People/Characters Leo Packer

(Fictitious character) Leo, who is 18 at the beginning of the book, has been raised on the family farm, along with his sister, Billie, who is about 11. Their mother died soon after Billie was born, and their father left them on the farm to be raised by his Aunt Doff, his spirit broken by the Great Depression. Leo wanted to enter the army early, but Doff refused to give him permission. When he turned 18, he was drafted and went to basic training where he became good friends with Denny Begay, a Diné (Navajo).