Lee Strunk Character Analysis in The Things They Carried

Accuses Dave Jensen of being crazy for breaking his own nose to make them "square" after Jensen shattered Strunk's nose. Becomes close with Jensen soon after and signs a pact that promises one will kill the other if either of them is wounded enough in battle that they are wheelchair bound. Strunk dies in a medic chopper after most of his right leg is blown off. Before leaving, he begs Jensen not to kill him.

Lee Strunk Character Timeline in The Things They Carried

The timeline below shows where the character Lee Strunk appears in The Things They Carried. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

On April 16, Lee Strunk draws the number to go down. The men all feel sympathy for Lee Strunk because... (full context)

Lee Strunk eventually emerges, grinning and filthy, and everyone claps. Lee Strunk makes a ghost sound, trying... (full context)

...them to safety. Jimmy Cross gave the poppa-san a hug while Mitchell Sanders and Lee Strunk gave him boxes of C rations. The old man had tears in his eyes as... (full context)

On a morning in late July, LZ Gator, Lee Strunk, and Dave Jensen got in a fistfight over a missing jackknife while out on patrol.... (full context)

...but because this was Vietnam where everyone had a gun, Dave Jensen became paranoid that Strunk would get his revenge. Strunk had made no claims about wanting revenge, but there was... (full context)

...going on, Jensen sat stiffly against a wall with his weapon at the ready, watching Strunk. (full context)

One afternoon, Jensen finally snapped and started firing his gun into the air while yelling Strunk's name. He didn't stop until he was out of ammunition. Everyone was on the ground,... (full context)

With a broken nose, Jensen approached Strunk's foxhole and showed him the damage, asking him if they were even. Strunk nodded. (full context)

Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk didn't become fast friends but they started to trust each other more over the next... (full context)

In October, Lee Strunk stepped on a rigged mortar round which blew off his right leg at the knee.... (full context)

As they waited for a chopper, Dave Jensen went to Strunk's side. The stump wasn't twitching anymore and not everyone was sure if Strunk was still... (full context)

Strunk was taken to the chopper when it arrived. Jensen touched Strunk's good leg and told... (full context)