Lance Corporal Sampson Character Analysis

A twenty-five year old with a seven-year career in the Marines. He carries Corporal José Gonzalez to safety after he gets his left foot blown apart due to stepping on a mine. Sampson crawls on his belly and uses his bayonet to feel for additional mines. After clearing a path, he flings Gonzalez on his shoulders and carries him out of the field. For his bravery, Sampson is recommended for a Bronze Star, which he eventually receives. He is then reduced to PFC for the second time after going AWOL in Da Nang. Caputo describes Sampson as a “sloppy, careless man” but a good field soldier. He is someone who needs “the stimulus of hardship or danger to display his better characteristics.”