| Ansel |
Adams | American photographer and environmentalist. |
| Johnny |
Ainsworth | One of the men who died after deployment. |
| Laith |
al-Tawhid | Leader of a rogue extremist group. |
| Abu |
Bakr | Sheikh; prominent Sunni Islamic scholar. |
| Albert |
Beilin | Man who killed himself with pills. |
| James |
Bond | Fictional British Secret Service agent. |
| Kevin |
Boylan | Marine captain. |
| Smedley |
Butler | Medal of Honor recipient. |
| James |
Carter | 39th U.S. President. |
| George |
Dagal | First man who died after deployment. |
| Dan |
Daly | Medal of Honor recipient. |
| Zara |
Davies | Anti-war student at Amherst College. |
| Julien |
Deme | Sergeant; killed in action while saving fellow Marines. |
| Roger |
Ford | One of the men who died after deployment. Aka: Roger Francis Ford. |
| Denton |
Fujita | Marine in Rodriguez's unit. Aka: Denton Tsakhia Fujita. |
| Gene |
Goodwin | Wealthy American businessman from northern Kansas. |
| Sean |
Hannity | Television presenter. |
| Saddam |
Hussein | Iraqi politician and revolutionary. |
| Chuck |
Lavel | Marine killed in vehicle explosion. |
| Nikolai |
Levin | Casualty from Charlie Company. |
| Jeffery |
Lopinto | Last man who died after deployment. Aka: Jeffery Steven Lopinto. |
| Douglas |
MacArthur | Five-star U.S. general. |
| Bradley |
MacManiganis | Private First Class in the United States Marine Corps. |
| John |
McCain | Republican nominee for president (2008). |
| James |
McLelland | Lance Corporal; fellow veteran involved in discussions about war realities. Aka: Mac. |
| Audie |
Murphy | Most decorated combat soldier of World War II. |
| Alexander |
Newberry | Former member of Charlie Company. |
| Barack |
Obama | 44th U.S. President. |
| Wilfred |
Owen | Soldier who died in World War I. |
| Jason |
Peters | Example of severe physical destruction caused by the Iraq War. |
| Pontius |
Pilate | Fifth governor of Roman Judaea. |
| José |
Ray | Man who shot himself in the head. |
| Ramiro |
Rodriguez | U.S. Marine in Charlie Company. |
| Victor |
Roiche | Marine killed in vehicle explosion. |
| Chris |
Roper | Bureaucrat focused on civilian success metrics. |
| James |
Roux | Lieutenant Colonel; brigade XO. |
| Donald |
Rumsfeld | Former United States Secretary of Defense. |
| Paul |
Suba | Marine narrator. Aka: Ozzie. |
| Lewis |
Thomas | Medical researcher. |
| Tina |
Turner | Singer and songwriter. |
| James |
Vockler | Marine killed in Afghanistan. |
| Jakob |
von Uexküll | German zoologist. |
| Jason |
Zima | Mayor; head of Civil Affairs Company in Iraqi reconstruction efforts. |
| Addis |
| Marine; part of the system of mutual support among the soldiers. |
| Alamo |
| Marine; nickname mentioned in "Frago." |
| Black |
| Staff Sergeant; DI rumored to have beaten an Iraqi soldier to death. |
| Bob |
| Former military team member. |
| Boden |
| Captain; Charlie Company commander. |
| Brooks |
| Reverend; chaplain. |
| Cheryl |
| The wife of Sgt. Price. |
| Cindy |
| Women's initiative adviser. |
| Coleman |
| Gunner. |
| Craig |
| Corporal; sober Mormon who helped Slaughter. |
| Curtis |
| A Marine and fellow soldier of Sergeant Price. |
| Deetz |
| Sergeant; Marine artilleryman in Iraq. |
| Ditoro |
| Sergeant; former squad leader. |
| Doc |
| Military corpsman; healthcare provider for Marines in the field. |
| Dupont |
| Gunner. |
| Dyer |
| New, young private in the Marine Corps. |
| Eicholtz |
| A Marine who serves alongside Sergeant Price. |
| Eklund |
| Major; operations officer. |
| Fehr |
| Lieutenant Colonel; promoted regimental commander. |
| Flores |
| Marine Corps veteran acquaintance. |
| Ford |
| Lieutenant; original platoon commander of 2nd Platoon. |
| G |
| Corporal; fellow Marine navigating civilian life after Iraq. |
| Garza |
| Corporal; vehicle commander. |
| Gizmo |
| Marine Sergeant Price's dog. |
| Gordon |
| U.S. Congressman; Representative. |
| Greeley |
| Corporal; part of the unit's camaraderie and moral ambiguity. |
| Harvey |
| U.S. Marine. |
| Haupert |
| Staff Sergeant; acting platoon commander of 2nd Platoon. |
| Hernandez |
| Lance Corporal; member of Sgt. Price's platoon. |
| Hernandez |
| Sergeant; Marine comrade. |
| Herrera |
| PFC/PV2; young, inexperienced soldier assigned to work with Sgt. Price. |
| Jaegermeir-Schmidt |
| Specialist (SPC); Marine tasked with delivering money into enemy territory. |
| Jenks |
| Marine veteran severely disfigured by an IED. |
| Jessie |
| Army veteran on disability; missing a finger. |
| Jobrani |
| Lance Corporal; only Muslim in the platoon. |
| Kazemi |
| Chief engineer. |
| Kerwin |
| Staff Sergeant; senior drill instructor. |
| Malrosio |
| Leader of the Third Fire Team. |
| McKeown |
| Lance Corporal; represents coping attitudes toward stress and violence. |
| Moore |
| Corporal; leader of the First Fire Team. |
| Motes |
| Lieutenant Colonel; WWII brigade commander. |
| Najdah |
| Determined social worker. |
| Nancy |
| One of the prostitutes. |
| Nathan |
| Naive American Foreign Service officer stationed at Camp Taji, Iraq. |
| O'Leary |
| A fellow Marine of Sergeant Price. |
| Paul |
| Civilian friend of Sergeant Price. |
| Rachel |
| Narrator's ex-girlfriend. |
| Sanchez |
| Member of artillery crew. |
| Sarah |
| Civilian playwright working with veterans. |
| Slaughter |
| Lance Corporal; young, inexperienced Marine. |
| Smith |
| Corporal; fellow squad member of Sergeant Price. |
| Steve |
| Cindy's acquaintance. |
| Suba |
| Lance Corporal; sacrifices his moral standing to protect Timhead. |
| Sweet |
| Corporal; talented leader of the Second Fire Team. |
| Timhead |
| Marine who shoots and kills a young Iraqi boy. |
| Travis |
| Soldier serving in narrator's unit. |
| Umer |
| Sheikh; Malaysian politician. |
| Vega |
| Chaplain; devout Catholic military chaplain stationed in Ramadi, Iraq. |
| Vicar |
| Sick, elderly dog belonging to Sgt. Price. |
| Voorstadt |
| Member of the ammo team. |
| Weber |
| Lance Corporal who takes over from Dyer. |
| Weissert |
| Corporal; had a painful, isolating experience returning home from the Iraq War. |
