Overview

In 1967, at age nineteen, John Stillman--refusing to wait for the draft--voluntarily enlisted in the Army to aid his fellow countrymen in one of the most opposed involvements in our nation's history: the Vietnam War. Quickly falling in love with the rush of being a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne, he believed his service would honorably help the South Vietnamese protect their country from the ruthless communist North and their Southern allies. But once in the volatile jungles of Vietnam, the merciless hunting and killing of the enemy, constant threat of landmines and booby traps, ambushes that could easily backfire, and deaths of his comrades made Stillman question how any man--if he survived--could ever return to his life as he'd known it. Written with John's daughter, Lori Stillman, Jumping from Helicopters is a vivid and moving memoir that unearths fifty years of repressed memories with stunning accuracy and raw details. Interwoven with the author's own journal entries and including thirty-five photographs, it is a story that will open your eyes to what these brave young men witnessed and endured, and why they returned facing a lifetime of often unspoken unrest, persistent nightmares, and forced normalcy, haunting even the strongest of soldiers.

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9781732736139

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Reading this book gives one the opportunity to go inside a soldier's mind, living his real-life experience that most people could never imagine. Obviously, a special father-daughter relationship exists for John and Lori to have taken the time, given the effort, and endured the emotional toll that it took to write this book. I applaud them both for their personal commitment to share John's story. Americans need to know what the Vietnam War was really like so that our country doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past--as well as recognize and show more appreciation for the personal sacrifices our soldiers have made for all of us. --PAUL MEANS, brother of late soldier, Ronnie Means, who served with John in the 101st Airborne From her dad's childhood and Army training prior to going overseas to the jungles and battlefields of Vietnam, John Stillman's daughter Lori takes the reader on an accurate, humorous, and at times harrowing journey. Vietnam-era veterans will identify with joining the service or getting drafted, as well as with the life-changing experience of going from civilian to soldier and back again, while civilians and non-combat veterans will have a new understanding and respect for what our brave warriors experienced in the early days of the Vietnam war. From start to finish, the authors have crafted a page-turning memoir, one that Lori clearly wrote as a heartfelt tribute with deep love and respect for her father. --ALLAN KUHLMAN, Army veteran, 101st Airborne Jumping from Helicopters grabbed me on the first page and I couldn't put it down. It was like reading my own story through John's words, having served with him in Vietnam, in the same platoon and company. . . . From An Lo village on the Song Bo River to the Ashau Valley deep in the mountains, I could feel the heat and smell the dirt. . . . Like John, I was home a long time before I really came home. Kudos to Lori for gently pulling out the deeply buried memories, and for helping her dad to tell his story. --SSG WAYNE DUGGER, 101st Airborne,1st of 502nd, B company Being a current-day veteran myself, I can say that not many civilians--especially today's teens--have any idea what soldiers like John Stillman went through to defend freedom in a foreign land during the Vietnam War. Jumping from Helicopters, from its intense moments of chaos and horror to its welcome injections of humor, paints that picture vividly and serves as a true eye-opener. --CARL ORLANDO, Spec/E4, 2nd ID-101st ABN 86-89, Army 04-10 ANG John Stillman's account of his experience in Vietnam is simultaneously brutal, heartbreaking, and tender. It's painful to see him being rewired in real time, all the while knowing now the long-term impact of those experiences. At the heart of the book is the relationship between John and his family, especially evident with his daughter, Lori. This is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the cost of war and the commitment to country. --AMY SHAW, Senior Vice President of Engagement and Content, Nine Network of Public Media

Author Information

Born in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, John Stillman was a quiet boy yet found fun in teasing his younger sisters and brother. His love for the Rome plows in Vietnam led him to a career as an operating engineer, where he earned a living running the big equipment on job sites. Now retired, he busies himself helping out with nonprofit veterans organizations and tending to the almost one hundred acres he calls home in Missouri. John has been happily married to his wife Rita for forty-eight years and is the father of four children, two daughters and two sons. He still loves his road trips. Lori Stillman started writing her story down in the form of a journal at a young age after discovering her love for books and words. Born in rural Missouri, she spent her youth exploring the forty acres of woods her parents owned, entertaining herself with a vivid imagination. After managing a manufacturing company for twenty-two years, she reinvented herself as a certified personal trainer. Now a second-degree black belt, she loves helping people build strength and great health with her own fitness business. A self-proclaimed tomboy and daddy's girl, Lori is a wife, fur baby momma, and travel enthusiast. Her passion for hearing people's stories sparked her interest in having her father tell his own. Jumping from Helicopters is her first book.

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