Empty Tubes and Back Seat Memories

Book excerpt: Nobody completely escapes the effects of Viet Nam?ǪThere was more than one enemy in Viet Nam. There was Charlie, who wanted to punch your helicopter full of holes with his AK-47 and bring you and the aircraft crashing down to the ground, down to your death. There was your own malfunctioning equipment, like the faulty flare that went off inside your helicopter, knocking you out and almost sending your whole aircraft and its crew to a fiery death.EMPTY TUBES AND BACK SEAT MEMORIES is the fascinating and true tale of Russ Warriners year and a half tour in Viet Nam serving as Crew Chief and Door Gunner on an M3 Rocket System equiped Huey in the U.S. Army Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA).It is a fascinating chronicle of the day by day activity of a young soldier who comes from a conventional life in a small town in Massachusetts, but who wants to serve his country and ends up doing so and being awarded a Purple Heart, more than a dozen Air Medals, and three Army Commendation medals for his heroism in battle.It is a story of unconventional life in a controversial war.As Russ Warriner says: The permanent physical injuries from this war will always be apparent, but Russ shows us in his vivid narrative way the mental injuries can go unnoticed for years. These injuries are better know as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).