Myers

2. Myers • Given away at birth to another adult, for an unknown reason • Loved the game of basketball • Smart student in high school but made bad grades through lack of effort. • Dropped out of high school at 17 to join the army and enter Vietnam.

3. Fallen Angels • Perry, the protagonist heads to Vietnam, as he had little plan on what to do after high school • He was a high school basketball star that hurt his knee and could not play in college. • The story follows his experiences in Vietnam, based loosely off Myers’s own experiences.

4. Fallen Angels • Issues to be considered • Racism among the soldiers • The bond between soldiers • The amount of down time inherent in war • Believed the fighting would be over when they entered • Many entered the war in an attempt to earn money and escape trouble at home • The abandonment of dreams • The multiple ways to be injured (bullets, women, disease)

5. NOtice • I will make reading guides for each section • However, they will only be placed on my Wiki page, not printed. • If you have troubling accessing the Wiki page, you may request a printed version. • Journalism pieces will be graded by Friday. Grading is light. The only deductions are for length, a lack of sensory description, and a lack of shortened, emphatic sentences. • Vocabulary quiz Friday • Also note that any word that appears on vocabulary list is fair game to be included in a quiz question.

6. Chapter 1 • Richard Perry, from New York, heads to Vietnam in September 15, 1967 • His first friend is woman named Judy from Irving, Texas • In addition, he meets an outspoken man “Somebody must have told them Congs I was coming,” named Gates or Peewee • Notice the amount of racial stereotypes, especially in regards to the enemy “Congs.”

7. Chapter 1 • Perry consistently describes the army as an unorganized body • He is sent to the front due to a paperwork mistake • They spend much of their time waiting on planes • They are unable to eat because of a cafeteria error • Perry is told to kiss Judy before she leaves, “That’s what they do in the movies.” The motif of movies will be carried on throughout the novel. Imagined vs Reality • Also, note the obvious difference between those with experience and those without • “Gates was brown skinned, but he had reddish hair and freckles. I thought I was going to like him.” • Gates is from Chicago, and introduces himself with an anecdote of a man being shot over a pool game.

8. Chapter 1 • Gates and the Ranger • The argument begins over a large Ranger calling Peewee “boy” • Peewee responds by calling him a “peckerwood.” (Note the racial epitaphs among the soldiers) • Peewee ends the argument by kicking the man in the groin and saying he will cut him in his sleep.

9. Chapter 2 • Many of the soldiers are very young, uneducated men. Peewee is amazed the Perry made it out of high school, leading him to ask why he came into the war at all. • Perry admits that one of the reasons he went to war was to escape the poverty is his home and send money home to clothe and feed his mom and brother. • Perry had desperately wanted to go to college and write, but those dreams were dashed (“Harlem”) Dream Deferred

10. Chapter 2 • Peewee loves the army because it is the first place where “I got what everyone else got.”- First taste of equality • Rings, a large black man, suggests that he and the rest of the black men should become blood brothers because they could not trust “whitey” • Perry also meets a man that has been transferred because he was kicked out of his unit for drug usage, drugs will be another motif throughout the novel. • “I heard it was over anyway,” the rumor continues that the fighting will be over soon. • Hooch= barracks • RPG= rocket propelled grenade

11. Chapter 2 • Jenkins- “was so scared it wasn’t funny.” • Believes Peewee’s claim that you have to kill as many Vietnamese as you weigh

12. Chapter 2 • Orientation Advice • “Kill them before they kill you.” • Take your pills • Stay away from women • Stay away from the black market • Stay away from dope- there are the alert and the dead • Leave anything you do not recognize alone

13. Chapter 2 • Peewee entered the war hoping to escape the gangsters at home. • Believes that they should recruit them from the projects • The chapter ends with Peewee and Perry spitting in their hands and high-fiving

14. Chapter 3 • Perry, Peewee, and Jenkins are sent to the front lines • Perry begins to like Jenkins- foreshadowing • They arrive at a company of seasoned soldiers • The men meet Johnson, a very large, very dark, seemingly dim-witted black man • Perry attempts to point out his medical profile for his bad knee, but never claims that it hurts too bad to continue • Jenkins admits to entering the war because his father had a “game plan” for him- keep track of the reasons people enter the war.

15. Chapter 3 • Jenkins “ I think I am going to die over here.” – Often foreshadows the end of people • The chopper pilot smells of booze and weed, continues the motif of irresponsible drug use • Lieutenant Carroll is the commander of the group “by the book” unit • Johnson claims he entered the war because no one would give him a job at home. • Perry has difficulty writing letters home to his mother- war lettersare an ever present motif in this story. They will lead to the understanding of several themes such as Loss of Innocence.

16. Chapter 3 • Perry admits to always feeling lonely • He claims that he has been a passive observer through most of his life, and basketball is the only thing that made him feel a part of anything larger.Search for purpose • It taught him to not give up • The company sergeant Simpson has only 120 days left in the war. Foreshadows when mentioning time lines. • Perry had the chance to go into army intelligence, but chose to play basketball for a company instead. It proved to be the way he injured his knee and sent to the front.- Again we see a way a dream was “deferred.”

17. Chapter 3 • Other characters • Monaco- “a sweet faced Italian” • Corporal Brunner • The chapter ends with Jenkins stepping on a land mine and dying in Brunner’s arms. • Perry claims he was unable to see Jenkins at first. His eyes would not let him. Remember Steinbeck’s claim about soldiers.

18. Quiz 2 • 1. Who is Perry’s platoon leader? • 2. What is Lobel’s suggestion on how to make peace with the VC? • 3. When Perry claims he is thinking of Jenkins, what is the common response? • 4. Why did Perry not fire at the first VC soldier he encountered? • 5. What caused the fight between Walowick and Johnson? • 6. What is a “Dear John” letter? • 7. What part of the Lord’s Prayer can Perry not finish? • 8. What is “Willy Peter”? • 9. Who does Perry get into his first firefight with? • 10 What does Perry almost forget about Kenny?

19. Chapter 4 • Jenkins died by a stepping on a land mine placed in the troopers’ patrol path. • Their platoon leader, Lieutenant Carroll, is jaded by an experience wherein he watched his men be shot down and was unable to help them. • Lobel suggests putting the VC in movies, as we did with the Japanese and Germans, to breed peace.

20. Chapter 5 • Perry reveals that he feels bad about the life that Kenny had to live- Kenny is less gifted in academics and sports and was forced to endure more of their mother’s drinking problem. • The soldiers are worried about the VC working to get into position for the truce. • Carroll gives Perry the option to sit out and wait on his medical release or continue on until until it arrives.- He chooses to stay.

21. Chapter 6 • Lobel does not remember who Jenkins is • Lobel thinks that only real thing in life is movies • He believes people only get killed in movies “when they set it up.”- Foreshadowing • Perry admits when he could not afford to go to college he wanted to get out of Harlem. • Lobel, after talking frequently about the movies and roles, admits that he has no idea what role he is playing. Tragedy vs Comedy • Perry did not fire at the VC soldier because he forgot to load his gun.– Fear or Ineptitude • On returning to base, Perry did not see the injuries to the fallen soldier. His mind will not let him face it.—Defense Mechanism- “Why Soldiers Won’t Talk.”

22. Chapter 7 • Perry is disturbed by the fact that the dead soldier is treated as a trophy, not as a man.- Note the similarities between the ideals of The Ambush and An Episode of War • Walowick no longer remembers Jenkins– Defense Mechanism or Uncaring • Perry notes that Kenny can “get people into his dreams easier” • The sergeant from Charlie Co. refused to go on patrol because he did not want to be one of the last people to die in the final days of war.– What do we learn about people from this scene? • Walowick and Johnson fight over what each believes to be racial slurs– Why does racism overpower their struggle against a common enemy? • Peewee receives a “Dear John” (break-up) letter • Perry recites the Lord’s Prayer. He stumbles at the part about trespassing- Symbol of his distaste for their involvement

23. Chapter 8 • Perry is sent out on a mission with a new company • Scotty claims that the only thing he is good at is machine gunner • The sergeant of the company will not venture out to far, believing he needs only to survive the war to run a gas station at home. • Perry remarks that this is the first time he left the base where he was not scared. • The platoon opens fire and calls in a artillery strike on a group of American soldiers • Perry almost forgets Kenny’s birthday • The deaths of the soldiers makes Perry question their and his role in the war.

24. Issues to Consider • The way war changes people- ex. Lieutenant Carroll and Perry unable to face the violence toward to VC soldier. • Perry is slowly losing touch with his family= sees Kenny as weaker than him but better able to relate to people. Almost forgets Kenny’s birthday • Lobel sees movies as the key to reality. He believes that every person “is playing a role” • The treatment of enemies as non-human • The rise of racial tension • The feeling that the war is to be avoided • No one remembers fallen comrades- ex. Jenkins • The belief that the war is wrong- cannot finish trespassing in prayer, comments on friendly fire

25. Quiz 3 • 1. Who dies from a bullet that hits him in the armpit? • 2. Why does Lobel join the army? • 3. Who wrote the letter to Carroll’s wife? • 4. Who replaces the dead team member? • 5. Who does Perry’s mother write to? • 6. Who throws an unarmed grenade? • 7. What is the name of the Vietnamese New Year? • 8. Who are the NVA? • 9. Who accidentally sets off the flare that exposes the ambush?

26. Chapter 9 • Monaco takes offense to Brunner’s commands and throws a inactive grenade at him • Perry is bothered by Brew’s praying. “I didn’t want him to be closer to God than I was” • Perry notices that he allowed himself to forget about shooting at his fellow soldiers- more accustomed to violence • Lobel claims they are playing the role of hired killers during their pacification trip- again there is the sense they are not welcome • “I didn’t like having to convince anyone I was a good guy.” • They eat roast beef, mashed potatoes, etc.- A sign of repetiveness

27. Chapter 9 • The relationship between Lobel and his father come into focus • His father condemns him for joining the war and killing innocent people • Lobel claims he joined the army to keep his dad from thinking he “is a faggot.” • “He doesn’t know I can go back home and blow him away.” • Shows Lobel losing his sensitivity • Perry finds it odd how Lobel is willing to kill people to prove his is not gay, and Perry is willing to kill people to get out of Harlem • Perry reflects on how un-athletic and his lack of toughness- Perry feels good having Kenny need him

28. Chapter 9 • Perry told his guidance counselor that he would like to be a philosopher, and she laughed at him. • “We got to show we can peaceful if they peaceful with us.” --- “Pacify them to death!”

29. Chapter 10 • The chapter opens with Sergeant Simpson planning an ambush • Perry begins wondering how Kenny is doing: “Kenny, I love you.” • Perry enters a fire fight at night, claims that he fired blindly into the night • They continued shooting at the dead bodies to be sure- and threw a grenade into a tunnel • Lieutenant Carroll is hit after the firefight- the platoon continues firing into the night out of fear

30. Chapter 10 • The chopper that came to pick them up, leveled the village it landed on and killed the inhabitants that fled their houses- Fear trumps the peace efforts

31. Chapter 11 • “ He’s not laying out in the boonies.”– “Yeah, man, he is. He just in too deep to get out.” • Perry experiences survivor guilt as he writes to Carroll’s letter. • “It seemed to be what war was about. Hours of boredom, seconds of terror.” • The men relate their thoughts on Carroll’s death • Lobel was so scared that he did not fire at anyone • Peewee and Perry both admit to firing blindly into the night

32. Chapter 11 • The captured VC soldier wants little more than to not be buried in the jungle- the American soldier believe he is lying • Perry is congratulated for his letter to Mrs. Carroll • Perry notes how Carroll’s death differs from everything else he has seen so far- Carroll “was a part of me. Part of me was dead with him.” • Lieutenant Gearhart replaces Carroll- he has only be in Vietnam for 2 months

33. Chapter 11 • Peewee claims Carroll died because “ The Man dialed his number. I can’t handle much deeper.” • Perry said he wanted to live because he was afraid of dying • Perry’s mother writes Peewee to tell him to look after her son and tell him she loves him.- It made Perry sad that his mother would not write him directly. “Now all I could think about was how much I needed her.”

34. Chapter 12 • Brunner and Monaco argue over the place of the peace activists • Brunner calls them “Commies and Faggots” • Monaco says, “They are doing what they think is right.” • Brew confesses that he thought of dodging the draft. • “Sometimes standing alone seemed to be the hardest thing in the world to do, even when being in the crowd means you could be killed.” • Johnson claims that the US is in the war “killing people to let everybody know we are gonna do it if it got to be done.” • “Maybe the time has passed when anybody could be a good guy.”

35. Chapter 13 • The soldiers discuss the possibilities of a peace treaty by the Vietnamese New Year “Tet”- leads to the major push by Vietnam • The war starts dividing the people at home- those who want to make love and those that want to tear the cities down, and between blacks and whites • Kenny loved his mother without compromise, Perry wishes he could feel that way • They have roast beef, mashed potatoes, etc… again • The Vietnamese are moving in the NVA, their regular army in regiment sized groups • Walowick is disturbed by his return to platoon, “being away for a little while must have got to him.”

36. Chapter 13 • Gearhart sets up an ambush against Simpson’s recommendation • Perry sets up the claymores, right before someone in the group accidentally set off a flare that exposes the group • The group comes under fire from dozens of fighters • Simpson ignores Gearhart’s order during the retreat • Monaco accidentally fired his rifle inside the helicopter and hit the medic • The two new guys are both hit during the fight, one dies. • Gearhart admits to firing off the flare that exposes the group • Simpson points out the fact that Perry’s claymore was faced the wrong way before the VC turned it

37. Quiz 4 • 1. How do the troops help Monaco decide whether or to accept the marriage proposal? • 2. Who becomes the unofficial leader (not in rank) of the platoon? • 3. How do the soldiers make sure that there are no more VC soldiers in the village on their departure? • 4. What does Perry say her needs of the people in the world? • 5. Why did Perry want to tell Kenny he killed a man? • 6. Why does Gearhart not launch their planned awareness? • 7. Why do the troops dislike going out for Captain Stewart? • 8. Who does Perry watch die on the helicopter? • 9. What is the good news Perry receives about his injuries? • 10. What is the bad news Perry receives about his injuries?

38. Chapter 14 • Perry meditates on Tucker’s death; he concludes that he is glad he did not know him better. “It was better that it was a new guy.” • Monaco is asked for his hand in marriage by a girl from home; the platoon votes on it • Gearhart is consumed by guilt for his plunder and the subsequent deaths- Perry advises him not to include his guilt in a letter to Turner’s family • Gearhart confesses he never thought much about black people. “Not prejudiced or anything”

39. Chapter 14 • The VC terrorize the villages in order to create a “hostile atmosphere” • Sergeant Simpson is accepted as the unofficial leader of the group • Perry is concerned that God might think he is a hypocrite for only praying when he is scared • “The killers had arrived.” Reference to Lobel’s mention of their role in the village. • The horror of the village “pushed (Perry) to a different place.” – He wanted to blast everything a way- similar to Ambush

40. Chapter 14 • The group’s fear lead to people cracking- Walowick firing at a steel drum • “It what it was getting to be: hoping what you liked, what you had seen before, remained whole.” • Perry kills a VC after the VC soldier’s gun misfires. Empties two clips into his face- Then screams “Don’t move!” • Peewee/ Stewart kill a man hiding under a mat • Perry sees the helicopter pilots as heroes, dodging fire from multiple sources “like great heavenly birds gathering the angels who had fallen below.”

41. Chapter 14 • The platoon burns the village down to ensure no more VC are hiding in it • Gearhart is shaken up by the experience- Perry is pleased that no one gets used to it. • The platoon is moved to Tam Ky where they are meant to advise the ARVN troops • “I needed the people in the World to be the same as when I left them.” • “Maybe I could sift through the kid’s stuff, the basketball, the Harlem streets, and find the man I would be.” • Peewee has an allergic reaction to the hair growth salve that he applied to his lips to grow a mustache

42. Chapter 15 • Perry wanted to tell Kenny he killed a man to show how good of a soldier he was. • When Perry asked Peewee why he killed a man, he responds by saying because he was going to kill you- similar to Ambush • The ARVN troops go on short, 30 min. patrols- unreliable • They went on interdiction patrol to cut off supply lines • “Don’t think about anything!”

43. Chapter 15 • Gearhart does not trip the ambush because a battalion of troops come through instead of the platoon they thought • They would have been killed • Perry notes that Jamal never stopped shaking-wants him out of the group • Sergeant Simpson extends for 30 days past his tour, “It was as if he decided to die.” • Simpson fights with Stewart over his abuse of his platoon to advance his military career.

44. Chapter 15 • “Having people care about you was probably the only thing that made any of it right.” • The LZ is covered in punjii sticks- sharpened sticks, usually covered in feces to produce infection • After charging a hill, Brew and Perry are both hit • Perry recognizes he is hit, and fears for his life

45. Chapter 16 • Perry watches Brew breathe his last on the medevac. • Perry gets good news and bad news; Good news is he is not hurt that bad; Bad news is he is not hurt bad enough to go home • Perry had shrapnel is his side, legs, and groin, and a bullet wound on his wrist • Perry compares the medical facility to heaven-good food, personal attention- except for the number of seriously injured troops milling about

46. Chapter 16 • Perry reconnects with Judy, the nurse he met on his flight into Vietnam • Perry feels he cannot talk to her; “There was the feeling that everything I was going to say were either too loud or too strange for a world in which people did normal things.” • Perry believes that he needs to become someone else in Vietnam to survive • Perry considers going AWOL to forego his return to the frontlines • Perry rides on his return chopper with new troops , and think them unprepared for what they are about to face • Perry has only been in the country for four months.

47. Quiz 5 • 1. How Sergeant Simpson’s role in the war end? • 2. Who is the new sergeant? • 3. What happened to the child that Peewee made a doll for? (Be specific) • 4. What item does Peewee want Perry to have if Peewee dies in the war? • 5. What happens to the new sergeant? • 6. What do the Americans do with their fallen soldiers? • 7. At the end of Chapter 19, what is the dead US soldier holding in his hands? • 8. Why does Johnson shoot at Captain Stewart

48. Points of Interest • Please make note of the following • Racism in multiple forms • How leaders are chosen • The confusion of battle • Mercilessness • Pride

49. Chapter 17 • Peewee informs Perry that they have done nothing in the time he was gone. • Everyone is saddened that Perry did not get to return to the world, but they are relieved to see him again. • Sergeant Simpson returned “to the World” • Sergeant Dongan, the replacement sergeant, seems racist in his decision to move Perry to point, and make Johnson bring up the rear.

50. Chapter 17 • Johnson is convinced that Brew is back home- cannot handle the fact he is dead • Perry does not want to pray because he does not “want to make his peace if he is not ready to die.” • Perry asks “If I pray with you, will keep me alive?” – “No.” Again, Perry is coming to God only to keep him alive • The squad begins turning on Sergeant Dongan and uniting against him • Perry, Peewee, Johnson feel they are taken advantage of because they are black, and Moanco because he is Italian