After having written my first Award Winning book, Missions Of FireAnd Mercy, I felt something was missing. I have always had a greatdeal of respect for the Infantry (grunts) who our unit, C/227th AssaultHelicopter Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry supported. They werealways appreciative of the helicopters and crews. My personal feelingis that they heroically fought the worst part of the Viet Nam war.Chopper Warriors will introduce many of the survivors of thatwar. The true, interesting, guy-wrenching and often thrilling stories youare 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 thedialogue is written for all audiences from teenagers to adults, menand women alike.Our unit supported these men in every way; inserting them intothe fiery hell of battle, and supplying them with ammo, food, water,and mail, often under intense enemy fire. When they were ready tomove on to a different LZ, we picked them up and re-insertedthem. When they were sick or wounded, we flew them to the closestfield hospital. When they were silently lying in the jungle,having breathed their last, they were solemnly picked up and loadedon our choppers. We reverently evacuated them to an area wherethey could be cared for, prior to their final flight back to their lovedones. I have the utmost respect for the guys we called "grunts".Though our military technology didn't always work, the helicopterwas a very useful tool for putting our troops right where theyneeded to be - deep within the enemy's lair. More importantly, thechoppers saved innumerable lives that in other wars would havebeen snuffed out. For that I am grateful to have been a part of theFirst Team in Viet Nam.In my personal stories that you will read, I have used actualnames whenever possible. In other cases, names have been changedin honor of the families.It is my most sincere hope that these accounts will be read bymany who have lost loved ones in this most unpopular war. Manysoldiers involved in Viet Nam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, andothers have declined to tell their own stories to those they love backhome, as they actually happened. The feelings that war veteranshave run very deep and are often very traumatic. Many don't wantto relive those horrendous nightmares. Severe cases of PTSD, guilt,or not wanting families to know what they went through are prevalentand 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 oftenheroic, you can be sure the memories are horrible, and somethingthey will never forget.Throughout these stories, you will see the word "grunts." Itseems that all wars have their own nomenclature. In Viet Nam, agrunt fought the toughest part of the war, in my mind.In many cases, that was to lessen the fear of their family andfriends. Though noble, I personally feel that to be a shame. I praythat knowing what your loved ones went through may bring healingto a lot of you.