Tim O'Brien is a very gifted author, but he is also a veteran of the Vietnam War and fought alongside the United States in that controversial war. Tim O'Brien was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1968. He served as an infantryman, earned the rank of sergeant, and won a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel. He was discharged from the Vietnam War in 1970. I believe O'Brien's images and past experiences encountered during the Vietnam War gave him the inspiration to write the story "The Things They Carried." O'Brien tells the story in third-person narrative form of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon of young Americans in the Vietnam War. In “The Things They Carried” we can see differences and similarities between the characters because of the things they hold close to them. In this critical review I would like to criticize the characterization of Tim O'Brien. O'Brien's expression towards each character is truly unique because none of them are exactly the same. They all differ in age and ethnicity and have different opinions on the Vietnam War. They carry the weight of their country on their shoulders, but they also have different emotions weighing on their hearts. “The Things We Carryed” is set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon are in the fields of Vietnam. His platoon includes: Mitchell Sanders (radio operator), Rat Kiley (medic), Henry Dobbins (machine gunner), Kiowa, Norman Bowker, Ted Lavender, Dave Jensen, Lee Strunk, and a few other soldiers O'Brien doesn't know. t name in history.