When the war ends, how do you leave your best friend behind?
Finding Jack by Gareth Crocker; review by Sharon Gill
This is a book I didn’t want to read. A story about a dog in war-torn Vietnam was guaranteed to be distressing, especially since it’s based on fact. But the author promised me his book wouldn’t make me cry. He lied. Although, I suppose it didn’t help that I read the book with my own three Labradors sprawled on the carpet at my feet.
I was hooked from the first chapter, with the inevitable tears flowing at various milestones during the dog’s career as an unofficial US soldier.
The author avoids long drawn out explanations and irrelevant background material. He just gets on with the story. This, and the fact that he keeps his own emotions off the page, is what makes the book so damn readable.
In a nutshell, an American soldier (Fletcher) adopts an injured yellow Labrador (Jack) who wins the hearts of the entire squad. After being nursed back to health, Jack proves his worth as a working dog in a war zone. When the order to pull out of Vietnam is issued, Jack is declared “surplus military equipment” – to be abandoned or shot when the soldiers are airlifted out.
But Fletcher is having none of it. Risking his own life, and surely a court martial if he ever makes it home, he defies orders. And thus begins the treacherous journey for the soldier and his dog, a 350-mile walk through enemy infested territory to the safety of a neighbouring country.
While this story has a happy-ish ending, the book is disturbing because it’s based on fact. According to information on the author’s website, an estimated 4 000 dogs deployed in Vietnam saved the lives of approximately 10 000 US and allied soldiers, yet less than 200 of these dogs ever made it home.
What must those dogs have thought? “I saved your life and now you’re leaving me? Asshole!”
The author’s intention was purely to pay tribute to these war dogs, but there will be few readers who don’t end up feeling thoroughly disgusted at US policy on the issue.
On his website, Gareth Crocker relates the story of a decorated dog handler who watched the foundations being laid for the Vietnam Wall in Washington in 1982. As the wet cement was being poured, he threw his war medals into the mix, saluted and walked away. When asked why he did it, he replied: “In memory of my dog. His name is not on this wall but, without him, mine would have been.”