In his debut novel, FINDING JACK, author Gareth Crocker
brings his readers a story that will surprise, amaze, and
uplift them in ways that few first novelists are able to do.
When a horrific accident takes away his wife and daughter,
journalist Fletcher Carson loses the desire to live. After
several failed suicide attempts, he decides the best way to
be done with his life is to enlist in the Army, and by
taking his place in Vietnam he could perhaps prevent the
loss of an innocent young soldier. But in the heart of the
jungle, Fletcher finds a very real reason to live once
again.
It's late 1972 and the war in Vietnam is almost over. More
and more American casualties are occurring everyday and
many soldiers are starting to question the cost of their
sacrifice. Here at home, people are protesting daily and
treating the home bound soldiers not with fanfare but with
barbs and shouts. But in the field orders must still be
followed. There is still a war to be fought.
While on patrol, Fletcher's platoon run across a critically
injured Labrador retriever. Suspecting the dog might be
booby-trapped, the Lieutenant orders the animal shot, but
Fletcher won't have it. Though insubordinate, Fletcher
rescues the dog, taking him back to base where he becomes
much more than a pet, but an invaluable asset to protecting
the men out on patrol.
Then the long-awaited news comes the war is over, there is
cheering and celebration until the final edict is
announced, one that will change forever the lives of a few
good men and one brave dog.
Basing his story on actual accounts from canine units
stationed in Vietnam, FINDING JACK is a story of heroism
and unselfish sacrifice and it is as heartwarming as it is
heartbreaking. Animal lovers and military fiction
enthusiasts alike will find this book to be an amazing step
back in time when the world went a bit mad, and a little
sanity was restored by a brave and handsome dog named Jack.
When the war ends, how do you leave your best friend
behind?
After losing his young family in a tragic accident,
Fletcher Carson joins the flagging war effort in Vietnam.
Deeply depressed, he plans to die in the war. But during
one of his early missions, Fletcher rescues a critically
wounded yellow Lab whom he nurses back to health and names
Jack. As Fletcher and Jack patrol and survive the forests
of Vietnam, Fletcher slowly regains the will to live.
At the end of the war, the U.S. Government announces that
due to the cost of withdrawal, all U.S. dogs serving in
the war have been declared 'surplus military equipment'
and will not be transported home. For the hundreds of dog
handlers throughout Vietnam, whose dogs had saved
countless lives, the news is greeted with shock and
disbelief. For Fletcher, he knows that if he abandons
Jack, then he too will be lost. Ordered to leave Jack
behind, he refuses - and so begins their journey.
Based on the actual existence and abandonment of canine
units in Vietnam, Gareth Crocker's Finding Jack is a novel
of friendship and love under desperate circumstances that
will grab your heart and won't let go.
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