Soldiers carry significant physical weight in the form of equipment, clothing, food, tools, weapons and water needed to survive away from civilization. They also carry heavy emotional weight through the loss of friends, witnessing death, feelings of fear, anger, loneliness and isolation from limited contact with loved ones. Both the physical and emotional weight soldiers carry contribute greatly to their experience of war.

1. The Weight of War…

2. Physical Weight Equipment. Clothing, bags, and any extra items they carried for comfort.

3. Physical Weight And more equipment. Soldiers carried everything they needed to survive away from civilization. This includes food, tools, weapons and water.

4. Emotional Weight The loss of friends and loved ones while at war adds to the weight a soldier carries. The sight of other people being killed in front of their eyes.

5. Emotional Weight Contacting those important to soldiers at war also carries weight. Emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety, and lonlinessas most communication is done by written word.

6. Emotional Weight Isolation. Soldiers are often placed in very isolated areas where the only human contact is their troop or their partner.

7. The Physical / The Emotional Soldiers carry so much more than we think they do. Besides equipment, soldiers carry the weight of their emotions, decisions, actions and experiences.