A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Pagination is based on the paperback edition of The Things They Carried, New York: Broadway, 1998. A number of main headings are linked to (somewhat) relevant information on the internet. Most subentries are sorted by page number (based on earliest appearance). In the following generic lists, alphabetical order is used: animals; army commendations; body parts; characters, minor; clothing; disease, illness; food and drink; games; medical supplies; military items; music and entertainment terms; nature terms; personal hygiene terms; reading and writing terms; transportation terms; weapons.

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A
A&W, 146, 150, 155
acid, boredom as, 34
afraid, 19-20; See fear
Air Medal, 141; See army commendations
allusions. See literary allusions
Alpha Company

ambush, 9, 65, 117, 207 Rat Kiley, 89, 90, 112 explained to Mary Anne, 96 Greenies, 102, 116; See Green Berets O' Brien's return to, 190 stand-down, 193, 197 role call, 203

altar, 120
ambiguity, 16, 82; See contradiction
America, American, 16, 23, 40, 117
American Civil War, 58
American Legion, 212
Americans, 125, 127
Andersonville Diary, John Ransom's, epigraph
animals, 92, 226

bird, 22,184, 198, 231 buffalo, 36, 80, 84, 85 bugs, 186, 220, 221, 223 bullheads, 143 butterfly, 92, 124, 127, 129, 181, 184 carp, 143 chicken, 16, 135 crickets, 205 dinosaurs, 183 dogs, 16 dragonflies, 146 fireflies, 209 fish, 68, 143, 170 flies, 226 frog, 170, 221 gnats, 129, 226 hens, mud, 140, 147, 150, 153 leech, 85 leopard, 110 lice, 31 mongooses, 74, 223 monkeys, 74, 221 mosquitoes, 34, 132, 151 perch, 143 pigeon, 204 pigs, dead, 136 pony, Shetland, 34 puppy, 36, 37 rats, 205 rattlesnake, 208 snakes, 221 squirrels, flying, 221 tiger, 97 water buffalo, baby, 78, 79, 84, 85

AOs [area of operations], 9
Armour meatpacking plant, 42
army commendations

Air Medal, 141 Army Commendation Medal, 141 Bronze Star, 14, 141 Combat Infantryman's Badge, 141 Good Conduct Medal, 141 honeys, 154 medals, 36, 141, 142, 154 Purple Heart, 14, 141 Silver Star, 140, 141, 144, 146, 150, 153, 161 Vietnam Campaign Medal, 141

Arnold, Max

now just an idea, 138-139, 146 the pity of his death, 147 loved fine lines, 153

assembly line, 42
ashamed, See shame
Australia, 2
Autry, Gene, 189
AWOL [absent without official leave], 35
Azar

gives chocolate to boy, 31 kills puppy, 36, 37 reacts to death of "the man I killed," 125-26 watches dancing girl, 135-136 in shit field, 165 searches for Kiowa in the shit field, 173-176 reacts to Morty Phillips' death, 193-195 helps narrator trick Jorgenson, 201-216 "Let's kill," 218 provides comic books, 224

B
backgammon, 104; See games
band shell, 143, 153
Band-Aid, 235
Bangkok, 94, 113
Bao Dai 45
Baptist, 3; See Kiowa
Barbarella, 58, 206; See movie
barbecue spits, 137
barbershop quartet, 74
baseball, 51, 93, 139, 141, 192; See games
basketball, 14, 155, 160; See games
Batangan Peninsula, 33, 85, 119, 184
bath, hot soapy, 149-50
beauty, beautiful, 70, 80-81
bed, beds 22, 29, 155, 205, 243
Bell, Mary Anne, 93-116

history with Fossie, 94 described, 95 like a cheerleader, 96 on ambush with the Greenies, 100-103 gone for three weeks with Greenies, 105 wears necklace of human tongues, 110-11  fate of, 114-16

Bemidji, 47
Ben Franklin Store, 44, 229
Berdahl, Elroy, 48-60

hero of narrator's life, 48 described, 48 does not ask questions, 49 takes narrator on river, 57 images of, 60

Berlin, Paul, 158
Bible, 18
birds, freedom, 22
Birds, The, 217
birthday present, 164,182
Black Flag insecticide 14
black market, 7
blood, images of

electricity, 111 dishwater, 213

blue jeans, 54, 95
Blyton (drill sergeant) 59
body bag, 37
body parts, elements; See disease, illness

adrenaline, 114 appendix, 222 arm, 62, 83, 90, 94, 99, 108, 109, 112, 146, 149, 154, 163, 167, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175, 181, 222, 226, 241, 242, 243 artery, 98, 222 asshole, 20 back, 36, 114, 156, 174, 207, 214 balls, 93, 239 belly, 117, 192 blisters, 194 blood, 20, 84, 87, 110, 111, 124, 126, 128, 130, 192, 201, 213, 221, 231 body, 18, 19, 23, 68, 72, 86, 99, 117, 126, 129, 130, 134, 173-175, 180, 181, 208, 213, 225, 226, 227, 228, 230, 231, 232, 236, 238, 239, 241, 242, 243, 245 bones, 83, 110, 147, 223, 235 brain, 20, 22, 121 breath, 114, 205 bruise, 12 butt, 192 cheek, 18, 124, 127, 128, 213, 232, 241 cheekbone, 231 chest, 29, 124, 128, 175, 194, 201, 204 chin, 25, 124 chunks of, 223 colon, 213 complexion, like strawberry ice cream, 93 corpse, 20, 175, 209, 213, 226, 232, 238 cowlick, 124, 129 crotch, 165 dick, 93 ear, 63, 72, 75, 107, 124, 128, 135, 136, 189, 205, 209, 221, 235 elbow, 153, 222 endorphins, 114 excrement, 110 eyeballs, 36, 114, 220 eyebrow, 20, 124, 127, 201, 215 eye, 19, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 60, 63, 66, 69-71, 81, 82, 90, 93, 96-100, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 113, 124, 126, 127, 129, 130, 133, 145, 147, 148, 149, 151, 166, 167, 169, 173, 177, 180, 190, 191, 207, 208, 209, 211, 212, 216, 217, 222, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 236, 238, 240, 242 face, 27, 32, 84, 85, 88, 98, 100, 101, 102, 104, 106, 108, 115, 117, 130, 136, 144, 148, 150, 163, 172, 174-176, 179, 190, 214, 217, 228, 229, 232, 240, 241 fat, 117 feet, 91, 114, 131, 135, 165, 174, 233, 243 finger blister, 193 fingernail, 111, 124, 128, 130, 149, 190 fingers, 22, 23, 124, 127, 128, 190, 193, 196, 201, 212, 242 fist, 34, 191 flesh, 22, 110, 166, 221 foot, 84, 91, 99, 166, 223, 240 forehead, 124, 127, 181, 217 freckles, 127, 129 gash, 217 gore, 83, 84, 98 grin, 20, 207 gum, 126 hair, 91, 98, 103, 110, 124, 130, 135, 228, 235, 237 hand, 28, 29, 87, 90, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 104, 119, 120, 123, 124, 128, 129, 132, 136, 149, 151, 153, 163 , 167, 170, 172, 183, 186, 187, 193, 195, 199, 200, 201, 206, 212, 213, 215, 217, 226, 227, 230, 232, 234, 238 head, 18, 19, 24, 82, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 100, 103, 108, 110, 115, 126, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 151, 152, 154, 165, 172, 183, 190, 196, 201, 205, 207, 209, 216, 217, 220, 222, 223, 226, 228, 229, 230, 235, 239, 240, 242 heart, 125, 127, 148, 168, 187, 203, 207, 223, 242 heels, 100 hip, 136, 213 holes in, 98, 133, 222 intestines, 83 jaw, 87, 88, 103, 124, 126, 130, 179, 180 kidneys, 223 knee, 29, 65, 109, 149, 170, 186, 195, 214, 226 knuckles, 129, 205 lap, 131, 227, 235 leg, 21, 31, 65, 66, 91, 93, 95, 96, 124, 126, 129, 130, 133, 175, 199, 222, 226 lips, 26, 115, 124, 126, 154, 170, 190, 193, 199, 209, 212, 232 liver, 222 lungs, 22, 109, 149 mind, 97, 133, 156, 205 mouth, 149, 165, 168, 177, 229, 241 muscles, 18, 21, 205, 209 mustache, 190, 193, 199 neck, 28, 68, 118, 124, 128, 129, 130 nose, 62, 63, 118, 124, 127, 129, 149, 186, 211 organs, 34 pain, 87, 88, 190, 192, 198, 200, 201 palm, 135, 136, 234 parts, 83, 222 poontang, 90 protoplasm, 221 pulse, 205 pussy, 156 scalp, 235 scar, 141, 237 shadow, 92, 105, 110, 11, 116, 150, 154, 223 shit, 113, 129, 143, 144, 148, 149, 156 shoulder, 23, 26, 95, 100, 104, 112, 132, 134, 163, 169, 172, 175, 190, 199, 204, 207, 212, 226, 237, 241 skin, 83, 110, 111, 124, 127, 135, 154, 190, 211, 221, 229, 241, 242 skull, 124, 235 smile, 19, 74, 88, 95, 103, 104, 106, 115, 119, 164, 199, 201, 211 sores, 194 soul, 205 spinal cord, 124 spit, 204 stomach, 16, 24, 34, 78, 127, 132, 174, 190, 242 sweat, 108, 129, 200 tears, 84 teeth, 12, 87, 88, 124, 126 throat, 19, 34, 124, 126, 130, 157, 177, 179, 180, 199, 226, 240 thumb, 13, 20, 206 thumbnail, 31 toe, 22, 65, 135 tongue, 31, 72, 85, 96, 108, 110, 142, 196, 199, 201, 214 tooth, 88 vein, 98, 235 voice, 210, 212, 213 waist, 124, 129, 170, 242 wound, 124, 128, 129, 189, 213 wrinkle, 80 wrist, 124, 128, 175

Bomb Hanoi button, 42
Bonnie and Clyde, 4, 29; See movie
booby trap, 3, 197

artillery rounds, 33 explode, 71 105-round, 78, 83 homemade, 90

border, 89
Border Patrol, 50
boredom

as acid, 34 like a leaky faucet, 34 periods of, 183

Bouncing Betties, 9, 33, 90, 118
Bowker, Norman, 222

things he carried, 3, 13 on Lavender's death, 17-19 plays checkers, 32 watches the stars, 36 his medals, 36, 141, 142, 154; See army commendations dozes, 70 on telling time, 140 on not winning Silver Star, 141, 146, 153; See army commendations on courage vs. cowardice, 142, 147 on the river's smell, 142-145, 149-150 watches Kiowa die, 148-150 at Mama Burgers, 151-152 watches fireworks, 154 tells story about Morty Phillips, 193-196 rigs safety line, 220 reminisces about Sally Kramer, Max Arnold,138-39 his death, 155, 160 his letter to O' Brien, 155-57 his father, See Bowker's father

Bowker's father

watches baseball, 139, 141; See games listens to Bowker's story, 141-143, 146 focuses on Bowker's medals, 142, 154 fights own war, 147 prefers silence, 147 talks about Kiowa's death, 153

Boy Scouts, 41
brandy, 9
brave, bravery; See coward

Bowker, Norman, 141, 142, 147, 153 Kiowa, 164 Lt. Cross, 5, 29, 30, man O' Brien killed, 125, O' Brien, Tim, 39,180

Brigadoon, 75
Bronx, the, 59
Bronze Stars, 14, 141; See army commendations
bubbles at Kiowa's death site, 149, 171, 186
Buddha, 14, 74, 239
Buick, 233