‘The Red Tavern’ offers rare glimpse into First Air Cav

War correspondent Joseph Galloway once said, “Every Vietnam story begins and ends with a helicopter.” For former helicopter pilot, journalist and breakout author Dan Green, the helicopter is the story.
Green”s latest literary work, “The Red Tavern,” a memoir of his experiences in Army aviation with the color First Air Cavalry, offers a rare perspective – a firsthand lo

ok into the epic La Drang Valley campaign, which ultimately inspired the film “We Were Soldiers,” not from the ground or a historical perspective, but from the pilot”s seat, right in the center of the action.
Set in 1967, “The Red Tavern” begins at the launch of the La Drang Valley campaign. The story follows the First Air Cavalry through the process, now commonplace, of commemorating the victory in song, culminating with the details of the song itself.
At times humorous and at others action packed, “the Red Tavern” weaves a tale not only of the men”s lives in combat, but also on the ground, from the bawdy barracks ballads to the bizarre costumes that became a part of a life, to the strange array of pets kept by the First Air Cavalry.
After his military service in Vietnam, Green shifted to his career as a journalist, cutting his teeth as a reporter at the Enterprise (Ala.) Daily Ledger. He later honed his focus to aviation journalism, and became the editor of the nationally-circulated General Aviation News.
“The Red Tavern” is available for purchase online at www.lulu.com.