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. ` • Perry’s search for purpose. Does he find it? Does he at least find one for a season? Why do you think there is distance between those leaving and those arriving?

6. Quiz 1 • 1. What is the name of the main character? • 2. Why is Perry not worried about Vietnam? (There are two reasons) • 3. What is the name of the main character’s friend? • 4. Why did the main character join the army? • 5. What is the name of the main character’s little brother? • 6. List one piece of advice the lieutenant gave his men? • 7. Why does the main character have a medical profile? • 8. What was the main character skilled at back home? • 9. Who is the first character to die in the story? • 10. Who wrote the book?

7. 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?

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.” • 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

11. 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

12. 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 too 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.

13. 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

14. Chapter 9 & 10 Questions • What joke did Monaco play on Brunner? • Why does Perry not like Brew’s praying? • What does Perry notice about his memory of shooting his fellow soldiers? • Why did the soldiers go to the village? • What part does Lobel say they are playing in the movie? • What did the soldiers think the salve was for? • What was significant about the dinner they have when they return from their mission? • Why does Captain Stewart get them out of the next pacification mission? • Why did Lobel join the army? • What difference does Perry note about the reason he joined the army versus why Lobel join the army? • What was Perry’s school counselor’s reaction when he told her he wanted to be a philosopher? • What secret has Perry kept from his platoon that occurs to him before the firefight? • Who gets the hit in Chapter 10? • What happened to the hamlet in Chapter 10? • What does Perry compare Carroll to in Chapter 10?

15. 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 ARVN? • 9. Who accidentally sets off the flare that exposes the ambush? • 10. What changes the war for Perry? • 11. What is included in the letter Perry’s mom send Peewee that has not been told to him? • 12. What mistake does Perry make in the battle in Chapter 13- Hint: Sergeant Simpson confronts him about it at the end of the chapter?

16. 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 repetitiveness

17. 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

18. 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!”

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.”

24. 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.”

25. 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.”

26. 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

27. 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 he 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 assault? • 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? • 11. At the end of Chapter 16, how long has Perry been in Vietnam? • 12. How do the soldiers feel about Turner? • 13. In Chapter 14, What does Gearhart say about black people that upsets Perry? • 14. What does Perry yell at the first VC he kills? • 15. According to Monaco, what is the difference between Vietnam and Chicago? • 16. Why didn’t the VC in the hut kill Perry? • 17. What does Peewee do for the first time in Chapter 14? (Two possible answers) • 18. In chapter 14, how did Peewee’s face become disfigured? • 19. In chapter 15, what did Stewart and Simpson argue about? • 20. Who does Perry reconnect with in Chapter 16? • 21. What the third word on page 206? • 22. What object should I throw at Carson?

28. 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 blunder 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”

29. 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

30. 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.”

31. 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

32. 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!”

33. 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.

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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.

37. Announcement- That was the last quiz we will have. Finish the book during TAKS week. • We will test shortly thereafter.

38. 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

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

40. 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.

41. 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

42. Chapter 17 • Dongan is gains respect for his survival techniques (throwing a rock) • General Westmoreland orders the army to “maximize the destruction of the enemy” • Perry believes it will lead to shooting more innocent people • Perry receives two letters- One from Peewee’s girlfriend apologizing for not waiting on Peewee; the second from Kenny. • Kenny claims to have a part-time job, a source of pride for his older brother.

43. Chapter 17 • “It promised to be the worst day of the war.” • A Vietnamese woman walked in with her children to the camp. • She is accosted by ARVN soldier before US troops send them away. • As she is questioned at HQ, Peewee begins making a doll for her children • As she leaves, US troops begin teasing her. • She hands them her child, and it explodes in the soldier’s arms. • She and her other child are shot down by US troops.

44. Chapter 18 • Johnson tries to comfort Peewee by pointing out that they are not people; they are Congs- further example of racism • “A guy could be hit, inches from being killed or crippled for life, and make a joke out of it.” – A man is shot in the butt, everyone laughs at him • Perry believes there is a “knowing” about Johnson. “As if fighting and dying were something he was born into.” • Dongan dislikes Lobel because he believes he is gay. Johnson claims that a man fighting by his side is the same as everyone else. It does not matter what he does in bed.

45. Chapter 18 • In order to kill one sniper, the squad opens fire with M16, Browning M 50’s and mortars- “It must have cost ten thousand dollars to kill one man.” • Captain Stewart is forced to follow the direction of Colonel Hai, a man who lead his entire battalion into a massacre • Colonel Hai orders the US soldiers to lead the way up a contested hill • During their march Peewee tells Perry if he dies to claim a coin he has stored away in his closet that should be worth something.- Prepares himself for what could be his death

46. Chapter 18 • Sergeant Dongan claims that “when you were still pissing your pants, I was kicking ass.” • He believes that the Vietnamese cannot fight compared to the Koreans • After the US soldiers cleared the area, Colonel Hai orders them to hold so his men can take the hill- Hai’s ego demands that his men take credit for the hill • Hai’s move up the hill leads the battalion into an ambush • The ARVN troops are cut apart in the paddy or attempt to run away so fast that they are shot down in a nearby village • The US troops charge into a village to make way for an LZ; “We were here, and they were here, and the only thing to take care of was the dying.” The simplicity of war

47. Chapter 18 • The confusion of war: • Perry throws a grenade without pulling the pin; it is thrown back by a VC without pulling the pin. • Two ARVN troops and a GI run into a shed. A second GI throws a grenade into the shed from the other side, killing all three soldiers. • Mercilessness • Two VC soldiers attempt to pull a US soldier into the jungle. Before Perry discovers them, they had already cut off the GI’s finger. • Perry kills them both after they put their hands up. • After the battle, the pieces of Dongan’s legs are wrapped in body bag with him

48. Chapter 19 • The US soldiers elect to strip and burn the fallen soldiers to keep the VC from mutilating the bodies • Perry is afraid of the dead men. “They were me.” They had the same information, background, and appearance, and they were dead. • They are forced to mercy-kill a man mistakenly thrown in the pile of bodies- further mercilessness • They forgot the dog tags in the burning hut- no one way to identify the bodies • Perry ponders what the government would tell his family, “Yes, and we’re sorry.”

49. Chapter 19 • Johnson disobeys Stewart’s order to stay down- the rest of the platoon follows Johnson • Perry is so exhausted and scared that he has an out of body experience • Confusion and Mutiny • After discovering a squad of NV, Peewee disobeys Stewart order to flank the squad • Stewart points his gun at Peewee, causing Johnson to open fire at Stewart’s feet- Confusion • Perry fires at the ARVN believing them to br VC

50. Chapter 19 • Perry and Peewee gaze at the body of a US soldier who strangled a VC with his last breath • Perry is stunned by the gore “People are not supposed to be made that way.” • They fire at the VC long after they die out of fear