Pucker Factor 10

“In 1963…there was no way I could have known, sitting in a classroom on that beautiful campus in Ohio, that by raising my hand I would be going to war in Vietnam and that I would see things, hear things and do things that most people cannot imagine.”—James Joyce.

The author was drawn into the United States Army through ROTC, and went through training to fly helicopters in combat over Vietnam. His experiences are notable because he flew both Huey “Slicks” and Huey “Gunships”: the former on defense as he flew troops into battle, and the latter on offense as he took the battle to the enemy. Through this book, the author relives his experiences flying and fighting, with special attention given to his and other pilots’ day-to-day lives—such as the smoke bombing of Disneyland, the nickname given to a United States Army–sponsored compound for prostitution. Some of the pilots Joyce served with survived the war and went on to have careers with commercial airlines, and many were killed.

James Joyce is the author of Pucker Factor 10: Memoir of a U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and has written numerous articles for newspapers such as the Durango Herald and the Chicago Tribune. He is CEO of Green Mountain International, a global purveyor of polyurethane construction products, and lives in Waynesville, North Carolina.

James Joyce

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 29 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1557-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5405-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Frequently Used Terms      3

1. Who Wants to Go to Flight School?      5
2. Fly This, Fly Anything      11
3. Lost Over Cleveland      20
4. Army Flight School      26
5. Boredom, Terror and Joy      34
6. Showing Off      40
7. Transition School      48
8. Welcome to Vietnam      54
9. Learning the Ropes      62
10. Missions      68
11. Settling Into the Cav      80
12. A KKK Officer      88
13. Rats      93
14. They Booed Bob Hope      99
15. To the Field      106
16. Wildlife      114
17. Ancillary Missions      119
18. There Is No Time      126
19. Infusion and Disneyland      135
20. Saigon      142
21. Welcome to the Ninth      146
22. The Major’s Story      155
23. The Ox Cart      160
24. The Screaming      165
25. A Medal and a Promotion      172
26. Our Allies and the Last Mission      179
27. Welcome Home      185
28. I Get a Job      189
29. The Last Flight      192

Epilogue 1: Flying      197
Epilogue 2: War      198
Military History of James Joyce      201
Index      203

• “Joyce is an excellent writer…recommended”—Catholic Library World
• “Lavishly illustrated…truly moving”—NAAP News
• “You could see it in his eyes. Sitting across from James “Jim” Joyce in his office in downtown Waynesville, his direct eye contact, and even more direct answers to questions, alludes to a man who has seen as much destruction as creation…. a fine and vivid account”—Smoky Mountain News
• “Fascinating reading…Pucker Factor 10 should be on the ‘must read’ list…well-worth every minute”—The Enterprise Mountaineer