Drafted! - by Morgan Miller (Paperback)

About the Book

"Drafted tells the story of Henry Morgan Miller's year in Vietnam at the invitation of Lyndon B. Johnson. It is the story of a meat-cutter-wannabe commercial airline pilot-whose life was rudely interrupted by being inducted into a war that he considered someone else's battle for a lost cause. It's a story that could describe many of the almost 300,000 men drafted in 1968 along with Morgan, or, for that matter, the 1.85 million drafted between 1964-73. It is the story of your brother, your son, your friend-some who came home safe and sound, and others who perished, or were no longer whole. In his book, Morgan also exposes a major mechanical issue with Vietnam-era Cobra helicopters; so serious that had they been Ford cars they would have been subject to a major recall. He suggests that Cobra helicopter pilots were guinea-pigs for aircraft plagued with serious, not to mention deadly, hydraulic problems. Drafted is for readers who want to experience what it was like, on a day-to-day basis, to go through basic training, learn to fly gunships, and then be shipped out to the Vietnam war zone. What it's like to be shot at and shot down. To serve your country honorably, while fighting a war you don't believe in, only to return and be ostracized by a misguided faction of the general public."--

Book Synopsis

2024 IBPA Gold Ben Franklin Award Winner - 2024 Foreword Review INDIES Silver Award Winner - NextGen INDIE Award Finalist

Drafted tells the story of Henry Morgan Miller's year in Vietnam at the invitation of Lyndon B. Johnson. It is the story of a meat-cutter-wannabe commercial airline pilot-whose life was rudely interrupted by being inducted into a war that he considered someone else's battle for a lost cause. It's a story that could describe many of the almost 300,000 men drafted in 1968 along with Morgan, or, for that matter, the 1.85 million drafted between 1964-73. It is the story of your brother, your son, your friend-some who came home safe and sound, and others who perished, or were no longer whole.

In his book, Morgan also exposes a major mechanical issue with Vietnam-era Cobra helicopters; so serious that had they been Ford cars they would have been subject to a major recall. He suggests that Cobra helicopter pilots were guinea-pigs for aircraft plagued with serious, not to mention deadly, hydraulic problems.

Drafted is for readers who want to experience what it was like, on a day-to-day basis, to go through basic training, learn to fly gunships, and then be shipped out to the Vietnam war zone. What it's like to be shot at and shot down. To serve your country honorably, while fighting a war you don't believe in, only to return and be ostracized by a misguided faction of the general public.

Review Quotes

Morgan and I both served in the very same unit, and his memoir brought back many powerful memories for me. Our tours overlapped for eight months, so many of the events described in Drafted! coincided with my own, especially the losses of the brave young men serving with A Troop, 3/17th Air Cavalry.

I had the honor to serve in A Troop with dedicated young men that truly cared about one another and risked their lives to protect each and every Trooper. It was a total team effort from the Orderly Room, to the flightline and maintenance, and throughout our ensuing operations into enemy territory. It was a very powerful bond that still exists today between us, and a bond that only those in combat together can fully understand.

Morgan's memoir captures not only that bond, but also the profound bravery and sacrifices made. Ultimately, we fought for each other. We are truly a special Band of Brothers that time and space cannot separate!

Salute! -Roger "Bear" Young, Silver Spur Scout Crew Chief & Scout Line Chief, 1969-1970