To the Limit : An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam

Helicopter pilots in Vietnam kidded one another about being nothing but glorified bus drivers. But these “rotor heads” saved thousands of American lives while performing what the Army classified as the most dangerous job it had to offer. One in eighteen did not return home. Tom A. Johnson flew the UH-1 “Iroquois” — better known as the “Huey” — in the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the First Air Cavalry Division. From June 1967 through June 1968, he accumulated an astonishing 1,600 flying hours (1,150 combat and 450 noncombat). His battalion was one of the most highly decorated units in the Vietnam War and, as part of the famous First Air Cavalry Division, helped redefine modern warfare. With tremendous flying skill, Johnson survived rescue missions and key battles that included those for Hue and Khe Sanh and operations in the A Shau and Song Re valleys, while many of his comrades did not. His heartfelt and riveting memoir will strike a chord with any soldier who ever flew in the ubiquitous Huey and any reader with an interest in how the Vietnam War was really fought. Purchase the audio edition. project_muse_28115-1152338 7 project_muse_28115-1152339 9 project_muse_28115-1152340 11 project_muse_28115-1152341 13 project_muse_28115-1152342 15 project_muse_28115-1152343 51 project_muse_28115-1152344 77 project_muse_28115-1152345 87 project_muse_28115-1152346 101 project_muse_28115-1152347 111 project_muse_28115-1152348 123 project_muse_28115-1152349 143 project_muse_28115-1152350 157 project_muse_28115-1152351 165 project_muse_28115-1152352 175 project_muse_28115-1152353 191 project_muse_28115-1152354 203 project_muse_28115-1152355 229 project_muse_28115-1152356 231 project_muse_28115-1152357 243 project_muse_28115-1152358 255 project_muse_28115-1152359 275 project_muse_28115-1152360 297 project_muse_28115-1152361 311 project_muse_28115-1152362 343 project_muse_28115-1152363 385 project_muse_28115-1152364 391 project_muse_28115-1152365 395 project_muse_28115-1152366 397 project_muse_28115-1152367 403 project_muse_28115-1152368 407

a Helicopter Pilot's Dramatic Memoir