Accounts of the reasons for American involvement in Afghanistan, supported by the British and other allies, have varied over the twelve-year course of the conflict. Part of the American ‘war on terror’ following the events
of 11 September 2001, the campaign in
Afghanistan later morphed into a campaign against the Taliban, a war on the growing
of the opium poppy and even an ideological struggle in support of the right of girls and women to
have an education. Only when history is written a hundred years hence will the
truth emerge.
One thing is certain, however, and that is that warfare has
changed fundamentally since German and British forces faced each other across
no man’s land in the Great War a century ago. Guerrilla and ‘insurgent’ forces
play today by very different rules, and one of their most terrifying weapons is
the improvised explosive device, which is responsible for countless
injuries and deaths in the twenty-first century theatre of war.
Dave Heyhoe, of Ranger Company, the Royal Irish Regiment, is posted to Afghanistan to help detect the roadside bombs and booby traps that make
every soldier’s work immeasurably harder and infinitely more hazardous.
Fortunately, he is not alone. Dave’s black labrador Treo, a member of the Arms
Explosive Search dog team, is his constant companion, and the star of the
book.
It’s All About Treo:Life and War with the World’s Bravest Dog is an absorbing and at times very moving account of the skill and dogged determination of Treo and Dave, as they front foot patrols scanning for explosives and other
devices in the notorious Helmand Province. Treo is so successful that soon
enemy communications traffic is thick with chatter referring to the ‘Black Dog’,
as Treo and Dave become major targets for enemy fire. Snipers train their
sights not on troops but on the dog that is scuppering all their dastardly work. Scraps of food and even other dogs are set as distractions and bait. And in the unrelenting heat in the
field, man and dog are under enormous pressure: expectations are great and there is no allowance for mistakes.
It’s All About Treo
is a great deal more than just another heart-warming tale of ‘one man and his
dog’. Here loyalty, proficiency, discipline, training, confidence and
single-mindedness all work together to make a team with more sensitivity and
focus than any machine could muster. With a few initial points to prove
and scores to settle, and more than one tragedy to come to terms with, we learn
how, in the end, everyone is impressed by, grateful for and trusting in the outstanding teamwork that has won well-deserved decorations, fulsome praise and
much-merited retirement for Dave and the indomitable ‘Black Dog’ that is Treo.
Malcolm Hamilton’s reading brings all the spell-binding drama, tension, joy
and sadness of this wonderful story to life. A brilliant account, It’s All About Treo confirms the almost unbelievable bond that is possible in man’s centuries-old relationship
with the domesticated descendant of the wolf.
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