Customer Reviews

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

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Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Joseph R. Finch has written a thoughtful, readable, affirming book about being an Army aviator in Vietnam during 1969. Angels Wing; a Year in the Skies of Vietnam isn't "Rambo" or "Apocalypse Now"; it's "the war" as thousands of pilots and crewmembers knew it but made accessible in a way that few will beyond a small circle of family or friends. Joe wove together the mundane and the dramatic, and related both in terms that someone who wasn't there can easily grasp. Perhaps more important, he has informed this narrative with insights gained later during a highly productive career cut short by medical retirement. The title is a play on words. The Angels Wing was the nickname for a geographic area in Vietnam west of Cu Chi. That is where Joes unit -- A Company, 25th Aviation Battalion (The Little Bears) -- had its base. Joe also gives Angels Wing two implied meanings. First is a protecting presence to which Joe attributes his survival. Second is the basic role Army aviation plays for ground soldiers, whose lives often depended on the skill and courage of their brothers in the air. A great strength is the books conversational tone. Part of that comes from Joes unassuming nature. Part comes from the fact that the major source was letters Joe wrote home and his mother saved. Possibly the greatest value of this book is its discussions of the human aspects of Army aviation -- things they don't teach in flight school but that every military flight school graduate should know about. The business of the military is war, and war is breaking things and people. A cost of doing that business is being responsible for that breakage. Mistakes and tragedies occur. Joe is forthright in talking about such things, as well as about how those things affect those who commit the acts - a subject very often swept under the carpet in a de facto conspiracy of silence among both those directly involved and those around them who dont really want to know the bad news. As an example, Joe relates an incident where a Viet Cong guerrilla fired at their aircraft. The door gunner killed the VC, who turned out to be a nursing mother. He also relates having to watch an armored column get shot up under conditions that prevented doing anything to help and how that experience affected him as a person and a pilot. For the non-aviator, Joe provides a real service in explaining key technical aspects in laymans terms  e.g., autorotation and density altitude. He also explains tricks of the trade, such trading off fuel and weight carried for time of flight and vice versa. These are critical judgments that pilots constantly make but ground people often never even realize exist. He also tells about the strain that some kinds of flying impose  notably, tight formation flying at night, which is a skill that makes U.S. Army Aviation the predominant force of its kind in the world today. There are a few minor flaws that an editor/publisher ought to have caught. Some are simple spelling/word choice -- e.g., ordinance (law) for ordnance (weapon). Some reflect the lack of knowledge that often exists among operators -- e.g., gattling for Gatling (gun), FUGAS for fougasse (improvised flame munition), and Himmelman for Immelman (aerobatic maneuver). Some slips could give a knowledgeable reader pause  e.g., 175 inch for 175 millimeter guns and Silver Star as the "second highest" award for bravery, rather than third  behind the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross. Ironically Joe received the Silver Star in recognition for his unflinching support to ground soldiers. Perhaps the slip simply reflects Joes indifference to formal awards and his focus on the real quality of people and action that should underlie awards. I have confirmed these errors with Joe. He acknowledges them and will correct them in any future edition. Possibly the best measure of Joes credibility is the photographs, generously donated by fellow members of his unit. Comrades dont knowingly help people who misrepresent them. In that sense, Joe has the implied testimonial of those others who served in the Little Bears. This unit and its members compiled a highly creditable record and rightfully enjoy high regard among Vietnam vets. In short, this is a book well worth reading.

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 Hollar
1st Lt.; 1st Inf. Div.; 1969-1970

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 does not feel. He is part of a group of men and women who visit wounded soldiers at their bedside, he writes letters and sends care packages to those deployed overseas and I would venture to say that he knows the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial like the back of his heart. Of course he was affected by his service to our country, and so was I, and in no small way it is because of men like him that I am so honored to write reviews of books like this. Read this book and when you have finished, take a moment and write the author. Will you tell him that you admire him as much as I do? Will you tell him that you appreciate his sacrifices? You should.

I received a copy of Joes book from my daughter. My tour in Vietnam basicly overlaped Finch's. I was tthe Company Commander of a 25th Infantry Div Infanrty Company and was a frequent passanger and satisfied customers of the "Little Bears" services. Finch accuratly portrays the chopper pilot's role in Vietnam. From my prespective God bless the pilots they not only hauled us into trouble they always came back and got us out of it.

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.

I swapped books with Joe Finch at the 2002 VHPA convention in Las Vegas. We both flew helicopters about the same time in Vietnam. Luckily I flew in the Mekong Delta, and did not have to deal much with the jungles and trees as described in this book. Only once or twice did the Outlaws of the 175th have to go "up-North" and risk the hazards these pilots commonly underwent northwest of Saigon. Lotsa teak trees and agent Orange!
As a result, I feel I have to comment on the amount of contact with tropical vegetation as expressed within this book! We would have lost our aircraft commander orders with the blade strikes this pilot reveals! However, that said, I am glad to see my book, OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM, paired with Joe's book and I hope many readers know more about our Army Aviation experiences in RVN as a result.

In Angel's Wing, Joe Finch has set out to tell the story -- warts and all -- of his year flying helicopters in support of the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He recounts that story in frequently riveting detail, matter-of-factly describing situations that must have been absolute hell to endure. Clearly, Finch was a good pilot and, even then, an exceptional man whose compassion for his fellow soldiers led him to risk his aircraft and crew in numerous, literally death-defying missions to evacuate wounded ground troops. That he found ways to accomplish his military and personal missions in Vietnam despite his relatively low rank is a testimony to the qualities that would sustain him through the crises he faced later in life. Finch's account provides those of us who served on the ground and who often envied the aviators their showers and beds and opportunities to do some really neat things flying airplanes a very useful corrective. The story of Finch's more recent journey, though he has shared it only in outline, is gripping, as well, for what he has overcome and for the faith in God that he found along the way. A great read that could only be made substantively better by being longer and fuller!
Joe Finch has told a great story, but has been less well served by his editor, whose sloppy rectification of spellings of place names and normal English words serve as irritating reminders of the importance of the production process. Despite this quibble, Angel's Wing is eminently worth buying, reading, and keeping.

An excellent read. Of the many many books written about America's involvement in the war in Vietnam, this is perhaps one of the most human stories. Told from the personal memoirs and recollections of a young helicopter pilot, the book traces the daily experiences of a young American man plucked from the halls and playgrounds of America's university campuses in the early 1960's and thrust into an exotic, dangerous, terrifying, exhausting, profoundly sad, sometimes funny circumstances that made up, for Lieutenant Joe Finch, "this experience called war". It has taken over thirty years for Finch to be able to write this book -- and much of his experiences he still omits -- but in doing so he at last has given those of us who never went to war a moving, insider's view of what America's finest young men and women went through in service to their country. What comes through is a young man of gallantry, honesty, and compassion, shining through against a background of America's most unpopular foreign war. The story is all the more remarkable for Finch's experiences after the war, which led to a personal encounter with God, and a final chapter of healing for him an his family. A book well worth reading.