T'was Xmas eve when I went to the Dept of Veteran Affairs
search facility for Vietnam veterans. Idly glancing at the pages side panel, there was link to tracker dogs. How interesting I thought.
Chrissy day turns up and daughter number three gives me a book by Peter Haran,
Trackers "The untold story of the Australian dogs of war". This was bizarre, could my daughter read what my eyes were seeing, spooky.
Basically a story of training for war with dogs, and going to war with dogs. I found it heavy going till I reached the paragraph in which the author's father offered his son advice, "Always wash your shaving brush out, otherwise it gets hard". I went into uncontrollable laughter and then saw the rest of the book in a completely different light. Peter Haran, whether then or later, clearly sees the madness and contradictions in that war.
I also dips me lid to Peter and all those other guys who "advanced to contact". No doubt adrenalin rushes, or a parched mouth these days, brings back other memories.
Details of the book are;
Haran, Peter 1948 -
Trackers; the untold story of the Australian dogs of war.
ISBN 9781864366051
Published in Australia by New Holland publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd on crappy paper

| | And one day you will be able to scan this bar code into your IPod or whatever, and download the book. |