Richie Perry
Richie Perry joins the United States Army and heads for Vietnam as soon as he graduates from his prestigious New York City high school. Despite his intellectual and athletic abilities, as a poor Black teenager…
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Peewee (Harold Gates)
Harold Gates, who answers only to “Peewee,” is the first fellow soldier that Richie Perry meets on his way to Vietnam. Peewee is a light-skinned Black teenager from Chicago who dropped out of school to…
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Johnson
Johnson is a huge, strong Black soldier from Savannah, Georgia, who joins Perry, Peewee, and Jenkins at Chu Lai on route to Alpha Company. He serves on Sergeant Simpson’s squad. Because of his…
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Lieutenant Carroll
Lieutenant Carroll leads the platoon that includes Alpha Company when Richie Perry, Peewee, Johnson, and Jenkins first arrive in Vietnam. A reserved but kind man, Carroll once wanted to be a priest…
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Monaco
Monaco is an Italian-American soldier in the same squad as Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Brewster, Lobel, Walowick, and Sergeant Simpson. He has a girlfriend back home who proposes to…
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Lobel
Lobel is a soldier in the squad with Richie Perry, Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Brewster, Monaco, Walowick, and Sergeant Simpson. He comes from Hollywood, where his uncle works…
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Simpson
Sergeant Simpson is the leader of Alpha Company when Richie Perry, Peewee, Johnson, and Jenkins arrive in Vietnam. This Black “old-timer” is near the end of his tour and his single imperative…
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Brunner
Brunner is the Alpha Company squad corporal, Sergeant Simpson’s second in command. Brunner expresses some racist sentiment toward the Black soldiers in the squad—Perry, Peewee, and Johnson—and homophobic sentiment towards…
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Jenkins
Jenkins is a young, white private who is assigned to the same company as Richie Perry, Peewee, and Johnson. Jenkins’ father, an army colonel, forced Jenkins to volunteer, hoping that he would…
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Dongan
Sergeant Dongan replaces Sergeant Simpson when Simpson’s tour of duty ends. He’s from Indiana although he looks, talks, and thinks “Southern,” according to Perry. He quickly befriends the other white soldiers on the squad…
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Judy Duncan
Judy Duncan is a white nurse from Irving, Texas, who befriends Richie Perry on their flight from the United States to Vietnam. Initially assigned to the hospital at Chu Lai, where she visits Perry briefly…
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Mama
Richie Perry and Kenny’s mother, Mama has raised her boys on her own since their father abandoned the family while Perry was still young. She turned to alcohol to cope, and her drinking problem…
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Brewster (Brew)
Brewster is a soldier in the same squad as Richie Perry, Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Lobel, Monaco, Walowick, and Sergeant Simpson. A devout Christian and a serious man…
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Jamal
Jamal is the Black medic at the firebase to which Perry and Peewee are assigned when they arrive in Vietnam; he also does secretarial work for Captain Stewart. He fills in on the squad…
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Darren Lewis
Darren Lewis is a Black soldier from the Bronx who joins the squad with Perry, Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Brewster, Lobel, Monaco, and Walowick. He sustains a serious…
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Minor Characters
Kenny
Kenny is Richie Perry’s younger brother, who still lives at home with Mama in Harlem. Perry writes and receives letters from Kenny during his time in Vietnam, through which he begins to contextualize and think about his experiences in the war.
Mrs. Liebow
Mrs. Liebow is Richie Perry’s high school English teacher, whom he remembers in flashbacks. She gives him a working definition of heroism which he carries with him to Vietnam.
Walowick
Walowick is a soldier in the same squad as Richie Perry, Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Brewster, Lobel, Monaco, and Sergeant Simpson. He’s a Polish-American kid with dimples and a toothy grin.
Stewart
Captain Stewart commands Alpha Company when Perry and Peewee arrive in Vietnam. He risks his men’s lives in order to get a high enough body count to earn a promotion before his tour of duty ends.
Doyle
Lieutenant Doyle leads a Charlie Company platoon to which Perry is briefly reassigned. Short and nervous, his reliance on radio communication leads to a deadly friendly fire incident where his platoon opens fire on another platoon from the company.
Scotty
Scotty is a machine gunner from Charlie Company with whom Perry goes on one patrol.
Earlene
Earlene was Peewee’s girlfriend back in his hometown of Chicago, who breaks up with him by letter shortly after he arrives in Vietnam.
Gearhart
Lieutenant Gearhart replaces Lieutenant Carroll after Carroll’s death. Less beloved than Carroll, Gearhart eventually earns the respect of Perry, Peewee, and the rest. He follows Captain Stewart’s orders but doesn’t expose the men in his platoon to unnecessary risks.
Nate Turner
Nate Turner is a Black soldier from the American South who joins the squad with Perry, Peewee, Johnson, Brunner, Brewster, Lobel, Monaco, and Walowick. He dies from injuries he sustains on his first patrol when the squad comes under fire.
An Linh
An Linh is a young Vietnamese girl who lives in a hamlet near to the squad’s firebase; Peewee and Perry befriend her and her grandmother on their pacification mission and save her after Vietcong forces overrun the village.
Mrs. Carroll
Mrs. Carroll is Lieutenant Carroll’s wife; after his death, Perry writes a letter to her explaining the circumstances.
Father Santora
Father Santora is an army chaplain who visits Alpha Company after Brewster has died. He convinces Perry of the power of prayer to provide comfort in times of trial.
