Dog Soldiers: Love, loyalty and sacrifice on the front line

Dog Soldiers: Love, loyalty and sacrifice on the front line
Isabel George

Dog Soldiers tells the story of two brave young ‘dog soldiers’ (Army bomb dog handlers), killed in action in Afghanistan with their dogs by their side, through the inspirational words of their mothers.Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe and Lance Corporal Liam Tasker were both dog lovers from boyhood and went on to do the job they had always wanted to do. Through the soldiers’ mothers – Lyn Rowe and Jane Duffy – the book will take the reader on a journey and a celebration of the young men’s lives that begins with the two young boys growing up and fulfilling their dream to serve Queen and country as Army dog handlers – Ken Rowe with his dog, Sasha, and Liam Tasker with his canine partner, Theo. Both mothers acknowledge that their sons signed up to do the job they loved best and fell with their loyal and trusted best friend beside them.Jane Duffy said of her son, Liam Tasker: ‘I know my son died doing the job he loved. And he loved that dog as I loved my son, with every ounce of his being. To lose Liam was and still is unbearable. But for Liam to have survived without Theo? Unthinkable.’

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Copyright (#ubdef78f9-0bfc-5bed-8f40-1d46f2e631d4)

HarperElement

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First published by HarperElement 2016

FIRST EDITION

© Isabel George 2016

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2016

Front cover photographs (soldier) © Crown 2016, Ministry of Defence, published with kind permission of the family of Lance Corporal Liam Tasker.

All other images © Shutterstock.com

A catalogue record of this book is

available from the British Library

Isabel George asserts the moral right to be

identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008148065

Ebook Edition © January 2016 ISBN: 9780008148089

Version: 2015-11-26

Contents

Cover (#u988bbae2-dd64-58af-be66-939a53cdb015)

Title Page (#ulink_9343bad5-3265-5c56-923b-926482e7c449)

Copyright (#ulink_b7d8535a-7d76-5870-8a6b-2f17725c64c6)

Timeline (#ulink_819fb4fb-4cef-52fc-a535-304bd116e42f)

Introduction (#ulink_6edba381-2682-5fc7-a884-6f94a7ef980f)

1 Please God, look after him … (#ulink_ee594adb-a3e0-5fb5-9e70-a9a6fb880f5b)

2 Man down! (#ulink_f07d2794-c610-56f1-9a4b-a4a5532c4338)

3 For Queen and country – The Troubles (#ulink_9fd85352-5559-5ccc-a7f5-f8e96eb856b4)

4 The dogs of war – deployment to Afghanistan (#litres_trial_promo)

5 Sasha enters the theatre (#litres_trial_promo)

6 Home – RAF Lyneham (#litres_trial_promo)

7 Letters home – Lyn (#litres_trial_promo)

8 Stay safe. Love you loads, son xxxx (#litres_trial_promo)

9 Take one soldier and his warrior dog (#litres_trial_promo)

10 The man and his dog (#litres_trial_promo)

11 In the line of duty (#litres_trial_promo)

12 Not again? (#litres_trial_promo)

13 Repatriation: the final journey home (#litres_trial_promo)

14 I really miss you, son … (#litres_trial_promo)

15 Hero dogs (#litres_trial_promo)

16 Coping beyond hope (#litres_trial_promo)

17 Moving on (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue – The Fallen (#litres_trial_promo)

Moving Memoirs eNewsletter (#litres_trial_promo)