DEAD MEN FLYING - a book review by JC Sullivan

DEAD MEN FLYING - Victory in Viet Nam - The Legend of Dust Off:  America’s Battlefield Angels

A book review by JC Sullivan

I first learned of Patrick Henry Brady several years ago while watching stories on America’s Medal of Honor recipients. What I remember most was learning of his youthful plunge into a swimming pool to save a life. In a telephone interview with the General he said, ""He grabbed me around the neck and pushed me under. Never got over the thrill of saving a life. I could swim but couldn't get out from under him. I could not get up and then walked to the shallow part." Because of his clear-headed thinking and absence of panic, he simply held his breath and walked on the bottom until he emerged at the shallow end. I have often related this story since that time. That ability served him well in Vietnam and continues in his post-active duty life.

Dead Men Flying is a story of the courage of men and women he served with; some are named, others not. Co-written by Brady, a retired Army Major General, and his daughter Meghan Brady Smith, the story revolves around many Army officers, enlisted men and nurses in Viet Nam and elsewhere, in particular the late Major Charles Kelly and the co-author himself. He describes the combat operations of the 57^th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) during his first tour, beginning in 1964, when the war was hot but America had not yet contributed many soldiers or American lives to it. His second tour, with the 54^th Medical Detachment (HA), which he eventually commanded, ended in 1968, the year of the TET offensive.

Brady has been described as the top pilot and most highly-decorated soldier of the Viet Nam war. He is a man of strong faith and incredible luck. He earned numerous decorations for valor, to include the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and fifty-three Air Medals.

The book describes many of America’s unsung heroes and the colorful characters he knew. He unabashedly describes heartfelt love for Georgian Charles Kelly, the father of Dust Off. Killed on just such a mission, his last words were “When I have your wounded.” Brady has dedicated the book to Kelly and his family and “all the Kelly twigs,” meaning those who were tutored in Kelly’s ways.

“Kelly was unique in the degree to which he possessed all forms of courage, which is, of course, the bedrock of leadership….a man of humble beginnings and humility is a constant mark of great leaders,” Brady wrote. He also found in Kelly what he believes is the key to courage - faith. “I have not known many people of constant repetitive courage who were not also people of faith. Kelly was a man of deep faith founded in World War II and fostered throughout his life.”

So many who survived Viet Nam are alive due to the actions of “Dust Off”, the air ambulance operations and their helicopter pilots and crewmen. Brady’s service in Viet Nam saved over 5,000 wounded during his over 2,500 combat missions. His influence in educating those right out of Flight School undoubtedly saved many lives as well.

The viciousness of the Vietnamese Communists is described time and again by Brady. While America learned of the infamous “My Lai Massacre” there in Viet Nam, for whatever reasons, we did not learn very much about communist atrocities while the war was being conducted, just like we never learned of communist Russia’s during World War II (Ukraine and Katyn are two that come to mind). Their actions were vile, inhuman atrocities and reprehensible, just as the actions of “terrorists” are today. It certainly makes you wonder if they aren’t one and the same.

General Creighton Abrams, Commander of U.S. forces in Viet Nam, said this about Dust Offs, “…Courage above and beyond the call of duty was sort of routine for them. It was a daily thing, part of the way they lived. That’s the great part and it meant so much to every man who served there. Whether he ever got hurt or not, he knew Dust Off was there. It was a great thing for our people.”

General Brady has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Seattle University and an MBA from Notre Dame University. He and his wife Nancy had six children, Shaun, Casey, Kelly, Shannon, Terry and Meghan, a veteran of the war in Iraq. They reside in San Antonio, Texas. 

Brady grew up in Seattle and currently resides in Texas. To read the full story of Dust Off visit and order the book at www.wndbooks.com or receive an autographed copy at www.generalbrady.com.