BATTLE RATTLE

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." - Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried" The stuff the modern soldier carries is, in short, what soldiers in the trenches affectionately call "our crap". There is only so much a soldier can carry and this "battle rattle" says a lot about his daily necessities: the body armour and helmets, the fatigue jackets, flak jackets, bandages, poncho, extra trousers, boots and socks. After that, what a soldier adds says something about himself - from foot powder, dental floss and medicine to comic books or girlie magazines or bibles, from mementos such as photographs and letters to tools such as hammers, hatchets and Swiss Army knives. This is a book that offers an intimate picture of soldiering by way of the gear that goes along - the crap that makes the fight possible and the wait bearable.