MAJOR CHARACTERS

The Cahuom family of Phum Sath Din, Stung Treng Province:

CHHUON, b. 1923, an agronomist

NEANG THI SOK, b. 1930, Chhuon’s wife

VATHANA, b. 1950, eldest daughter of Chhuon and Sok

Her children are SAMNANG, son b. 1969; SAMOL, daughter b. 1971; and SU LIVANH, daughter b. 1973

SAMAY, b. 1952, eldest son

SAMNANG, b. 1956, second son

MAYANA, b. 1959, daughter

SAKHON, b. 1965, son (nicknamed Peou, which means last child)

SITA, Chhuon’s mother

CHEAM, b. 1919, Chhuon’s older brother MOEUN, b. 1921, Chhuon’s older sister VOEN, b. 1925, Chhuon’s younger sister SAM, b. 1924, Chhuon’s cousin

RY, Sam’s wife

MOEN, Ry’s mother

Other Villagers in Phum Sath Din:

NY NON CHAN, a village elder

NIMOL, Chan’s wife

MAHA NYANANANDA, monk and spiritual leader of village

MAHA VANATANDA, second monk

KPA, a mountaineer boy

HENG and KHIENG, schoolmates of Cahuom Samnang

The Mountaineer village of Plei Srepok:

Y KSAR, b. 1907, elder of the Jaang clan JAANG, wife of Y Ksar

CHUNG, son of Y Ksar and Jaang

DRAAM MUL, wife of Chung

SRAANG, daughter of Chung and Draam Mul Y BHUR, son of Chung and Draam Mul

BOK ROH, NVA/KVM soldier/agent, nicknamed after the Giant of Mountaineer legends

In Stung Treng City and Neak Luong:

PECH LIM SONG, a wealthy merchant SISOWATH THICH SOEN, Song’s wife, a/k/a

Madame Pech, a distant cousin of Sisowath Sirik Matak, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cambodia

PECH CHIEU TECK, son of Song and Madame Pech who marries Vathana, daughter of Chhuon

KIM, LOUIS, SAKUN, THIOUNN, Teck’s friends from the university

SOPHAN, Vathana’s wet nurse/servant SAMBATH, Pech Lim Song’s servant

KEO KOSAL, a poet

SARIN SAM OL, a doctor

Americans:

LT. JOHN L. SULLIVAN, b. 1948, two tours with Special Forces in Viet Nam, assigned to Military Equipment Delivery Team, Cambodia

SGT. RON HUNTLEY, Sullivan’s sidekick

SGT. IAN CONKLIN, team member of

Sullivan and Huntley

RITA DONALDSON, a reporter for The Washington News-Times

Khmer Krahom leaders (The Center)

(All characters are fictional. “Met” = “comrade.”)

MET SAR, a high general, covert chief of the Kampuchean Communist Party

MET PON, Sar’s wife

MET RETH, Sar’s bodyguard

MET NIM, Sar’s aide

MET MEAS, scribe and historian

MET DY, head of School of the Cruel, KK chief of personnel

MET PHAM, tactician and strategic planner MET YON, theoretician and economic planner

MET SEN, security chief

North Viet Namese Army / Khmer Viet Minh agents, leaders, advisors:

HANG TUNG, chief KVM agent in Phum Sath Din

LTC NUI, commander of NVA unit in Ratanakiri Province

CADREMAN TRINH, NVA political officer in Nui’s headquarters

TRINH LE, Cadreman Trinh’s assistant

LTC HANS MITTERSCHMIDT, an East German military and political advisor to Nui South Viet Namese

TRAN VAN LE, an intelligence officer/agent with the ARVN