Angel's Wing: An Year in the Skies of Vietnam

Do you have any heroes? These days, it seems no one has any heroes any more. We are always so quick to judge, so at ease with tearing apart every action and every moment of another's life that we just refuse to admire anyone any more. I honestly think this is true of most people, but not me. I have plenty of heroes. My 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Donald Duncan, a retired Vietnam veteran by the name of John Power from my hometown and Joe Finch, the author of this book, are just three of them. I have said before and I truly do believe that the helicopter pilots of the Vietnam War either had nerves of steel or no nerves at all! How they could fly for hours at a time, when in any peace time situation they would have been grounded, I will never be able to fathom. Sure, they were a bit dare-devilish but I think it was a survival skill. In order to do unordinary things, you have to believe you can! Honestly, I think the reason most of those men climbed right back in that pilot seat time and time again sometimes flying on pure adrenalin was not their own ego at all, but for the countless lives they tried to save. I would imagine many soldiers have referred to these pilots and their ships as angels, hence the name of this book, but considering what these pilots did, I would think the angels were the ones flying next to the helicopter. This small book can easily be read in a long afternoon and is worth the read. It is lighthearted at times, speaking to the antics of a young pilot trying to make his way in the world and trying to survive a place and time few of us can even imagine, even with his help. His candor and plain English makes it possible for any reader to understand the tools and techniques he describes. The book is in no way graphic and yet as with other fine authors I have reviewed, it is graphic all the same. Not in its nature, but in the nature of the beast he describes. I would imagine he struggled with words to describe certain passages in the book that would explain but not horrify the reader. I don't really think that is possible. His words are far from graphic, but the time in his life that he describes is...... This is a fine book and Joe Finch is a fine human being. He says in his book that he served his country and came home undamaged. He married, raised a family and went on to a very productive life. I guess he says this to underscore that not all soldiers develop Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Not every man or woman that came home from war became addicted to drugs or alcohol or became homeless. Many soldiers came home to function as if nothing ever happened to them at all.In his case, it sounds as if that is true. However, I will say this, something did happen to Joe Finch and two million or so other soldiers who served. I know a little something about our Joe Finch and to the contrary of his ascertion, he has been deeply affected by his service in Vietnam. Of course he has. He has a kind heart not a hardened heart of one who

The Angel's Wing was a "very bad place" to the helicopter pilots of Viet Nam but to the men on the ground the "Angels" were the pilots themselves. For the pilots it was the hotly contested no-mans land along the Cambodian border. To those soldiers on the ground who were injured or hungry or needing support, the helicopter units like the "Little Bears" and so many others, were the Angels who came upon "rotary" wings. The book is also a story of the soldiers in those helicopters who made the rules up as they went. They learned as they lived and died.I have had the good fortune to have Joe Finch as a friend and as a professional peer for many years. A deeply religious man and a courageous aviator, he has met and challenged death in war and in peace. "Angels Wing" is a good read for those interested in the helicopter war. Written from the perspective of a "twenty something" Lieutenant, it as an absorbing chronicle of the men who flew in, and upon, the "Angels Wing."

As a former Platoon Leader in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division, I appreciated Joe Finch's account of his year in country as a Huey pilot. We operated north of the 25th Infantry Division's location but we "grunts" had a kinship with Huey pilots. They were our lifeline to food, water, sodas, and ammunition, medical care and of course mail. His account is interesting, informative and compelling. I recommend it to every American with an interest in the Vietnam War.Dave Hollar1st Lt.; 1st Inf. Div.; 1969-1970

I majored in American History in college. I studied the Vietnam War while in college. Textbooks do not give you the insight of a soldier's story. Lt. Col. Finch's experience as a young Lt. and pilot over the skies of Vietnam gives you that insight. This book shows a range of emotions. There is a balance of humor and danger throughout the book. The way he writes makes you feel as if you are on that helicopter with him.Even days after I finished reading the book, I find myself remembering the tale of Lt. Finch waiting on the ground for one more wounded soldier to make it onboard even though his aircraft was already filled with wounded and they were under attack. Then years later the two men met and the soldier thanked then Major Finch for not leaving him behind. I'd like to thank Lt. Colonel Finch and all the other American soldiers who risk their lives in war for their country. I highly recommend this book to history buffs and to anyone who wants to read a realistic book about the Vietnam War.

Once I began reading Angel's Wing: A Year in the Skies of Vietnam, I found myself completely intrigued by Lt. Finch's account of what it is like to be fresh out of flight training and placed in a war. Though I am of similar age to the author, I was lucky to have not fought in Vietnam. His account of the events helps me to understand what it must have been like to be 25 and asked to risk your life constantly in order to ensure the rescue of others even though you are doing it while being shot at and know that if caught, your head is worth a fortune to the VC. The life of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam was full of danger and the sights he saw must have been gruesome. I deeply appreciate the courage he must of had to volunteer for service even though so many guys were not coming back home at that time. We owe a debt of gratitude that young men like the author are willing to put their lives on the line when asked by their country to serve. The question of whether we should have been there is not really relevant to the story. All that matters is that so many lives were saved by his true heroism. It is tragic that so many did not come home again. It is outstanding that so many did come home again because of the efforts of "young men" like the author.Read the book and have some feeling of what it must be like to risk all to save others. This book is a real inspiration.