You just keep your damn mouth shut and suck down your PBRs as Mark Garrison tells you what it was like driving a Huey in Vietnam. The tales sometime seem a bit disconnected like, “Oh, yeah, remember when we…” But he covers it all from flight training to checkrides to combat to coming back home to the very worst of America. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed "Guts N' Gunships by Mr. Mark Garrison. The story begins with the author volunteering for the draft in 1968 and signing up for helicopter training. The author takes us through his training, flight school and then on to Vietnam. One thing I enjoyed was that the author has a flare for entertaining as much of his writing is filled with witticism that will make readers smile. War is also funny, especially in the antics these soldiers pull on one another. Although chopper pilots are a special breed of heroes, us grunts held them all in high esteem for they were our saviors and came whenever called. Without them, food, water, ammo, extraction, medivac and fire support would not be there and many more soldiers would have died.

Mark's first mission was a baptism of fire, and even he could not understand the "coolness" and patience portrayed by these chopper drivers as they flew through a hail of enemy bullets to land. Soon, finding that he, too, would become a skilled and professional pilot.

Mr. Garrison stays away from politics but admits that he will continue to fly and fight the enemy as long as it will help young American Soldiers survive and return home.

It's understandable that the pilots work extreme hours and then still get special night projects which results in their getting little sleep, but the war must go on and there are only so many officers to go around. However, on those nights when they didn't fly, it seems that all of them dabbled with booze to erase the tension of the day and be able to sleep at night. It's easy to see the camaraderie developed by this special group of soldiers and the bond that remains even after returning home.

If you are looking for a shoot-em-up type of book, then Guts N' Gunships is not for you. If you want to learn what these young men had to endure during training and war - both when it was dangerous and even the boring times - then jump on this one. Highly recommended! Thank you Mr. Garrison! Welcome Home, Brother!

John Podlaski, author
"Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?" ( )