dog handler, and trainer – came up with the idea of K9
Veterans Day, to be celebrated each year on March 13. The
day honors K9s like Maiko, Sergeant Stubby, Chips, Conan,
Timber, Chief, and Clipper whether they served in a combat
zone, protected the border, or worked with customs, the
Secret Service, FBI, or local law enforcement.
Why honor the efforts of these courageous K9s and their
handlers?
The tribute etched on their monument says it best: “Dedicated
to all US Military Working Dog Handlers and their
beloved dogs who defend America from harm, defeat the
enemy, and save lives.”
If that’s not reason enough, what is?
AUTHOR’S BIO
Jim Lamb is a retired journalist living in Florida. His
father served in the US Army as a Combat Engineer
during World War II.
(right) US Army Staff
Sergeant Kevin Reese and
his military working dog
Grek wait at a safe house
before conducting an assault
against insurgents in Buhriz,
Iraq. US Air Force photo by Staff
Sergeant Stacy L Pearsall.
(above) A flight medic with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation
Regiment, is hoisted into a medical helicopter with Luca, a
Military Working Dog with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd
Infantry Division during a training exercise. US Army photo by Sergeant
Michael Needham, 102nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Reese
and his dog Grek
far greater than any human on the battlefield.”
Along the base of the monument is the phrase “Guardians of
America’s Freedom.” Another element of the plaza is the “Not
Forgotten Fountain” which features the words: “In everlasting
memory of all the war dogs that served, died, and were left behind
in the Vietnam War.”
Dog handler John Baker, whose military police company detachment
was known as “Hell on Paws,” summed things up this way: “These
dogs were patriots just as much as anybody else who served.”
One of those dogs was Maiko, a multi-purpose canine trained in
patrolling, tracking, bomb detection, and apprehension. According
to Stars & Stripes, the seven-year-old K9 was fatally wounded during
a raid against al-Qaida militants in southwest Afghanistan’s Nimruz
Province on 24 November 2018: “The actions of Maiko directly
saved the life of his handler… and other Rangers involved during the
clearance.”
Maiko reportedly served six tours in Afghanistan and conducted
more than fifty Ranger-led raids; he had the most training and combat
experience of any dog with the battalion at the time of his death.
A final note: The United States K9 Corps was created on 13 March
1942. With that in mind, the late Joe White – a Vietnam War veteran,
98 ARMY 245: Call to Duty