After having written my first Award Winning book, Missions Of Fire And Mercy, I felt something was missing. I have always had a great deal of respect for the Infantry (grunts) who our unit, C/227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry supported. They were always appreciative of the helicopters and crews. My personal feeling is that they heroically fought the worst part of the Viet Nam war. Chopper Warriors will introduce many of the survivors of that war. The true, interesting, guy-wrenching and often thrilling stories you are about to read are from men whom I am honored to know. Many of the words written here are theirs from interviews I have done. As a storyteller, I have tried to recapture the events as they happened forty-five plus years ago. The narrative and scenes created here are mostly true, and the dialogue is written for all audiences from teenagers to adults, men and women alike. Our unit supported these men in every way; inserting them into the fiery hell of battle, and supplying them with ammo, food, water, and mail, often under intense enemy fire. When they were ready to move on to a different LZ, we picked them up and re-inserted them. When they were sick or wounded, we flew them to the closest field hospital. When they were silently lying in the jungle, having breathed their last, they were solemnly picked up and loaded on our choppers. We reverently evacuated them to an area where they could be cared for, prior to their final flight back to their loved ones. I have the utmost respect for the guys we called “grunts”. Though our military technology didn’t always work, the helicopter was a very useful tool for putting our troops right where they needed to be – deep within the enemy’s lair. More importantly, the choppers saved innumerable lives that in other wars would have been snuffed out. For that I am grateful to have been a part of the First Team in Viet Nam. In my personal stories that you will read, I have used actual names whenever possible. In other cases, names have been changed in honor of the families. It is my most sincere hope that these accounts will be read by many who have lost loved ones in this most unpopular war. Many soldiers involved in Viet Nam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and others have declined to tell their own stories to those they love back home, as they actually happened. The feelings that war veterans have run very deep and are often very traumatic. Many don’t want to relive those horrendous nightmares. Severe cases of PTSD, guilt, or not wanting families to know what they went through are prevalent and very real. In many cases, their stories are relived here as they actually happened. Here, you may finally read about what your son, grandson, husband, father, or friend endured. Though honorable and often heroic, you can be sure the memories are horrible, and something they will never forget. Throughout these stories, you will see the word “grunts.” It seems that all wars have their own nomenclature. In Viet Nam, a grunt fought the toughest part of the war, in my mind. In many cases, that was to lessen the fear of their family and friends. Though noble, I personally feel that to be a shame. I pray that knowing what your loved ones went through may bring healing to a lot of you.