Sucker Punch

This is a first read/review of a book by Jim Carroll. The only thing I did not like about this book was the title, Sucker Punch. This is a very good story about the troubles of a Vietnam War helicopter pilot. There is both well-written humor and tragedy. The protagonist, Mack, got himself into trouble even before he left for Vietnam. He had just graduated from Snake School,, the nickname for flight training in Cobra helicopters, fondly known to all as Snakes. The Cobras were an awesome piece of fighting machinery and it was only the elite fliers who qualified for that honor. Both Mack and his lifetime friend Face made the cut. They went out for a wild weekend before being sent to Vietnam, and their focus was on getting laid. Mack found a beautiful and enthusiastic woman, only to be surprised to learn that she was the 15-year-old daughter of his Commanding Officer, a general. Upon arriving in Vietnam, Mack was sent to latrine duty, not combat helicopter pilot. As you might guess, this was disgusting work.

After a month, Mack was given the chance to get away from the latrines, but he had to agree to an undercover assignment who was investigating alleged black market activity by his combat teammates. The assignment was so dangerous that he was not expected to live through it, and the unit’s prior two pilots had just disappeared. But, Mack was desperate, so he accepted the assignment. This is when the story got better through a solid plot and good character development. Author Carroll described Mack’s interactions with each of his teammates, none of whom trusted him, at least not at first. He portrayed the good parts of the army, as well as the army at its worst.

I became a psychiatrist in the immediate post-Vietnam era, and having been assigned to work in four different VA hospitals in the US, I ended up listening to and treating, perhaps, 1,000 such soldiers, mostly in the 70s. I developed a sort of secondary PTSD as the result of their stories, and it took nearly 20 years to get over that. I could not go to war movies and chose not to read Vietnam era novels. Thankfully, I got through that and am now able to enjoy such well-written stories as this.

This story gets a praiseworthy review for its authenticity and the method of telling a good story. I think the title is a bit cheesy, although I don’t have a better title to suggest. Thanks to Jim Carroll for a good story.