Tim O'Brien - He is the narrator in this collection of short stories. Tim is a 23 year old soldier in Vietnam who really just wants to live through the war. Everywhere the story goes he is either telling about it or he is in it. He is a clean cut kid from Worthington, MN who just finished college and is against the war. But when he is drafted and his graduate deferment is denied, he feels he must fight because it is expected of him. An entire chapter "On the Rainy River" is devoted to Tim's struggle with actually going to Vietnam or fleeing to Canada. Tim really just wants to become a writer. The interesting thing about this character is that he is strongly based on the author's life. They share the same name, background, and life experiences in Vietnam. However in the chapter "Good Form" the author tells how the Tim O'Brien character is fictional, and the stories he writes are just stories.
Tim O'Brien changes immensely in this story. He goes from being a young soldier to a hardened, cold person. In the chapter "The Ghost Soldiers" he shows how low he gets. He shows his revenge for Bobby Jorgensen by cruelling torturing him while he is on night duty. O'Brien is even surprised by how it seems like he's having an out of body experience. He has a hard time accepting that he can be so evil. Otherwise Tim gets along well with the other soldiers.
First Lt. Jimmy Cross - Jimmy is the platoon leader of the soldiers. Although he is an unwilling leader who did not ask for this job, he is trying to do his best. Cross is a 24 year old college graduate who would rather be back in school in NJ. Cross carries much guilt with him when he loses one of his men. When Ted Lavender dies Cross blames himself, because he was distracted at the time thinking about Martha, a girl he likes. He also blames himself when Kiowa dies. He should have known not to set up camp on a sewage field. He is filled with shame.
Cross becomes a changed man also. He gets toughened by his experiences in Vietnam and loses his sentimental side. This is evident when he burns all of Martha's pictures and letters. He vows to become a stronger leader. The other men who he is commanding like Jimmy, but don't completely respect him. Some of them blame him for Kiowa's death.
Ted Lavender - This soldier was shot early in the story by a Vietnamese soldier. He is described as being very scared. To deal with this he uses lots of drugs (dope and tranquilizers). He is teased for always saying that the war is mellow. Ted is shot in the head on the way back from the latrine only a few months after Tim O'Brien arrives.
Curt Lemon - a soldier who was a handsome man. He had sharp gray eyes and was lean and narrow waisted. He gave the impression of being a tough and crazy soldier and bragged about it. He even painted his body white and put on a ghost mask and went trick or treating in Vietnam. But the other side of him was not so courageous. He was scared of the dentist and fainted during his exam. His pride was so deflated by this, he had the dentist pull out a perfectly good tooth, just to show he was tough. Curt was Rat Kiley's best friend. When he and Rat were playing a game with a smoke grenade Curt stepped on a booby trap and he exploded and died.
Bob (Rat) Kiley - Bob Kiley commonly known as Rat, was 19 years old and was the company medic. He took good care of Tim when he was shot the first time. He was an emotional guy from start to finish. In the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story" he gets very emotional writing a letter to Curt Lemon's sister after Curt was killed. He also had a hard time dealing with Curt's death. He shot and tortured a baby water buffalo with his rifle. Rat was also a storyteller who liked to tell exaggerated stories just for the effect.
Later in the story, Rat Kiley loses his mind while they have to travel at night. He ends up shooting his foot so he can be discharged from the war. His personality changes from being in charge and helping people to becoming desperate and hopeless.
Kiowa - Kiowa is an Indian from Oklahoma City, OK and a devout Baptist. He is known for always carrying moccasins and a New Testament with him, although he often uses it as a pillow. He is superstitious and very compassionate, especially when Tim kills a man. He was thought of as intelligent, gentle, quiet-spoken, brave, and decent. He is a soldier who dies by drowning in a muck field. He was respected by his friends.
Norman Bowker - He was a quiet, gentle, sentimental man from Des Moines, Iowa. He thought he disappointed his father by not winning the Silver Star medal. He blamed himself for not being able to pull Kiowa out of the muck field where he died. He lived with the shame of that until he killed himself.
The war changed Norman. He saw death and injuries and could not recover from his desolate feelings. When the war was over, he could not maintain a normal life.
Mitchell Sanders - Sanders is a person who believes there are morals to every story. He is a smart, clever soldier who wanted nothing to do with Tim's prank on Jorgenson. He has a sense of right and wrong and justice.
Henry Dobbins - He is a big man with a hearty appetite. Henry is a simple, decent guy, not very sophisticated or smart. But he is sentimental and is known for carrying his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck like a scarf. That comforted him and gave him good luck.
Azar - Azar is a sick fellow. He jokes about inappropriate things. He actually strapped a puppy to a mine, watched the puppy explode, and thought it was funny. He helps pull the scary prank on Jorgenson with Tim.
Dave Jensen - Jensen is a practical guy based on the items he carries into war. He also becomes paranoid when he hurts Lee Strunk in a fight. He had accused him of stealing his jackknife. He becomes so paranoid and nuts that he shoots off his gun and then later smashes his own nose with his gun, breaking his nose.
Lee Strunk - This soldier is discussed in the story when he stole Jensen's jackknife and was beaten up by Jensen. He also stepped on a rigged mortar round and lost his right leg from the knee down.
Mary Anne Bell - This 17 year old girl is just barely out of high school when she comes to Vietnam to be with her boyfriend, Mark Fossie. She is tall, blonde, and attractive. She has a bubbly personality, a happy smile and is very girly, but doesn't stay that way for long. Her curiosity and intelligence lead her to become a soldier in her own way. This dynamic character gets to see injured and dead people and go on crazy adventures while in Vietnam.
Mary Anne is very well liked by all the soldiers. She boosts the morale and is bubbly and warm and friendly. She takes an interest in everything around her. She probably changes the most of any character. She starts out as very naive and girly and turns into a toughened, cold soldier. Her appearance, actions, and goals in life all change completely.
Bobby Jorgensen - Rat Kiley's replacement as a medic. He does not treat Tim O'Brien's gunshot wound in the butt and Tim goes into shock and almost dies. Later Azar and Tim O'Brien pull a mean prank on him as revenge. They spook him while he is on night duty.
This character changes immensely. He starts out as a scared, green, incompetent soldier. Later he shows much confidence and poise. He becomes respected by his fellow soldiers - all except Tim.
Linda - a girl who died from a brain tumor at the young age of only 9 years old while in a relationship with Tim O'Brien. He loved her. Linda's death affects Tim for his whole life.
Tim O'Brien changes immensely in this story. He goes from being a young soldier to a hardened, cold person. In the chapter "The Ghost Soldiers" he shows how low he gets. He shows his revenge for Bobby Jorgensen by cruelling torturing him while he is on night duty. O'Brien is even surprised by how it seems like he's having an out of body experience. He has a hard time accepting that he can be so evil. Otherwise Tim gets along well with the other soldiers.
First Lt. Jimmy Cross - Jimmy is the platoon leader of the soldiers. Although he is an unwilling leader who did not ask for this job, he is trying to do his best. Cross is a 24 year old college graduate who would rather be back in school in NJ. Cross carries much guilt with him when he loses one of his men. When Ted Lavender dies Cross blames himself, because he was distracted at the time thinking about Martha, a girl he likes. He also blames himself when Kiowa dies. He should have known not to set up camp on a sewage field. He is filled with shame.
Cross becomes a changed man also. He gets toughened by his experiences in Vietnam and loses his sentimental side. This is evident when he burns all of Martha's pictures and letters. He vows to become a stronger leader. The other men who he is commanding like Jimmy, but don't completely respect him. Some of them blame him for Kiowa's death.
Ted Lavender - This soldier was shot early in the story by a Vietnamese soldier. He is described as being very scared. To deal with this he uses lots of drugs (dope and tranquilizers). He is teased for always saying that the war is mellow. Ted is shot in the head on the way back from the latrine only a few months after Tim O'Brien arrives.
Curt Lemon - a soldier who was a handsome man. He had sharp gray eyes and was lean and narrow waisted. He gave the impression of being a tough and crazy soldier and bragged about it. He even painted his body white and put on a ghost mask and went trick or treating in Vietnam. But the other side of him was not so courageous. He was scared of the dentist and fainted during his exam. His pride was so deflated by this, he had the dentist pull out a perfectly good tooth, just to show he was tough. Curt was Rat Kiley's best friend. When he and Rat were playing a game with a smoke grenade Curt stepped on a booby trap and he exploded and died.
Bob (Rat) Kiley - Bob Kiley commonly known as Rat, was 19 years old and was the company medic. He took good care of Tim when he was shot the first time. He was an emotional guy from start to finish. In the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story" he gets very emotional writing a letter to Curt Lemon's sister after Curt was killed. He also had a hard time dealing with Curt's death. He shot and tortured a baby water buffalo with his rifle. Rat was also a storyteller who liked to tell exaggerated stories just for the effect.
Later in the story, Rat Kiley loses his mind while they have to travel at night. He ends up shooting his foot so he can be discharged from the war. His personality changes from being in charge and helping people to becoming desperate and hopeless.
Kiowa - Kiowa is an Indian from Oklahoma City, OK and a devout Baptist. He is known for always carrying moccasins and a New Testament with him, although he often uses it as a pillow. He is superstitious and very compassionate, especially when Tim kills a man. He was thought of as intelligent, gentle, quiet-spoken, brave, and decent. He is a soldier who dies by drowning in a muck field. He was respected by his friends.
Norman Bowker - He was a quiet, gentle, sentimental man from Des Moines, Iowa. He thought he disappointed his father by not winning the Silver Star medal. He blamed himself for not being able to pull Kiowa out of the muck field where he died. He lived with the shame of that until he killed himself.
The war changed Norman. He saw death and injuries and could not recover from his desolate feelings. When the war was over, he could not maintain a normal life.
Mitchell Sanders - Sanders is a person who believes there are morals to every story. He is a smart, clever soldier who wanted nothing to do with Tim's prank on Jorgenson. He has a sense of right and wrong and justice.
Henry Dobbins - He is a big man with a hearty appetite. Henry is a simple, decent guy, not very sophisticated or smart. But he is sentimental and is known for carrying his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck like a scarf. That comforted him and gave him good luck.
Azar - Azar is a sick fellow. He jokes about inappropriate things. He actually strapped a puppy to a mine, watched the puppy explode, and thought it was funny. He helps pull the scary prank on Jorgenson with Tim.
Dave Jensen - Jensen is a practical guy based on the items he carries into war. He also becomes paranoid when he hurts Lee Strunk in a fight. He had accused him of stealing his jackknife. He becomes so paranoid and nuts that he shoots off his gun and then later smashes his own nose with his gun, breaking his nose.
Lee Strunk - This soldier is discussed in the story when he stole Jensen's jackknife and was beaten up by Jensen. He also stepped on a rigged mortar round and lost his right leg from the knee down.
Mary Anne Bell - This 17 year old girl is just barely out of high school when she comes to Vietnam to be with her boyfriend, Mark Fossie. She is tall, blonde, and attractive. She has a bubbly personality, a happy smile and is very girly, but doesn't stay that way for long. Her curiosity and intelligence lead her to become a soldier in her own way. This dynamic character gets to see injured and dead people and go on crazy adventures while in Vietnam.
Mary Anne is very well liked by all the soldiers. She boosts the morale and is bubbly and warm and friendly. She takes an interest in everything around her. She probably changes the most of any character. She starts out as very naive and girly and turns into a toughened, cold soldier. Her appearance, actions, and goals in life all change completely.
Bobby Jorgensen - Rat Kiley's replacement as a medic. He does not treat Tim O'Brien's gunshot wound in the butt and Tim goes into shock and almost dies. Later Azar and Tim O'Brien pull a mean prank on him as revenge. They spook him while he is on night duty.
This character changes immensely. He starts out as a scared, green, incompetent soldier. Later he shows much confidence and poise. He becomes respected by his fellow soldiers - all except Tim.
Linda - a girl who died from a brain tumor at the young age of only 9 years old while in a relationship with Tim O'Brien. He loved her. Linda's death affects Tim for his whole life.