One can not even begin to imagine the hell the the brave men of the vietnam war experienced. It is through the memoirs and tales of their experiences that we gain a narrow insight into what truly transpired deep within the jungles of Vietnam. This novel is special not only in the stories it tales but also the way in which they are told. The format is set up in such a way that the line between what is truth and what is fiction becomes so blurred that the audience is swayed to believe that what they read is true. That is what I believe makes this novel so effective. We as humans tend to become more attached to things that actually happened hence things that we "believe" to be true affect us just as much.
Likes Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut there is a basic framework set up around true events which are played upon throughout the course of the novel leading one to believe that what they are reading is true. It is this that allows us to associate ourselves with the characters. Such is the case in The Things They Carried. By spewing off specific weights of items and such, we essentially "feel" the weight that rest upon the shoulders of the men. Likewise, the emotional weight that weigh heavily on the souls of the men becomes our own. Tim O'Brien writes in such vivid detail that he immediately transports us to the frontlines of Vietnam thus making his goal of reaching the readers more effective.
You are right on the money when you say that true events such as war help make the stories very believable. It is tough many times to step back from either of the two books you mentioned and remember that they are fiction. Even more so with Tim O'Brien's book because he placed himself in the story and many aspects of his book happened in his own life. After finishing the book I wonder if it was just a few parts that were untrue which made the book be labeled fiction.
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