Vietnam War Exposed In Fallen Angels By Walter Dean Myers

Fallen Angels “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity” (Dwight D. Eisenhower). Throughout all of history war has surrounded human existence. From the Spartans in Rome to Infantry Marines patrolling the streets in Afghanistan, the presence of war has affected generations since the beginning of time. In the book, Fallen Angels, the author, Walter Dean Myers portrays how the harsh realities of war have a substantial impact on soldiers and their experiences by displaying the internal transformations, the power of fear, the permanent psychological damages, and the cruelty of the environment through a classic Vietnam War story. One of the most prevalent impacts war

With unforgiving terrain and the seemingly never ending destruction, the environment of war can be the biggest challenge faced. The constant presence of death and the savage actions of men, the jungle and villages of Vietnam that was home to many families can become a nightmare within days. The book says, “I walked away. People were not supposed to be made like that. People were not supposed to be twisted bone and tubes that popped out at crazy kid’s-toys angles. People were supposed to be sitting and talking and doing. Yes, doing” (Myers 261). Perry’s encounter with the ruthless environment of war showed him the reality of it all. This was not how it was suppose to be and he knew that. He discusses how bodies should not be like that. He emphasizes the word doing and realizes that war takes that away from people. War is death and when you are dead, you can not do what humans should be doing. This was not the first time Perry and the others experienced war’s true environment. The texts states, “At his feet the soldier, still alive, was moaning in pain. I looked and saw that they had cut his finger off. I looked up into the face of the Cong soldier. He was young, no more than a teenager. He looked scared and tired, the same as me. I squeezed the trigger pf the sixteen and watched him hurtle backward” (Walters 251). The unsympathetic actions of war are part of an environment Perry did not grow up in. He grew up in Harlem and although he lived in the city this did not compare to his experiences in Vietnam. War was inhumane and caused the average human to make the most heartless decisions. Perry and the teenager were undoubtedly similar even though they grew up on separate sides of the world. Perry and the young man were both forced into making decisions that were so immensely harsh just to survive, but most