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Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog
Sergeant Rex
by Mike Dowling
with Damien Lewis
Meet Rex, a very smart, well-trained German Shepherd. He has a highly sensitive sense of smell and can communicate what he finds to his handler who has trained him so well that that he can trust the dog to lead the way. The result saves a lot of lives, both Iraqi and American. Rex and his handler Mike, a young Marine, are among the first K9 teams to go to Iraq, and they have never been tested in actual battle conditions. They learn a lot which they can then share to help other teams in training. When a Marine team is not scheduled to go out, Mike and Rex rotate through guard duty at the gate. Rex can also bring down a “bad guy.” Neither of these activities meet their goals in Iraq, however, and Mike had to initially persuade commanders to allow them to go into the field on missions. After the soldiers saw what they could do, their bravery, courage, and skills, they begged to have them accompany them.
It’s extremely hot in Iraq and Rex, of course, is wearing a coat. When working he has to be watched carefully for dehydration. The pair go out with regular Marines on missions. Typically, marines clear a building of possible terrorists. Then Mike and Rex enter to search for armaments and materials that can be used to build IED’s. Rex can also do the very dangerous job of sweeping for mines. There are so many points in the process where explosions or enemy attacks could occur. Both Mike and Rex have bullet proof vests, but Mike reserves their use for the times they are most needed because they hold the heat in and increase the possibility of dehydration. Mike always puts Rex’s needs first—from choosing “housing” appropriate for Rex to covering Rex with his own body when they are suddenly under fire. They are truly a dynamic duo and have a special relationship.
Despite the fact that I don’t know much about the various kinds of weapons, I found Sergeant Rex to be both interesting and informative. I learned a lot about the use of dogs in the military and the training involved in preparing a handler/dog team to be successful in the field.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir, Nonfiction
Notes: Contains lots of salty language coming from the mouths of tough marines living on the edge, constantly in danger, and frequently in the midst of explosions and gunfire. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t a problem for me. I just considered the context and moved on.
Publication: 2011—Atria
Memorable Lines:
One thing is crystal clear. K9 handlers and their dogs are at the top of the insurgents’ hit list, along with the EOD guys. We always presumed it would be the enemy’s priority to kill Rex and me, because we’re always at the front of patrols sniffing out the bombs. The more effective we get at finding their arms and explosives, the more they’ll want to hit us.
At times like these Rex becomes a therapy and a morale dog. Seeing Rex and talking about their dogs remind the guys of life back home. It reminds them that there is a world outside the madness of Fallujah and Mahmoudiyah, and in part we’re all here fighting for the right to survive this hell and get back to the world that we know so well and love.
The life-and-death existence that we’ve been living here has put it all into perspective and shown me what truly matters in this world.
Fractured Truth–it’s complicated
Fractured Truth
by Susan Furlong
Brynn Callahan suffers mental effects from being part of a Marine search team for the dead. She and her dog Wilco both received physical injuries from an encounter with an IED in Iraq. Retired from the military, they work as a team for the local sheriff.
In Fractured Truth, Brynn has been chosen for her job, despite a less than stellar work record due to PTS and associated addictions, to act as a liaison between law enforcement and the people group she was born into. She is half Traveller or Pavee, originally an Irish roaming group who settled in the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee. She is only partially successful in this role as the Pavees view her as an outsider and traitor for working with the police. She is helpful, however, in that she understands their customs and perspectives.
Brynn and Wilco are called upon to locate the body of a girl found by a cross-country skier. Wilco is successful and later, thanks to his sensitive nose, is able to locate another woman’s body who police suspect is in a river. The plot is very complex with many suspects. While investigating these crimes, Brynn is also dealing with PTS issues that she tries to overcome with alcohol and prescription drugs. In addition, she has past relationships that color her attempts to establish a new life in Bone Gap. She suffers discrimination from the Pavees and from some of her “settled” coworkers who look to blame the Pavees for problems. The Pavees, in turn, ostracize Brynn and her grandmother.
Fractured Truth has a good solid plot. It is a fascinating mystery, if somewhat gruesome at times. Author Susan Furlong, who has a talent with words, has created an interesting character in Brynn Callahan. I didn’t find her likeable or unlikeable, but I did find myself rooting for her in her struggle against her personal demons. Her battles are deep and painful, and unfortunately there are many returning soldiers who literally share the same torments. The book ends with the criminal cases solved but some loose ends that will carry the reader into the next book in the series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #2 in the Bone Gap Travellers series, but works well as a standalone.
2. Since I review a lot of cozy mysteries, I want to point out that this book is not a cozy mystery. It falls in the traditional mystery series category. Some might classify it as a Police Procedural or a K-9 mystery. It is quite successfully all of these things!
Publication: December 18, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
A little smirk played along the corner of her lips. She enjoyed causing trouble. Gone was the withering flower, replaced by little Ms. Mean Girl. Who was the real Winnie? I had no idea. This interrogation was giving me mental whiplash.
“War is a series of relentless extremes. Boredom to certain death. No between. Anxiety becomes a part of who you are. You never turn it off. You do, and you’re not on your game, not able to save your own thankless hide, let alone your buddies.”
We kept our boundaries tight and adhered to a strict moral code, but somewhere along the line, we’d forgotten to allow for humanness. Rules and rigidness had replaced love and mercy.
education pathways 