The Things They Carry
What do these troops carry for good luck on the battlefield in Afghanistan?
By Kevin Sites, Thu Mar 16, 8:05 PM ET
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Eastern
Afghanistan - American service men and women wear body armor and Kevlar helmets to protect them from the perils of war. But for many that's just not enough. They also feel the need for a little extra help — a talisman that can provide comfort, protection, even power, when faced with the prospect of killing, dying or even just separation from their families. 
Tim O'Brien wrote about this in his novel about Vietnam, "The Things They Carried." A generation later those traditions continue on today's battlefield.
I asked the men of the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Alpha Company, based at Forward Operating Base Tillman in eastern Afghanistan, "What do you carry?"
View the photo essay here.
Attention all U.S. military members abroad:
Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone wants to know what you carry when you go to war.
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The Hot Zone recently featured members of the military Kevin met in Afghanistan and their good luck charms. Now we want to feature you.
E-mail us here with a picture of you and your good luck charm. Make sure you tell us your name, age, hometown and the story of why you carry that particular item while deployed.
Periodically, we'll feature some of the photos we receive, along with the stories behind them, here on the Hot Zone. We'll also upload some of the photos to our Flickr site. (Note: By emailing us your photo and information you automatically agree to these terms.)
Send the pictures as a jpeg, no larger than 1MB.
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