Customer Reviews

Seawolves: First Choice

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought that this book by Dan Kelly was about as close to real as could be told. I was a doorgunner with the Seawolves at the same time as Dan, however, at a different detachment. His experiences, although different, brought back similar experieces that I had gone through. The baptism of fire in earning Combat Aircrew wings was similar throughout each Seawolf detachment. The spirit that embodied the Navy Seawolves was living thing no matter in what detachment you served. Our one mission, as far as the pilots and gunners were concerned was to not leave any comrads on the ground or in trouble. Our history, as detailed in Dan's book, bears this action out. As I read it, I got goose bumps and very emotional just thinking about the past. A very good read.

If your son, father, brother or friend flew gunships in 'Nam, read this book and look at them in a whole new way. Dan Kelly's book tells about a group of men that most have never heard of, unless they were Seals, PBR sailors or Special Forces in the Mekong Delta. I was priviliged to be a member of the Seawolves' support unit at Binh Thuy. I saw them go out and I saw them come back. Once in a while I got to see them "work out" from the deck of a boat. Watching them roll in on their "loop de loop" and seeing the results was a sight I'll never forget. Dan takes you along on a scramble to experience what few men ever do. Reading this book I began to smell the sour mud, jet fuel and cordite that infused this green-brown world I left behind many years ago. Forget Rambo, These are the guys that really did the job. They were my heroes then and they still are today. This would make one helluva' movie.

Boat? What boat -- I find Kelly's accounts 1% inflated and 99% accurate -- Having flown for several tours as a door gunner in HAL(3) - AND having FIRST HAND knowledge of the air cav - I can only guess that "Al Server" must be the younger brother of a REAL AIR CAV gunner/crewchief and took every one of his older brothers war stories and ran them through his non-combatant imagination -- If the reason to write a book and put it on the open market is to then SELL the book --then Kelly has hit the mark with his cutting edge wit and his honest portrayal of HIS experiences -- The market for a dry tale of dusty wet drudgery interupted by moments of sheer terror and war time humor is much better in its truth than your poor attempt at reviewing something it seems you know nothing about -- a certain author of a casual tale - Rogue Warrior - would be interested in your view point about SEALS and Seawolves-- why don't you tell him in your review of HIS book that he is just a "TALL ARVN" -- Kellys book is an excellent example of OUR expiernces -I applaud him --- "Stretch" -Det 7 1967'68'69 --

This book is one of the best there is on Helicopter warfare in Vietnam. Even though I am a 35 year old woman and don't have much military history to lean on, this book was easy to read, exciting and hard to put down.

I recommend this book to anyone who flew in gunships, is a true Vietnam Veteran, or who is just interested in helicopters in Vietnam.

Dan Kelly's experience with the Navy's Sea Wolves in Vietnam is more than what most people can handle in a lifetime. Suffering two painful injuries and serving two tours of duty and flying as door gunner through some of the most horrendous circumstances is the stuff heros are made of.

The fact that he stresses going to Vietnam was *his choice*, and choosing the Sea Wolves was *his choice* shows you just what kind of man Dan Kelly is. It also shows you what kind of men flew with the Sea Wolves: The men you want to rescue you when you are in deep trouble.

The men of the Sea Wolves were the kind of men you knew you could count on when you needed them. I'd be proud to fly with them anyday.

Buy this book if you have the guts to fly along. You will re-learn what you may have forgotten about honor and heroism.

Dan Kelly has provided us with an extremely well written autobiography of his life with as a Seawolf. The book is articulate, very well thought out, contains sadness, empathy, glory, and pain. As a work it reads like fiction, easy to understand with an excellant storyline. His story of the Seawolves, as seen from the point of view of a 20 year old Crew Chief/Gunner is exceptionally factual and accurate. I know, I too was a Seawolf

The detailed descriptions the author uses to go inside his head and catch a glimpse of what it must have felt like in Vietnam are well chronicled. Each night I could not force myself to read self-help books for wanting to get back to the action with Dan Kelly. This book goes further than recounting war stories;rather, it takes an opportunity to teach of our duty, our responsibility, to take responsibility for our choices. The author is a very positive person and being that after learning of some of his adventures is truly remarkable. Like he once told me when I asked how is he so upbeat on life after serving our country through the harrowing adventures he did, he replied, "When you get that close to death,then and only then, will you know what it is like to live."

Few have known of the Seawolves, "invented" in Vietnam as the air arm of the brown-water Navy engaged in daily nose-to-nose battle with the Viet Cong and North Viet Army. They became a tight-knit family with the SEALS and the river-boat crews in the back-water swamps, canals, and rivers of the Mekong Delta. Anyone who understands the idea of standing by family when the world is going to worms can under-stand this amazing brotherhood of warriors. They frequently, and willingly flew into the jaws of certain destruction rather than abandon ship-mates under intense enemy fire. Although it might have looked like suicide, they were usually amazingly successful; and they went back and did it again and again! The Seawolves is Dan Kelly's story; it is their story. He was a Seawolf door gunner, trained to perch off ballance out the side door of a shaking UH-1 helicopter in a 110 miles-per-hour slipstream and shoot the eyes off a potato 500 to 1000 feet distant with an awkward M-60 machine gun fired free-hand. 43 Seawolves didn't come home from Vietnam; many others lost limbs to enemy action. All were heroes. Dan Kelly's book is an exciting read; it builds to a climax that candidly reveals just how hazzardous their mission and daily routine really was. I know; I was one of them.

I loved this book! It was interesting exiting and funny. I could not put it down. I was very interesting to learn about Veitnam witch is a very complicated subject but Kelly makes it easy to understand.

Dan Kelly's "Seawolves: First Choice" is an action packed true-to-life Vietnam adventure. Dan captures the spirit of our involvement there, and takes the reader into the heart of battle with his personal experiences. I've known Dan for a number of years..but, I really didn't know Dan until I read his account of his experiences in Vietnam. This not only gives me a new appreciation of Dan, but a new appreciation of what he and his Seawolf buddies had to go through. It is interesting to note that without the Seawolves help and support in the thick of battle..the Seal Units would not have had the success that they had. Knowing Dan, I could see his personality coming through loud and clear. It was like I was there with him; hearing his laughter, his funny comments and just being around this charismatic character. This running commentary captures "a day in the life of" a Seawolf. I highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to know what it was really like in 'Nam. This would make a GREAT movie! I can't wait to read the follow-up books by Dan. He has a real talent in capturing and sharing with the reader "real life" experiences. Dan, thanks for sharing my friend! Jim McCurdy Abilene, Texas

First, I was a "black shoe" (engineer) not an air-dale. While I did work with and knew members of HAL-3 DET 9, I am no expert in helicopter combat. Still, I will take "als932" to task for what I am sure is an innocently mistaken comment. In fact the book does specifically point out that later model UH-1 gun-ships do have more firepower and loiter time. The author points this out and credits US Army helicopters with coming to their assistance when they were attempting to rescue a downed Seawolf.

As I served eight years eleven months including one "West Pac" and two tours in country in the US Navy before switching to the US Army NG where I retired, I appreciate books like this one that do give credit and acknowledgment to the other branches. One major point that the author makes is that whether it was Seals, SF, River Rats, 9th ID, Navy aviation, Army aviation or ARVN, we were on the same team and worked together.