For the war in Vietnam, there’s arguably no more important event than the Tet Offensive.
In 1968, the Vietnamese celebrated Tet, or The Festival of the First Day, on January 30. It was also the day the communist North Vietnamese chose to initiate a surprise attack on the South.
The festival is the most important, widely celebrated holiday in Vietnam, marking the Lunar New Year—the beginning of a new year on the Vietnamese lunar calendar. Its significance is cultural, spiritual, and familial, deeply rooted in centuries of Vietnamese tradition and agricultural life. And, the North Vietnamese knew a vast majority of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) would be on leave.
It was an unequivocal military defeat for the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the guerrilla forces of the Viet Cong (VC). Approximately 100 to 120 thousand of their combatants were killed, wounded, or captured. Compared to 1,100 American and allied troops killed or wounded. But like so much of the Vietnam War, victory on the battlefield was messaged to produce psychological defeat. The left-leaning American press was eager to discourage the war effort and, for them, to win the far more significant ratings war. Not much has changed since 1968.
Jack Carr’s epic thriller “Cry Havoc” takes place during this seminal time. The symbolism of the moment and the critical place in history that the Vietnam conflict occupies is the perfect milieu in which to set Carr’s great protagonist, Tom Reece. This book is a prequel, but the history isn’t just critical to the story; it’s critical to our understanding of America’s place and future in global politics. Reece is a singular man for a singular and pivotal time, just as every sailor, soldier, marine, or airman played a part in a war that set American military posture for at least the next fifty years.
“Cry Havoc” is important on many levels, but at the pinnacle of that value hierarchy is its unquestioned ability to impart truth about why we sent so many of our best citizens to die in the jungles of Vietnam, and especially why that sacrifice possessed meaning then, meaning for us today, and real meaning as long as history continues to tell their story.
In a very real sense, Tom Reece is an archetype, and as such, has been beyond the pages of Carr’s masterfully crafted novel. When you read “Cry Havoc,” you’re getting to know the truth about those qualities that made Vietnam veterans heroes. Reece is an acknowledgment and long overdue “welcome home” to the dwindling cadre that faced the communist threat behind and over “the fence” into Laos.
Reece is MACV-SOG to the core — the tip of the special operations community spear, which bred titans and carved their legends in stone to stand as memorials among the storied company of America’s finest fighting forces.
He begins the story dangling at the end of a 120-foot rope in a Swiss seat, with the broad-leafed and branching claws of the steaming jungle, gripping, tangling, and stripping gear from his body. A Kingbee thunders over the encasing canopy, drawing Tom inexorably skyward. Having escaped an ambush, the jungle drags at him and exacts its revenge with each puncture and laceration.
No detail is missed. Carr’s chronicle of history is impeccable, and his careful cataloging of equipment detail takes place throughout the fun of raucous storytelling. It’s history in the form of blockbuster thrills, and the art of military equipage told in the poetry of professionally performed kinetic action. Carr fits you piece by piece in the carefully selected tools of the MACV-SOG trade, so you feel the weight, texture, and sample the smells of well-used war-gear. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to actually dumping a modified 125-round drum of 7.62x39 through the receiver and barrel of a chopped RPD. To reload, just read on.
Carr told Townhall, “I wanted to make this the best book it could possibly be…better than the last book…people are trusting me with time they can never get back. I take that extremely seriously.” Speaking about the level of historical detail, Carr said, “I want this to be a time machine to 1968. I wanted people who lived in the era to know that I put in the effort.”
“Cry Havoc” also pays tribute to many of the founders of modern tactical theory like Col. Jeff Cooper. Tom Reece’s one zero (MACV-SOG element leader) carries a customized 1911, and banters with Reece about the virtues of the time-honored .45 ACP cartridge. For the aficionado, there are a myriad of details interwoven into the narrative that enhance the feeling of authenticity, while never overwhelming the crafted momentum and disturbing the pure enjoyment of the tale.
My all-time favorite thriller is Tom Clancy’s “Without Remorse.” I told Carr that “Cry Havoc” belongs on the same shelf. “Without Remorse” may never be supplanted in my constellation of greats, but Carr’s latest work is certainly within its orbit. I feel the same way about Carr’s characters as I do when I’m reading Clancy. Maybe it’s the nostalgia that the Vietnam era evokes for me. I was only a kid during the 70’s, but so much of what has informed the politics of my adulthood stems from those early impressions — of a corrupt media, a feckless political class, and the brave men and women who were sent to war and betrayed by both.
Perhaps the highest praise I can give Carr’s latest thriller is that my father-in-law would have thoroughly enjoyed it. He’s passed on to be with his Savior, and his war is finally over. The Marine in him that suffered grievous wounds in those tangled jungles half a world away would have thrilled at Carr’s portrayal of his war, his comrades, and the victories won at so dear a price.
“Cry Havoc” is available now! Get your copy here! For my complete interview with Jack Carr, subscribe for free at my Substack.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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