Customer Reviews

To The Limit: An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I finished your book about a two weeks ago.

A totally engrossing read. If you had any question about your success in conveying what it must have been like, you nailed it 100%.

I waited a couple of weeks to see let the story sink in before writing as I thought I'd be able to more adequately describe how much I enjoyed the book and to somehow explain just how much impact it had. I find I'm still short of words, so you'll have to accept that as the best compliment I can come up with.

You and your fellow aviators have my absolute respect and admiration. I turned the TV on a few days ago to see "Tour of Duty" showing on the History channel. There was a Huey dropping off a bunch of guys! I have not watched that series before and having gained some insight from your book, it is something I can watch with considerably more knowledge, respect and interest.

The technical description of how those whirlybirds work and behave is reminiscent of Tom Clancy's writing style in his books that usually involve submarines. In this case, knowing the story is in fact non-fiction adds an entirely new perspective.

I'm still struck with the vision of waking up in your tent - a damp, humid, mucky, muddy, steamy cauldron - I could "feel" what you described.

I am left with very clear visions of: how you "sanitized" your machine by dipping it in the river; the lesson (and practice) of keeping the nose high during a crash into trees; the emotional toll being separated from a young wife; losing friends; crashes and combat; landing without power! WOW.....

I'm still fascinated by the concept of landing a helicopter without power! I'd love to see a video of that. Those things really don't look like gliding is something they do particularly well... That whole auto-rotation thing is hard to accept without actually seeing it work.

As the author put it, the Army gave him a choice, he could walk or he could fly around Vietnam. At nineteen he already had five years of flying experience. It isn't hard to guess which option he choose, especially since by now you've certainly read the title of the book.

His tour of duty ran from June 1967 to June 1968. During that time he flew 1600 air hours. A normal work year in the US is 2000 hours. He was basically in the air for a year. And he was there during some of the worst possible times: Hue and Khe Sanh, operations in the A Shau and Song Re valleys. This was the most dangerous job that the Army had, one in eighteen didn't come home alive. The book is dedicated in memory of James Arthur Johansen. He is pictured on page 193 a few hours before he was killed.

Mr. Johnson came home with a chest full of medals. He doesn't mention what kind of a reception he received when he came back, but 1968 was the time when the reception was not good. He deserved the medals, and I hope his reception was good. Thanks, Mr. Johnson, for writing this story.

To The Limit is a 1st rate, well written book that shows Helicopter flying at its best. One can learn great insight into the skills required to fly a helicopter, especially in combat.
Due to combat situations and other extenuating circumstances, Tom Johnson, his air crews, and the helicopters themselves are pushed "beyond their limits".
With great detail Tom Johnson vividly describes many instances from his flight school days through his tour of duty in Vietnam.
Some stories are hysterical, including the time mortars are falling all around, while Tom Johnson and others are trying to run from the outhouse to seek cover.
Tom's vivid description of combat, death of friends, and others he never knew, gives you a true feel of the intensity of combat. The vivid pictures he describes will cause your heart to race and your palms to sweat.

I own and have read every Vietnam War Army aviation book that has been published. To The Limit is the most well put together and exciting 'read' that is out there. As a 20+ year pilot veteran of Army aviation myself, I am humbled and awed by some of the stressful situations the author has experienced. I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the heroism of Army aviators in Vietnam. They should have made this book into a movie! FIVE STARS!

so, i thought i'd give the point of view of a young person and my impressions of this book.

recently i took an interest in the vietnam war and after seeing most of the vietnam movies out there, i moved onto books. i wasn't sure exactly which aspect of the war i wanted to read about, but from "we were soldiers" i became familiar with the air cavalry and so i picked this book.

and i'm so glad i did. i loved it. this is the sort of stuff i wish they'd told me about in school. i think tom johnson did an awesome job of telling his story truthfully but modestly. the book is so real. it wasn't a bunch of watered down garbage (which i've read enough of in high school), it was his story as he remembered it. i saw the pride the air cavalry guys had for their division and how deeply affected they were by the losses of their friends. i saw how the guys emotionally dealt with dangerous missions and their possible deaths, and a lot of the "goings on" of the military.

also, this book is crazy intense. especially the chapter about his experience in the a shau valley. my palms were sweaty and everything. if that's not a sign of a good book i don't know what is.

overall, i reccommend this book to my peers and my elders alike.

Johnson's propensity for detail is amazing. From the very first page I felt I was inside of a Huey helicopter at the controls. It was downhill from there. The action was so heart pounding and detailed, I could hardly put the book down. I even carried it in my truck so I could read while stopped at red lights. In between the action, the times at the various LZs were very entertaining and enlightening. Johnson really brought the other soldiers to life so that you felt you knew each man on a personal basis. The flashbacks to the time when he was in training was critical in relating how he reacted to his current situation. I highly recommend this book to all ages.

I got the book and couldn't put it down. I agree with others who have read it, its a helluva of a good book. Tom A. Johnson takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions from awe inspiring to tears to laughter. You certainly come away with respect for the job helicopter pilots did in Viet Nam. An amazing read.

I have read many books on Vietnam about Hueys and this is the best since Chickenhawk!
If you want to ride with a Huey pilot-READ THIS BOOK!

In Tom Johnson's TO THE LIMIT I have found the true heroes of my generation. In this book, Tom Johnson so vividly gives clarity to the men and women who fought and gave their lives in Vietnam. We can never show our true gratitude for what these people sacrificed for their country. What makes TO THE LIMIT so unique and different from all the many books I have read is that Tom Johnson writes this book from his heart. To write from your heart you must be in touch with your soul. He is a remarkable human being who allows his readers to empathize and share the reality and horrors that the men and women of the Vietnam War lived. Begin reading TO THE LIMIT and you will have a hard time laying it down until it is completed.

M. Wayne Seabolt

In the fine tradition of Robert Mason's "Chickenhawk", "To the Limit" is the story of Warrant Officer Tom Johnson's tour of duty as a chopper pilot with the First Air Cavalry Division from '67-'68. The author's original base was at Landing Zone English, north of Qui Nhon. WO Johnson virtually puts the reader beside him in his chopper. It boggles one to even try to understand what these guys went through every day of their tour. And it is staggering just to read of the details-details-details these men had to keep straight just to keep their aircraft flying, let alone survive in combat over treacherous terrain. Talk about having it together! The reader will follow Johnson through battles for the city of Hue, the besieged Khe Sanh and the infamous A Shau Valley, which the author refers to as the "Lair of Lucifer". In one harrowing chapter, we read as 5 choppers near WO Johnson are shot down! There is also a fearsome escape and evasion as Johnson and his crew claw their way to friendly Landing Zone Vickie. Johnson also intersperses poignant flashbacks to his training at Fort Wolters, TX and Fort Rucker, AL. This Vietnam vet was humbled to read "To the Limit". His tour in country was a year at the beach in comparison. Some may feel that Johnson gets a bit too technical for nonpilots but the response to that might be that flying a chopper in combat is technical. The author is stonily realistic, Vietnam style. The author does include a helpful glossary and diagrams on "What Makes Choppers Fly". The first line above compared "To the Limit" to "Chickenhawk". Those who have read Mason's story know that is the highest praise a reviewer can give to a Vietnam tale. A final compliment: The MAPS in "To the Limit" are excellent! So many military tales fail on this point. WO Johnson even surveys the wild bandit country of northern South Vietnam for us. Good job!