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While making the trek through Vietnam, Jimmy Cross realizes that he needs to forget about Martha and focus on leading his platoon. After burning his photos of Martha, Cross thinks, "Among the men there would be grumbling, of course, and maybe worse, because their days would seem longer and their loads heavier, but Lieutenant Jimmy Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead," (O'Brien 26). Even in the tough times of war as Jimmy Cross finds himself battling his memories and his obligations, he rallies up the strength to forget about Martha and focus as a leader in the war. He does not care if he is loved by his men as long as he is an efficient leader. Thus, he shows that he possesses leadership qualities by worrying about his platoon and guiding them to success ratherthan dreaming about his past memories.

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During the war, Lieutenant Cross not only carries negativity with him, but lots of pain. "In part, he was grieving for Ted Lavender, but mostly it was for Martha, and for himself, because she belonged to another world, which was not quite real, and because she was a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey, a poet and a virgin and uninvolved, and because he realized she did not love him and never would." Jimmy suffers from his friends death and on top of that he now realizes that him and Martha are part of two distinct worlds, leaving him to wonder if she will ever love him. This pain is carried by Jimmy all throughout the war, becoming one of his biggest distractions. We see more of his pain and distraction as he takes it out on his troops.

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Throughout the book, Jimmy Cross is a man who is always picking up on his surroundings and taking note of what everyone is carrying, wearing, etc.. As they are walking through the jungle, Cross describes, "Rat Kiley carried brandy and M&M's candy. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried the starlight scope, which weighed 6.3 pounds with its aluminum carrying case. Henry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter," (O'Brien 9-10). Cross is a man who is very observant of what his men are carrying and likes to take note of their behaviors. He knows the exact weights of the gun cases, guns, and ammo, which proves that he is very observant and up to date on the things they carry.

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"It was this separate-but-together quality, she wrote, that had inspired to pick up the pebble and to carry it in her breast pocket for several days, where it seemed weightless, and then to send it through the mail, as a token of her truest feelings for him."(O'Brien 8) Although Jimmy finds this romantic, he ponders what Martha's truest feelings could be, what the "separate-but-together feeling" was. Jimmy imagined Martha at the shore and the waves and tides coming into play that afternoon. He also imagined a pair of shadows moving along the strip of sand where things came together but separated. Jimmy becomes curious at this fact and believes that there is someone else with Martha. Jimmy thinks that Martha has lost feelings for him since now there is "someone else," stirring jealousy in him.

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"On the march, through the hot days of early April, he carried the pebble in his mouth, turning it with his tongue, tasting sea salt and moisture. His mind wandered. He had difficulty keeping his attention on the war"(O'Brien 8-9). Jimmy's obsession with Martha has  come to a point where he isn't just thinking about her too much, but he is trying to sense her. He tastes the pebble, thinking about Martha being with him. This leads to Jimmy becoming distracted and overly cruel to his men at war. He finds it very difficult to concentrate on the war and often times finds himself daydreaming about Martha and his past memories of Martha.

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Throughout the war in early April, before Ted Lavender dies, Cross receives a pebble from Martha. "It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. Smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg. In the accompanying letter, Martha wrote that she had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline, precisely where the land touched water at high tide, where things came together but also separated."(O'Brien 8). Even in Vietnam, Jimmy is still thinking and caring about Martha. He keeps pictures and the pebble he sent her to keep her in his mind while fighting in the war. By keeping such souvenirs, it becomes apparent that even while he is fighting, Jimmy cross can't keep his mind off of Martha.

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As the platoon leader, it is imperative that Jimmy Cross is prepared and ready to lead his troops into battle. Cross is described as carrying, "a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45-caliber pistol that weighed 2.9 pounds fully loaded" (O'Brien 5). It becomes apparent early that Jimmy Cross, although he does not want to participate in the war, is a very prepared and organized leader. Cross is gong to put forth his best effort to ensure that no one in his platoon dies and that he is prepared for whatever situation/challenge may lie ahead of them in the future.

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After Lieutenant Cross is drafted for the war at age 24 he is forced to abandon his "lover" Martha. While in Vietnam, Cross is described as briefly seeing in the rain, "Martha's gray eyes gazing back at him...He almost nodded at her but he didn't" (O'Brien 24). Cross is unable to focus on the war due to the fact that he misses Martha and feels lonely without her. At this point in the story, Cross is unable to get into the "war mindset", and constantly finds himself gazing off into a fantasy while thinking about Martha.

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Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries several memories of being with Martha in New Jersey, one significant event being with her at the movie theater. "A dark theater, he remembered, and the movie was Bonnie and Clyde, and Martha wore a tweed skirt, and during the final scene, when he touched her knee, she turned and looked at him in a sad and sober way that made him pull his hand back, but he would always remember the feel of the tweed skirt and the knee beneath it and the sound of the gunfire and killed Bonnie and Clyde, how embarrassing it was, how slow and oppressive.." (O'Brien 4). Even after he is drafted, Jimmy remembers where he came from and the things he used to do back in the United States. He is very reminiscent and takes pride in his past, but also wishes he did things different when he had the chance to. By pondering about the past while in the middle of the war, it is clear that Jimmy Cross is a man who likes to dwell on the past as well reminisce upon it.