Mission of Honor: A moral compass for a moral dilemma Paperback – April 21, 2017

If you want to read an eye-opening account of the Chopper war in Vietnam, this is a very quick read. How quick? I read it in one night. The reason for that is because I also served in Jim’s outfit, the 129th Helicopter Company as a door-gunner, in a Gunship, only five years earlier. Jim took me back to that experience and made me feel his triumphant, fear, frustration and boredom. Jim will put you with him in the cockpit of his Huey during months of combat flying in Vietnam. This is one of the best of the books I've read by the guys who did this work. The harrowing conditions under which the Army helicopter pilots lived, fought and died is told in painful detail by Warrant Officer Crigler. His journey from recruitment, officer training, and flight training is as told over and over by thousands of young American men in their transition from civilian life to experienced combat pilots in Vietnam.As a combat door-gunner, I can attest to Mr. Crigler's accurate accounts of his firsthand experiences.Jim does a magnificent job of recounting how life in the most austere conditions can be weathered through camaraderie of spirit. Being shot at, on a daily, basis, either breaks a man or makes him tempered steel.Jim does an excellent job of relating his experiences as a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam. His book is descriptive and understandable to the reader even if you are not a pilot. His memory and detail of the missions he flew, training, and army life make this a highly interesting Viet Nam war book.

I experienced some different things but a lot of very familiar experiences and tough decisions in life. Those things made it a good read.Couple of things, though, I didn't quite understand. Perhaps a little more clarification or detail would have helped me. Why, Jim, in the name of honor, did you not contact the girls who had your babies earlier rather than later? I know there was not much family guidance ,but? You apparently had accepted Tom's guidance at one point but then forgot or weren't allowed to follow through for a long time. Not throwing stonesHad to wear your jungle fatigues back through airport? When I came home from 101st in 71 they gave us new khakis to wear home. and flew us into Ft. Lewis adn then bused us to SEA-TAC in middle of the night. Not much civiolian contact that way. Maybe you we're rushed. You had to do your full 365 days wereas a lot of us did not at those times. I had a day or more at Cam Rahn Bay before DEROS.Escort and Military Honor duty. I understand how tough that would have been to some extent. Lost our son while he was serving I navy. One of his best hometown friends was in Army in Hawaii and we asked that he escort our son home. I did not realize what we were asking him to do at the time.And, You did not mention a full honor guard volley, taps or folding of flag Tom's funeral? And I guess the full version of the "From a Grateful Nation" text upon the presetation of the flag to the nextof kin was not used then. I served ten years as a VFW honor guard and had to make that presentation a couple of times when teh MO National Guard could not make it to a funeral I quit doing that duty not long after my son's funeral. Too many tears welling up while standingJust touched on drugs and race and other vice a little. And our slang that many of came to know and love was mostly absent. I was expecting at least a "Dont mean nuthin." But as officers you guys we're insulated./isolated a bit. You guys WERE officers you know, sort of laid back though. Really liked all the pilots I got to know. I could, and may tell some stories about those things sometime. Now that Mom has passed. Crazy times! Morality wasn't considered much really. But we did make some good decisions I guess or we wouldn't still be here after leading relatively happy and successful lives.I spent most of my time on Camp Eagle but rode gun trucks on convoy as a medic, flew chopper chases (wanted medics to ride along for those VIP rides you talke about), manned a Bn aid station at Khe Shan during Lam Son 719 and declined to volunteer as a Medivac medic when asked. Maybe not honorable - but a good decision I think.Encouaged me to write. Got some good stories but not sure to write as fiction or non fiction

I served in the army from 1970 to 1973. I volunteered in the misguided belief that we were in a "good" war and it was my duty to serve. I went to Vietnam in late 71 and was assigned to headquarters, MACV. Pretty much a no risk job for the most part. I came home from my tour of duty and never talked to anyone about the war. I considered it "just a job" and then moved on. I never met Jim while "in country" but would come to meet him in the corporate world of telcom in the late 90s. We never discussed our military history together until recently. THe book is excellent. I hope Americans can understand we all served thinking it was the right thing to do. I learned in the military that the great leaders are about honor, integrity, decency and doing the right thing. Mr. Crigler is all about this as well and his book supports this. We desperately need leaders who embrace these notions. Men and women have died for this country so all of us could be "free" to choose to live the life we want. Please, live that life with honor, integrity, decency, respect and responsibility. Do the right thing in life.

This outstanding book should be read by every one who lived and fought during the Vietnam War era. The dedication and sacrifice of those servicemen and families should be be held in the highest. The disrespect shown to those servicemen and their families can never be undone.Today we honor the servicemen and the veterans of post Vietnam, but the Vietnam War Veterans still are stigmatized by the unthinking, uncarteing, and disinterested public of that time and era. They should be embarrassed to call themselves Americans.The servicemen who fought in Vietnam did not choose to be there, they were ordered there, they paid the price both in Vietnam and at home for their service. Not just in wounds and death but in broken lives and loves. How many lives were destroyed by serving in Vietnam we will never know, no Vietnam Memorial exists for those broken and lost lives!CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 CRIGLER you are to be commended for your work and life!