Joseph R FinchAngel's Wing: An Year in the Skies of Vietnam

Outstanding stories kept my interest. Very succinct not painfully drawnout and boring. Accurate & exciting. Loved it, especially personal stories of Devine intervention . Looking forward to your next book😎

This pilot, even though commissioned and not a Warrant Officer, was an excellent pilot and Aircraft Commander. He cared about his crew and in return they would give him 110% of themselves, on or off the ship. He also cared about the people on the ground. Something quite a few forgot, was why we were flying so much. I was a tanker my first tour, in the boonies with the grunts. I volunteered to come back as a door gunner, even though I couldn't be promoted to Sgt., even though I was promotable. Best move I ever made. I Loved Flying, especially with our Nam pilots. Those guys took their very basic knowledge, taught in flight school and really put the UH-1D' and H models to their performance limits and sometimes beyond. Those helicopters were asked to perform actions we were told wasn't possible, but our pilots, most of the time under dire circumstances, showed how resilient and tough they were. I hope Bell Helicopter realizes the tough warbirds they built for us more than met expectations. Sometimes a ship would come in with a shot up crew and the aircraft hit so many times the weight of the lead alone should have brought us down. But, even though she may have died where we landed, she got us home!!

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."

I bought this book because I served in 1967 with a 1st Aviation Brigade unit that flew in basically the same AO, but usually in support of the 1st Infantry Division. I wanted to see what he said about areas I knew.Unlike many accounts that are chronological in nature, this one covers different aspects of a helicopter pilot and A/Cs responsibilities and experiences, without an attempt to lay them out in strict chronological order. I think you'll find this book highly readable and informative by a writer who is quite self-effacing about a very action-packed tour accompanied by some significant decorations (DFC and Silver Star) mentioned only at the very close of the book. Along the way you'll learn a lot about how a helicopter is flown and why.This book will sneak up on you due to the author's quiet style.

Excellent read. As a grunt on the ground with the 25th Wolfhounds I always appreciated the huey pilots and there bravery. When we were in trouble we always knew that no matter what they were coming to our aid. A huge thank you to all those pilots who put it on the line for those of us who were in big trouble on the ground. I have always wanted an insight as to what these men went thru and from reading this book I now have it. God Bless and be you you all!!

I certainly enjoyed the author's way of phrasing and wording his experiences in the Nam. One of the better books about flying in the war

God bless you and it speaks to all of us nam vets that he truly has. I thank God that there were so many men like you.

This is a book about a year of helicopter pilot training and a year in Vietnam demonstrating the skills you've learned. Well thought out and goes into the Army way of doing things while you're trying to save lives and give the ground troops a chance to go home to their families. I will read again. Bob

I read this book surprisingly quickly and the stories were amazing.

An interesting story well written

It was a nice one, but I have read better ones from slick drivers. A good read but Chickenhawk, for instance, was better. Nevertheless, if one's a helicopter buff and interested in the era - sure worth reading.