Military History: Australian Combat Tracking Team Dogs in the Vietnam War

AUSTRALAN COMBAT TRACKING TEAM DOGS IN THE VIETNAM WAR

By Vietnam veteran Peter Haran

Former journalist and Vietnam veteran Peter Haran relates the little-known story of the deployment of tracking dogs in the Vietnam war in the mid-1960s.

Peter was one of the first trained dog handlers to arrive in Vietnam in 1967. He was teamed with a larrikin Labrador Kelpie cross canine called Caesar – an event that was to become a life-changing experience for a naïve 19-year-old in a bewildering, at times harrowing, environment that gave learning on the job a sobering new meaning. Eleven Australian tracking dogs served in Vietnam and on occasion their actions not only were successful, but also led to the survival of many Diggers during battles with the enemy. It also was a deeply emotional bonding between man and dog in times of war.

Time: 1830 lecture begins; 1930 dinner

Members Price: $70.00; $15.00 lecture only

Non-Members: $80.00; $15.00 lecture only

Dress: Jacket and Tie

RSVP: By 5PM, Monday 31 July 2023

(Bookings cancelled after the RSVP will incur a 50% charge of the ticket price)