The first and most elaborate "thing carried" that narrator/author Tim O'Brien describes is letters from Martha. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the letters with him as a symbol of love, or at least hopeful for love. "..she never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself. The letters weighed four ounces. They were signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant." In my opinion, Cross carried these letters as merely a sign of hope. Hope to return home and live a normal peaceful life. I think O'Brien makes this the first "thing carried" as if to show the emotional side of the soldiers. To illustrate to the audience that not only weapons were carried during battle, but items of significance to the individual soldier. I know if it were me, I would carry a picture of my family and loved ones - praying I'd return home to see them again.
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