Guts 'N Gunships: What It Was Really Like to Fly Combat Helicopters in Vietnam

This is an honest and insightful account of flying helicopters in the service of one’s country in wartime, and as a bonus Garrison is a gifted storyteller and a compelling writer who brings the reader on each flight. Along the way he recalls our country’s schizophrenic relationship with the Vietnam War, characterized by mismanagement by our elected government and the disdain of an uninformed, if not misinformed public. Over the course of 500 missions in a single year, Garrison maintained his sanity by virtue of his deep-seated commitment to saving the lives of American soldiers, whether by engaging the enemy or by extracting troops in harm’s way; a wry and at times self-deprecating sense of humor; and not a little off-duty drinking. Garrison is the product of an era in which young men faced the prospect of a draft and service to country. Hopefully, readers who have come of age since will reflect on their own commitment to their country. In the final pages of the book, Garrison recalls being spat at upon his arrival back in the United States. It is probably asking too much to hope that some of those who were contemptuous of our fighting forces will read this book and take it to heart.

As a Vietnam era Army vet and a wannabe Gunship pilot of the era, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Kinda' profane in places, but the times were the worst of times and life was lived hour-to-hour by these guys. I was spared the trauma that these pilots and aircrews endured because I never left the U.S.A. I remember having waited month after month for a levy with my name on it and having tried my best to prepare for duty over there (in ATC). That fateful levy never came and I ETS'd a free man early in '71, frustrated that my aviation dreams were not to be. Now I realize just how close to death I'd ventured. Over 30% of those heroes never came home and their number could quite easily have included me. The emotional scars still carried by so many of those survivors is a lifelong cross. The open betrayal of their own countrymen upon return from 'Nam only doubled their suffering. The author covers that with the eloquence of simplicity. I was blessed and I didn't know it. So, yeah, a worthwhile read, especially for us of the era. It's cathartic and it's history well told.

For a guy who never intended to be an author, this is a well written and edited collection of stories from a year in country. Had circumstances turned out just a little bit differently, I would have followed the author's road into aerial combat in Vietnam. My only other preferred option would have been PBR operations, but the Huey personifies "our" war.The reconstructed dialogue in this book is strained, but it was reconstructed, after all.As a health insurance pro and a Medicare expert ("Medicare for the Lazy Man, 2022...") I am sorry to hear about the turn to the dark side but it apparently served the author well in spite of it's voodoo, bone casting & tree worshiping nature. I hope he was able to help some people along the way.All-in-all, a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thanks!

I love Mr Garrison's book. He's a true American hero, having served his country in Vietnam as a Huey helicopter pilot. Saved so many lives! He really paints pictures with words. Watch his videos on YouTube too!

As a former Huey pilot in Vietnam (1966-67), I wanted to see what memories another chopper pilot retained after all those years. There have been other books written by former pilots of the Vietnam War and too many of them reflect rather large egos and exaggerated stories. Our stories seem to vary a good deal but it depends on what unit you were in. I flew slicks for the 1st Air Cav and we had our fair share of combat. Our living conditions were primitive with no hooches, hooch maids or officers clubs. Rather, we lived in tents, slept on bunks made from ammo boxes and had the privilege of outhouses (while the grunts slept on the ground and the great outdoors was their outhouse). We were a united brotherhood and that's the common ground of most pilots' stories. If you were a pilot, you will find technical mistakes and stories that there are a bit contrived but that is not to criticize this book. The Huey pilots (slicks or guns) saw the war mostly from above but on the ground (briefly) as we inserted and retrieved our grunts. The gunship drivers were a different breed, taking on any challenge in the face of certain fire. If you want to learn about the war from a gun pilot's perspective, I would recommend this book.

I read all sorts of books,but this includes a fair amount of military history. I did not serve but my father and uncles all fought in WWII. I knew very little about the helicopter crews that were such a big part of that conflict. Garrison writes about the fighting, the technical extreme challenges they faced as well as the very poor govt. leadership that brought this war to us. Ironically, I am glad that the author did not seem to know about LBJs mob connections and heroin business. This was such a sad time for our nation. I will thank the author for doing what he did, and writing so well about it. I will be thinking about this excellent book for some time. Too bad that Mr trump is probably unable to read it.

As a pilot veteran myself, this is so similar to my experiences in Angola that it made compelling reading. Recommended.

Libro davvero molto interessante, scritto bene, in un inglese semplice e comprensibile. Gli acronimi sono sempre spiegati ed i modi di dire comprensibilissimi. Un libro di memorie dove la guerra è sempre presente, ma il focus è sull'amicizia e sull'esperienza di piloti poco più di vent'anni. Una lettura davvero consigliata

Heutzutage ist der Vietnam-Krieg mehr oder weniger in Vergessenheit geraten, kaum ein Mensch weiß noch etwas davon. Die Deutschen hatten damit ja auch nichts zu tun.Was die Sichtweise amerikanischer Soldaten betrifft - hier ist die Beschreibung eines Hubschrauberpiloten eines sog. Gun-Ships. Wer bis dahin noch Illusionen über diesen Krieg hatte - hier erledigen sie sich.Es geht an dieser Stelle auch darum, dass niemand gern dort hin ging, weil das Risiko, verletzt oder getötet zu werden, unabweisbar war - und wer will das mit 20 Jahren? - Eine Frage, die jeden Krieg bewegt. - Es wird aber auch gezeigt, wie die Soldaten sich für das, was sie gut fanden, einsetzten.Kurz und gut: kein Buch für eine Gute-Nacht-Geschichte, aber wer etwas über den Vietnam-Krieg erfahren will, kommt hier weiter.

very good read,,lots of mental strain moral fibre, lots of people owe their lives to these hero's, pilots and techs. Incredible mental strain day after day.

Not as memorable as "Chickenhawk" or "Low Level Hell" but very very good. I'm glad that I bought "Guts ''N Gunships" and commend the author for his clear and engaging writing style. One of the advantages of this book is that you can look up the author on UTUBE and see the various interviews that he has given about the war. They are largely reproductions of some chapters but they are interesting nonetheless. Also, I recommend finding the UTUBE video of the 1969 radio traffic between the author - aka "Pigpen", the author's wingman - aka "Waldo" - and another helicopter that they were escorting. It's a good example of grace under pressure and is especially fascinating for those who have read the chapter to which it relates.