A Fear of Dying is a story about a young man who would never have been drafted into the military because of his medical condition. He carried his medical records with him to the induction center and referred to them as his (Ace in the Hole). Because of his smart mouth and his attitude, he got drafted anyhow.

Once he realized that he was not going to get out of the Army, he decided to be the best soldier that he could possibly be. He became a Chopper pilot on a gun ship and served two tours in Viet Nam.

The story talks about both his and other soldier’s experiences, fears, courage, compassion, and humor that they shared with each other during their tours in Viet Nam.

The story talks about the friendships and relationships that the soldiers built with each other. The story shares what they were willing to do for each other to protect those friendships, and how they each handled the deaths of both friends and comrades.