
Special Forces veterinarian Cole McBride joins a hardened group of spies and soldiers as they confront a terrible dilemma.
Will the strike team save themselves and escape from the tightening noose of enemy forces while they still have time? Or will they stay and fight to rescue the military working dog whose spirited heroism has already saved so many lives?
From U.S. Army veterinarian Elliott Garber comes a thrilling short story that illustrates the unique role of canine warriors as they work side by side with elite Special Operations troops to keep us safe.
This compelling tale of a military dog and his veterinarian is the perfect length for a lunchtime read or literary nightcap and will leave you begging for more.
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Dr. Garber examines a patient |
Today I'm pleased to announce that my friend and fellow scientist/author has just made his debut as the latter. You have just read the back cover blurb for No Dog Left Behind, a short story by active duty Army veterinarian Elliott Garber now available.
Purchase No Dog Left Behind for Kindle
For more about Elliott's interesting life, click here. To the left is a photograph of his day job.
Purchase No Dog Left Behind for Kindle
For more about Elliott's interesting life, click here. To the left is a photograph of his day job.
Now: want to know more about the story? Below is an excerpt from this thrilling debut.
No Dog Left Behind
Cole woke with a start and reached for the Beretta M9
hanging in its shoulder holster from his cot. Funny how that motion could
become so instinctual after a few short weeks.
Someone was pounding on the door.
“Sir, the boss needs you in the TOC now!” The shouted
message was followed by another round of pounding. Captain Cole McBride
recognized the voice of his tech. He sounded worried.
“I hear ya, hang on.” Cole jumped out of bed and
cracked the door. It was freezing out there. “Thanks Ben. Be there in two
minutes tops. Let ‘em know for me?”
“I’m on it. I’ll be setting up at the clinic. Sounds
like our dog team might be in trouble.”
“Crap, okay. This is what we train for, right?”
“Roger, sir.” Sergeant Ben Barrows gave him a quick
nod. “We got this. See you in a few.”
Cole watched the seasoned veterinary technician take
off running across the brightly lit compound. Ben had been attached to the 10th
Special Forces Group for three years now and already had two deployments under
his belt. He made it look easy. Everyone has to start somewhere, though. This
is my time, Cole thought.
The veterinarian threw on his MultiCams, buckled up
the kevlar helmet, and snugged into his bulky body armor. The Special Forces
guys didn’t have to go all out in full battle rattle around the compound like
this, but Cole didn’t care. He was still too cautious to care very much about
looking like a badass just to make the regular Army guys jealous. They had
taken way too many rockets that night already. He glanced at the soft blue glow
from his travel alarm. 0217. Must be a snatch-and-go gone wrong.
Cole checked his weapon, strapped on the holster, and
left the heated comfort of his wooden barracks room for the bitter Afghan
night.
***
The tactical operations center was alive with nervous
tension. Cole entered without a word and found a spot against the back wall.
He turned to the stocky man in jeans and a black
fleece beside him. “Must be someone important?” he whispered.
“Yup. Senior Taliban type. Shit’s hit the fan,
though.” Captain Dan Knight was a physician’s assistant who started out in the
Ranger Regiment as a medic years ago before going back to school. He had
welcomed Cole and Ben to the compound yesterday and introduced them to the
command team. The Ranger veterinarian wasn’t due in Afghanistan for another
month, so Cole was looking out for their dogs as well as his own from 10th
Group.
Three large flat screen monitors hung at the front of
the room. One revealed a detailed satellite map of the surrounding mountainous
region along the northeast border of the country. On the map were icons and
numbers showing all U.S. and known enemy forces in the area. The second screen
was a live aerial feed focused on a typical Afghan concrete compound.
Spotlights from a hovering Blackhawk gave it a ghostly appearance.
It was the third that kept Cole’s attention. The
screen showed a dark room, thick with smoke. Something was burning in one
corner. The view turned slowly to scan along one wall and then stopped. A human
form in black fatigues lay crumpled on the floor in a sickeningly unnatural
position. Cole grimaced as the feed jumped forward and blurred momentarily. The
guy with the camera on his helmet was now kneeling over the body, and all Cole
could see were his hands reaching forward, checking wrists and then neck for a
pulse. The camera began shaking as the hand jerked back and was thrust into a
headlamp’s halogen beam. It was covered in bright red blood.
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