Michael Vronsky

Living… in Clairton, Pennsylvania, where all they've got are the deer and the steel mills. That's Michael’s life, and he’s learned to love it. It's nice to get off work and see the steam rise into the clouds from the vents and chimneys and the sound of it all –the hissing, the clanging, the rumbling – and meanwhile it's snowing outside and you've got a mile walk home.

Profession… worker in a steel mill, trudging up hills to get to the bar with Albert and John and the rest of the guys, all of them waiting to get black-out drunk once the shift is over. It's a dirty job, but it pays the bills.

Interests… hunting and going to John's Bar with his buddies. The place is usually packed with all the factory guys. Deerheads are mounted all over the place with murals of hunting scenes on all the walls. While an outsider may find it eerie, Michael and his friends think it’s funny and consider it a point of pride. It might seem provincial to an outsider, but there’s not much to do but work, drink, and shoot in Clairton.

Relationship Status… in love with his friend’s girl, Linda. Mike’s had strong feelings for her for years, but she’s been dating Nick and the timing has never really lined up. Now that Nick and Linda got engaged, and all of them are shipping off to Vietnam, it looks like Michael will have to shelves his fantasies of lying with Linda for good.

Challenge… ensuring that his friends survive Vietnam. It seemed like a grand adventure before they left, three childhood friends – Mike, Nick, and Stephen – shipping off across the world to fight for their country. But Vietnam rewards fantasies of adventure with a bullet to the brain. Stuck in a chaotic, violent, and seemingly senseless conflict, Michael will struggle to live up to his promise to never leave his friends behind – and to keep himself and his friends sane as they’re exposed to a side of humanity that quiet Clairton never prepared them for.

Personality… loyal. To Michael, friends and family are all you've got in this world. If you're not going all the way for them, you'll never go all the way for anything. Friends test your limits, but if you don't limit your loyalty, everything feels like a simple favor. Not even a favor, a pleasure. Michael will go to the depths of hell for his friends – or Vietnam.