Object from The Things They Carried

The object that stood out to me the most in "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien was the 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope carried by Ted Lavender. The reason it stood out to me was because most of the things the author was describing that these men carried were, either practical necessities such as rations or helmets, or personal effects such as letters or toothbrushes. To me the dope doesn't really fit into either category. Another thing that stood out to me was that Ted Lavender carrying the dope was acceptable to the rest of the men. I think the reason it was accepted by the rest of the men was because for Ted Lavender it was a necessity to cope with his fear of being in a war. After being shot and killed O'Brien described the other men sitting around smoking his dope until the chopper came to pick up his body.