Posted on 08/01/2006 7:18:25 PM PDT by World_Events
Veterans of three combat tours together, two U.S. Marines ran out of luck when they approached a suspicious-looking man outside an Iraqi police-recruitment center in Ramadi in January.
Marine dog handler Sgt. Adam Cann sensed trouble when Bruno, his bomb-sniffing canine partner, became agitated, signaling the proximity of explosives. In a flash, the suspect detonated the pounds of explosives he'd hidden in his suicide-bomb vest, leaving dozens of dead and injured all around.
Cann, 23, fell fatally wounded as he tried to shield his German shepherd from harm. In the aftermath of the blast, Bruno, his fur bloodied by his own shrapnel wounds, refused to budge and lay on Cann's chest as if to return the favor. Others in the unit said the pair were as close as brothers, having served one tour together in Afghanistan and two more in Iraq.
Cann, of Davie, Fla., was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and nominated for the Silver Star. But despite his war wounds, exemplary performance and devotion to duty, Bruno _ who is considered to be a bona-fide leatherneck _ will receive no official decoration in honor of his sacrifice and service.
Nor will Flapoor, a Belgian malinois Marine K-9, who was critically wounded when he took a hunk of shrapnel to the liver in the same attack. Nor Chang, a black shepherd that saved his handler's life in a separate battle by jerking him out of the bull's-eye just as an enemy sniper fired.
Nor will any other of the hundreds of U.S. war dogs serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom daily put themselves in harm's way to catch insurgents, uncover hidden bombs, search buildings and otherwise save lives. The canine casualty count now stands at six dead and five wounded.
(Excerpt) Read more at shns.com ...
I understand the sentiment expressed here but truthfully all the dog wants is the approval of his handler.
I love dogs, and they will love you so much they will protect to the death...their's. I have 3 babies and this story makes me cry...
The dogs are neat, but the loss of skilled GI's is worse.
Semper Fi.
Memorial held March 27 for 'Rin Tin', a life-saving military dog
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
A memorial service was held March 27 for Rin Tin, a military working dog who died of cancer March 9 at the Lackland Air Force Base, near San Antonio, Texas. The Rev. William G.L. Fisher, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and chaplain for the U.S. Air Force, Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Alaska, conducted the service in Fairbanks. Rin Tin, assigned to Eielson in 1998, served as an explosive detector dog deployed to the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. He was a nine-year-old German Sheppard.
"Rin Tin saved countless lives deterring the introduction of explosives onto the installation" and "conducted numerous explosive sweeps for the Fairbanks community. Rin Tin gave his entire life to the Air Force," said Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Sciascia, military dog trainer, Fairbanks. "Our dogs mean so much to us. They are our partners and friends, and we work with them each day and even deploy with them," she said. "They don't ask to be recruited into the military, but they adapt and overcome. The dogs sleep on a concrete floor in a fenced kennel. Getting out and riding in a vehicle with their handler is what they live for. They work hard for us and never complain," said Sciascia.
ping.
This is the same MSM that was pissing all over themselves when ...gasp...Iraqis were exposed to our unclean dogs.
A dog handler in my Bn. in the Nam got hit (as well as his dog) by shrapnel from a genade while walking the wire on the perimeter. The dog wouldn't let anybody near him, and he started yelling "shoot the dog, I don't want to die here"...
He did survive.....
What is unfortunate is that the handler and his dog are not allowed to go home together. Many Nam dog handler vets wanted to take their dogs home but the government refused. What ever happened to those dogs is anyone's guess.
Doggie Ping?
Dogs don't understand medals. They do understand being scratched behind the ears and getting a treat.
I AM A WORKING DOG
My eyes are your eyes,
to watch you and
to protect you and yours,
My ears are your ears,
to hear and detect evil mind in the dark,
My nose is your nose,
to scent the invader of your domain,
And so you may live,
My life is also yours.
Cicero
I'm sure these dogs are well loved, that's all the reward they desire.
The USAF veterinary service tried to clear the dogs late in the war of the disease to no avail. I knew the detachment that was assigned to do this. It wasn't until after the war did veterinarians discover that the disease was endemic in the US already. Many veterinarians that returned from RVN recognized the previously undiagnosed disease in US dogs and in retrospect remorsefully understood the dogs were left because of an unfounded theory. The disease was referred to as Canine Tropical Pancytopenia now known as Erhlichiosis.
Thanks for the info.
There is a military dog memorial at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. Many of my instructors and I were veterans of the USA and USAF Veterinary Service. The memorial was placed after I graduated but the instructors there were more than happy to have the UTCVM as a home for the memorial.
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