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(More customer reviews)[[ASIN:1591140196 Gunbird Driver: Gunbird Driver is a remarkable autobiography. Former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, David Ballentine, looks back on his 1966-67 tour of duty in Vietnam, flying the UH-1E (Huey) on a variety of missions, from supporting drops of ground troops into hostile territory, evacuating wounded and dead Marines, to flying high ranking officers around on inspection tours. On one mission, enemy gunfire severs his oil lines and he is forced down. On another, he watches with fascination as a stunningly accurate rocket fired from his ship explodes within a foot of its target-- a luckless man in black-pajamas running for his life through a rice paddy. Lt. Ballentine sees the fellow wobble to his feet and disappear into the underbrush. Ballentine doesn't stop there. He also lays bare the ordinary and wacky details of military life, such as the use of makeshift urinals called "piss tubes" and the hazard of splash-back, "hooch rats" nesting in his helmet, and the stress of finding himself laboring to make small-talk alongside a high-ranking officer inside a crude latrine. Reading this, I often found myself smiling, and occasionally, laughing out loud. This account could not have been authentically written without use of the Marine Corps' incomparable array of four-letter words, and it is not for the faint of heart. No subject is overlooked. Ballentine, who after the war earned a PhD in history, is both sensitive and introspective but understandably proud of his air crewmembers. No macho here. His story is one of a humble young officer's adaptability to the demanding circumstances of war and his emergence as a man. This is a perfect gift for any ex-Marine or anyone, civilian or military, man or woman, who has wondered what it was like to be in combat.
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Ballentine recalls his experiences as a young pilot flying an armed UH-1E with Marine Observation Squadron Six in Vietnam. Like any good war memoir, parts of the book are deadly serious, while others are filled with thrilling, often humorous descriptions of squadron life during the early stages of the war. The book provides little-known details about the missions, operations, and living conditions at Ballentine's base in Ky Ha, shortly before the Tet Offensive. The book preserves not only Ballentine's impressions, but also reflects the experiences of others who crewed the Hueys, and describes scenes that will resonate with all those who served in helos in Vietnam.
