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.