The boom is what gets them in, and for some, it's what gets them out. The men who fought in the Vietnam War were some of the bravest people who ever lived, and they are beautifully betrayed in Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried. Tim O'Brien's story is a metafiction about his time in the war and what it was really like to spend time as an infantryman in such a horrible war. Whether they enlist or are drafted, they fight valiantly for whatever cause they are there for. These men are carrying their sanity and their lives, and unfortunately, many of them will lose these things. O'Brien's ultimate message about the things the men carried is that the tangible pleasures, the memories of home, and the ultimate trauma they endure will never leave them. Vietnam War men carry everything they can, especially things that make them feel safe. "Rat Kiley carried a canvas satchel filled with morphine, plasma and malaria tablets, surgical tape, comic books and everything a doctor should carry, including M&M's for particularly serious injuries, for a total of almost 18 pounds." (5). Rat Kiley believes that one of the best ways to ensure safety is comfort, as demonstrated by his most important product also for the worst injuries, M&M's. Also, drugs play a very important role in making men happy, especially Mr. Lavender who carries "drugs" with him. Marijuana, when used as a drug, is a depressant, meaning it calms men down and makes them forget their past. Of all things, marijuana literally makes men happy. Perhaps the strangest of all the tangible items carried was this: “Norman Bowker, otherwise a very gentle person, carried a thumb given to him as a gift by Mitchell Sanders. » (72). Norman Bo...... middle of paper...... explained how Lavender died, Lieutenant Cross found himself shaking. He tried not to cry. With his entrenching tool, which weighed 5 pounds, he began to dig a hole in the earth. He was ashamed. He hated himself. (15-16). At this point, Lieutenant Cross is so traumatized that he will suffer from nightmares for the rest of his life. All of these things, the tangible happiness, the thoughts of home and the ultimate trauma they experience, are part of Tim O'Brien's story. ultimate message that the things Vietnamese men carry will never leave them. Tim O'Brien writes this book because not all things will leave him, but writing helps him let them go for a moment. When someone reads The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, they may see its ultimate message as something different, but its real ultimate message is that the things men carry never leave them..