We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

As a grunt during the Vietnam War, we held chopper crews in the highest of esteem - always there when needed and seemingly fearless in their endeavors. I have read dozens of books about these crews and learned more about what they endure during their tours. It was a difficult time! God Bless them!This book, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", is a compilation of disjointed stories by crew members during their tours. Some are funny and typical of the mischief twenty year old soldiers get involved in, others are serious and dreadful. Another reviewer stated that it is difficult to rate work such as this and I wholeheartedly agree. The stories appear to be snippets of memories by various pilots and air crew members - most are too short and leave the reader wondering what happened next; only a few stories of the collection related differing viewpoints to the same incident - the rest cited experiences from across the country and in different years; a few had typos. As individual viewpoints, each snippet is 'stand alone' without reference to the prior experience or a lead-in to the next; no common thread connecting them. Don't get me wrong, the individual stories are interesting and bring you right into the action with the storyteller. I did enjoy many of them.This book is a fast read and interesting enough for readers that want quick, broad pictures of helicopter crew experiences during the war without getting bogged down in a novel. The author has another book recently published, "Goodbye, My Darling; Hello Vietnam!" which I have already purchased and downloaded to my Kindle, I am hoping that it is much more engaging.Thank you for your service! Welcome Home Brothers!John Podlaski, authorCherries - A Vietnam War Novel

Difficult to rate....I'm conflicted because I wanted VERY much to really like the book but I find it difficult to get past the fact that so many of the stories are pretty much "a normal day" in Vietnam...or was back then. This isn't to take away from the fact that there was heroism, irony, wasted lives, and stupid mistakes galore and that most veterans who were there made the best of the situation they were dealt and did so with honor and bravery. I can't say it's a great book because the writing is being done by the guys who were there (a plus for accuracy and honesty, a minus for smooth reading and the ability to set up a story in a good way.) I've always said that all the names on the "Wall" were not John Wayne....but all the John Wayne's were ON the wall or, if not, still breathing BECAUSE of a "John Wayne" who saved their ass at some point. I applaud the honesty and candid approach of each person who participated in presenting these stories, they were all done with humility and self deprecating humor...nobody did it to enhance their personal self importance...but more as a tribute to the brotherhood of warriors who were there with them.

This book is a jewel. There are war stories that will make you laugh until your sides hurt and you can't catch your breath. There are other stories that rip your guts out, particularly if you have been in the war there. Still others will make you cheer for the guys you knew over in that Hellhole so far from home. Each story has the ring of truth to it. I can't say enough good things about this book.

We Gotta Get Out Of This PlaceMichael LazaresIn this collection of memories about being involved in the American invasion of Vietnam one story stands out.There are dreadful recounts of helicopters being shot in the rear rotor blade plunging the air crew to the death. Deadful.There are the stories told of air crew trying to escape back to base on the ground after a gunship has been damaged by Viet fire and the men are being pursued by the North Vietnam soldiers.All scary stuff.But “A Shot To The Heart” by Robert J. Conover is brilliant and a must read.Pilot Conover was on loan to the Navy and his orders were take Captain Nowe to a top secret location in the south.The helicopter lands on dry mud and the captain goes to his secret meeting with the CIA. “Naval intelligence says you are perfectly safe here,” the captain tells the pilot who was beginning to get the jitters as he sat in the chopper and watched the village.The only sign of people was a woman standing in the doorway of a hut and for some time they just stared at each other until the young daughter appears and begins to walk in the pilot’s direction. Her left arm was folded behind her back.Now in our modern world we are very aware of urban self bombings and attacks and the pilot is right to believe this is a dangerous situation.This is the beginning of rising tension which is captured in the writing. The closer the girl comes the higher the pilot’s fear. “With every step the girl took, my sense grew keener,” the pilot writes.The tension rises to a very high level until the girl stops five feet in front of the pilot and then she salutes before going back to her mother.This may seem like propaganda writing for the USA but I do not think it is. The southern Viets valued the US soldiers.This would be a great short story for English teachers to use in their classrooms about tension, climax and the denouement.The war in Vietnam has come and gone. Lives lost lives saved. My engineer cousin died from tumours to his brain; and I escaped the birthday ballets in New Zealand by a few days. Thank goodness. Some of the air crew and ground soldiers may have enjoyed it. I would not. They were heroes.If you visit Saigon go to The Rex Hotel on the balcony floor and have a well-earned drink as this is where the journalists had their beers. I have been to Vietnam many times.Do authors need to be reminded that the 1960s does NOT take an apostrophe. Sack the proof reader of this book.Still a good read. Thank you.

This is a group of personal stories by the men who flew into danger on a regular basis. These tales put you right there and put a face on the battles. The rate of pilot losses was atrocious. The gov't trumpets what a great thing the helicopter assault was but they conveniently leave out the cost in human life of some of our country's finest young men. If you want to learn what it was like, this is a book for you and an easy read.

Good insight to the war

Great book, if you like this one read the rest of Mr Lazares books.

Good read

good

Excellent read.