Purple Heart

18-year-old Justin Kane is Matt’s squad partner on patrols, as well as Matt’s closest friend. Justin provides a strong contrast to Matt’s calm, rational behavior: Justin can be “a hot dog sometimes, a little too gung ho” (171), rushing into dangerous situations. In response to his squad leader’s death, Justin goes off alone and nearly kicks an old, pitiful Iraqi man; when chasing the insurgents in the taxi, Justin is “so intent on being the hero” (187) that he ditches the squad and jeopardizes both his own and Matt’s safety. Justin’s father is a decorated Vietnam vet who hounds Justin to get some medals of his own, only adding fire to Justin’s already volatile nature.

Justin is also fiercely loyal and risks his life several times to save Matt, “run[ning] through gunfire” (118) to pull Matt out of the alley and later covering for him when Matt is carrying Charlene’s body through open fire. Justin also has a rare tender side: when Matt’s in the hospital, Justin tucks a blanket around him “the same [way] Matt’s mom used to do when he was little” (17).Justin has a crass sense of humor, and his sometimes immature jokes help the squad to deal with the stress of life in Iraq; they also remind the reader of just how young Justin and most of the squad are, in contrast to Matt’s quieter, more serious nature.

Ali, whose full name is Ayyad Mahmud Aladdin Kimadi, is a 10-year-old Iraqi orphan who lives in a drainage pipe with his sister. Ali, who is part of Matt and Justin’s makeshift soccer team, is good at soccer and is a talented artist. His detailed pictures of weapons show how deeply war has shaped his life. Ali has an impish side to him—he steals Matt’s sunglasses—but he can also be thoughtful, returning Matt’s glasses without being forced to. He is malnourished and constantly begging for food, a bit of a “pest” (47), but Matt cares for Ali enough to ask his mom to send colored markers for the boy.

For much of the novel, Matt believes he shot and killed Ali, but he later learns Justin shot Ali because Ali was working with the insurgents, who gave the boy shoes with soccer cleats. Matt blames himself for Ali’s death because if he hadn’t befriended him, Ali wouldn’t have been so valuable to the insurgents who put him in harm’s way. Despite Ali’s betrayal, Matt concludes that Ali is “just a kid” (190).

Charlene, the only female member of Matt’s squad, is a civil affairs officer. Although, as Matt notes: "She didn’t seem to actually like civilians all that much” (30). After Ali steals Matt’s sunglasses, Charlene says, “That’s what happens when you try to make friends with these people” (30). Charlene is standoffish not only with Iraqi civilians, but with her fellow soldiers as well. Feeling the need to prove herself because she’s a woman, she often reminds the guys she can bench-press more weight than half the male soldiers, and Matt calls her “the biggest hard-ass in the group” (45).

Once Matt returns from the hospital, he’s paired with Charlene because his squad leader wants him to “take it easy” (146), and Matt starts to see a softer side to his squad’s only female member. Charlene took care of Itchy, the stray cat who sleeps on Matt’s cot, while he was gone, and she covers for Matt when he sneaks off during a patrol. Matt realizes that without other women around, Charlene probably feels isolated and is “dying for someone to just shoot the shit with” (158); yet as soon as Matt starts to connect with her on a deeper level, Charlene is killed by a suicide bomber in the market. Holding her dead body in his arms, Matt’s last impression of her is that “Charlene, the little toughy who bragged about bench-pressing more than the guys, was actually soft and girly” (179).

Wolf, so-called because he can howl and has a wolf sticker on the back of his helmet, is another of Justin’s closest friends in the squad. Along with Justin, Wolf steals all of Matt’s stuff when he first arrives and makes him “buy” it back with cigarettes. In addition to being a practical joker, Wolf has a more serious side as he and Matt share late-night conversations about “what they’d seen and done in Iraq” (114), both grappling with their consciences when they should be sleeping. At the end of the novel, Wolf is killed in the same suicide bombing as Charlene.

Sergeant McNally is the leader of Matt’s squad, and Matt respects him as “a guy who really cared about his troops” (173). As the leader, McNally has to act as disciplinarian, but he lets some major infractions slide without formal punishment, such as Matt and Justin leaving the squad to chase insurgents, and Matt sneaking off alone near the end of the novel. The sergeant seems more concerned with the welfare of his soldiers than with strict protocol. At the end of the novel, McNally feels responsible for Wolf and Charlene’s deaths—he clearly sees it as his duty to protect his troops.

Meaghan is an Army officer who evaluates Matt after his brain injury to determine whether he can return to duty. She offers Matt insights into his memory problems, and she’s the one he confides in when he’s worried that he killed Ali. Rather than turning Matt in, Meaghan “protect[s]” him by telling the investigating officers Matt’s memory is “unreliable” (127) so that they won’t question him about Ali. At their last meeting, Meaghan gives Matt “a crisp salute” (127)—an orthodox gesture for an officer to offer to a private, but one that suggests Meaghan respects Matt for staying strong in a challenging situation.

Father Brennan is an Army chaplain at the hospital where Matt recovers. The chaplain is an avid baseball fan, always wearing an Oakland A’s baseball hat, quoting players and stating that even if the events of the war make you “wonder about God […] there’s always baseball” (9). Father Brennan reminds Matt of his past as an altar boy and is a source of comfort and support, even keeping Matt’s Purple Heart for him until Matt feels ready to accept it.

Francis, a patient on the same ward as Matt, has developed a reliance on pain pills after he accidentally killed his squad leader. Francis seems a bit unhinged, but he clearly cares about his wife and young daughter, even keeping his daughter’s Miss Piggy doll on his bed. Francis gives Matt a notebook and encourages him to write down everything he remembers about the incident that injured him. Francis leaves the hospital before Matt does, saying the Army’s “sending [him] back out” because he’s a “wack job” (105)with a pill addiction. Francis makes a significant impression on Matt and serves as an illustration of the psychological damage soldiers often suffer.