【Epoch Times News on October 17, 2025】【Reporter: Li Mei, Orange County】
Former U.S. Navy SEAL and bestselling author of “The Terminal List” series, Jack Carr, visited the Nixon Library on October 15th to meet with readers and sign copies of his latest book in the series, “Cry Havoc”.
Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War (1955-1975), with 1968 being a time of division, unrest, and conflict, “Cry Havoc” depicts the intense conflicts in the Vietnamese jungle involving special forces and CIA paramilitary units, as well as the story of young Navy SEAL Tom Reece.
Unlike previous book signings, the audience this time mostly consisted of men. A staff member mentioned that Carr brilliantly portrays a range of characters and narrates the story exceptionally well. Given the military themes of his work, men who have served in the military resonate with the stories and are drawn to the characters in his books.
Many attendees held two copies of the book. Chris, whose grandfather and uncle both participated in the Vietnam War, expressed his respect by buying the new book upon release and another to have it signed by Carr, saying, “The older generation hopes the next generation won’t have to go through what they did. Though I didn’t serve, I hold great respect for them.”
Jack Carr is renowned for his thriller novels, publishing one each year since 2018. Having served in the Navy Special Warfare Command for 20 years, progressing from a Navy SEAL sniper to junior officer, platoon commander, and special operations task unit commander, Carr seamlessly weaves his combat experiences into his writing, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the stories.
Since childhood, Carr had two dreams: to serve as a Navy SEAL for his country and to become a writer. “Since I was 7, or even before that, I wanted to become a Navy SEAL; it was a calling in my blood, a way to prove your worth,” he said. Today, elite units like the Army Rangers and Marine Corps still call upon America’s youth.
Carr’s grandfather was a Marine fighter pilot in World War II, killed in action near Okinawa in 1945, and his father never met his own father. “I used to love looking at my grandfather’s flying badges, medals, and the photos of him and his squadron,” Carr shared. “I would watch war movies with my dad, including one called ‘Frogman’.”
His mother, a librarian, would take him to the library to research frogmen, Navy SEALs, and underwater demolitions. “Knowing that the Navy SEALs were the toughest elite fighting force to train in, I wanted to be a part of that,” Carr said. He never considered any other branch of the military.
Around the age of 10, Carr embarked on his reading journey, transitioning from teenage books to the novels he currently writes. “I read fiction and non-fiction books that weren’t assigned by school teachers,” Carr explained. His reading material included books on war, terrorism, hostage crises, counter-terrorism, and insurgencies, acknowledging that our generation’s wars would involve these themes.
After his first deployment in Iraq, Carr realized he should retire, having told himself in sixth grade that one day he would write a novel. About a year and a half before retiring, he began typing late at night from 10 pm to 2-3 am, as it was the only quiet time when his wife, three kids, and dog were at home.
At that time, Carr was unaware of how much of his personal experiences would leave an imprint on paper. Although he had a deep understanding of sniper weaponry, emotions, and experiences, he lacked knowledge on aircraft or ships, medical knowledge, etc. Nevertheless, “I could find and consult with professionals,” he noted. Reflecting on a scene in the book where the protagonist faces an ambush in Los Angeles, he drew inspiration from his experiences during an attack in Baghdad in 2006 and other encounters, blending elements from the works of “masters” he had read.
“Cry Havoc” was officially released on October 7, slightly delayed from the original June release due to extensive research and detailing. Carr mentioned that his parents likely came of age in the 1960s, and this book truly captures real-life events in novel form for the first time. He read numerous books about Vietnam, collected firsthand experiences of individuals, such as how helicopters landed on the ground, the buttons worn by soldiers, the weapons they carried, and the aftermath of landing.
For a year, Carr had a map of the South and North Vietnam dynamics pinned on his wall from 1968, making it feel like a war zone at any time. In a corner of his study, he placed a 15-inch model of a powerful car from that era, along with a watch and compass, stating, “I wanted to transport myself back to that time so as not to impose biases from over fifty years later onto the characters or sentences. I want to bring readers back to that period.”
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, and Carr was born in July of that year. He remarked, “The war that ended 50 years ago still holds significant meaning. We saw some Vietnam War films in the ’70s and ’80s, and one of the best-selling books last year was about a nurse serving in a field hospital in Vietnam. Interest in the Vietnam War cyclically persists through books, television, and videos, with most people learning about it through these mediums.
“For me, it’s never possible to write the best work, but those stories are the best they could be at that time,” Carr explained, indicating that this latest book is no exception. “I hope the next one will surpass this one. Our aim in life is to learn from experiences, continuously improve, and apply those lessons on the path ahead.”