Snake Pilot: Flying The Cobra Attack Helicopter In Vietnam
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| Snake Pilot: Flying The Cobra Attack Helicopter In Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Based on audiotapes he recorded during the war and sent home to his family, Randy Zahns Snake Pilot recounts his experiences flying AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the Vietnam War. First deployed in Vietnam in 1967 and loaded with a formidable arsenal of weaponry, the Cobra was the first helicopter designed from inception as an attack aircraft. It dramatically changed the nature of the war in Vietnam by offering the Army, for the first time, its own powerful and highly accurate weapons platform for close-air-support missions.
Randy Zahn arrived in Vietnam shortly before the 1970 U.S. invasion of Cambodia, one of the most impressive demonstrations by the Cobra in the war. He describes his stunning transformation from a naive, middle-class teenager from southern California to a hardened killer during his tour in Vietnam. Unlike the pilots who flew the fast-moving strike jets, Zahn experienced the war up close and personal, witnessing the grisly effects of the Cobras firepower on enemy soldiers. The author does not glorify killing but rather explains in sharp relief the kaleidoscope of emotions associated with combat: fear, revenge, hate, remorse, pity, and even ecstasy. He captures many of the ironies and nuances inherent in Vietnam, especially during the final years of the conflict. Zahn displays a sensitivity rarely found in memoirs written by battle-hardened warriors. This human element, combined with the vast amount of archival research and interviews with members of his former unit, ensures that Snake Pilot will become the definitive account of the role helicopters played in Vietnam. |
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| Reader Reviews Below Sorted by Newest First | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01-17-10 | 5 | (NA) |
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outfrigginstanding! read this book! ! thanks for your service and sacrifice randy....and for putting your rvn experience on paper...steve heinz...qui nhon...60/70
(Review Data Last Updated: 2010-05-27 02:39:02 EST)
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| 11-22-09 | 1 | 0\2 |
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This is a teenagers recollections of the helicopter war in Vietnam. Most of it is reconstructions of letters and tapes he sent home to his folks. I'm trying to think of a kind word to say about it, but I can't.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2010-02-16 02:00:04 EST)
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| 10-30-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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I took a special interest in reading this book because Randy Zahn and I shared many of the same mission experiences.
He flew the 'High Bird ' while I was the radio operator on the ground for the Charlie Troop Blues. Randy holds back no emotions in his book which he and many others felt while serving in that 'unpopular war'. By all means A Must Read! Rob Struck (Blue India) 1970 Charlie Troop 1/9th (Review Data Last Updated: 2010-02-16 02:00:04 EST)
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| 06-10-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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Excellent reading for a former Cobra Jock. Keep the faith and may see you at VHPA someday
(Review Data Last Updated: 2010-02-16 02:00:04 EST)
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| 03-20-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is one good book and a good read. Good account of Vietnam and a good account of he thrill of flying choppers. Recommended
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-06-15 18:23:24 EST)
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| 01-17-09 | 4 | (NA) |
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A very well done book on the experiences of a Cobra gunship pilot in Vietnam. From my perspective, with around 300 hours in Cobras, my only criticism would be that personal matters and personalities at times got in the way of the subject of the book. Flying for the 1st Cav Division was generally the wildest in Vietnam. A solid four stars.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-03-29 14:59:28 EST)
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| 01-14-09 | 1 | (NA) |
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Yes well .... It's not my intention to be disrespectful to Randy Zahn who undoubtedly had a story to tell. In truth though he didn't tell it. I felt sorry for his long suffering family who seemed to cop it in the neck at every opportunity and all attempts to offer him some support. There were moments when I thought the story was really going to take off. I wanted it to, I believed it would, but it never did. After having read Chicken Hawk and Low Level Hell, both un-put-downable, in truth I was disappointed. Having been a gunship pilot in Vietnam Mr Zahn has my utmost respect. He undoubtedly undertook extremely hazardous missions and had a worthy story to tell. I wanted to hear it, he just didn't tell it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-02-07 14:12:20 EST)
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| 12-16-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I loved this book. I wasn't afforded the chance to fly a Snake in combat, but at that age I wanted to so much. What could be more exciting to a 19 year old than be able to fly, in competition and armed. At that age we could walk on water.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-02-07 14:12:20 EST)
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| 08-07-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Just finished Randy's book and must say it didn't disappoint. He tells an in-depth story of his time in South Vietnam as well as some brief "visits" flying into Cambodia. It's obvious from his writing he has a deep devotion to his country and love of those he fought with. As a reader i was drawn into his world and immediately identified with him and his fellow aviators. He describes day-to-day life there and all his feelings at the time with the help of letters and recordings he made for family members. His accomplishments are all the more incredible when i thought about how young he was. I have much admiration and respect for Randy and appreciation for his service. I would recommend this book as a great first person narrative of a great American fighting a very difficult war.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-02-07 14:12:20 EST)
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| 05-08-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Talk about "Take me back!" Randy Zahn did just that. What a memory! The heat, the killing of friends and the enemy, incoming and the showers, it's all there! I was there three years earlier than Randy, but I met his persona every day, 19 years of age, but much more mature. The soldiers aged ten years in one month in the "Nam." Great read, thanks for baring your sole Randy.
Richard L. Snider, M.D., author of Delta Six, Soldier Surgeon (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-04 08:06:51 EST)
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| 09-24-07 | 2 | 6\7 |
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Sure, everyone's going to hate me when they read this, but maybe I'll save someone like me from reading this. After reading Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills (couldn't put it down!), I thought I had to read Snake Pilot. Now I know that I could've skipped it. I am sure that war is hell to go through, that people miss their families, that the Army doesn't always take care of their own, etc, etc. Having said that, this account is really a lot more about having a lame time in Vietnam than "Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam". I was really looking for more operational info, mission sorties, weapon load outs, hair raising tales, things like that. The author seemed to overlook most of that though. Maybe he was trying to spare the casual reader the technical mumbo-jumbo, and make it more about his personal demons. Just not what I wanted to read about though.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-14 05:55:49 EST)
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| 11-10-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This book would make a great movie.... The way it is written makes you feel like you are out there with him... I believe I've read about every book written about the war and this is one of my favorites. The Author has a very good way of telling a story of a small group of young men doing a job that not many people could accomplish in a war zone.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-11 14:50:35 EST)
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| 11-09-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This book would make a great movie.... The way it is written makes you feel like you are out there with him... I believe I've read about every book written about the war and this is one of my favorites. The Author has a very good way of telling a story of a small group of young men doing a job that not many people could accomplish in a war zone.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-10 08:15:14 EST)
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| 06-10-04 | 5 | 6\6 |
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Randy sent a copy with a very personal message and signature to my mom back in the states, upon finally recieving it here in Iraq I read it cover to cover closing it only to go on mission. It brought back a lot of memories of stories my father, Charles Frazier, used to tell me about the days in Tay Nihn, Phouc Vihn and all the insanity of losing friends. Being at war myself, I really connected with a lot of the stories. It was a great book deeply personal, full of the heartache of Vietnam.
PFC Frazier, Jason J (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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| 03-07-04 | 5 | 9\9 |
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Evidently, the publisher's printing press has a maximum number of pages that it can print in a book of this size. Regrettably, Randy was forced to cut major portions from the original manuscript that detailed more than the actions of a cobra pilot.
In spite of this, Randy has completed the impossible task: He has documented the details correctly, and has also caught the tone, captured the frustration, and has put into writing what it was like to be a very young cobra pilot in Charlie Troop, 1/9 Cav. This is personal. This is a personal account; with all of the personal feelings and interactions that one is expected to have in combat. He has not blown his personal, the troop's, nor the 9th Cav's exploits out-of-proportion (like another author has), and has tried his best to describe the unit as it was.... a great Troop in the highly recognized 9th Cavalry, "doing it all like it was supposed to be done" in Nam. As such, the good and the not so good are both reported as fairly as any human being in combat can. When you are done reading his excellent book, you will no doubt have assimilated his personal feelings for what it was like to be a "Snake Pilot." Grover Wright (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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| 12-28-03 | 5 | 5\5 |
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I have gotten to know Randy and his family because they are neighbors of our son, a U. S. Air Force pilot in Anchorage.
Randy is the real deal, as a storyteller, a helicopter pilot, a husband and father, and a loyal friend to our son and his family. If you know Randy at all, you know he puts his heart into everything he does. This book is no exception. It tells a story that is so gripping and so human, it could not be fiction. That said, I must add that this book is not for everyone. Do not read it unless you want to know what really happened. It is a tough read that pulls no punches. It names names, recounts vicious combat in great detail, re-creates helicopter missions with heart-pounding veracity, and makes the reader share the confusion, grief, terror, bravery, deep and abiding friendships, vulgarity and, yes, even the humor, of Randy's year as a "snake" pilot. In short, it is unforgettable, just like its author. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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| 12-20-03 | 5 | 4\4 |
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Randy arrived in RVN almost the day I left. We have friends in common. Randy captured the emotions, and day-to-day life of those of us in C/1/9. His story very much parallels a lot of us. As I was reading the book, I occasionally had to take a break to come back to the current year. His telling of his story has told the story of all of us!
Welcome Home! (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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| 12-06-03 | 5 | 5\5 |
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I have to admit, I don't know much about how things were during the Vietnam War...mainly because I wasn't here yet. I know things weren't good at home and worse yet overseas.
However I have the great opportunity to work with Randy and was thrilled to learn he was writing a book. When he told me about the letters and tapes his parents saved and what the book was about, I knew I had to read it. "Snake Pilot" is a brilliant telling of what went on day-in and day-out in Randy's world while he was in Vietnam. The book is written in Randy's own words and many times I felt as though he was sitting next to me telling the story. The language easily lets you imagine what it must have been like and while the pictures in my mind can't compare to anything Randy and his comrades endured, I could see the cities, hooches, aircraft maneuvers and what it must have been like to fly over the jungle....I could also imagine what his buddies must have been like and the bonds they formed. I can honestly say that I laughed, cried, shook my head in disbelief and cursed my way through the book. Of course, there is a waiting line in my family to read the book...so I couldn't give anything away even when I wanted to say, "listen to this!" I plan on buying this book for several people in my family who are history buffs. This gave me an amazing insight to the war in Vietnam and the adversity our soldiers faced. Don't worry if you aren't a military buff, there is a wonderful glossary that I had to refer to time and time again. That was a genius idea! Thank you Randy, for this glimpse into history. And although I wasn't here at the time...thank you. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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| 10-02-03 | 5 | 7\7 |
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This is an outstanding account of how things were in C-Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. Randy has done an excellant job discribing not only the events of his experience but also his feelings at the time. I served 3 years prior to Randy; but, the events amazingly paralleled each other. This is a must read for anyone who flew or crewed helicopters in Vietnam, and anyone who was ever exposed to the way the 1st of the 9th flew. Buy it and read it right away. You will not be disappointed. Great job Randy. Thank you.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-02 16:03:12 EST)
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