Dongan Character Analysis in Fallen Angels

Sergeant Dongan replaces Sergeant Simpson when Simpson’s tour of duty ends. He’s from Indiana although he looks, talks, and thinks “Southern,” according to Perry. He quickly befriends the other white soldiers on the squad, Walowick and Brunner, while expressing his distaste for Lobel (on the assumption that Lobel is gay); Peewee, Johnson, and Perry (because they are Black); and Monaco (because he is Italian). Nevertheless, he earns Perry’s grudging respect for his battle smarts. He dies on the join mission with ARVN soldiers to take a strategic hill.

Dongan Character Timeline in Fallen Angels

The timeline below shows where the character Dongan appears in Fallen Angels. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

War, Trauma, and Dehumanization Theme Icon

Race, Identity, and Belonging Theme Icon

...the fighting. Things have changed in Perry’s absence; Simpson left and the squad’s new sergeant, Dongan, has rearranged the line. Peewee’s now in front instead of Walowick, and Johnson brings up... (full context)

...after Perry gets back to the squad, soaking everything and turning the ground to mud. Dongan barely acknowledges Perry’s presence. Johnson refuses to accept Brew’s death, maintaining a private fiction that... (full context)

Tensions continue to rise: Dongan criticizes Johnson for the way he’s keeping the machine gun, and Gearhart must separate them... (full context)

Perry, Peewee, Lobel, and Dongan go to the guard foxhole. Perry strains to hear approaching enemies in the darkness. Suddenly,... (full context)

...an air of experience about him, and Perry values his insights. He asks Johnson about Dongan, and Johnson says that when the new sergeant arrived, he immediately shared beers with Walowick... (full context)

...wants it to be quick and painless. Like Carroll. The company shoots a few rounds, Dongan indicates a spot and Johnson obligingly opens fire there with his machine gun. But they... (full context)

...next and Alpha Company brings up the rear. This time, the shooting starts almost immediately. Dongan speculates that enlisted Northern Vietnamese soldiers, rather than Vietcong guerrillas, defend the hill. The mortar... (full context)

...has passed since the ARVN forces started their approach on the hill. Perry hears that Dongan got hit; he and Peewee go to the medical tent where they find Dongan’s legless,... (full context)

Captain Stewart reassigns Jamal to the medical unit. Without him and Dongan, the squad has just seven men. Gearhart wants to combine it with the other two... (full context)

...at the rear, imagines turning and seeing the others trailing the platoon: Brew, Jenkins, Sergeant Dongan, Turner, Lewis, Lieutenant Carroll, and all the others whose deaths he witnessed. He prays for... (full context)