Kevin McLoone

Quick Facts

• Role: Inwood friend of John "Chick" Donohue; former USMC Marine turned Dynalectron aircraft electrician
• First appearance: A deserted road near An Khe (Chapter 8)
• Key relationships: Lifelong Inwood bond with Chick; communal ties forged at home (e.g., renting Winnebagos for New York Giants games, Chapter 2)
• Core themes: Embodies Friendship, Loyalty, and Camaraderie through practical help, risk-sharing, and a personal code

Who They Are

Bold, competent, and grounded, Kevin McLoone is the rare figure who chooses to serve twice: first as a Marine, then as a civilian expert returning to Vietnam to keep others alive. He doesn’t appear in a blaze of spectacle; he appears in a jeep, living by a “cardinal rule” that turns chance into salvation. The text offers little physical description, but Chick’s instant recognition on a jungle road says everything about Kevin’s presence: he’s the kind of person you know immediately, because he has always shown up.

Personality & Traits

Kevin’s steadiness under pressure, technical acuity, and instinct to help define him. His actions reveal a personal ethic that treats every American as a responsibility, not an abstraction—an ethic forged in combat and refined in his return as a contractor.

• Helpful, principled: He pulls over for a stranger because “never pass an American” (Chapter 8), acting on duty before recognizing Chick.
• Brave, experienced: After a four-year Marine tour starting in 1963, he chooses to go back as a civilian, signaling courage without bravado (Chapter 8).
• Skilled, lifesaving: As a Dynalectron aircraft electrician, he installs radio signal-scramblers on helicopters to prevent shootdowns, a mission with immediate stakes for aircrews (Chapter 8).
• Good-humored, loyal: He meets the absurdity of the beer run with warmth and wit—“a helluva beer run!”—which both validates Chick’s purpose and keeps morale high (Chapter 8).
• Operationally savvy: He translates connections into action, escorting an out-of-place civilian through military spaces and lending him legitimacy (Chapter 8).

Character Journey

Kevin arrives already formed by his first Vietnam tour—disciplined, proficient, and clear-eyed about risk. His choice to return as a civilian contractor marks a shift from direct combat to preventative protection, reframing service as expertise deployed where it saves the most lives. In the narrative, he doesn’t arc so much as anchor: a stabilizing force who transforms a chance roadside encounter into a viable route north, catalyzing Chick’s progress. The “Where Are They Now?” note that he survives the Tet Offensive in Chu Lai and returns home reinforces his resilience and the durability of his ethic—service that endures, adapts, and survives.

Key Relationships

• Chick Donohue: Their Inwood bond turns recognition into immediate action. Past rituals—like renting Winnebagos for Giants games (Chapter 2)—translate in Vietnam into a reflexive trust: Chick doesn’t need to persuade, because Kevin already understands the mission’s moral logic. By driving him to the airstrip and vouching for him, Kevin converts friendship into tangible access and safety (Chapter 8).

• The air crews and the war effort: Kevin’s most profound relationship is with the people he’ll never meet—the pilots and crew his systems protect. His work broadens the book’s portrait of service beyond rifle and trench, highlighting how technical labor quietly alters survival odds (Chapter 8).

• The Inwood community: Kevin carries neighborhood codes into a war zone. “Never pass an American” feels like an Inwood rule scaled to a theater of war—community extended across oceans and uniforms.

Defining Moments

Kevin’s brief time on the page is packed with consequential choices that steer the plot and sharpen its themes.

• The roadside stop (Chapter 8)

  • What happens: He brakes for a lone American on an empty Vietnamese road, then realizes it’s Chick.
  • Why it matters: Chance meets character. The coincidence is astonishing, but it’s Kevin’s code that makes coincidence matter; without stopping, the story stalls.

• Explaining the mission (Chapter 8)

  • What happens: He details his work installing signal-scrambling systems on helicopter radios.
  • Why it matters: The war widens beyond firefights, foregrounding unseen specialists whose expertise directly reduces casualties.

• Escort to the airstrip (Chapter 8)

  • What happens: He drives Chick to the airfield and personally walks him to a pilot, smoothing the way onto a northbound mail plane.
  • Why it matters: He converts goodwill into logistics. His credibility becomes a passport for an otherwise impossible civilian journey.

• Surviving Tet at Chu Lai (Where Are They Now)

  • What happens: He lives through fierce fighting during the Tet Offensive and makes it home.
  • Why it matters: Survival becomes a quiet epilogue to his ethic—durable, unflashy, and ultimately life-preserving.

Essential Quotes

“Holy Christ!! Chick!! What the hell?!!” (Chapter 8)

Kevin’s shock registers the sheer improbability of their meeting, but his exclamation pivots instantly from disbelief to recognition. The warmth in his surprise sets the tone: this won’t be a bureaucratic interrogation; it’s a reunion that accelerates action.

“But we have a cardinal rule over here: never pass an American.” (Chapter 8)

This line crystallizes Kevin’s moral operating system—simple, portable, and actionable. It reframes heroism as habit: safety begins with stopping the jeep.

“Wow! That’s a helluva beer run!” (Chapter 8)

His humor doesn’t trivialize the mission; it validates it. By naming the absurdity with affection, Kevin signals that loyalty can be joyful, even in a war zone, and that morale is itself a form of aid.

“But you’re the first guy I’ve encountered who’s roaming around Vietnam looking for somebody. Good luck with your search, Chick.” (Chapter 8)

The farewell blends realism and blessing. Kevin acknowledges the anomaly of Chick’s quest while granting it legitimacy—and his “good luck” functions as both benediction and bridge to the next perilous leg.