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GOD’S YOUNG LUNATICS: A Memoir of Vietnam Helicopter Combat
GOD’S YOUNG LUNATICS
A door gunner from the 117th Assault Helicopter Company plunges readers into a combat helicopter during the height of the Vietnam War, and his lifelong struggles with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after returning home.
“We were God’s young lunatics.
We were reckless as we faced death every day in Vietnam.
We acted fearlessly, even when we were at times scared as we flew our thinly built Army helicopters into combat, the wind sometimes threatening to crash us into mountains and rice paddies.
We were brave and courageous as we flew our machines into battle, willing to die to save American infantry lives.
No matter the danger, we performed our duty without complaint or hesitation.
Flying anywhere, anytime, and in any condition was the calling card of the helicopter crews I call God’s young lunatics.”
A deeply intimate account of the Vietnam War, with raw honesty, Bob J. Garcia recounts the adrenaline-fueled chaos of Army helicopter combat, revealing a staggering irony: he did it all while harboring a paralyzing fear of heights.
His memoir is a realistic and accurate look inside the mind and emotions of a young soldier who survived combat, but the battle didn’t end in the rice paddies. He faced other battles after returning from a vicious and divisive war. He harbored unseen scars and the health consequences of PTSD, Agent Orange, and helicopter crashes, which followed him long after the rotor blades stopped turning.
Written with unflinching realism, and a captivating style, Bob J. Garcia allows the reader to sense the reality and dangers of combat. The book is a powerful testament to the helicopter crewmen of the Vietnam War who flew daily missions in extremely hazardous conditions without hesitation, proving that true courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s flying right through a crossfire to save the lives of American soldiers.
"They were the reckless ones. They were the ones who flew when the weather said stay down and the enemy said stay back. They were God’s Young Lunatics."
WANT TO SEE SOME HISTORICAL PHOTOS?
To view authentic, archival images of the 117th Assault Helicopter Company, Bob's combat gear, and the Huey helicopters from the memoir, please scroll down to the "From the Publisher" section on the book's Amazon listing.
A door gunner from the 117th Assault Helicopter Company plunges readers into a combat helicopter during the height of the Vietnam War, and his lifelong struggles with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after returning home.
“We were God’s young lunatics.
We were reckless as we faced death every day in Vietnam.
We acted fearlessly, even when we were at times scared as we flew our thinly built Army helicopters into combat, the wind sometimes threatening to crash us into mountains and rice paddies.
We were brave and courageous as we flew our machines into battle, willing to die to save American infantry lives.
No matter the danger, we performed our duty without complaint or hesitation.
Flying anywhere, anytime, and in any condition was the calling card of the helicopter crews I call God’s young lunatics.”
A deeply intimate account of the Vietnam War, with raw honesty, Bob J. Garcia recounts the adrenaline-fueled chaos of Army helicopter combat, revealing a staggering irony: he did it all while harboring a paralyzing fear of heights.
His memoir is a realistic and accurate look inside the mind and emotions of a young soldier who survived combat, but the battle didn’t end in the rice paddies. He faced other battles after returning from a vicious and divisive war. He harbored unseen scars and the health consequences of PTSD, Agent Orange, and helicopter crashes, which followed him long after the rotor blades stopped turning.
Written with unflinching realism, and a captivating style, Bob J. Garcia allows the reader to sense the reality and dangers of combat. The book is a powerful testament to the helicopter crewmen of the Vietnam War who flew daily missions in extremely hazardous conditions without hesitation, proving that true courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s flying right through a crossfire to save the lives of American soldiers.
"They were the reckless ones. They were the ones who flew when the weather said stay down and the enemy said stay back. They were God’s Young Lunatics."
WANT TO SEE SOME HISTORICAL PHOTOS?
To view authentic, archival images of the 117th Assault Helicopter Company, Bob's combat gear, and the Huey helicopters from the memoir, please scroll down to the "From the Publisher" section on the book's Amazon listing.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2026
About the author
Bob J. Garcia
2 books9 followersAfter being drafted, Bob J. Garcia was sent to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 117th Assault Helicopter Company to serve as a door gunner on a Huey helicopter, even though he was petrified of heights. This is his story about surviving Vietnam and the challenges he faced coming home.
After returning from Nam, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and History and later, a Master's Degree in Organizational Behavior.
The war still haunts him.
You can read about his Vietnam War experience in his memoir: God's Young Lunatics
After returning from Nam, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and History and later, a Master's Degree in Organizational Behavior.
The war still haunts him.
You can read about his Vietnam War experience in his memoir: God's Young Lunatics
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 25, 2026
Good read
Welcome come. This a good read. The trauma imposed on our veterans is disturbing but the returning to our united states of America to be treating in such a way is upsetting.
Welcome come. This a good read. The trauma imposed on our veterans is disturbing but the returning to our united states of America to be treating in such a way is upsetting.
August 22, 2026
Great read about war and it’s brutal effects on this who fight
The author was able to bring alive his stories of a door gunner on a Huey helicopter during his year in Vietnam. As a non-veteran, let me thank all who served, for helping make our country strong and free.
The author was able to bring alive his stories of a door gunner on a Huey helicopter during his year in Vietnam. As a non-veteran, let me thank all who served, for helping make our country strong and free.
August 18, 2026
Honest and raw
This was not an easy read for me. Despite knowing how painful the Vietnam war was for so many, Garvia’s pain and trauma leak out of his words in agonizing emotion throughout this read. This book should be required reading for anyone in position to send young people to war.
This was not an easy read for me. Despite knowing how painful the Vietnam war was for so many, Garvia’s pain and trauma leak out of his words in agonizing emotion throughout this read. This book should be required reading for anyone in position to send young people to war.
August 3, 2026
Great Personal Story
It is nice to find a book about how the daily life in Vietnam affects the soldier. His thoughts and fears. My Dad served in Vietnam. Never talked about. He would watch every Vietnam war movie though.
Thank you for your story and including the after war issues
It is nice to find a book about how the daily life in Vietnam affects the soldier. His thoughts and fears. My Dad served in Vietnam. Never talked about. He would watch every Vietnam war movie though.
Thank you for your story and including the after war issues
July 9, 2026
I Was There Also 1970 - 71
I think the last part of the book about dealing with PTSD was the most insightful part of the book. The symptoms the author described are the same symptoms I have struggled with for over 50 years. My family took the brunt of my problems. I'm going to get this book for my son so he can hopefully understand why I am the way I am.
I think the last part of the book about dealing with PTSD was the most insightful part of the book. The symptoms the author described are the same symptoms I have struggled with for over 50 years. My family took the brunt of my problems. I'm going to get this book for my son so he can hopefully understand why I am the way I am.
June 11, 2026
Great read
One of the best books I have read about life of a soldier in Vietnam. Tells it like it was
One of the best books I have read about life of a soldier in Vietnam. Tells it like it was
June 8, 2026
I really loved this book. God’s Young Lunatics: A Memoir of Vietnam Helicopter Combat is one of those rare memoirs that doesn’t just tell you what happened—it puts you there. From the first page, Bob J. Garcia drops you straight into the vibrating metal belly of a Huey helicopter, and you can practically feel the vibration of the rotors and the knot in his stomach as the wind threatened to toss the helicopter into the rice paddies. His writing is vivid, unflinching, and deeply human.
The parts about PTSD are both riveting and heartbreaking.
Well done, Bob. Thank you for your service
The parts about PTSD are both riveting and heartbreaking.
Well done, Bob. Thank you for your service
September 20, 2026
never forget.
I loved this book. You really get a picture of what war is like on a daily basis and why that could develop later into PTSD. Bob’s style is very conversational. Like he is in the room talking with you. So sad his experience coming home. Welcome home, Bob. And thank you for your service.
I loved this book. You really get a picture of what war is like on a daily basis and why that could develop later into PTSD. Bob’s style is very conversational. Like he is in the room talking with you. So sad his experience coming home. Welcome home, Bob. And thank you for your service.
October 12, 2026
Courageous service; mundane writing
This is more like a day to day diary of somebody in a repetitive job. If most of the book were randomly removed, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That said, as an airborne combat veteran who did 30 years of service, I do sincerely hope writing this book helped the author with his PTSD.
This is more like a day to day diary of somebody in a repetitive job. If most of the book were randomly removed, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That said, as an airborne combat veteran who did 30 years of service, I do sincerely hope writing this book helped the author with his PTSD.
September 8, 2026
Thank You!
I'm thankful that you have shared your story with all of us. It's so very important that your experiences be known, separate and apart from the political situation that created the experiences you and others survived. Thank you!
I'm thankful that you have shared your story with all of us. It's so very important that your experiences be known, separate and apart from the political situation that created the experiences you and others survived. Thank you!
September 11, 2026
Thank you for writing this book and sharing your stories with us. My Dad was also a door gunner in Vietnam, 229th AvBn, D company, 1st Cav ‘66-67 in An Khe.
Thank you for your service, and welcome home!
Thank you for your service, and welcome home!
August 21, 2026
Same story told over and over again.
September 8, 2026
Outstanding
This is the first book I've ever left a review for. Simply because this book served a review. Thank you for your service.
This is the first book I've ever left a review for. Simply because this book served a review. Thank you for your service.
October 6, 2026
Huey Crew Reality
Authentic experience of a crewman on a Huey. I served 9/66 thru 9/67, 229th B Company 1st Cav. The book is factual and shares the experience that a crewman faced during combat assaults.
Authentic experience of a crewman on a Huey. I served 9/66 thru 9/67, 229th B Company 1st Cav. The book is factual and shares the experience that a crewman faced during combat assaults.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews