The Offering [Paperback]

Tom Carhart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1988

Vietnam. Tom Carhart's emotional memoir has a vivid panorama rarely seen in books about the Vietnam war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carhart, a 1966 West Point graduate, was fighting in Vietnam the following year and like many of his fellow servicemen felt it was a patriotic duty to risk his life for his country. In combat he discovered not only the horrors of jungle warfare but also the dangers of being given orders by superiors unfamiliar with a situation on the battlefield (he was branded a coward for pointing out that a certain tactic would bring heavy casualties). He was briefly in Saigon, where he had a romance, then was an adviser in the Mekong Delta, where he went on what he terms "search-and-avoid" missions, allegedly to find Vietcong but actually designed not to encounter the enemy. Carhart's re-creation is not as significant as other personal works on the Vietnam War, but he nonetheless produces a rounded picture of the futility of the struggle.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Carhart, a decorated infantry officer, tells us in an often certain, occasionally melodramatic voice, of his year-long service experience in Vietnam from December 1967. He commanded not only an infantry platoon but a special reconnaissance team called the "Tiger Force," and later was assigned to a Vietnamese reserve unit as an adviser, where he learned much about the politics of the conflict. Though he ran afoul of military and Vietnamese politics and writes with sincere melancholic lyricism about his departure, he does not go so far as to say the sacrifices were questionable. These are illuminating glimpses into the conflict in the bush and the role of advisers in 1968, but sometimes the treatment is heavy-handed. Worth acquiring for military collections. Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books Inc (Mm); 1st Thus edition (October 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446350478
• ISBN-13: 978-0446350471
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,167,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the offering by tom carhart, February 6, 2001

By 

K Landreth (Huron ,South Dakota 57350) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Offering (Paperback)

I was a member of ABU 1/327 during 1967-68 serving as an enlisted man and started by carring ammunition for an M-60 machine gun in the 2nd platoon. The book is as the title says a soldiers own view. Just as 5 people involved in a single car wreck will have 5 stories about what happen, it is an individual account of one who was there. Carhart recieved two purple hearts while in Viet Nam and was in part responsible for the Viet Nam Memorial becoming a reality for all Viet Nam veterans. He also was responsible for seeing that Mr. Flipper ( the first black graduate of West Point ) recieved a pardon from the President 100 years after an injustice. This book relates to Tom Carharts experiances as a platoon leader and his time in Viet Nam. I believe them to be accuate from what I remember while he served with ABU. Many good men gave a lot and some all during 67-68. Far too many from the 101st. There again the 1st Battalion and later the whole 101st Divison came to fight and we inflicted far more than we recieved. This is a book written by a man on the ground who saw what he saw. Protected those he served with out any indifferce as we were all Airborne and " Above the Rest". I recieved my book from Tom at a reunion in San Mateo in 1988 as did all who attended the reunion. It was praised by those in attendance. San Mateo is where one of the fallen is buried. It was the only city to adopt a unit during the war... that is another story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly revealing and compelling book of war., April 16, 2001

By 

Steve Patterson (Pacific Palisades, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Offering (Paperback)

Tom Carhart's THE OFFERING superbly records the demands of being a combat platoon leader in Vietnam. His candid and honest portrayl of himself reveals the oftentimes conflict of the mission vs. the welfare of the men. Carhart accurately documents his units engagements with the enemy and brings home to the reader the managed chaos of jungle firefights. Most importantly, Carhart recognizes the courage and determination of the american paratrooper and the varied racial backrounds of what we were.

Steve Patterson A company 1st/327th Infantry 101st Airborne Div 1968

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and compellling., December 19, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Offering (Paperback)

Tom Carhart brings you to the jungles of Vietnam
with his words. You feel as if you are next to him in
battle, watching his friends die. It moved me to
tears several times. Tom comes from a powerful
family and has written a powerful narrative
of his experiences in Vietnam.