Fallen Angels

In the days before Christmas of 1967, Perry’s squad is alight with rumors that peace talks have been successful and that they will be sent to Hawaii soon. They hear that the North Vietnamese army has supposedly announced a truce to celebrate the Vietnamese holiday, Tet; the news states that the truce is likely to become a permanent ceasefire, ending the war. Perry writes a letter to his mother stating that he expects to be home in February. Perry learns of escalating racial tensions and anti-war protests occurring back home in Harlem; Perry writes to his mother to tell Kenny to be careful after discovering that an African American kid was murdered by a police officer. Suddenly, the news comes that the North Vietnamese Army has been attacking Marine squads in Khe Sanh. The violence continues through Tet as the North Vietnamese Army violates the terms of the truce and American body counts rise; all of the First Corps is put on alert when all of the major cities from the DMZ to Saigon are being attacked.

Perry’s squad is sent on an Interdiction patrol to replace a reconnaissance team that was “wiped out” (156). Two new soldiers are introduced to Perry’s squad: Turner and Lewis.