Chickenhawk: Amazon.ca: Robert Mason: Books

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Book Description

More than half a million copies of Chickenhawk have been sold since it was first published in 1983. Now with a new afterword by the author and photographs taken by him during the conflict, this straight-from-the-shoulder account tells the electrifying truth about the helicopter war in Vietnam. This is Robert Mason’s astounding personal story of men at war. A veteran of more than one thousand combat missions, Mason gives staggering descriptions that cut to the heart of the combat experience: the fear and belligerence, the quiet insights and raging madness, the lasting friendships and sudden death—the extreme emotions of a "chickenhawk" in constant danger.

About the Author

Robert Mason is married and lives in the United States. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

73 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (73 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Literary Tribute to All Vietnam Huey Pilots, Aug 16 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Chickenhawk: Shattering Personal Account of the Helicopter War in Vietnam (Paperback)

With no disparagement to more current personal accounts of Huey/Cobra helicopter pilot books on the market today, you need go no further than the original Chickenhawk if combat helicopter flying in Vietnam is of serious interest.

Robert Mason, although later after Vietnam service succumbed for a number of years to personal demons by choice, nevertheless portrays a shattering exciting picture of the smell, feel, madness and futility of of his Huey unit in the central highlands of Vietnam unsupported by a corrupt, incompetent US Democratic Party government back in Washington.

Having recently(May97) been in SE Asia on business and visited the "Golf Course"(Mason's old army helipad) near An khe VN, it's clear his accurate and riveting portrayal of the Air Cav are geniune and even more impressive.

I've read this book at least 5 times over the years and it is never dull without a doubt giving much satisfaction and entertainment. The author's true gift to us is to describe his hellish piloting experience and bravery in combat in a very readable way. He is a true inspiration to people of all walks of life.

As a former combat arms US Army officer(1970's Korea DMZ), my premonition is that the likes of Warrant Officer Bob Mason and his Huey compadres would be few and far between in today's politically correct, powder puff, his or her Clinton army.

Sit back and invest in yourself. Read Chickenhawk (more than once).

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The helicopter pilot's bible, Nov 19 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Chickenhawk: Shattering Personal Account of the Helicopter War in Vietnam (Paperback)

Being a helicopter pilot myself for the past 6 years, this book has always moved me deeply, thinking about those men, trying to maintain some sort of sanity in a crazy situation.

I have had the unfortunate luck, of evacuating wounded soldiers, from a war which is still controversial in my country, but I never faced the kind of situations that Mason discribes in the book, and I have always wandered how they did it, knowing that every morning and evry mission could spell sudden death, from the enemy, or worse, by your commander's stupidity.

I think it's a book about bravery, about how these helicopter pilots in Vietnam were willing to risk their lives every day for their fellow soldiers. I believe that flying into combat, surviving it, seeing what might happen if it wasn't your lucky day, then doing it again and again and again, takes a special kind of character. Character shown by Mason.

I have read many war books, some about Vietnam, some not. My country is (unfortunately) filled with veterans, including my entire family (my father was also a pilot and my brother was in the special forces, we've all been through combat). I think this book is special in the way it touches you intimately, making you feel, just as if you were hearing the story from the author in person.

This is not about victory or defeat, this is about something else, and to know what this thing is you must read the book and look inside to see the impact it has on you.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lived the LIfe, April 22 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Chickenhawk: Shattering Personal Account of the Helicopter War in Vietnam (Paperback)

I never knew this book existed, but being an ex Army chopper pilot with the 1st Cav in Vietnam, I found this to be the most realistic book ever written on this subject. I identified with every single word. Not like the junk you see in the movies.
Probably in the top 5 books on any subject that I've ever read

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Story Behind the Story Incredibly Compelling
Clearly this book has been a primary source for the Vietnam war experience. Passages in Mason's book have been brought to life in film, television, and emulated in other books I... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Jeffrey Swystun

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the best ever
Maybe it's because I've read a number of Vietnam books that this one didn't have a huge impact on me. I prefer Zumbro's Tank Sergeant or Basel's Pak Six. Read more

Published on Mar 12 2009 by A. Volk