Low Level Hell

Learned of this book from a former patient who flew an OV-1Bird Dog in Vietnam and then taught Huey pilots at Fort Rucker. What a ride! For many years Vietnam veterans rarely talked about the war with anyone but another veteran.I think they truly believed that no one would believe them. These men made incredible sacrifices for our country even when they began to see the futility of the war and the monstrous cost and unpopularity with the country. Writers like Tim O'Brien and Karl Marlantes have written books well worth reading. Huey 1968 by Mark Bowden and To the Limit:An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam by Tom Johnson also speak to the bravery and sacrifices of the men sent to war and were handicapped by rules of engagement. My stepchildren have their father's name engraved on The Wall, a wall with real meaning. They were 3, 4, and 5.This was an exciting book that demonstrated the bravery, determination and love of their country. I don't mean to criticize those who protested the war. They had strong beliefs that the war was costly and based on a theory that hasn't proven true 100%. We are now facing another foe who seems to be chipping away at boundaries, but in different ways.We need to value our military, but we need to be more careful of where and how we commit them and how we treat our allies. Great book,brave man, read this book.

Low Level Hell is the unvarnished account of Hugh Mills' time as a Scout pilot during his two tours in the Vietnam conflict. Hugh Mills basically re-wrote the Army guidelines on how/what a scout pilot is and has received numerous medals and awards for his time there, too many to recount here. The book takes you from when Hugh hadn't even been in a helicopter through pilot training and then his two tours in Vietnam. Each chapter is fairly short mainly detailing a single event that happened (and there are a lot of events) that stood out from the normal daily grind. Hugh basically puts you in the co-pilots seat so you feel you are right there riding along with him and his crew chief. No punches are pulled and the author tells it like for what it is, the hell of combat, getting shot at (and hit), the dangers and the thrills of flying literally 3 feet off the ground following a trail left by the enemy to a point of contact, popping up over a treeline and surprising a small group of enemy soldiers and of course the gory details of war like having a Loach (scout helicopter) crash and burn up on impact and the pilots scars and wounds and of course getting shot (in the butt). Each chapter is short, very well written keeps you engaged. This is an excellent book for picking up and reading for 5-10 minutes when you have time as each chapter is very riveting and short enough to do so. Once you start reading however, you don't want to put it down. Funnily enough, Hugh Mills also served at the same time and place Robert Hartley who was a Cobra pilot and has another excellent book, called Gunship Pilot. A great and detailed book about someone who had a great influence on the way the Vietnam was fought. Highly recommended.

Very well written and interesting . Engaging story . Hard to put down . I finished the book in a couple days , and was left wanting more .

A good book. I enjoyed it very much. It was informative as I never served in Vietnam and I now understand just how tough it was for our military to cope, doing without things we take for granted. This pilot was very brave in his actions and aggressive in doing his job. He went beyond what a normal person would do in the same situation. God Bless him and I hope this book will bring many rewards.

My father, a Vietnam Vet, told me about this book. I’ve always wondered what it was like for him in Vietnam and this book put me right there, in the Helicopter, and in the jungle! My father also flew a Loach (sp?). I found this book to be extremely insightful regarding not only the war but also the mindset of our troops. I would read and then tell my dad about what I read and he would expound on his experiences. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for your bravery and service. It was hard to believe you were only 20/21 years of age when you took on this monumental feat. I imagine you grew up real fast in a short time and add to that the responsibility of your assignment while there, it’s quite incredible. Thank you for your insight into this war, your story made it real for me as opposed to just another history lesson in a book. My father, Joseph Earl Treadway, Jr. was a Warrant Officer in Vietnam in 1969 he also flew a Loach. My grandfather, Lt. Colonel, Joseph Earl Treadway, Senior, was the American Ambassador in Havana, Cuba during Batista’s reign. I never got to learn from my grandfather, he passed away in 1980. I’m sure that like yourself, he could have shared quite a story… Susan Treadway Mohon

I happen to know the author and had read this book previously. I was looking for something to read and remembered this book. I read it again, and I could hardly put it down. Knowing it is a true recounting of the bravery and sacrifice of many young soldiers in Vietnam, I am still amazed at all that took place. If you like action and true stories, this book is for you. Riveting, factual, and full of action. I cannot express enough how good this book is.

I started this book thinking it would be like the most of the rest, ,lacking in content but i was pleasantly surprised. The guys that flew these scout birds in Viet Nam were crazy. This book is filled with action and it was a great story to read. I read a lot of these books and this one is definitely top notch and one of the very few that describe in detail actual flying escapades of the pilots and what they had to face as well as the fact that it is a different take. Not too many stories about the scouts in a hunter-killer team. Great Read definitely recommend this book to fans of the genre

Hugh Mills retrata, de forma impressionante, as missões cumpridas a bordo do seu OH-6 durante a Guerra do Vietnã. A bravura, ousadia e coragem dos integrantes da sua Unidade - Darkhorses - é o exemplo mais cristalino da atitude de uma tripulação em combate. Low Level Hell apresenta os aspectos táticos e técnicos do emprego de asas rotativas em combate cumprindo missões de apoio aéreo aproximado, reconhecimento e vigilância, mas são os exemplos de bravura e tenacidade que melhor registramos feitos desses militares de elite.

A pesar de estar en inglés, lo he disfrutado muchísimo. Si tienes un nivel medio/bueno de inglés, lo recomiendo. Un piloto de helicópteros de reconocimiento en la Guerra de Vietnam contando cómo era su vida y las acciones de combate. Es un libro muy ameno, sin grandes reflexiones que ralenticen el ritmo. Mucha acción, con el inestimable extra de que son cosas que le pasaron a él y sus compañeros. Corred por él...¡insensatos!

In „low Level Hell“ Hugh Mills vividly describes the missions, tactics and people he encountered during his tour as a scout pilot with a cavalry unit in Vietnam in 1969. This is neither a biographical nor an analytical work but a pretty straightforward account, what the author experienced during his combat tour. Thus the reader gets to know some details on tactics and mission profiles but the focus is on the account of what happened. Mills does not attempt to generalize the tactics he or his unit used and hardly puts his missions into a bigger perspective, mainly because he hardly was made aware the bigger tactical picture in his position. He was briefed what he needed to know for his mission and the reader finds himself in this same position. Mills also does not provide any political or moral reasoning about the war or goes into much detail about his personal life. Here you listen to a professional pilot and an aggressive scout talking about what he knows best and loves – scouting. The scope of the story may seem to be narrow to some, but apart from comprehensive history works and analytical studies this book provides the personal experience of just one officer and his unique perspective. Within this scope the author provides a very readable, interesting and action-packed account of his tour, which he appears to have taken great pains to get down as factual as possible. In summary this is a well written account of his tour from a man who has some great stories to tell about war and helicopters. It will broaden the perspective of anyone interested but in the end these are some war stories – not more but also not less.

Excellent really enjoyed, well written felt as though you were there. I give it a 5 star rating. Vietnam was a hell hole and this book portrays this.

This is the first book I've read about aeroscouts and it's excellent. The author does an excellent job of telling you his job, both on a technical and doctrinal level, and paints an excellent and vivid picture of his experiences. The funny stories are truly hilarious, the sad stories really are sad, and the exciting moments are seriously exciting. I've read a ton of war memoirs (some of them of Vietnam helicopter pilots) and none have done as good a job as Low Level Hell of getting me in the cockpit with them. 10/10 book and one I will absolutely be reading again.