Letters From Wolfie
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Letters From Wolfie by Patti Sherlock is a story about Mark, a boy living in the United States during the Vietnam War, and his dog, Wolfie.
[edit] List of Characters
Mark - A boy living in the United States during World War II, he decides to send his dog, Wolfie, to become an army dog.
Danny - Mark's brother and a soldier in the war until his injury from stepping into a mine; once outgoing, but becomes withdrawn after his experience in the war
Wolfie - Mark's dog who becomes an army dog. He is described as a energetic, playful German Shephard
Tucker - Wolfie's handler; a tough guy who softens after meeting Wolfie
[edit] Summary
After his popular, older brother joins the army, Mark, trying to get some attention of his own, sends Wolfie to become an army dog. But after the decision was made, he began to regret it only to find out there is no turning back. Wolfie, the army said, was not coming home anytime soon. Although the handler of Wolfie agrees to exchange letters with Mark, he still misses his dog terribly. Soon, Mark reads an article about a soldier who tries to retrieve his dog (who had served three years in the army), but without luck. Determined to get Wolfie back, Mark starts to write letters to congressmens and the army, trying to get their approval to get Wolfie back, but none make any attempt to help. Finally, Mark organizes a march, though he originally didn't want to make the issue public.
Danny, Mark's brother, comes home after stepping on a mine, now injured and a different person than the one who left for war. Quiet and bitter, Danny pushes away his friends and family, haunted by his memories of war. But it wasn't the end of the bad news. Wolfie is shot by a Vietnam soldier and died minutes later. Many of the soldiers who worked with Wolfie sent letters, full of stories about Wolfie, and Tucker himself (the handler) sends a long letter about the day Wolfie dies. The last chapter is a letter written by Mark to Wolfie, telling him about the things that had happened years after his death. Tucker, Wolfie's handler, still writes to Mark and is a junior at college, and Mark himself is also a college student, though it is not clear what he majors in.
