https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h "The Things They Carried" inspired Vietnam Memorial Wall en-us 2020-05-14 17:44:10 UTC 2020-05-14 22:14:00 UTC hello@padlet.com ghern0887 https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573379008 2020-05-14 17:51:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573379008 ghern0887 https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573385160 The image is a cool pair of brass knuckles. He did mention that he did physically carry a pair of them during the war, but I feel that this item tells the reader much more about him. Throughout the novel, I see Mitchell Sanders as a protector, which explains the brass knuckles. He had a good head on his shoulders, and did what was right; he supported those who needed to be, and left the people who were acting inappropriate out to dry. He knew what had to be done and what was best for people. He was the father of the group who did not do anything unless it was in the best interest of his men. ]]> 2020-05-14 17:53:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573385160 ghern0887 https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573417471 As a critical part of the Alpha Company, which was commanded by Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Mitchell Sanders received many awards and medals for his duty. For his duty, Mitchell Sanders received the Vietnam Service Award, which was for any servicemen or servicewomen who fought in Vietnam for at least 30 consecutive days. The Vietnam War was messy, so fighting for that long is such horrible conditions and against your will should definitely be honored. He also received the Civil Action Medal, which was awarded by South Vietnam to allied forces who performed outstanding achievements during the war. Other than those medals, Mitchell Sanders was reliable enough to have been the radiotelephone operator (RTO) for his company. In order for him to have gotten this privilege, he had to be trustworthy, alert, and undoubtedly responsible. These requirements were not a challenge to Mitchell Sanders at all. ]]> 2020-05-14 18:07:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573417471 ghern0887 https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573482154 Mitchell Sanders, 65, part of the Alpha Company and the RTO during the Vietnam War, passed away peacefully in his home. 

He was drafted in his teens for the Vietnam War, where he excelled and earned many awards and medals. His leadership, bravery, and humor made him a great role model and a great friend. His humor was clearly displayed in the items he brought along with him in the war, brass knuckles, a yo-yo, and condoms. 

Although he had many achievements from the war, he was still very humble, which was one of his most prominent characteristics. 

When he came home from the war, he  met his wife, Lucy Sanders, and they soon married. Together, they have three kids. He was a loving husband and father that knew how to have fun, but valued the beauty of discipline as well. 

We will miss his humor and storytelling very much. 

He is survived by his wife Lucy, and his three children, Jimmy, Dave, and Timothy. ]]> 2020-05-14 18:34:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573482154 ghern0887 https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573823712 Mitchell Sanders was very humorous in everyday life, even when he was in the war: "I remember Mitchell Sanders sitting quietly in the shade of an old banyan tree. He was using a thumbnail to pry off the
body lice, working slowly, carefully depositing the lice in a blue
USO envelope. His eyes were tired. It had been a long two
weeks in the bush. After an hour or so he sealed up the
envelope, wrote FREE in the upper right-hand corner, and
addressed it to his draft board in Ohio" (O'Brien 30). Sanders was naturally a man who always liked to make people laugh. Of course he was angry by the fact he was drafted, but he was humorous enough to go fight, yet still get a bit of revenge in a funny way.

Sanders also knew the complexity of the war: "Mitchell Sanders was right. For the common soldier, at
least, war has the feel—the spiritual texture—of a great ghostly
fog, thick and permanent. There is no clarity. Everything
swirls. The old rules are no longer binding, the old truths no
longer true. Right spills over into wrong. Order blends into
chaos, love into hate, ugliness into beauty, law into anarchy,
civility into savagery. The vapors suck you in. You can't tell
where you are, or why you're there, and the only certainty is
overwhelming ambiguity" (O'Brien 78). The Vietnam War (or any other war matter of fact) is easy to describe and explain. Sanders knew that, and he also knew how to explain what could not be explained. ]]> 2020-05-14 21:35:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ghern0887/kj2pdl1drfnxyh5h/wish/573823712