War often leaves those who fight in them with more than just physical scars, but when one pilot found himself flying helicopters in Vietnam, he quickly gained himself a reputation as the most terrifying pilot of the Vietnam War. A reputation like that comes with a dark backstory, though, and when William “Hank” Hankinson finally flew back to America, he was left with nightmares that wouldn’t go away in a country that no longer saw its soldiers as heroes after the horrors of the Vietnam War. For years, Hank had faced death without fear, and he lived, but with no job and very few prospects, he turned to drinking to try and get the mental anguish to stop. His story is one of darkness, defiance, survival, and the brutal reality behind a legend born in the skies over Vietnam.