Chopper Heroes Have Guns Will Travel will introduce many of the survivors of the nasty war in Vietnam. The true, interesting, gut-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. I am proud to have been a helicopter crew chief/door gunner with C/227th Assault Helicopter Batallion,1st Air Cav. Our unit supported many of these men in every way; inserting them into the fiery, bloody 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, our aircraft picked them up and re-inserted them into yet another nightmarish battle. 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 carefully 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. 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. I pray that knowing what your loved ones went through may bring healing to many of you. May God bless you and your family.
About the Author: Raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Bill Peterson learned how to hunt and was taught by his father to make every shot count. Little did he know at the time that this training would be extremely useful within just a few short years. His father, Gene, was a B-17 pilot and spoke often of his hitch in the U.S. Air Corps. He instilled in his family a great sense of patriotism. At the age of eighteen, Bill not only enlisted and signed up to be a Huey helicopter crew chief, but when asked in Basic Training for his first and second choice of assignment, he said "Viet Nam." The sergeant asking the question was very surprised, but said that could be guaranteed. After watching helicopters in action on the nightly news, he wanted to be part of it. After 36 Air medals, (two with Valor), a Purple Heart, and numerous other awards, he got more than he might have hoped. After much pleading from his family, friends and a good deal of soul searching, Bill spent 15 years writing his first book, "Missions Of Fire And Mercy Until Death Do Us Part". He then felt a need to interview many Vietnam vets and told their true stories in, "Chopper Warriors Kicking The Hornet's Nest". Both books have won prestigious awards from The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA). "Chopper Warriors" also won The Readers Favorite Award. "Chopper Heroes Have Guns Will Travel" features interviews from Vietnam combat soldiers who served in many different capacities. From combat helicopter crews, to medics and corpsmen, to infantrymen, to artillerymen, to Green Berets. It's all vividly told here. Mr. Peterson tells the gut-wrenching stories of combat that will take you right in to the teeth of the enemy.