Rattler One-Seven puts you in the helicopter seat, to see the war in Vietnam through the eyes of an inexperienced pilot as he transforms himself into a seasoned combat veteran. At the age of twenty, Chuck Gross spent his 1970-71 tour with the 71st Assault Helicopter Company flying UH-1 Huey helicopters. He inserted special operations teams into Laos and participated in Lam Son 719, a misbegotten attempt to assault and cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, during which his helicopter was shot down and he was stranded in the field.

While Enrique Walters thinks the request is weird, gas prices are high and work in the off-season is slow. He takes ex-mayor Sheldon’s money to use his helicopter to surveil the ranch where the new acting mayor—Albert—is living. Even hearing the crazy family rumors about Albert, Enrique thinks Sheldon’s infatuation is due to the fact that the ranch is not only the place where Albert lives but also where the sheriff’s partner works. Sheldon’s actions against the sheriff caused the guy to get fired, after all. Enrique figures Sheldon wants to get some sort of blackmail information on them all. Still, money is money, and Enrique needs it. When Enrique’s trips during the day turn up nothing, Sheldon insists Enrique fly by at night. He spots something he can’t explain right before something slams into his bird. Struggling to control his descent, he hits his head. As he slides into unconsciousness, he figures that’s the end. Enrique’s surprised to wake up, safe and sound, in the arms of…something. He learns gargoyles are real, and he’s the mate of one named Trynche. Enrique knows he can never allow the ex-mayor to find out the truth. Except, Sheldon learns a little something another way and demands Enrique’s help in exposing the monsters. With the help of his new friends, can Enrique shut down Sheldon for good and keep their secrets safe?

After twenty years of armed conflict in Angola and political instability in coup-ridden Sierra Leone going back to 1991, private corporate financial interests became the catalyst that spawned the creation of possibly the most successful private military corporation to date: Executive Outcomes (EO). With its initial task of securing Angolan government control in the Soyo oil-producing region, prompted by private oil interests, EO subsequently became involved in the war against UNITA throughout the country. With little more that 100 of its own combat personnel on the ground in both the wars in Angola and Sierra Leone, the outstanding success that EO achieved was in no small part due to the force-multiplying effect and support given by its helicopter and jet pilots of the Air Wing. This is the true story of the frustrations, personal sacrifices and too often the extreme risks that the aircrews took while flying in support of the ground offensives. Most of this was achieved with outdated equipment and aircraft that were seldom airworthy. Living under harsh conditions with the ever-present threat of enemy attack, as well as great risk from their ill-disciplined allies, the contribution these aircrews made to the overall success of the war effort was extensive. Although EO costs were but a small fraction of the replacement United Nations forces, which were generally unsuccessful, international pressure to leave prematurely, led to renewed regional conflict with great loss of life. The author describes the realities of 'postwar syndrome', his subsequent failed business venture in Liberia and his involvement in the conflict in the Ivory Coast that brought about his arrest in South Africa for mercenary-related activities.

The aeroscouts of the 1st Infantry Division had three words emblazoned on their unit patch: Low Level Hell. It was then and continues today as the perfect concise definition of what these intrepid aviators experienced as they ranged the skies of Vietnam from the Cambodian border to the Iron Triangle. The Outcasts, as they were known, flew low and slow, aerial eyes of the division in search of the enemy. Too often for longevity’s sake they found the Viet Cong and the fight was on. These young pilots (19-22 years old) “invented” the book as they went along. Praise for Low Level Hell “An absolutely splendid and engrossing book. The most compelling part is the accounts of his many air-to-ground engagements. There were moments when I literally held my breath.”—Dr. Charles H. Cureton, Chief Historian, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) Command “Low Level Hell is the best ‘bird’s eye view’ of the helicopter war in Vietnam in print today. No volume better describes the feelings from the cockpit. Mills has captured the realities of a select group of aviators who shot craps with death on every mission.”—R.S. Maxham, Director, U.S. Army Aviation Museum

Flies the reader into combat with the same elite air cavalry unit portrayed in the film "Apocalypse Now"