‘Dear America’

Character Profile Chart

Letter Writer:          Rodney R. Chastant
Military Rank:       Captain of Marine Air Group 13, 1^st Marine Air Wing.
KIA/Survivor:          Killed on the 22^nd of October 1968, at 25 years old.

EXPERIENCES:     

o     Rod was one of  the 50 men that got promoted to date as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps that 1640 men had tried out for

o     With his promotion, his annual income in $9000.00 a year, and $11,000.00 worth of securities

o     In the Philippines he took a bus ride along the infamous route of the death march in Bataan, where he passed graveyards that were marked with row after row of plain white crosses

o     Rods degree of proficiency is now undisputed as the best in 1^st Marine Division

FEELINGS AND POINTS OF VIEW: 

o         Rodney was proud to be an American, proud to be a Marine, and proud to be fighting in Asia

o         He finds it amazing how little things such as receiving letters can mean so much.

o         He loves his family more than anyone or anything in the world

o         Rod  sometimes gets lonely

o         There is a job to be done which requires a man of conscience

o         His experience is invaluable

o         He feels as though he is needed there because of his degree of proficiency

o         If he thought he was needed at home more than Vietnam, then he would come home

o         He feels so alien and alone when trying to adjust to the loss of another friend

o         He dreams of the day when he returns home to his mum and dad

o         Rod chooses Vietnam

RELATIONSHIPS:   Single, close relationship with his mum and his dad, spends quite some time his brother, David,

MAKES THE READER THINK, FEEL, UNDERSTAND, LEARN, CONSIDER:  The letters that Rod wrote to his family show how passionate he was about his job, and that he was so proud to be where he was. But they also showed how much he missed his family and how much he wanted to come home again. It makes you feel sad because he was KIA so they never  saw him again, but they would’ve been very proud of their son knowing that he was doing what he wanted to do because he loved it, and that he wanted to fight for his country.

By Lacey