The Air Scouts of the 1st Infantry Division had three words on their unit patch: The Lower Levels of Hell. It was then and continues today as the perfect shorthand for what these intrepid aviators experienced as they flew the skies of Vietnam from the Cambodian border to the Iron Triangle. The Outcasts, as they were called, flew low and slow, the aerial eyes of the unit in search of the enemy. Too often, for the sake of longevity, they found the Viet Cong and the fight continued. These young pilots (19-22 years old) "invented" the book as they went along. The Lower Levels of Hell is the true story of the "Rogue" aerial reconnaissance aircraft of the U.S. 4th Cavalry Division, 1st Infantry Division, in operations in III Corps Vietnam in 1969 . The people are real, the action is what it was. Some live and some die fighting a determined enemy. These are officers and soldiers who put on a bird's eye view of the challenge, just like their ancestors in the Old West. Hold on to your Stetsons! The cover was inspired by the design and image of an English-language publisher.