Fallen Angels

I recently finished reading Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. It was one of the options for my students to read as part of our literature circles. I hadn't read the book and thought that I should. It's about a young African American male, Richie Perry, who decided to join the Vietnam War upon high school graduation since his single mother didn't have enough money to send him to college. Rather than waste away on the streets of Harlem like so many of his predecessors, he decided to join the army.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It opened up my eyes to experiences to which our soldiers are currently having. While the book is fictional, I'm sure some of the events that take place are not too far from the truth. For example, in the book, the young soldiers are scared to death and operate in a self preservation mode, often making them a little over zealous when it comes to firing their weapons. On one occasion, a soldier started firing because he heard something and then the other soldiers, naturally, followed suit. Come to find out, they were firing on other U.S. soldiers, killing several of their own men.

On another occasion, a captain set off a flare that lit up the night air, revealing the position of the troops. Unfortunately, Charlie (a Vietnam soldier) shot and killed one of the soldiers. The captain felt extremely guilty and decided to write a letter to the deceased soldier's family, explaining how he was responsible for their loved one's death. A general read the letter, tore it up, and instructed Richie (the main character) to rewrite the letter, telling the family how the soldier had died as a hero, saving other's lives. Sound familiar?

Remember the NFL football player who left the league to defend his country? Pat Tillman, a former safety for the Arizona Cardinals, died while fighting in Afghanistan. His family, along with the rest of the country, was led to believe that Tillman's killing was "the result of a heroic firefight with enemy fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan;" however, his brother Kevin revealed that Pat had actually been killed by a fellow soldier. He chastised the army for the cover-up and challenged to the country to seek-out the individuals responsible for the lies.

And let us not forget Jessica Lynch who revealed that she was far from the hero she was portrayed to be. Who knows what other lies we are being fed? We only know what we're being told.

Again, Fallen Angels is a good read and I can definitely see parallels between the Vietnam War and the War on Terror. I have a new appreciation for our troops and I plan to have my students write letters in the fall