A war story with a difference
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Vietnam has been written about many times, but not, I think with a dog as one of the heroes. Jack the labrador appears from nowhere, badly injured, and is nursed back to health by the Fat Lady unit. He becomes an invaluable member of the team, giving the deeply depressed Fletcher a reason to live, detecting trip wires, mines and grenades, and saving everyone's lives several times over. When the war ends the US government cannot afford to withdraw everything, and the dog is classed as surplus to requirements. He can either be abandoned, or shot. Fletcher is devastated, and decides to walk back through 350 miles of hostile territory with him, knowing there will be incredible hardships and the two of them probably won't make it. This is a gripping and engrossing story, without any hint of sentimentality; there are good people and bad people on both sides, and I couldn't put it down.
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Canada