VIETNAM WARHORSE: A HUEY PILOTS MEMOIRS: TOLD BY A TWO-TOUR US ARMY IROQUOIS ('HUEY') PILOT DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. A TRIBUTE TO THE MANY WHO FLEW THIS WONDERFUL WARHORSE.

by Richard Guay

Have you ever wanted to pull up the curtain and look at what the US Army was really like during the Vietnam War?

From enlistment through Basic, Officer, and Flight training, veteran pilot Richard Guay will take you on a journey many have never witnessed…

Sit with Richard in the cockpit of the venerable UH-1 Huey helicopter as he maneuvers the sky to accomplish missions, protect his troops, and put to the test his years of training to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia.

Through a journey from steamy jungles to war-torn skies over battlefields, Richard’s raw and informative recollection is a story not only of war, but of brotherhood and the will to survive. Through countless helicopter flights, readers will experience both the fear and the excitement of war firsthand.

Vietnam Warhorse is a thrilling memoir detailing years of US Army training, helicopter warfare tactics, and piloting techniques employed during actual enemy engagement. With a touch of humor, this is an intense and fresh perspective on the Vietnam War for anyone interested in history or aviation!

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Larry Bassett · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Here’s a summary and review of Vietnam Warhorse by Richard Guay.

Summary
Vietnam Warhorse is a memoir told in short story fashion, covering Richard Guay’s journey from enlistment through Basic, Officer, and Flight training, and into the cockpit of the UH-1 Huey helicopter during the Vietnam War. His accounts take readers through steamy jungles and war-torn skies, exploring missions, helicopter warfare tactics, brotherhood, and the psychological toll of combat. 
Guay was born in Biloxi, Mississippi into a US Air Force military family, and after studying biology at a junior college and playing in a rock band, his draft physical in late 1968 became the catalyst for his military enlistment. Unable to enter a standard pilot training program without a university degree, he discovered the Army’s helicopter program accepted candidates with only a high school diploma plus additional college credits, and he graduated from the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program in July 1969. 
The narrative goes beyond combat flying to address the moral dilemmas of war — including the grim task of following orders to slaughter non-combatant elephants — and the complex emotions soldiers carry long after. Guay also recounts the painful experience of returning home, including a confrontation at an airport where a young woman labeled him a “baby killer,” mirroring the hostile reception many Vietnam veterans faced from a divided American public. He depicts the difficulty of reconnecting with civilian life, the search for meaning, and the enduring sense of isolation that followed many veterans home. 
After resigning his commission in 1973, Guay moved to Australia, married a civilian Australian nurse he had met during his second tour in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, and went on to spend over thirty years flying helicopters commercially, mostly in Papua New Guinea. 

Review
Vietnam Warhorse occupies a well-populated shelf — the Vietnam helicopter pilot memoir — but Guay brings some genuine strengths to the genre. His stated goal is to humanize the soldier across national lines, reaching into the psyche with introspection, humor, and empathy rather than dwelling on blood and gore, and to avoid military jargon entirely, making it accessible to general readers.  For readers with no military background, that’s a real virtue.
Readers who served in Vietnam, or whose family members did, have found the book particularly resonant — one reviewer noted they couldn’t wait to read it to their father, who flew three tours in Vietnam across multiple aircraft types.  The short-story structure Guay employs makes the book easy to pick up and put down, and the conversational tone keeps the pages moving.
That said, reader reactions are genuinely mixed. On one end of the spectrum, a fellow pilot and Vietnam veteran described becoming fully immersed, feeling as though he were part of Guay’s outfit. On the other, at least one critic dismissed the book as self-aggrandizing, arguing that it makes genuine combat memoirs shine by comparison.  The truth likely lands somewhere in between. Guay is clearly a colorful character with real experiences to share, but memoirs written after 50 years of reflection can sometimes smooth the edges of stories that might benefit from more rawness or self-scrutiny.
Overall, Vietnam Warhorse is a solid, accessible choice for readers interested in the aviation and human sides of the Vietnam War, particularly if they’re newer to the genre. Those already well-versed in Vietnam War literature — Karl Marlantes, Philip Caputo, or similar — may find it covers familiar emotional ground without quite the same literary depth. On Goodreads it carries an average rating of 4.19 out of 5 across nearly 100 ratings,  suggesting it has found a genuinely appreciative audience.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure…I listened to this as an audiobook as read by the author. My cousin died in Vietnam at just 19 years of age, so I was eager to read Vietnam Warhorse.

Short, sharp and to the point, I found this memoir to be a mixed bag. In the introduction, the author kicks it all off talking about how many weeks the download has appeared at the upper echelon of Amazon etc etc. I found this braggadocio to be a bit much right off the bat.

After that, the first half of the text is basically his story from a training standpoint and the second is a narrative of his combat missions in Vietnam. Naturally, the second half is a real standout and moves along at a good pace. I think that the detailed techniques of flying, that he described earlier in the book and truly has a passion for, might appeal more to someone who shares that very interest, rather than the average reader. That’s just how I see it,

The second half was more gripping and helped me gain an even deeper appreciation all of those who served. We truly salute all of you. 🇺🇸

[John G. Pickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read on being Vietnam era helicopter pilot.

This book is easy, flowing and written from the person who experienced everything as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. It has given me a true appreciation of what these pilots had to do. I am a Vietnam era veteran, who fortunately never did any flying in helicopters. The pilots and those who flew with him were all very brave men.

[Brian Biddiscombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Uncle Ed passed a couple years ago and I never really got to know the man past our fun, family gatherings. I didn't know that he was a chopper pilot in Vietnam. He shared with my grandfather that this book was similar to his experiences during the war. The book does a good job of retelling events, not brooding or commentating on a lot of the events, just simply describing them.

Richard Guay, and many like the author, went through some terrifying and brutal experiences. I appreciate the cold, honest approach to the war since it reminds us of the great personal sacrifice and destruction that takes place while many of us never come near the action. I may not get to discuss all this with Uncle Ed, but it still has taught me a lot.

[Donna Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dad severed in Viet Nam as an Army pilot.

I found it very interesting and can't wait to read it to my Dad who served 3 tours in Viet Nam flying Beavers, Bird Dogs, UH-1, Chinooks and Cobras.

[Dana Knapp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Egotistical, what?

This author is an egotistical, uncaring, useless waste of protoplasm. The only worthwhile thing he has accomplished by writing this self aggrandising drivel is that the books written by true combat pilots shine in comparison.

[Jeanne Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read from a Vietnam Veteran

As a pilot and Vietnam veteran I became immersed while reading this book and felt as though I were a part of Mr Guys outfit. Well done and welcome home.

[Ron Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great explanation about how difficult it is to become a U.S Army "huey" helicopter. Superb training and practice made these pilots great and greatly appreciated in Viet Nam. Going through what it was like as a c0-pilot and then as a pilot was explained well. Hats off to those hero's of Viet Nam.

[Thomas R. Winscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

Very well told story about this person's experiences during the Vietnam War. He accurately describes the flight program and the effects of the war on people who served. This book is well with the time to get some real information on the war and the people involved.

[Wayne Cornell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll delete this book

Was interested in this book because I knew a lot of Huey pilots. But when I read the chapter on the elephant massacre I was done. He said people advised him to leave that chapter out. H didn’t listen. Deleting book after posting this.

[Rory James Gilfillan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a series of vignettes and in the pantheon of Vietnam helicopter memoirs it cannot hold a torch to Chickenhawk or many of the others.

[Charles J Gonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Excellent mix of the personal with the technical. One particularly sad chapter, but he warns you! Hope he is writing the next book about his second tour!

[Shayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your typical Huey pilot Vietnam book but I’ll be interested in reading the 3 he has planned that come after this one.

[Jackie Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives you a very good idea of what it was like to be a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

[Paul T. Kearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

RVN RW Vet

As a RVN Rotory Wing vet I will say this biography is well written. Interesting read.
Certainly told it as it was.
Paul Kearns (CW2 RVN 68-69 1st CAV)