GUTS 'N GUNSHIPS: What it was Really Like to Fly Combat Helicopters in Vietnam

by Mark Garrison

The drill sergeants (aka “Yes Drill Sergeant!”) were trained in the specialty of taking perfectly normal civilians off the street, breaking them down to the lowest human denominator and reassembling them into homicidal maniacs.

“This is my weapon (holding up his rifle) and this is my gun (grabbing his crotch) My weapon’s for killing My gun is for fun.”

In the civilian world, the aircraft commander flies from the right seat in a helicopter and from the left seat in a fixed wing aircraft.

I suppose this is why the army takes young males into service. They are full of testosterone and patriotism, which makes them easy to mold into homicidal lunatics. They are more likely to obey orders without question, no matter what the orders are. Older folks, with the benefit of life experience, are much more difficult to manipulate. They have seen enough of the political bullshit that fuels wars, and are more apt to look upon the whole process with a jaundiced eye. When given a command, they are much more likely to ask why. In short, they have learned to be more rational.

I thought then, and still do today, that if the leaders that started wars, or their offspring, had to fly just one hot combat mission, there wouldn’t be any such thing as war. I’m sure the bastards would work things out at the table instead.