He describes his stunning transformation from a naive, middle-class teenager from southern California to a hardened killer during his tour in Vietnam. invasion of Cambodia, one of the most impressive demonstrations by the Cobra in the war.

This human element, combined with the vast amount of archival research and interviews with members of his former unit, ensures that Snake Pilot will become the definitive account of the role helicopters played in Vietnam. Randy Zahn arrived in Vietnam shortly before the 1970 U.S. Zahn displays a sensitivity rarely found in memoirs written by battle-hardened warriors. He captures many of the ironies and nuances inherent in Vietnam, especially during the final years of the conflict. The author does not glorify killing but rather explains in sharp relief the kaleidoscope of emotions associated with combat: fear, revenge, hate, remorse, pity, and even ecstasy. Unlike the pilots who flew the fast-moving strike jets, Zahn experienced the war ôup close and personal,ö witnessing the grisly effects of the CobraÆs firepower on enemy soldiers. Randy Zahn arrived in Vietnam shortly before the 1970 U.S. It dramatically changed the nature of the war in Vietnam by offering the Army, for the first time, its own powerful and highly accurate weapons platform for close-air-support missions. Galloway, senior military correspondent, Knight Ridder Newspapers, and co-author of We Were. First deployed in Vietnam in 1967 and loaded with a formidable arsenal of weaponry, the Cobra was the first helicopter designed from inception as an attack aircraft.

Based on audiotapes he recorded during the war and sent home to his family, Randy ZahnÆs Snake Pilot recounts his experiences flying AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the Vietnam War.

Snake Pilot by Randy R. Zahn