Vietnam by Chinook

Book excerpt: In 1963, the U.S. Army began developing the 1st Calvary Division for jungle fighting in Vietnam. It would be the first division fully dependent on helicopters for assault and support. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, Ed Corlew served as a crew chief and door gunner aboard a CH-47 "Chinook," based 15 miles from the DMZ. Well armed and capable of deploying platoon-sized infantry units, the tandem-rotored Chinook and it's crew were a formidable weapon in jungle warfare--large and lightly armored, they also presented easy targets. Corlew was shot down three times: in the Battle of Hue, the Battle of Quang Tri, and in the A Shau Valley. His memoir relates harrowing missions over landing zones beset with hidden enemy positions, his return home and his reflection on the war.