Editorial Reviews:

The Saigon Guns - "A Must Read" - Reader Views
John Thomas Hoffman
Koehler Books (2023) ISBN: 978-1646639465
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles (06/2023) Five Stars

In-Depth, Personal Account of Battle You Will Never Forget. "The Saigon Guns: A True Story of Aerial Combat in the Fall of 1972" by John Thomas Hoffman, is a richly detailed and important personal account of the last year of US-led conflict operations in South Vietnam. The author paints a picture most United States citizens have never encountered concerning what happened during that final year. When America withdrew from the fight, the fight still wasn't over, and the US had remaining forces that still fought back against North Vietnam and the Soviets, even though they were considered disposable.
This is the story of the bravery, strength, and resilience that occurred there during that time. This author was a combat helicopter pilot during this final year, 1971-1972. What a history lesson! This book reads like a novel, but it actually happened, and the accompanying images add a dimension of realism and accuracy. The work brings you into the time period, the conflict, the mood of the public, everything. Hoffman's style makes reading feel like watching a film. This story deserves to become a documentary someday, for all the world to see. Writers and veterans like Hoffman are needed, to tell the world what happened from their point of view, their man-on-the-street account, or, in this case, pilot-in-the-sky. His personal accounts of how he went from ROTC to Army Ranger to helicopter pilot, and what happened afterward, are unforgettable. His book won't let the world, or you for that matter, forget.
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

Literary Titan    Five Stars 

 9/6/2023

“In The Saigon Guns", John Thomas Hoffman offers a riveting narrative of his time serving in the Republic of Vietnam. While many Americans who valiantly fought alongside him in the early 1970s found themselves

marginalized and disregarded upon their return, Hoffman courageously shines a light on their lived experiences, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the growing influence of Russian advisors aiding the North Vietnamese.

Beyond merely chronicling war tales, this book seamlessly weaves in elements of a personal memoir. Before enlisting, John led an ordinary life, working as a part-time fireman and ardently pursuing his studies at Georgetown University. These rich anecdotes provide a layered understanding of the man before his immersion in the tumultuous world of warfare.

The Saigon Guns stands as a testament to Hoffman’s courage. To share a narrative that has largely been erased from official histories and to do so with such raw honesty is genuinely commendable. It’s a sweeping journey:

from the heart-wrenching sorrows of war, exhilarating adventures in the skies, and intense training sessions to introspective reflections on pivotal life moments. I wholeheartedly recommend this illuminating read to military

veterans, history enthusiasts, and anyone keen on uncovering the intricate facets of the Vietnam War.”

Military Writers Society of America:

MWSA Review

The Saigon Guns by John Thomas Hoffman

The Saigon Guns by John Thomas Hoffman is an interesting and thought-provoking story of one soldier’s tour of duty during the final year of the Vietnam War. The story that John Hoffman tells has apparently never been told before, and his readers should be thankful that John made the effort to tell this story despite the wishes by some in our government that it never see the light of day.

Author Hoffman tells his story of a young enterprising man who works his way through college doing the types of jobs that many of us only dream of doing. Aa a fireman, a policeman, and a bartender, he did it all in order to pay his way. With all this work, he had little time for the normal social life of a college student. Still somehow, he managed to work hard enough that he was appointed the cadet commander of his ROTC detachment. The patriotic son of a military pilot, the author aspired to serve his country, just as his father was doing. For reasons that are not completely clear in the book, the author is directed to testify before Congress while still a student at university. In many ways, this one event shapes the author’s initial career in the Army.

Once commissioned, the author goes on a strange and wonderful odyssey in the Vietnam era American Army. As a new second lieutenant, he attends Ranger training and earns his tab. He then becomes a military policeman and is sent to helicopter training, where he excels. After earning his helicopter pilot wings, he is sent to Vietnam where he spends the last year of the war in service to his country, but under circumstances that deny him recognition of that service.

Hoffman tells the story of his participation in the Vietnam War during a period of time in which the government of the United States was actively denying that soldiers were still serving there. This is the true story of a real American hero. The story deserved to be told, and now it finally can be, thanks to John Hoffman.

Review by Larry Sharrar (July 2023)

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 424

Word Count: 142344

The Saigon Guns

By Col. John T. Hoffman, USA, Retired

Review by Peter Tsouras

This is one of the best books I've read in years. It is destined to be a classic of the Vietnam War. The author writes in a style that makes you feel you are right there with him, quite an achievement for a first book. The book covers the heroic exploits of Army Aviation in stopping the North Vietnamese Easter 1972 offensive against South Vietnam. You will read of the largest Army Aviation mission in history to support the South Vietnamese counteroffensive and the destruction of the Soviet long-range artillery that threatened Saigon. It also covers the extensive Army Aviation combat after the official statement that all Army combat operations had ceased in June in line with President Nixon's public statement. The men of these aviation units were denied all decorations for heroism and their records were purged of anything that confirmed their presence in South Vietnam after June 1972. On their way home, these men were stripped to their shorts and dog tags and all their personnel possessions confiscated (against the law) to include their aviators' logbooks so that they would have no record of their service in Vietnam. Many would be denied VA treatment because there was no proof of their service.  They were given surplus PX clothes to pick through for their miserable flight home. Despite the government's contemptable treatment of honorable men, the most shameful in our history, it is the story of dedication to duty performed with great skill and bravery. Anyone interested in Army aviation, the Vietnam War, or the art of war in general should buy this book. I cannot recommend it too highly. This is a book you will want to share with your friends.

Peter Tsouras

Author of 30 book and a Retired US Army Lt Col