I need to figure out a place for Carl to come from. I was thinking somewhere in the Southwest like New Mexico or Arizona (bit of Barry Goldwater), somewhere like Texas (the Hank Hill part) or somewhere like Arkansas (South, but not too South. Not too North. Not too Midwest). I could also have him from one state but settling in another.
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Now, on the military characters, as I said, I'll need to expand it to 5 or more characters. I don't like it, since I don't want a cast so big you don't have time to remember who's who or focus on one, but its necessary since Vietnam is perhaps 50% of the reason the 60s were what they were (unfortunately) and the war and its environ were complex and 3 characters just being left, right, and center/Born on the Fourth of July, John Wayne, and Forrest Gump aren't gonna do it*.
So here's characters I'm thinking of adding (feel free to suggest things about them):
- California kid. Into all that California culture. Beach Boys, Garage Rock, Surfing, Cars, Kustom Kulture, etc, etc.
- Soldier from Small Town America. Will relate a very normal, straightforward, and from the heart view of the war during his service.
- Soldier who loses friends in Vietnam, return home to pissed off Hippies, leading him to join the right wing.
I probably need to do something with the Navy and Air force as well (either giving those to one of the characters or making new ones).
*Btw, I'm worried about the black character being a racist caricature and being Forrest Gump level stereotyping. I mean, I was thinking of making him the poor one, and putting the drug problem on him. But, who else would I put that on? If I put that on the Lefty guy coming back from Vietnam, that's also FG charicaturing because then it'll be like I'm saying all Liberals from Vietnam are just homeless junkies. But I don't wanna say all blacks who served are that either.