The Golden Fleece

High-Risk Adventure at West Point

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Pub Date Sep 01 2017 | Archive Date Sep 30 2017

Description

In the fall of 1965 West Point cadet Tom Carhart and five of his classmates from the U.S. Military Academy pulled off a feat of extraordinary ingenuity, precision, and raw guts: the theft of the billy goat mascot from their rival, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, just before the biggest football game of the year.

The U.S. forces in Vietnam were then at two hundred thousand and growing, with casualties spiking, and the men in West Point’s class of 1966 were well aware that they would serve, and quite possibly die, in that far-off war. But West Point’s motto, “Duty, Honor, Country,” affirms that its graduates will always obey the decisions of our elected government, and the men of ’66 were dutiful: of the 579 who graduated, 30 died in Vietnam and roughly five times that number were wounded. Since this would be the men’s last Army-Navy football game as cadets, they wanted to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Carhart tells the incredible true story of how, in stealing that Navy goat, the cadets unknowingly reenacted the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology. The caper is interwoven with an insider’s narrative about the private lives of six West Point cadets in the early 1960s, who, against all odds, hurled their last hurrah of triumph to America before flying off to fight its wretched war in Vietnam.

For more information about The Golden Fleece visit carhartthegoldenfleece.com.

In the fall of 1965 West Point cadet Tom Carhart and five of his classmates from the U.S. Military Academy pulled off a feat of extraordinary ingenuity, precision, and raw guts: the theft of the...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781612349107
PRICE $36.95 (USD)
PAGES 224

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

An engaging, first person narrative which is both informative and entertaining for anyone who is curious about what it takes not only to be accepted at West Point, but to succeed and thrive there. Carhart writes vividly and with precision, capturing each of his classmates' personalities. It is easy to fall for these boys in uniform, who despite their rigorous training and education, even as their awareness grows about the responsibilities that lay ahead for them and with the spectre of the Vietnam War looming large, never seem to abandon their sense of humor. And of course, only in hindsight, would they be able to see that pulling off the stunt that would immortalize their class, the class of '66, perfectly illustrates many of their talents which will serve them well, not only as soldiers but as men in the world. I would absolutely recommend.

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This book was an amazing look at an event that showed the true leadership of a few West Point Cadets. This look into a time when boys were becoming men, and six cadets were becoming leaders. The author, Tom Carhart, who also was the ringleader of the Navy goat napping of 1965 has done a brilliant job of telling the story. This look at not only the brotherhood between them but also the peripheral awareness of what was happening in Vietnam. This small glimpse behind the walls of West Point is not only entertaining but insightful.. This book is a must read for anyone in a leadership position, or interested in military history.

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