Tommie Pueschel dreamed of flying ever since he was a little kid. It's now 1968, and U.S. Army Warrant Officer Thomas R. Pueschel is 22 years old and his dream of flying is being realized.
Only thing is, he is in Vietnam and the helicopter he is flying is loaded with guns and rockets and while he may be flying, there's people on the ground who are shooting back at him. His dream has now turned into a full-blown nightmare. The events around him are encapsulating him, forcing him to do things he would never do, never even think of doing, and he's got no choice. In a letter home to his parents, he voices his concern:
"All my life, you and the church have taught me, 'Thou shalt not kill' and yet, I now find myself on a ship which is taking me to a place where I will be expected to do just that. It is a battle that has been raging in me for many months now, and I cannot find what seems to be an answer, and I guess I will not until that final test comes when I come face to face with my enemy and have to tighten my finger on the trigger and blast the breath of life in an instant from the body of a fellow man. I know it will be him or me, and I think that I may be able to do it, but the thought still frightens me terribly. Can I really take the life of a man, and afterwards, can I really justify that act by attributing it to my own instincts for self-preservation?"
This is the story of Tom's 423 days in Vietnam from his first days in that God-forsaken country in October 1967 through his "freedom bird" home on the 5th of December 1968. Vietnam was ugly and brutal and 1968 was the bloodiest and most deadly year of the war. Troop levels were at their highest (536,100 American troops) and the fighting was at its worst. As one of the original "Blue Ghosts", Tom flew over 900 missions in his 423 days and experienced "enough blood and gore for all."
Much of Tom's story is told in his own words, through the many letters he wrote home, with his changing thoughts and insights, and his great attempts to call out for some of the normalcy of the life he left behind. It is also told through the history of the times, the decisions made by others that he had no say in but greatly affected him, and how expendable life can be in times of war. This is a unique portrayal of one soldier's journey through the Vietnam War and his own inner struggle with the consequence of what he was doing.
