Blood on Red Dirt [Kindle Edition]

Gary Cowart (Author)

Book Description

Blood on Red Dirt is the true story of Marine Corporal Gary Cowart. The book encompasses the time before enlistment, Boot Camp, Infantry Training Regiment, Artillery School, and his time in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Incorporated with actual pictures from the times and places remembered in this book, it gives the reader a mix of emotions felt during the good times and bad, of combat and of non-combat, with the intent of giving the lay person a more complete picture of the Vietnam experience.
After serving in Vietnam, Dr. Cowart earned a B.A. degree in Zoology from the University of Washington, and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the UW School of Dentistry He currently lives, writes, and maintains a general dental practice in Kent, Washington.

Product Details

• File Size: 1397 KB
• Print Length: 275 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1468147579
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006RDKJ78
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,632 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #40 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military
  • #40 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Military & Spies
  • #98 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WELL WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF ONE MAN'S STORY - VERY HONESTLY WRITTEN. August 14, 2012

By D. Blankenship HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When E.B. Sledge wrote "With the Old Breed: Peleliu and Okinawawa," he set the standard for first hand accounts written my enlisted men serving during war; war on the front lines. And a high standard this was! Now I am not going to compare the work of Sledge to the account given here by Gary K. Cowart. That would simply be unfair. But I will tell you that Cowart's work does stand right up there with the best of them. Cowart has told his story with a sincerity and humble honesty that one seldom finds in war memoirs. This coupled with the fact that the author is actually a pretty good writer makes this work, "Blood on Red Dirt" a notable achievement and a valuable read.

This is the author's own story told directly in the first person. He, the author shares his unique experiences in a war that was unlike any war this country had ever been in before; a war that changed the face of our nation - for better or for worse. In reading his account we find that his unique experiences were much like those of thousands of others who served their nation and I cannot emphasize enough the fact that while each man and woman did have a unique experience, they never-the-less ran parallel with each other.

As a young man, who through circumstances not of his making, Cowart lost his college deferment and became eligible for the draft. Like thousand of others the last thing this kid wanted was to go to war. He fully admits that he was simply afraid and that he wanted nothing to do with combat. To avoid being drafted and to have some control over his life, he volunteered and joined the U.S. Marine Corp. (There was a two year wait for the U.S.A.F. and Navy at the time; time the author did not have). There he became an artillery man.

We follow this young man, who came from a poor background (which was pretty typical and the norm during this phase of the war) through his basic training, his advanced training and then finally to Viet Nam. In a low keyed way with not passionate rants, the author (I am not sure if he was aware of what he was doing or not), points out some of the problems facing our military at that time. His training was drastically cut simply because we needed warm bodies on the line. There was a tremendous inequity in the financial status of combat troops, i.e. the poor boys went, the rich boys stayed at home for the most part, and throughout the book the author gently points to the fact that racially there were, per ratio, many more blacks serving in frontline combat roles than whites. The author does not belabor this point, but he most certainly points it out.

Anyway, scared, not sure of the reason he is there in the first place, not fully trained, alone and frightened, this young man did his duty and did it to the best of his abilities. He often repeats, despite the horrific living conditions and constant danger, how much better off he had it than the "grunts" in the field had it.

Cowart is finally badly wounded and his war ended. Upon discharge he used the Viet Nam era G.I. Bill, went to school, readjusted to society and became a dentist. And this was the way it should be. The vast, vast majority of our returning vets readjusted and went on to live extremely productive lives. But make no mistake, few if any were unchanged by this war on one level or another. That is just the way it is.

The book is well written. The author is extremely honest with his emotions and is one of those individuals who is now much older than he was during his time of service, has been able to somehow place his mind back to those times and give us the perception of what his thought process was as a very, very young man. This is a skill many do not have. It is great to be able to evaluate through hindsight (which indeed the author has done), but to be able to evaluate and still remember how it was "back then" is rather unique for a writer of such work. There is no `John Wayne" stuff found in this work which is a true blessing as far as I am concerned. No, the author has been able to tell us of his life changing experiences without turning them into over the top "war stories." This is good.

I found this read to be fascinating and well done and most certainly worth the time it took to read it. This is one that I can recommend with no reservations what so ever.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Candid, Poignant and Powerful June 14, 2012

By micmacpride

Format:Kindle Edition

This candid, poingnant and powerful book touches the soul.

It describes perfectly the dynamics of youth crashing into the painful reality of war only to come face to face with mortality and the unaswerable question of why one human being survives and others perish. (Returning home only to find an unwelcoming response by the vast impervious ignorance of the time.)

This extraordinary book is great for all type of readers, it is moving, informative and awe-inspiring.

The writer starts off easy and explains things for us outsiders (non-military)which makes the reading all the better, then builds on the impressive true story right into the real action of surviving a battle.

I look forward to more books by this author.

This is well worth your time and money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read March 15, 2012

By Zeedrict

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed reading this book. The reader gets entrapped in the book as we find the young Gary Cowart get entrapped into the military. Its amazing how just a few events propelled Gary into the hell that he was eventually to find himself in. And it truly sounded like hell. Its a good look into what artillery was like in vietnam. I had no idea besides a few scenes in some war movies where the heck all the explosions come from that they call fire support? Anyway its a haunting story and a glimpse in what reluctant teens had to do in this war. It both is inspiring and heart wrenching. Gary you are a salty marine! Thanks for your service.

More About the Author

Dr. Gary Cowart, a third generation Washingtonian, was born and raised in Seattle, and grew up surrounded by the beautiful land and rich Native American heritage of the Puget Sound country.
After serving in Vietnam in 1967-68 as a Marine Corps corporal , Dr. Cowart earned a B.A. in Zoology from the University of Washington and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the U.W. School of Dentistry. He currently maintains a general dental practice in Kent, Washington with his son, Joshua.
Dr. Cowart enjoys writing stories and screenplays as a hobby. He hopes to publish more of his works online in the future.