Undaunted Valor: An Assault Helicopter Unit in Vietnam
…American troops are in contact…
The UH-1H helicopter swoops in to bail them out…
…Tracer fire everywhere, the windshield shatters, the door gunners returning fire…
Will Colonel Cory’s helicopter be able to rescue the pinned down soldiers?
Undaunted Valor is the first hand account of helicopter pilot, Colonel Dan Cory as he flies combat missions in the jungles of Vietnams. From dodging enemy ground fire and RPGs, to constant mortar and rocket attacks on his base, Colonel Cory stared down the enemy to bring his fellow soldiers’ home.
Join Colonel Cory as he recounts some of the most intense helicopter and ground combat of the Vietnam war from the eyes of a man who spent two combat tours there. From being shot down by enemy fire, to leading his air crew to repel an enemy assault, Colonel Cory’s firsthand accounts of the Vietnam War are awe inspiring. Awarded the Silver Star, and two Bronze Stars for Valor, Cory’s hair-raising accounts of what it was like to fly over the Jungles of Vietnam will make you feel as if you are right there with him.
Grab your copy of this gripping, true-life story of an American war hero today!!
Praise for Undaunted Valor – “If you ever wanted to know what it’s like to fly a helicopter in combat or what goes through the minds of those who do, you have to read this book. Incredible story of an American Hero!” – Author James Rosone of the Red Storm Series
Reviews (160)
A very strong 4 star read; hard to put down
Generally I stay away from self published books, but Undaunted is clearly an exception to the rule. It's very informative, the narrative pacing is consistent, and the voice of the young man who matures to be a great Huey pilot is very authentic. The sense of place is extremely strong and the author gives the reader the right amount of detail to feel emotionally involved without being overcome by a lot of useless trivia. With a good editor's help the prose could have been a bit more polished, but after reflection, it would have interfered with getting close to the main character. A great airplane read, a great arm chair read, and a very strong narrative of what it was really like to pilot a helicopter in the war. I won't forget this book for a long time.
An accurate depiction of the airmobile units in Vietnam & Cambodia
I really enjoyed this well written story. I served as an infrantyman in III Corp and during the Cambodia incursion with the First Cavalry Division during 1970 - 71. I was with the 2/5, Alpha Company. Our helicopter assault unit was the 229th Aviation Regiment. I have the utmost appreciation and respect for those brave pilots and their crews who supported the grunts. Colonel Matt Jackson gave a very detailed and accurate account of how the day to operations were carried out during this period.
I'm Confused
The book confused me. It is supposedly a true account of a Huey pilot in Vietnam named Dan Corey, but the author is Matt Jackson. Since the book is told in the first person, you would think it was the author speaking. I'm not really sure. The book is good and relates a lot of situations that were very typical of being a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, especially having commanders trying to force you into doing things that were unsafe or downright stupid. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the book.
This was well written
He said many of the things in the book we discussed everyday after we returned from flying missions all day. I also felt that the South Vietnamese didn’t care if we were there or not. War was all they knew and it did not appear that was ever going to change. We lost too many of our best and brightest over there for nothing.
REAL...Just Real!
Well presented story about our WO pilots in Nam. I could almost hear the distinctive sound of the Hueys flying on missions. About the author: to advance from an E-1 at Fort Polk (Fort Puke - been there 1969) to Warrant to 0-6 is very commendable. I was really happy to make 0-5. I gave this book Five Stars only because I can’t give more.
Not just for military people
This book is an excellent factual narrative about real soldiers in a real war and yet maintains a very readable and at just the right times humorous tone. It is less about the strategy and technology of warfare and more about the camaraderie that is so unique to the military. The helicopter was used extensively and in myriad ways during the Vietnam war. The heroic men piloting their aircraft in ways never beforehand imagined made this war different from all other wars. The author’s ability to detail events that occurred 50 years ago is amazing. If you wish to have a better understanding of how this all went down then get this book and read it…you wouldn’t be disappointed!
Undaunted Valor : An Assault Helicopter Unit in Vietnam by Col Matt Jackson
Excellent book, great detail. I usually like happy endings, I cried with this one. Why doesn't the military have a system to give the best leadership reins? I have noticed. A lot of these books, stories seem to always have leaders that care more for their careers than of the men they are supposed to be leading. I have seen this for myself working for the military . I believe a lot of them the lousy ones have blood on there hands, hopefully they have the courage and knowledge to know who they are.
The Best Book I've Read On The Helicopter War
Simply the best book on the helicopter war I've read. "Chickenhawk" was a great book, but just got bumped out of the #1 slot. My highest recommendation.
Interesting B U T......
I was a helicopter pilot during those years in RVN. My experience was so terribly different that at times I had a hard time believing we were at the same vicinity. If you have interest in that time in history there are not a lot of books written by real pilots so it does have some value. I just did not relate a lot of the time and found the author whinny and self serving a lot of the time.
A great narrative
UNDAUNTED VALOR by Matt Jackson is the first of a three-book series about helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War. Readers will learn what training was like and they'll see why many potential pilots washed out, unable to meet the physical or mental standards; the author tells his story through a protagonist named, Dan Cory. Although classified as fiction, only to protect the identities of those mentioned in the book and the inability to quote exact conversations as they took place fifty years ago, this story is a narrative about the author's personal experience. As an infantry soldier, we always held chopper pilots and crews in the highest regard. They came when needed. No matter what. We always thought these crewmembers had nerves of steel and remained cool and collected even under the most extreme conditions. The book shows readers what it was really like under that facade. In critiquing this book, I found the author repeating himself in every mission when checking the aircraft, start-up, and checking for clearance. Other than names mentioned, I knew very little about other crewmembers joining him on these missions and fellow pilots. It would also have been interesting to know what the maintenance Group did every night to keep the birds "flyable". I also found several typos, one that stands out is Tan Son Nhut airport, which the author writes as Tan Son Nhat several times through the chapter. Others are real words but used in the wrong context. All in all, UNDAUNTED VALOR is a great read for anyone interested in learning what it takes to become a helicopter pilot and what the job was like during the Vietnam War. Highly recommended. Thank you for your service and sacrifice Matt Jackson!
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