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 entered the United States Army through ROTC, and trained to fly helicopters in combat over Vietnam. He flew both Huey “Slicks” and Huey “Gunships”: the former on defense flying troops into battle, and the latter in taking the battle to the enemy. Here he relives his experiences flying and fighting, with special attention given to pilots’ day-to-day lives.

This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN 978-0-7864-1557-1.

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 (7 x 10), large print
Pages: 284
Bibliographic Info: 29 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4368-0
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Frequently Used Terms      5

1. Who Wants to Go to Flight School?      7
2. Fly This, Fly Anything      15
3. Lost Over Cleveland      27
4. Army Flight School      35
5. Boredom, Terror and Joy      46
6. Showing Off      54
7. Transition School      65
8. Welcome to Vietnam      72
9. Learning the Ropes      83
10. Missions      90
11. Settling Into the Cav      107
12. A KKK Officer      117
13. Rats      124
14. They Booed Bob Hope      132
15. To the Field      142
16. Wildlife      153
17. Ancillary Missions      159
18. There Is No Time      169
19. Infusion and Disneyland      181
20. Saigon      191
21. Welcome to the Ninth      197
22. The Major’s Story      210
23. The Ox Cart      217
24. The Screaming      223
25. A Medal and a Promotion      233
26. Our Allies and the Last Mission      242
27. Welcome Home      249
28. I Get a Job      254
29. The Last Flight      258

Epilogue 1: Flying      264
Epilogue 2: War      265
Military History of James Joyce      269
Index      273

• “Joyce is an excellent writer…recommended”—Catholic Library World
• “Lavishly illustrated…truly moving”—NAAP News
• “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