The Odds of Survival

The story of an Assault Helicopter pilot's riveting memoir in Vietnam from 1967 through 1968 flying the famed UH-1H Huey. He was a pilot with 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st. Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile). His helicopter company earned the Presidential Valorous Unit Award in the Fall of 1967. Courage was never-ending, including a Medal of Honor recipient. They flew in the mountainous terrain west of Chu Lai in the Que Sanh Valley, with riveting daily skirmishes, dangerous missions and narrow escapes! In 1968, the North Vietnamese Army launched the TET Offensive. Some 8,500 well-equipped NVA regulars blasted their way into the Imperial City of Hue, pushing US Marines out of the Old Walled City. The battle lasted 21 days and was the bloodiest and heaviest conflict of the Vietnam War. Ide describes the horror of war during those death-defying days. The 1st. Air Cavalry Division airlifted 30,000 men and artillery into the hills above and around Khe Sanh, where 6,000 Marines had been under heavy attack since January 1968. April 1968 initiated the invasion of the A Shau Valley. It was the hottest aerial combat the 1st Cavalry or any other helicopter unit faced in Vietnam, before or since. As a result, the division suffered the most helicopter losses of any one day of the war. This book takes you on a front-row helicopter trip through the Vietnam War's worst and most famous battles, a ride you will never forget!