In this captivating memoir, Bob J. Garcia, a door gunner from the 117th Assault Helicopter Company plunges listeners into a combat helicopter during the height of the Vietnam War and his lifelong struggles with PTSD.

"We were God's young lunatics. We were reckless as we faced death every day in Vietnam. We acted fearlessly, even when we were at times scared as we flew our thinly built Army helicopters into combat, the wind sometimes threatening to crash us into mountains and rice paddies. We were brave and courageous as we flew our machines into battle, willing to die to save American infantry lives. No matter the danger, we performed our duty without complaint or hesitation. Flying anywhere, anytime, and in any condition was the calling card of the helicopter crews I call God's young lunatics."

A deeply intimate account of the Vietnam War from a perspective rarely seen and with raw honesty, the author recounts the adrenaline-fueled chaos of Army helicopter combat, revealing a staggering irony: he did it all while harboring a paralyzing fear of heights.

A realistic, accurate look inside the mind and emotions of a young soldier who survived combat, he faced other battles after returning from a vicious and divisive war. He harbored unseen scars and the health consequences of PTSD, Agent Orange, and helicopter crashes, which followed him long after the rotor blades stopped turning.

The book is a powerful testament to the helicopter crewmen of the Vietnam War. With grace, unflinching realism, and a powerful style, Bob J. Garcia allows the listener to sense the reality and dangers of combat. The book captures the brutal reality of helicopter crews who flew daily in very hazardous conditions, proving that true courage isn't the absence of fear—it's flying right through a crossfire to save the lives of American soldiers.

They were the reckless ones. They were the ones who flew when the weather said stay down and the enemy said stay back. They were God's Young Lunatics.