Fallen Angels

Chapters 1-7 Reading Guide

  1. What does GI stand for? (3)
  1. When Judy says, “I think somebody figures if I see Nam first, everything else is going to look good to me” this is an example of what literary term? (4)
  1. What is ironic about Perry ending up in Nam? (5)
  1. What job did Judy aspire to be when she was a child?
  1. “The sergeant with the clipboard came along and tried to encourage us as best he could. ‘You faggots can’t even line up straight, how you gonna fight?’ he shouted” is an example of what literary term? (7)
  1. Since the guys who were over there were about the same age as those coming in, what does it mean by the line “They were old-looking guys, older than any of the guys just coming in” ?
  1. Why did Perry join the army?(14-15)
  1. Perry’s socioeconomic status would best be described as what?
  1. What was Perry’s dream career that he wanted to pursue in college? (15)
  1. Why did Peewee like the army? (15)
  1. List three names that the GI’s called the enemy. (23)
  1. What was the real reason Peewee’s friend was not allowed to join the army? (23)
  1. How does the reader know that Johnson is strong?(27)
  1. What is the purpose of Perry be awoken to the artillery?(31)
  1. How did some of the experienced GI’s deal with the stresses of the war? (31)
  1. Why did Perry not want a pistol?(33)
  1. What did the sergeant mean when he said, “I’d rather go out and mess with a bunch charlies instead of y’all cherries!”? (37)
  1. What was the real reason the experienced guys “do a kind of slow lope, lifting their feet more than they had to” ?(39)
  1. What killed Jenkins? (41)
  1. Describe the clerk’s reaction to the death of Jenkins.(43)
  1. Why did Jenkins’s death have an immense affect on Perry?(43)
  1. What was the significance of Perry asking Lt. Carroll why he was not retired when he responded that his age was 23? (44)
  1. When Peewee said, “I thought he was a friendly” what did he mean by “friendly”? (47)
  1. How does Lobel deal with the stresses of war? (52, 70)
  1. What was Lt. Carroll’s ulterior motive when asking Perry about his knee? (68)
  1. What was the old woman’s reaction to Perry joining the army. (75)
  1. What did Peewee tell the filming crew when asked about why they were fighting in ‘Nam? (77)
  1. Why would Perry’s gun not fire? (79)
  1. Why did the first VC/North Vietnamese regular that was killed bother Perry so much? (80-81)
  1. Why did the GI’s “pad” the VC kill count? (83)
  1. Why was the VC described as being a “trophy”? (85)
  1. What medical condition did Perry encounter? (88)
  1. In the sentence, “And if that don’t get you, the stuff they spray on the trees will eat your liver up”, “the stuff they spray” refers to what chemical used primarily in ‘Nam?
  1. What kind of letter did Peewee receive from his girlfriend Earlene? (92)