Choppers in 'Nam (Chickenhawk - Robert Mason)

Member Name: robvr6

Product:	Chickenhawk - Robert Mason
Date:	13/07/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, easy to read, very informative

Disadvantages: War books arent for everyone

I have been reading a lot of the more recent Iraq and Afganistan True stories of late, and it was on the off chance that a friend gave me this book telling me it was worth a look, even if i wasnt a fan of the Vietnam era.

To be honest i havent read anything from the era, and like most people have seen the classic movies and enjoyed them, so i thought i would give this a good go, and im glad i did.

The book was written around 1965-66 from the authors experiences as a huey pilot, lifting soldiers into battle zones and ferrying commanders and supplies around souther Vietnam. The opening of the book lists his dreams as a child of flying through to his acceptance as a trainee pilot, and the ensuing training courses.

When the story moves onto his experiences of travelling to and serving in Vietnam his story really hits a good pace and as opposed to a lot of the movie and interviews with the Vietnam Veterans that i have seen or read, he shows a genuine human side, being both scared and also flawed.

By the time i had read around half of this book, Robert Mason had described in such detail the ways of piloting that i was considering a career as a huey pilot myself!! He had also ruined several of the ideas and imagary i had in my minds eye about the capabilities of helicopters, which admittedly was based on the above mentioned films.

This is a very well written and deeply informative (and sometimes very graphic) account, that really has opened my eyes to the plight of soldiers serving in 'Nam, not only from the action packed operations, but also the mundane every day boredom that they went through.

If you have ever read any war memoirs or 'true stories' then you should really give this a try, you will definately be surprised and possibly shocked with the content.

One final point is that although this is a serious story, Mr Mason also highlights certain things in such a real way that you probably will find yourself quietly laughing to yourself.

Summary: A definate read for war enthusiasts and helicopter pilots, and a good addition for those who arent