War has a way of forcing the individuals that it engages to grow up in a very short amount of time. Such is the case for Richard Perry in Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers' novel that follows the experiences of young soldiers fighting to survive in Vietnam. What Perry encounters "in country" shapes his perception from when he first arrives to the time that he is finally sent home. Perry progresses from uncertainty, awareness, and fatigue. Ultimately, he demonstrates that through the events of battle, it is the supreme legacy of war to make the young old.

When Perry first arrives "in country," he is detached from and oblivious to the reality of Vietnam. He explains his motives for enlisting with a seemingly simple .".. the army was the place I was going to get away from all the questions," (15). Unaware of what lay ahead of him, Perry ironically...