Class Melvin Peterson, an angelic looking black man and model soldier in his late twenties who calls Waters “ole Stone-ass.” From Hollywood, California, by way of Alabama, Peterson plays shortstop on the baseball team. He joined the Army because he thought he might have the chance to fight. Peterson does not hesitate to talk back to Waters, and after a confrontation, the two men fight. Even though Waters beats Peterson, he later does not badger Peterson as much. Peterson discovers Waters lying on the ground in a drunken stupor. After kicking him, Peterson shoots him twice, once in the chest and once in the head.

Byrd

Byrd, a spit-and-polish soldier in his twenties who works in Ordnance. Byrd fights with Waters outside of the NCO Club the night of the murder. Byrd orders Waters to shut up and starts shoving him. Byrd beats and kicks Waters and threatens to blow his head off.

Wilcox

Wilcox, a medical officer who keeps Byrd from killing Waters. More sympathetic to Waters’ condition, Wilcox tries to help. Wilcox attempts to keep Byrd from beating Waters, but Byrd breaks free of his grasp. Wilcox finally restrains Byrd and pulls him away.

Lieutenant Byrd
Byrd is a white, regulation-abiding military officer with a history of disputes and confrontations with black soldiers. On the night of his murder, Byrd brutally assaults Waters after finding him intoxicated and unwell. When questioned by Davenport, Byrd is nearly insolent and requires Taylor's threats before he agrees to respond.

Corporal Bernard Cobb
Cobb is in his mid-to-late twenties and seems preoccupied with women—those he desires, those he has been with, and the diseases they may have transmitted to him. He is closest to C.J. and remains largely unaffected by Waters's death.

Captain Richard Davenport
Davenport is a military lawyer tasked with investigating Waters's murder. As a black officer, the army struggles to find a suitable position for him, leading to his assignment to police black soldiers. He delivers an extensive monologue upon his first stage entrance, providing the audience with the story's background. Other officers, mostly white, are unsure how to react to a black officer, making him a subject of great curiosity. Davenport is undeterred by their reception, conducts a thorough investigation, and swiftly uncovers the events preceding Waters's murder.

Corporal Ellis
Ellis is a regulation-abiding soldier assigned as Davenport’s assistant. His role is to bring the men to Davenport for interrogation.

Private Louis Henson
Henson, in his late twenties, is anxious and convinced that the Ku Klux Klan is responsible for Waters's murder. He is accustomed to being subordinate, often observing but hesitant to speak up. Davenport has to order Henson to share his story during questioning.

Private C. J. Memphis
Memphis, a young black soldier, was a favorite of Waters. He entertained with his singing and guitar playing and played baseball with the troops. Initially, Waters likes C.J., but he also sees him as embodying traits that blacks need to abandon—singing, clowning, and dancing. After striking Waters, C.J. is jailed, a situation provoked by Waters, which demoralizes C.J., who had believed Waters liked him. C.J.’s death, two months before Waters's, triggers the subsequent events.

Private First Class Melvin Peterson
Peterson, in his late twenties, is the tidiest among the black troops. His shoes are polished, his stripe is clearly visible, and his uniform is neatly pressed. Peterson has a history of conflicts with Waters, including a physical altercation. The main issue between them was Peterson's belief that Waters failed to support the men, allowing white soldiers to treat black soldiers as mere laborers instead of equals. Later, when Waters arrests C.J., Peterson insists that the men report the truth to the captain. Peterson is assertive and not intimidated by Waters.

Private Tony Smalls
Smalls, a small man in his late thirties, is a career soldier who genuinely cares about Waters’s murder. He is arrested for going AWOL, and during questioning, he reveals what he witnessed on the night of Waters's murder.

Captain Charles Taylor
Taylor, a white officer educated at West Point, is in his mid to late thirties. Upon meeting Davenport, Taylor admits his discomfort with a black officer. His only interactions with blacks have been as laborers or subordinates, and he initially does not support Davenport’s investigation. Taylor is clearly displeased that Davenport, a man of equal rank, does not act subserviently. Reluctantly, Taylor becomes Davenport’s ally in the investigation. Although he does not believe in equality, he recognizes that blacks deserve justice.

Tech Sergeant Vernon C. Waters
The play begins with Waters’s murder, and his presence is felt thereafter as a voice from the past. He stands slightly off-stage in a soft light, recounting his experiences with various individuals. Waters was all about military correctness, wanting the best for his men while being hard on them when they disappointed him. He dreamed of a better future for his son than the army could offer, planning to send both his son and daughter to a white college so they could compete with whites. Waters was a complex figure, capable of both praise and harsh criticism. His goal was to eliminate southern blacks from the army, believing they held the entire black community back. However, when C.J. commits suicide, Waters is shocked and realizes he is to blame.

Captain Wilcox
Wilcox, a medical officer, is accused of participating in Waters's beating on the night of his murder. He is the one officer who treats Davenport with respect and shows no bias against blacks.

Private James Wilkie
Wilkie is a seasoned soldier in his early forties. He recently lost three stripes. Although he was closest in age to Waters, and despite losing rank, pay, and serving ten days in jail, Wilkie insists he harbored no resentment towards Waters. Wilkie served as Waters's aide, running errands, managing the baseball team, and cleaning his quarters. However, when Wilkie was caught drinking, Waters stripped him of his stripes, which had taken him a decade to earn. Later, Waters promised to restore Wilkie's stripes as a bribe to get him to plant evidence.