War Dog

Jamie was a soldier. He has lost a leg. He wants to tell his story – about how his life was saved by the bravery of Sam and his dog Charlie.

Jamie and his platoon were patrolling the green zone in Afghanistan one scorching hot day when they are attacked by the Taliban. They escape into a cornfield, but then they have to cross a stretch of open ground to reach the safety of an abandoned compound. Doug goes first and Jamie follows 10 metres behind him.

What the platoon don’t know is that the open ground is mined and the Taliban have forced them to go this way deliberately. Suddenly, Doug steps on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and there is a loud explosion. Doug is killed instantly and Jamie is badly injured. So Sam comes to rescue Jamie with Charlie sniffing the ground for mines.

War Dog is not an easy story. It does not have a happy ending. It is a story about the realities of war, and its subject matter can be difficult to read. However, it is an important story. It does not glorify violence, it shows how war kills indiscriminately.

The book is part of the Edge: Rivets Short Stories series. This is a series designed for readers who want to enjoy an exciting story but find full-length novels too long. It also works for reluctant readers because it uses short chapters, a larger typeface and straightforward language.