In the title story of the book why does Lt Cross burn Martha’s letters?

In the title story of the book "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, Lieutenant Cross burns Martha's letters as a symbolic act of letting go of his unrequited love and fantasies about her. Throughout the narrative, Lieutenant Cross, burdened by the weight of leadership and the emotional baggage of war, carries a deep affection for Martha, a woman he left back home. However, he realizes that his preoccupation with her is a distraction, endangering the lives of his men. As a coping mechanism and an attempt to focus on his duties as a leader, he takes decisive action by burning the letters, a powerful gesture to sever ties with the emotional attachments that hinder his ability to lead effectively and survive the harsh realities of the Vietnam War.

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