The furry warrior
Hey gang,
When we think of the war fighter, the four legged creature that barks is probably furthest from our minds. We think about the strapping six foot tall 220 pound Marine with weapons and grenades a plenty strapped to him with the a glimmer of danger in his eyes that says “don’t cross me or else.”
Well, let’s shift gears to a slightly shorter but certainly not less fierce type of war fighter. The military working dog. (MWD) The use of dogs in military operations has been going on since World War I. They have ten to twenty times the amount of receptors in their noses and humans so they are extremely useful in tracking humans, explosives, and drugs. With little to no wind they can detect the enemy up to 200 meters away. They also have excellent hearing so they’re able to sense movement in the bushes or across terrain way before their handlers.
It takes a least one and half to three years to train the MWD and they are at their best performance between the ages of four and eight years of age. The MWD will can go through several different handlers throughout their career. The MWD also earns money and has a rank which is usually one rank higher than their handler.
They also wear bullet proof vests during missions where their handlers normally would. They are sent it first on missions to detect the enemy or explosives. They can chase down the enemy way quicker than any service member and they are a vital asset when it comes to search and rescue missions.
So, what made me think of this? Well, a couple of nights ago the Army medics medevac’d a MWD into Bagram because he suffered some gun shot wounds from an enemy attack. My roommate is a Vet in the Army and she had to be called into the vet clinic to treat him. They brought the dog into our hospital to bring him to CAT scan and do xrays on him. We saw him wheeled by on a litter. He was intubated, had two chest tubes, and his front leg had a red cast on it. My roommate came to the ER to borrow various supplies to care for the dog. Between her and the other Vet, they gave “Fido” around the clock treatment and the dog’s handler was never far from his side.
I talked to my roommate today to find out the dog’s prognosis. I figured the dog would probably have to be medically retired, but she told me that he would recover just fine and probably be ready to redeploy in another six months. He’s off to Germany tomorrow for rehabilitation and further medical treatment. I told her she had a really cool and important job.
The bottom line up front (The BLUF):
Next time you say a prayer for the Armed Forces in harms way, don’t forget about the MWD.
Good day.
Dandy 271 miles to go Aaron