"The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among
the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives,
heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum,
candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches,
sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three
canteens of water. Together, these items weighed between 15 and 20
pounds, depending upon a man's habits or rate of metabolism."
pg 2
Im surprised they have to carry so much just to survive its miraculous that they can carry that around all day every day. These necessities illustrate how each man has something that he clings to for comfort in the worst of times and something he can keep ahold of his humanity too.
"they all carried ghosts"
pg 10
They each carried their own burdens and worries. Each of the characters has a burden from the past holding them back and constantly causing them guilt in the back of their minds.
"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing- these were intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight."
pg 20
They constantly worried about what would happen. They worried the past would come back to haunt them and cause them to shuffle and panic.
