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When they arrive, though, VC forces have already razed the village and killed most of the civilians. Perry writes the official letter to Turner's family, as well.Īlpha Company's next mission is to secure the village from their first pacification mission because the VC have been harassing the civilians. Lieutenant Gearhart accidentally sets of a flare that exposes their position, resulting in the death of a young private named Turner. Perry's squad faces off against a battalion of VC while out on interdiction patrol. The Vietnamese New Year (Tet) brings a brief case-fire, but the Americans have lost control of the war - the American death toll is rising and the communist forces are gaining momentum. Stewart sees this as a sign that Alpha Company needs to be more aggressive in weeding out the VC. Shortly before Christmas, a rocket attack hits base camp in the middle of the night. Perry writes the letter to inform Carroll's wife, and Captain Stewart praises him for it. Perry and the other members of Carroll's squad are absolutely devastated by his death. During the ambush, Lieutenant Carroll sustains a severe injury that turns out to be fatal. Alpha Company later learns that another pacification mission to the same hamlet resulted in the deaths of two Americans, necessitating another (less than friendly) mission to the same place. Perry's squad's goes out on another pacification mission to a different hamlet, and Perry wonders if the South Vietnamese civilians see him as a killer. As the holidays approach, tension hangs thick over the barracks. 15 American soldiers die in the friendly fire. It turns out to be a harrowing experience when one of the company's platoons ends up attacking another in a case of mistaken identity. To make up for the missed patrol, Carroll sends Perry out on patrol with Charlie Company, which is short on soldiers. He eventually contracts an unpleasant gastrointestinal illness colloquially known as "Damn Nam Jungle Rot," leading him to miss one patrol. During the long stretches of downtime, Perry has more time to think about Kenny and their mother, a single parent and an alcoholic. The journalists eagerly photograph the single VC who is killed on the mission, while Perry thinks that the dead Vietnamese man looks to be the same age as his younger brother, Kenny. Later, Captain Stewart unwittingly perpetrates Lobel's fantasy by embedding a television crew in their squad. Lobel copes with the unpredictability of war by pretending it is a Hollywood film. Meanwhile, Perry becomes closer to Lieutenant Carroll, whom he starts to see as a mentor, and Peewee, who eventually becomes like a brother. Perry starts to question the moral reasoning for the American intervention in Vietnam. That night, Sergeant Simpson tells Perry and Peewee that Alpha Company's commander, Captain Stewart, is vying for a promotion to major by trying to increase the company's body count. Perry and his squad mates hand out food and medical supplies to the Vietnamese civilians while spreading the message that Communist defectors are welcome on the American side. Alpha Company's next assignment is a public relations mission to a nearby hamlet. That night, Lieutenant Carroll leads the squad in a prayer, calling Jenkins a "fallen angel warrior."ĭuring downtime in the barracks, Perry becomes acquainted with Lobel, Brewster, and Monaco. It is uneventful until they are 100 yards from base camp and a VC booby trap kills young Jenkins.
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Nevertheless, Perry's squad goes out on their first patrol in the pouring rain. Rumors of a possible truce are swirling around the barracks, and many believe that the war will be over soon. They meet the soldiers who will be fighting alongside them, including Johnson and Jenkins, as well as their superiors, Lieutenant Carroll and Sergeant Simpson. Upon landing in Vietnam, Perry and Peewee are assigned to Alpha Company, which is stationed in Chu Lai. He also befriends Judy Duncan, an army nurse from Texas. During the long journey, Perry meets Harold " Peewee" Gates, a fellow African American private from Chicago. On the plane to Vietnam, Perry thinks about the practical circumstances surrounding his deployment - he is going into combat due to a paperwork error - His recent knee injury should prove him to be unfit for battle, but his medical profile has not yet made it through the proper bureaucratic channels. Knowing that his single mother cannot afford college, he has decided to turn to the army for answers. Since graduating from high school, Perry has been feeling uncertain about what he wants to do with his life. The novel follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, an African American private from New York City. Fallen Angels takes place in 1968, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.