Pogo is a British Military acronym which stands for Personnel On Garrison Operations.  It refers to non-combatant troops such as Clerks, Cooks, Ordnance and Q Store soldiers.

A Pogo’s Perspective details the author’s call-up for National Service (Nasho), the rigors of military training and discipline.

He then explains his posting the Royal Australian Armoured Corps and his subsequent transfer to B Squadron 3^rd Cavalry Regiment in Nui Dat, South Viet Nam.

He was the Orderly Room Corporal, a non-combatant position.  As will be read in the early chapters of this book no one in Viet Nam was exempt from risk.  He was ordered to go out on an overnight patrol with a Section of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC’s) from his Unit just 14 days after arriving in that Country.  His immediate superior the Orderly Room Sergeant offered to go out in lieu of him and that night the APC detonated a very large anti-tank mine.  One was killed instantly, the Orderly Room Sergeant was critically wounded and the other crew members seriously injured.

After this incident the author spent a further eleven months in Viet Nam.  During this time he experienced numerous other incidents, some which involved him personally, some which affected his mates.  A number of these are described in his book.

On his return to Australia one of the first things he did was to attempt to contact his Orderly Room Sergeant.  He was informed that his mate had died.  Under the weight of massive guilt and grief he buried himself in his post Army work.

Some thirty six years later he discovered his Sergeant mate was, in fact still alive and there was a joyous reunion.  That same man despite the injuries suffered travelled across Australia to support the author at his book launch.

The book explains the valuable role that Pogo’s fulfilled, with distinction, maintaining the troops in the field.  Of the 50,000 Australians that served in Viet Nam approximately 35,000 were Pogos.

A Pogo’s Perspective then details the author’s emotional decline to the point when he was professionally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was a logical conclusion for the author to describe the symptoms, his treatment and where other suffers could commence management programs.