Why do many Americans' think our soldiers, marines, and sailors are our heros? Is it because we Americans' think our way of life and the political system is unique than other countries, therefore; other countries political system that are not similar to ours is officially our foe and send daily citizens turned soldiers to defend our arrogance, not freedom we do like to claim. Take a look around. American's are still fighting in the middle east due to "political corruption" within the countries. And as we send more soldiers, the more coffins come deporting over the sea's and landing inside a huge metal box on a military base.  As we see those coffins, American's declares them as heros. But when reading "The Things They Carry" written by Tim O' Brian, the world O'Brian reveals through words the colors of a soldier. Who they actually are and why they think they'll die in the battleground some can only accept. After all, these soldiers are human. They are born, they live, and they die whether they'll choose when they should be gone from this limbo called Earth.
The narrator is Tim O'Brian tell his experience and observations during the Vietnam war, explaining in great detail the solider's nature, their "grunt lingo", and a favorite, explaining topics with profane language that gets the point across. Since these soldiers are in war, using profane language isn't uncommon due to war evokes the ugly out of people many aren't capable of. How would Americans would like their hero spitting on the ground and cursing? It'll sure shatter their image of an American hero. 
Here is another to shatter that "Superman" hero image Americans drool over. In the story, there is a disturbing scene that even makes me uncomfortable. Words do have power over the reader. O'Brian explains when their enemy conducts air-raids and other assault tactics, many of the soldiers were screaming, calling for their loved ones or screaming their lungs to god they want to walk on this Earth for as long he can extend the time. Some soldiers cry and sob like children. When that event passes, the soldiers would carry on and find a source entertainment such as kicking corpses  or cutting off dead man's thumbs to lock up their pain and sense of weakness. It was their way of laughing it off  as if nothing happened. Sometimes, that resulted another soldier killing another solider to hid that pain.
But the worst of all is pushing the love they harbor for others to survive the war. One of the main characters named Jimmy Cross carries letters from a girl named Martha he loved. Other soldiers would carry necessities like band-aids among other daily necessities soldiers cling to.  Without those necessaries, they would not survive. But Jimmy, a Lieutenant, later hated himself the love her harbored for Martha. One of his soldiers died because of his infatuation and began to hate Martha for it as if she was Death. Death and Time that aren't predictable, but all soldiers van do is carry on and either lead to finishing a mission or to a grave Americans cry over as if they were their heros. If only they knew what they went through.