First published in 2011 (my edition is 2013), Saving Private Sarbi is the life story of Sarbi, Australia’s famous explosive detection dog. But this is more than a feel-good animal story. And it is more than an historical account of the Australian Defence Force’s Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) Section of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) Corps.
Born on 11
September 2002, a year after the 9/11 attacks, specifically as a show dog, Sarbi didn’t
pass the strict show dog standards. Sarbi’s Labrador mother had a doggy
dalliance with a Newfoundland wanderer – which meant that the whole litter of
six pups couldn’t make professional status.
Initially a
citizen, Sarbi was accepted into RAE’s School of Military Engineering (SME) in
the elite EDD Section with a handler, and 19 weeks later graduated in 2005 as a
soldier. Training continued throughout her work life; it was constant,
meticulous, intense, physical, and demanding – gold standard. But to the black
Labrador-Newfoundland-cross, with a distinct white zigzag patch on her chest,
all work was a form of playtime. She could detect explosives from 100 metres, withstand
the noise of military equipment and aviation, and endure all phases of
operational deployment.
Her overseas
duty post in 2007 was Tarin Kot in Uruzgan, the southern province of
Afghanistan, and the edge of the Hindu Kush mountains, where the Australians
were deployed to rout out the Taliban. Sarbi was ready for her mission-specific
role, primarily to detect roadside and hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs),
landmines, and explosive hazards in searing 50C heat and freezing snowbound nights;
ever ready – day and night.
Lee describes
the life of SAS and Commando soldiers, dog handler soldiers leading the
searches for hazards, and the four-legged companions who soldiered side-by-side
with the army’s elite. She details the heart-breaking deaths, of both soldiers
and dogs.
During the
historic ambush on 2 September 2008, under sustained machine gun fire and
rocket propelled grenade attack on a vehicle convey, Sarbi was wounded and
separated. Missing in action for 13 months, this is her story of the eventual
reunification with her fellow soldiers and her return to Australia.
SAS Corporal
(previously Trooper) Mark Donaldson received the prestigious Victoria Cross for
Australia for acts of gallantry in action taken on the day of the September
ambush during Operation SLIPPER. The 11 other soldiers were also hailed as heroes.
Donaldson was the first Australian soldier to receive a VC since the Vietnam
War (1962-1975).
Sardi too
received the highest awards, one of them the RSPCA Australia Purple Cross for
outstanding service to humans. Only eight other animals have been awarded the
PC since 1996 (7 to civilian dogs and one to Murphy the donkey who served at
Gallipoli in the First World War with soldier John Simpson Kirkpatrick for
transporting wounded soldiers to safety). Sardi was the ninth animal to receive
the award, and the first canine soldier.
This book
depicts the dedication and loyalty not only of one dog, but of all the canines
serving in the Australian Defence Force, and of all the personnel who perform
daily acts of service under extreme conditions. It goes deeper than actions and
duty; it goes deeper than altruism; and it goes deeper than the strong bonds of
“mateship” between man and dog, soldier and soldier. It touches on what it
means to put your trust in another and to have that trust and respect returned;
it goes to the heart of total situational awareness, control under pressure,
posture change recognition, and a finely-tuned blend of intuition and logic. More
importantly, it reveals the psychology of collective consciousness over
individual pursuits. It blows self-absorption and egoism to pieces.
A new EED canine recruit
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