Grunt Air

A novel based on real-life adventures, Grunt Air tells the story of an elite Air Force helicopter unit used for the secret rescue of American pilots shot down during the Vietnam War. The author, a decorated Vietnam veteran, returned to Vietnam to interview notable combat leaders, including General Nguyen Vo Gap, as part of the research that brings to light a clandestine operation that saved many U.S. lives.

Author Biography

John R “Rick” Taylor is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Army for ten years. His overseas assignments included Germany, Korea, Panama and Southeast Asia while working with Aviation, Military Intelligence and Air Defense units. In the early and mid-80s, Taylor was an activist for the full accountability of American and Allied POWs and MIAs still missing in Southeast Asia. An oil and gas executive today, Taylor has returned to post-war Vietnam to engage in petroleum evaluation in the Mekong Delta. He has met with many former Vietnamese combat leaders, including the venerable North Vietnamese military architect of the Vietnam War, General Nguyen Vo Giap. Taylor started flying at age 13, later to become an Army Aviator and Captain (P) whose service to his country has been distinguished by air combat missions in Southeast Asia. Taylor currently lives in Texas and still enjoys a love of flying.