and Quotes and pictures will be implanted in the text. My text will also include personal statements from Lt. Cross and his platoon members. I believe that a magazine article is made for a wide range of audience; therefore, it is the best way for me to communicate the idea and effect of the death of Lavender. Word Count: 300 Citations:
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. London: Flamingo, 1991. Print.
"Weapons of the Vietnam War." Weapons of the Vietnam War. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
"M2 Browning." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
"Reactions to Death in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried." Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 19
Oct. 2013.