Character Profile Chart:
Letter Writer: Rodney Chastant.
Military Rank: Captain.
KIA/Survivor: KIA on 22nd October 1968
Experiences:
Rodney Chastant was a volunteer, who after his original tour of duty he voluntarily extended his term of service because he had discovered his role, grasped its meaning and determined to see it through.
He lost his life in Vietnam, he was only 25 years old.
He was also promoted to captain of the United States Marine Corps.
Feelings and points of view:
He was proud to be in Vietnam, doing his duty for his country. There was a job that had to be done and he does it. He was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make the world safe.
Relationships:
Most of Rodney Chastant’s letters were written to his mum and dad, showed he was a very family orientated person.
He was very close to his comrades that he looked after.
He was a helpful person who believed in the war in Vietnam
Makes the reader think, feel, understand, learn, consider:
His letters showed his patriotism so reading them would make you feel good and happy, unlike most war letters. It makes you understand that war is not all horror and ugly sites.
By B.J.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
‘Dear America’
Character Profile Report
Letter writer: Rob Riggan
Military rank: Doctor 1st medical battalion
KIA/survivor: Rob is a survivor, he now lives in Rowe Massachusetts, he is now and author of fire zone.
Experience: Throughout the war Rob was based at Lai Khe, he served as a doctor. Through his experiences we can see the true horrors of war. Rob experienced the ugly side of war, of death and terror “we can only feel the human loss and terror which can never be measured in pretty medals or sweet, patriotic speeches.” Rob relates this death and lose of life in a letter to his parents, where he tells a story of a girl about 16 who was hit by an American Army vehicle, while walking along a road and how the grief of the mother was the like of which he had never witness before. This was the thing that he would have face almost every day.
Feelings and Views: rob felt that the war was a failure in humanity, he truly hated the war, “the longer I am here, the more my hatred of the war grows”. He was frustrated by the war because of it failures.
Their Relationships: wrote his letter to his parents and to Merle. This is an escape for Rob a way in which he can drift away from the war and focus on life at home.
Makes the reader think, feel, understand, learn, and consider: Rob’s letters gives us as readers a way to view and see the war as he did, he writes well which makes it easy to feel the things that he feels about the war and all its failures. We can see how painful and harsh war is through Robs writing.
By Michael
‘Dear America’
Character Profile Chart
Letter writer: George Olsen
Military Rank: Ranger with Company G, 75th infantry, operator in the area around Chu Lai
KIA/Survivor: Killed in action on the 3rd of March 1970. He was 23 years old.
Experiences: First hunter kill operation North of Chi Lai. Two teams of twelve men set up around a trail and a lone VC walked in the middle of them. They tried to make him a POW but the VC panicked and ran. George had him in sights and threw three slugs at him. ‘No Hollywood theatrics – one minute he’s a living human being, the next second he’s down, just a red lump of clay.’
A grenade fire almost burned down his post which left George without a tent. ‘So now I’m sitting here cold, wet, and unbelievably dirty after eight days.’ His team couldn’t get relieved because of the monsoon weather and stuck at his post until it blows over with low food supply and with almost no water.
Feelings and points of view: Volunteered to fight in Vietnam - ‘I’m where I want to be, quite voluntary doing what I think is right and am far from being homesick.’
Relationships: Wrote letters to Rosemary Dresch, a college friend who he calls Red.
Makes the reader think, feel, understand, learn, and consider: ‘The frighting thing about it all is that it is so very easy to kill in war. There’s no remorse, no theatrical ‘washing of the hands” to get rid of nonexistent blood, not even any regrets.’
By Zoe
‘Dear America’
Character profile chart
Letter writer: George Olsen
Military Rank: Ranger with company G, 75th infantry, operating in the area around Chu Lai
KIA/survivor: KIA on 3rd March 1970 aged 23.
EXPERIENCES: went on missions in the jungle during the monsoon season and was caught in a tropical storm; his team could not be relieved until the storm had passed over and they were cut off from resupply, left low on food and almost out of water. ‘I’m sitting here cold, wet, and unbelievably dirty after eight days up here, fairly miserable – yet strangely content’.
First hunter-killer operation with two teams of 12 men stationed two miles inland and slightly north of Chu Lai about an hour off the choppers. During their mission they tried for a POW, but he panicked and took off in a rain of gun fire. ‘I had him in my sights, threw three slugs at him and he just disappeared. No Hollywood theatrics – one minute he’s a living, running human being, the next second he’s down, just a red lump of clay’.
FEELINGS AND POINT OF VIEW: George volunteered to go to war; it’s where he wanted to be. ‘I’m where I want to be; quite voluntarily doing what I think is right and am far from being homesick’.
RELATIONSHIPS: writes all his letters to Rosemary Dresch, who he calls Red. She is a college friend of his.
MAKES THE READER THINK, FEEL, UNDERSTAND, LEARN, CONSIDER: George says some things in his letters that make you wonder about what was like to fight over in Vietnam every day, killing people and having blood on your hands. He gives you sense of what it is like to kill someone in war. ‘The frightening thing about it all is it’s so very easy to kill in war. There is no remorse, no theatrical “washing of the hands” to get rid of nonexistent blood, not even any regrets’.
By Kim
Character profile chart
Letter writer: George Olsen
Military Rank: Ranger with company G, 75th infantry, operating in the area around Chu Lai
KIA/survivor: KIA on 3rd March 1970 aged 23.
EXPERIENCES: went on missions in the jungle during the monsoon season and was caught in a tropical storm; his team could not be relieved until the storm had passed over and they were cut off from resupply, left low on food and almost out of water. ‘I’m sitting here cold, wet, and unbelievably dirty after eight days up here, fairly miserable – yet strangely content’.
First hunter-killer operation with two teams of 12 men stationed two miles inland and slightly north of Chu Lai about an hour off the choppers. During their mission they tried for a POW, but he panicked and took off in a rain of gun fire. ‘I had him in my sights, threw three slugs at him and he just disappeared. No Hollywood theatrics – one minute he’s a living, running human being, the next second he’s down, just a red lump of clay’.
FEELINGS AND POINT OF VIEW: George volunteered to go to war; it’s where he wanted to be. ‘I’m where I want to be; quite voluntarily doing what I think is right and am far from being homesick’.
RELATIONSHIPS: writes all his letters to Rosemary Dresch, who he calls Red. She is a college friend of his.
MAKES THE READER THINK, FEEL, UNDERSTAND, LEARN, CONSIDER: George says some things in his letters that make you wonder about what was like to fight over in Vietnam every day, killing people and having blood on your hands. He gives you sense of what it is like to kill someone in war. ‘The frightening thing about it all is it’s so very easy to kill in war. There is no remorse, no theatrical “washing of the hands” to get rid of nonexistent blood, not even any regrets’.
By Kim
‘Dear America’
Character Profile Chart
Letter Writer: Rodney R. Chastant
Military Rank: Captain of Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing.
KIA/Survivor: Killed on the 22nd of October 1968, at 25 years old.
Military Rank: Captain of Marine Air Group 13, 1st Marine Air Wing.
KIA/Survivor: Killed on the 22nd 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 1st 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
Character profile chart
Letter writer: Rodney Chastant. Age 24/25
Military rank: Captain
KIA/Survivor: he was killed on the 22nd of October 1968
Experiences:
He was a volunteer but after his tour of duty he decided to extend his term of service.
He was also promoted to captain of the United States Marine Corps.
He was k.I.A for serving America and did them proud.
Feelings and points of view:
He was proud to be in Vietnam doing his duty for his country. He was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make the world safe.
Relationships:
Most of the letters he wrote was to mother and father and his brother (David)
He was close to his comrades that he looked after during the war.
Makes the reader think, feel, understand, learn, and consider:
He was patriotic and a strong belief in America’s war against Viet Cong which makes you feel proud that he was fighting for our belief
By Taylor
Character Profile Chart
‘Dear America’
Letter writer: Frederick Downs
Military rank: Platoon leader, Company D, 1st Battalion 14th infantry, 4th infantry division, August 1967- January 1968, WIA 11 January 1968
KIA/Survivor: Survivor.
EXPERIENCES:
• WIA on 11th of January, 1968. Fred lost his left arm and got shot in the bum.
• After his experiences in War, Fred thought the hospital was amazing and relaxing.
FEELINGS AND POINTS OF VIEW:
“last night in was comforting everyone, but there was no one there to comfort me”
• After bring WIA, he talks about how many other soldiers became depressed because of their Injuries during the war. Fred believes that he is not depressed and his state of mind will not change from the war.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Fred was married to Linda and had 2 girls, ( Tammy and Teri )
Fred and his wife have since been divorced.
MAKES THE READER THINK, FEEL, UNDERSTAND, LEARN, CONSIDER:
Makes the reader think about how tough the war was, on both sides of the family, the soldier in the war and the family that they belonged to.
Makes the reader feel sorry for both Fred and his wife and his 2 daughters.
I understand how hard it would of been for Fred to be away from his wife and children that he worried that he wouldn’t ever see them ever again.
War was never easy for anyone who was involved in it, or who had a loved one involved in the war.
By Jordan
Letter writer: Frederick Downs
Military rank: Platoon leader, Company D, 1st Battalion 14th infantry, 4th infantry division, August 1967- January 1968, WIA 11 January 1968
KIA/Survivor: Survivor.
EXPERIENCES:
• WIA on 11th of January, 1968. Fred lost his left arm and got shot in the bum.
• After his experiences in War, Fred thought the hospital was amazing and relaxing.
FEELINGS AND POINTS OF VIEW:
“last night in was comforting everyone, but there was no one there to comfort me”
• After bring WIA, he talks about how many other soldiers became depressed because of their Injuries during the war. Fred believes that he is not depressed and his state of mind will not change from the war.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Fred was married to Linda and had 2 girls, ( Tammy and Teri )
Fred and his wife have since been divorced.
MAKES THE READER THINK, FEEL, UNDERSTAND, LEARN, CONSIDER:
Makes the reader think about how tough the war was, on both sides of the family, the soldier in the war and the family that they belonged to.
Makes the reader feel sorry for both Fred and his wife and his 2 daughters.
I understand how hard it would of been for Fred to be away from his wife and children that he worried that he wouldn’t ever see them ever again.
War was never easy for anyone who was involved in it, or who had a loved one involved in the war.
By Jordan
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