How do the stories in this collection compare to other "war stories" you have read? Why do you think O'Brien says that the stories he tells are love stories and not war stories?

How do the stories in this collection compare to other "war stories" you have read? Do you feel there are stereotypes the author employs or resists? What messages do you think the book delivers about war and the way that we talk about the subject? Did it change or influence your thoughts about war (the Vietnam War or any others)? Why do you think O'Brien says that the stories he tells are love stories and not war stories? Do you agree?

I think this book is grounded in the love he felt for the men he fought beside and the desire to honor those men.

I haven’t read a lot of what I consider real “war stories”, but rather have read a lot of books set in war time. My personal definition of a real war story is one set in in the mechanics of war; battle, planning, logistics related to troop and equipment movement, and other support, as well as the soldier’s, sailor’s, or airman’s experiences and feelings. The first books to come to mind to fit that category that I have read are All Quiet on the Western Front, The Red Badge of Courage, and The Killer Angels. The Things They Carried continues the excellence of those books.

O’Brien’s insight and telling of each character’s story are filled with a compassion, empathy, and soul searching insight. Other books I’ve read are factual and often slanted toward the heroics of battle. This book brings the war to us in a way that highlights how the war entered the soldiers individually. How they coped, how they mourned, how they were able to get up and “hump” into the next unknown.

Have to agree with all of the above statements. Other books, stories and even movies that I have read or have seen are more descriptive, powerful for their depiction of "war as hell". Some may present the individual view of the hero or protagonist but each chapter in this book deals with all the raw emotions of each individual member of alpha company including the author. The bonding that occurs is lifelong as these young men faced unimaginable situations and will always have each other's backs. Agree, it is a love story.

It’s been a very long time since I read this but remember how much it affected me. I was still reeling from all of the reports about the Viet Nam that was going on at that time.