If you want fine details and first-hand stories that make up the life of this hero, you won't be disappointed. On one hand, you think, this is a superhero. And on the other you think, well, he's a regular guy doing extraordinary things. Maybe he's both. I'm just glad he wrote this book because it serves as a history lesson, but also a memoir of just ONE person in the Vietnam conflict. Even though this is a fine read, you may feel disappointed in the way some of the veterans were treated when they arrived home. Where were the celebrations over the Saigon Guns being found and destroyed? Where were the honors? Had America moved on?
It was worse than that, according to this book, which purports that the US government lied about what happened (saying that the US Army wasn't involved in combat operations when they actually were). Hoffman and those with him were treated like a dirty little secret, never to be mentioned again. Readers will realize that Hoffman isn't just retelling experiences. He is a charismatic writer. For example, when he's describing the different feelings of what it's like when your aircraft is hit in an assault. When you mix good writing with detailed personal accounts, you get a must-read like "The Saigon Guns: A True Story of Aerial Combat in the Fall of 1972", by John Thomas Hoffman ★★★★★