Who is Specialist 4 Haywood T. Kirkland from Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans and what is their importance?

When Haywood is twelve he has a vision that he will go to Vietnam and then spend five years in prison. He is one of eleven children and his family is very poor. Haywood is drafted in 1966, six years after his vision. Haywood is part of a division known as the Cacti Green who go into the worst areas to perform recon and search and destroy missions. Most of their missions turn up nothing of value but they still have orders to kill anyone they discover. One of the men in Haywood's unit is Studs Armstrong. Armstrong is a crazy militant who takes the ears from dead Viet Cong to wear as a necklace. Another man in his division is Richard Streeter. Haywood and Streeter are close but Streeter loses his mind in the middle of battle and is shipped home. Years later when Haywood sees Streeter on the street his speech is slow and he has lost his family. Haywood is very shaken by seeing a top soldier lose it like that and never recover.