Richie Perry, graduated from Harlem, is ready to fall in the ground forces at merely age 17. This is reasonably much his lone option because his alky, individual female parent ca n’t afford college for him. He heads off to basic preparation in the twelvemonth 1967. There, he hurts his articulatio genus and expects to non even be sent to Vietnam. But, Richie ‘s medical profile, is n’t processed right, so he is sent anyways. On the manner over, he meets Judy Duncan and Peewee, and they become friends. After a bad dark of kiping on benches, Richie and Peewee head out to Vietnam. That dark, Richie thinks about Kenny, and how he deserves a better life than he has had. The following twenty-four hours, another soldier, Rings, asks Richie and Peewee to cut unfastened their teguments so they can go “ blood brothers ” , but they both decline his offer. Richie learns that the war may be over shortly so he writes a missive to Kenny stating that it ‘s traveling to be over shortly. After 10 yearss at the cantonment, Richie and Peewee and a frightened soldier named Jenkins, are moved to another cantonment named Chu Lai. Once they arrive, they meet a black soldier named Johnson, who is angered about Peewee ‘s remarks. Richie has to state Jenkins that he is n’t traveling to decease because he is truly frightened that he will. Later that dark, Richie Peewee and Jenkins are ordered to travel on dark patrol. The sergeant Tells them non acquire him killed because he has merely four months left until he goes back place. The soldiers were disquieted, but nil bad happens until Jenkins stairss on a landmine, merely before come ining their cantonment. Lieutenant Carroll explains to his soldiers why his male parent used to name soldiers “ angel warriors ” after taking a supplication for Jenkins. A few yearss base on balls, and the squad members meet new cats. Monaco, a star jock in senior high school, Brew who wants to be a priest, and Lobel who talks about films a batch. The squad is finally sent on a mission to convey nutrient and medical supplies to a small town. Richie and Lobel go friends with a Vietnamese miss name An Linh. Back at cantonment, Richie and Peewee learn that Captain Stewart wants to take their squad into a unsafe mission, as a manner to increase the enemy organic structure count, and to advance Stewart to major. Subsequently, Peewee is sent a missive from his girlfriend stating that she has already married another adult male. After a reasonably much pointless mission, Lt. Carroll says to Richie that his medical profile still has n’t been processed yet. He besides says that if his articulatio genus hurt is bad plenty, he will no longer hold to travel on combat missions. But Richie feels loyal to his squad and trades with the hurting. After Richie and Lobel are put on guard responsibility, a intelligence squad comes to interview their squad. They go about inquiring why each soldier is contending in Vietnam. Then, they tag along with Richie ‘s squad during a mission. Monaco, kills a soldier, who Richie finds out, is about the same size as his small brother Kenny. A medic Tells Richie that Captain Stewart reported three putting to deaths for the mission, even though merely one was shot. Richie had the dead soldier on his head, and thought about the soldier ‘s household and life. Later, Richie comes down a bad enteric disease, and remainders for a twosome of yearss.

Chapters 8-15

Richie is sent on a patrol with another squad because he missed a patrol with his squad. While out, his squad fires on a group of enemies, killing about a twelve. But it turns out, it was an American platoon that his squad accidently fired on. Richie becomes really upset at the idea of so many soldiers deceasing because of a squad leader ‘s error. Brew lends him a Bible, and he asks Brew where he can happen the Lord ‘s Prayer. A twosome yearss subsequently, Corporal Brunner tells the squad that they ‘re traveling on a mollification mission to a small town, seeking to acquire the villagers to believe that the Americans are the good cats. The villagers think of the Americans as slayings, and Richie does n’t wish thought of himself as a terrorizing slayer. When they get back to base, they learn they will be traveling on a another mollification mission, but Captain Stewart decides to give it to another squad because these types of mssions do n’t add to his enemy organic structure count. Later, Richie recieves a missive from Kenny stating that he wants to fall in a hoops conference but ca n’t afford to fall in it. Richie rapidly gets his money, and sends Kenny merely plenty to be able to play. One of the small towns was attacked by the Vietcong for accepting the American ‘s assistance during the mollification mission. Just before Richie ‘s squad is about to assail, he thinks about Kenny, and admirations what he would make if Richie were to decease. He tries to maintain his head clear of Kenny and fires blindly into the small town. During the ambuscade, Lt. Carroll is hit by enemy fire and dies before making the infirmary in Chu Lai. Everyone in the squad is sad after the decease of Lt. Carroll. Sargeant Simpson asks Richie to compose a missive to Carroll ‘s pregnant married woman, stating her that her hubby has died. Stewart offers Richie an office occupation after composing such a good missive, but he declines it. Richie starts composing his ain missive to Kenny about his ain decease, but does non complete it. Richie inquiries who truly is the good cat and who truly is the bad cat in this war. He besides wonders if people in general can be good. Sg. Johnson merely tells him to non worry about that sort of material while in Vietnam. Christmas is coming and the North Vietnamese have talked about a armistice. Everyone thinks that they will be shipped back place in the approaching hebdomads. News has come through to the squad stating that public violences have been organizing in New York over the black adolescent that was shot by a white bull. Richie truly hopes that Kenny is safe. Turner, a new member of the squad, is killed by an enemy because of the new Lieutenant ‘s stupidity. Captain Stewart asks Richie to compose a missive to Turner ‘s married woman, stating that he died while salvaging his squad members. Awhile subsequently, the squad is sent back to the small town they most late have tried to lenify. They get at that place merely to happen maimed organic structures and burned down huts. Richie walks into a hut with a concealment Vietcong, the vietcong girls, and Richie shoots him. He gets upset by watching a adult male dice because of him. A few yearss subsequently and the squad is moved to another cantonment near Tam Ky. Richie tries to compose a missive to Kenny explicating that he killed a Vietcong, but does n’t complete it. On a dark patrol at their new cantonment, Richie ‘s squad comes across a big group of enemies, but do n’t assail because they were outnumbered. A few yearss base on balls, the squad is sent on a unsafe mission, where Richie gets shot in the leg and the carpus and Brew is mortally wounded.

Chapters 16-23

Richie and Brew are loaded onto a chopper. On the trip to the infirmary, Brew dies. At the infirmary, he writes a missive to his female parent, jesting about his hurt, but truly concealing how scared he was of deceasing from his hurts. Richie earns a Purple Heart from the ground forces and he sends it to Kenny. After his recovery, he is ordered to return to his old squad, but thinks of traveling AWOL because he does n’t believe he can manage the emphasis that the conflicts bring him. When he returns, he finds out that the new sergeant, Sergreant Dongan, is a racialist who about ever puts the black soldiers in the most unsafe places in conflict. Later, Vietnamese Alliess find a adult female and two kids, and so the American soldiers bring her dorsum to cantonment. Then, all of a sudden, one of the childs explodes! The soldiers rapidly shoot the adult females and kid. The child that blew up was concealing mines and managed to kill a soldier. A Vietnamese allie tells Richie ‘s squad that capturing a hill would be important. When they climb the hill, there are no enemy soldiers, so they go back down to the Vietnamese Alliess. Following clip, the Vietnamese start up the hill foremost, and the squad is attacked. They try to catch a small town and Dongan is killed. Richie ‘s squad learns about a Vietnamese battalion is coming to the small town. The squad gets together all the American organic structures and Burnss them, and one soldier, mortally wounded but still alive, is shot by an American soldier to set him out of his wretchedness. When the emptying chopper lands, everyone starts hotfooting towards it. Richie feels as if another individual is in his organic structure running for his life. But, during the emptying, the Vietnamese Alliess wanted to be saved foremost, so they got ready to get down hiting the American soldiers. The choppers see that the Americans are in problem so they start gunning down the Vietnamese Alliess. Back at cantonment, Gearhart writes three letters to his married woman and childs, he gives two to Richie and Walowick, merely to do certain that atleast one will do to his household. Richie besides writes a missive to Kenny, explicating that war is n’t all about being a hero and killing all the bad cats.