Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in “a world of s***.” Joker is a trained U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War. He and the rest of his platoon are “ready to eat their own guts and ask for seconds.”
Visiting… exotic Vietnam. In his words, Joker “wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture… and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill!”
Profession… Combat Correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Joker wanted to go to war to fight, but instead he’s gone to war to write. Rather than participate in the battles, he reports on them for the military paper. At least it’s a lot safer.
Relationship Status… none. Joker’s only romance comes at a price: the working women are cheap in Saigon.
Challenge… making it out of the war alive. Joker has “guts”; at least that’s what his Senior Drill Instructor said. But deep down Joker is just as scared as the others. “The dead only know one thing,” he says. “It’s better to be alive.” Sometimes he thinks he was lucky just to make it out of Sergeant Hartman’s Basic Training in one piece, and he has a point there.
Personality… witty, sarcastic, and smart. Joker is about as lighthearted as a guy can be in the middle of a pretty dispiriting war. His John Wayne impression is renowned throughout the U.S.M.C.
Get to Know him in...
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A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
