Weekend Vietnam Vet Run to include war dogs memorial
August 16, 2012
AMANDA WILCOX
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Of the more than 4,500 military working dogs sent to Vietnam from 1965 to 1972, only 240 returned home to the United States. The rest were either euthanized, considered a surplus of equipment from the war or turned over to the South Vietnamese.
At this weekend’s Vietnam Memorial Motorcycle Run and Rally, Vietnam veteran and former dog handler Johnny Mayo will be bringing his traveling war dog memorial to honor the dogs who served dutifully by their handlers’ sides.
The display, lined with images and histories of the many working dogs who served in Vietnam, will “break your heart,” memorial foundation spokeswoman Pat Walker said.
“So bring your Kleenex,” she added.
In addition to the dog memorial, the rally will feature a car show hosted by the Tobacco Road Cruisers, a bike show and games, hosted by Combat Cycles, and a beer garden hosted by Harbor Site Bar. There will also be a silent auction, entertainment by local band Freeway Friday night, and a concert Sunday with music by bands Ricochet and Dixie Driver.
But the main event will always be the motorcycle run, Walker said.
read more here
Showing posts with label combat service dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label combat service dog. Show all posts
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Orange Park soldier, military dog handler, dies in Afghanistan
Orange Park soldier dies in Afghanistan
2 Army sergeants killed while serving in Ghanzi Province, Afghanistan
Published On: Apr 27 2012
ORANGE PARK, Fl
Two soldiers supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, one from Orange Park, died Thursday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Sgt Dick A. Lee Jr. and Staff Sgt. Brandon F. Eggleston died Thursday in Ghanzi province from injuries suffered when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Lee., 31, of Orange Park, was assigned to 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.
Lee is survived by a wife and two sons.
His commanding officer called Lee a great soldier and military dog handler and that everyone who knew Lee considered it an honor to serve with him.
read more here
2 Army sergeants killed while serving in Ghanzi Province, Afghanistan
Published On: Apr 27 2012
ORANGE PARK, Fl
Two soldiers supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, one from Orange Park, died Thursday while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Sgt Dick A. Lee Jr. and Staff Sgt. Brandon F. Eggleston died Thursday in Ghanzi province from injuries suffered when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Lee., 31, of Orange Park, was assigned to 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.
Lee is survived by a wife and two sons.
His commanding officer called Lee a great soldier and military dog handler and that everyone who knew Lee considered it an honor to serve with him.
read more here
Monday, April 2, 2012
Military dogs saving lives on battlefield
Military dogs saving lives on battlefield, building special bonds with soldiers
By Hugh Lessig,
April 1, 2012
In 2007, Jonathan Bourgeois was on patrol in Iraq when heard the call.
Get back.
Up ahead, a military working dog had detected the scent of explosives.
"That day, they saved my squad from being blown up," he said.
Bourgeois, an Air Force staff sergeant, now works as a military dog handler at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton. He traces his passion for the fearless, four-legged warriors to that roadside conversion.
"Ever since then," he said, "I've been hooked."
read more here
linked from Stars and Stripes
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Emir one of many Military Working Dogs who need solace in retirement
A hero finds a home
Emir one of many Military Working Dogs who need solace in retirement
By JOHN NORTON
He served four tours of duty in Iraq. He was part of the security detail for President George W. Bush in Baghdad. He saved as many as 1,000 lives of service men and women.
But there are no GI Bill benefits for Emir. Very popular around the campus of Pikes Peak Community College, he is spending what are probably his final days swimming and enjoying as much raw meat, preferably game, that his adoptive owner can procure.
Emir, nicknamed “Stump” for a shortened tail he got when he bit it off during his training, is a 9-year-old German Shepherd, retired from duty with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing because of a broken vertebra, most likely from jumping out of aircraft and vehicles as he prowled ahead of his unit to search for explosives.
The canine Air Force veteran is now under the care of — and cares for — Army veteran Lani Singh, who also had to leave the service after a back injury she incurred 17 days short of being deployed to Iraq.
Emir is the second Military Working Dog that Singh has taken in. The first was Billy, a Dutch Shepherd who died last year, suffering from broken vertebrae and burn scars.
Singh was a combat medic. A slightly-built woman weighing in at 100 pounds., she suffered a broken vertebra from the weight of her 129-lb. pack during training, but still spent a year at Fort Carson working with fellow soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress. That was where she met Billy, who regularly visited the soldiers and always raised their spirits in spite of his own crippling injuries.
read more here
Emir one of many Military Working Dogs who need solace in retirement
By JOHN NORTON
He served four tours of duty in Iraq. He was part of the security detail for President George W. Bush in Baghdad. He saved as many as 1,000 lives of service men and women.
But there are no GI Bill benefits for Emir. Very popular around the campus of Pikes Peak Community College, he is spending what are probably his final days swimming and enjoying as much raw meat, preferably game, that his adoptive owner can procure.
Emir, nicknamed “Stump” for a shortened tail he got when he bit it off during his training, is a 9-year-old German Shepherd, retired from duty with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing because of a broken vertebra, most likely from jumping out of aircraft and vehicles as he prowled ahead of his unit to search for explosives.
The canine Air Force veteran is now under the care of — and cares for — Army veteran Lani Singh, who also had to leave the service after a back injury she incurred 17 days short of being deployed to Iraq.
Emir is the second Military Working Dog that Singh has taken in. The first was Billy, a Dutch Shepherd who died last year, suffering from broken vertebrae and burn scars.
Singh was a combat medic. A slightly-built woman weighing in at 100 pounds., she suffered a broken vertebra from the weight of her 129-lb. pack during training, but still spent a year at Fort Carson working with fellow soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress. That was where she met Billy, who regularly visited the soldiers and always raised their spirits in spite of his own crippling injuries.
read more here
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Military Service dogs get help in PTSD battle
'Something snapped': Service dogs get help in PTSD battle
kens5 news
Buck is a chocolate Labrador who's trying to ease into retirement. The former military dog spends his days running around a fenced-in backyard and getting rubdowns from his "forever family." Even so, he is a dog on the edge because of his service.
kens5 news
Buck is a chocolate Labrador who's trying to ease into retirement. The former military dog spends his days running around a fenced-in backyard and getting rubdowns from his "forever family." Even so, he is a dog on the edge because of his service.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Gulf War Veteran searches for her missing service dog
Veteran searches for missing service dog
Updated: Jan 07, 2012 7:01 AM EST
Veteran Karren Coober is searching for her lost service dog, Tia. (Source: WTVR/CNN)
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, VA (WTVR/CNN) – A war veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder is on a desperate mission to find her missing service dog.
Karren Coober, a desert storm veteran, has been in the woods everyday this week looking for her lost dog, Tia. Coober says she cannot live without Tia and is desperate to find her.
"Since she's gone I haven't been anywhere, she was my lifeline to the outside world," Coober said.
read more here
Updated: Jan 07, 2012 7:01 AM EST
Veteran Karren Coober is searching for her lost service dog, Tia. (Source: WTVR/CNN)
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, VA (WTVR/CNN) – A war veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder is on a desperate mission to find her missing service dog.
Karren Coober, a desert storm veteran, has been in the woods everyday this week looking for her lost dog, Tia. Coober says she cannot live without Tia and is desperate to find her.
"Since she's gone I haven't been anywhere, she was my lifeline to the outside world," Coober said.
read more here
Friday, December 2, 2011
5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs have PTSD
After Duty, Dogs Suffer Like Soldiers
By JAMES DAO
Published: December 1, 2011
SAN ANTONIO — The call came into the behavior specialists here from a doctor in Afghanistan. His patient had just been through a firefight and now was cowering under a cot, refusing to come out.
Apparently even the chew toys hadn’t worked.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, thought Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base. Specifically, canine PTSD.
If anyone needed evidence of the frontline role played by dogs in war these days, here is the latest: the four-legged, wet-nosed troops used to sniff out mines, track down enemy fighters and clear buildings are struggling with the mental strains of combat nearly as much as their human counterparts.
By some estimates, more than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are developing canine PTSD. Of those, about half are likely to be retired from service, Dr. Burghardt said.
Though veterinarians have long diagnosed behavioral problems in animals, the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old, and still being debated. But it has gained vogue among military veterinarians, who have been seeing patterns of troubling behavior among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
By JAMES DAO
Published: December 1, 2011
SAN ANTONIO — The call came into the behavior specialists here from a doctor in Afghanistan. His patient had just been through a firefight and now was cowering under a cot, refusing to come out.
Apparently even the chew toys hadn’t worked.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, thought Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base. Specifically, canine PTSD.
If anyone needed evidence of the frontline role played by dogs in war these days, here is the latest: the four-legged, wet-nosed troops used to sniff out mines, track down enemy fighters and clear buildings are struggling with the mental strains of combat nearly as much as their human counterparts.
By some estimates, more than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are developing canine PTSD. Of those, about half are likely to be retired from service, Dr. Burghardt said.
Though veterinarians have long diagnosed behavioral problems in animals, the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old, and still being debated. But it has gained vogue among military veterinarians, who have been seeing patterns of troubling behavior among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Florida canine-therapy dog finds a friend in Orlando Army veteran
Group's 1st Florida canine-therapy dog finds a friend in Orlando Army veteran
By Richard Burnett, Orlando Sentinel
June 9, 2011
David Cantara gave away one of his "children" in Orlando on Wednesday, and he couldn't have been prouder.
The professional dog trainer from North Carolina presented 14-month-old Marley, a golden retriever mix, to Kyle Evans, an Army veteran from Orlando who was wounded in the war in Iraq. It was the first companion-therapycanine that Cantara's nonprofit group, Carolina Patriot Rovers, has placed in Florida.
"It's always a little bittersweet to do this; we have such a strong bond with the dogs," Cantara said. "But it is still wonderful when we are able to make placements like this for such a good cause."
About two dozen people gathered Wednesday morning for a modest "passing of the leash" ceremony at Orlando Executive Airport. Amid a patriotic display of American flags and military-veteran volunteers, this was no ordinary pet adoption.
read more here
Florida canine-therapy dog finds a friend in Orlando Army veteran
By Richard Burnett, Orlando Sentinel
June 9, 2011
David Cantara gave away one of his "children" in Orlando on Wednesday, and he couldn't have been prouder.
The professional dog trainer from North Carolina presented 14-month-old Marley, a golden retriever mix, to Kyle Evans, an Army veteran from Orlando who was wounded in the war in Iraq. It was the first companion-therapycanine that Cantara's nonprofit group, Carolina Patriot Rovers, has placed in Florida.
"It's always a little bittersweet to do this; we have such a strong bond with the dogs," Cantara said. "But it is still wonderful when we are able to make placements like this for such a good cause."
About two dozen people gathered Wednesday morning for a modest "passing of the leash" ceremony at Orlando Executive Airport. Amid a patriotic display of American flags and military-veteran volunteers, this was no ordinary pet adoption.
read more here
Florida canine-therapy dog finds a friend in Orlando Army veteran
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Congressional Unity Healing Heroes and Helping Hounds
Democrats and Republicans seem to argue over everything, but on this, on taking care of veterans, they manage to set aside political differences and do what's right.
Healing Heroes and Helping Hounds
The bond between people and animals is a strong one--and can even be a healing one. Pets are good for our emotional and physical health, and studies show that having a pet can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Caring for a companion animal provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessens feelings of loneliness and isolation in people of all ages.
For wounded warriors and disabled veterans, caring for a pet can help them reenter society and avoid stress or depression. And if the soldier suffered serious injuries while serving our country, a service dog can provide much-needed assistance and critical care.
A bill introduced last year by U.S. Representatives Ron Klein (D-Fla.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) would help place dogs with men and women of the military. H.R. 3266, the Wounded Warrior K-9 Corps Act, would establish a program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide wounded warriors and disabled veterans with service animals such as physical therapy dogs and guide dogs. The grants will help organizations implement programs that pair assistance dogs with eligible veterans and soldiers who suffer from loss of vision, hearing, or a limb, or a traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a number of other injuries. The "commitment of the organization to humane standards for animals" is one of the bill's criteria for receiving a grant.
U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) introduced similar legislation--S. 1495, the Service Dogs for Veterans Act--to create a pilot program on the use of service dogs for the treatment or rehabilitation of veterans with physical or mental injuries or disabilities.
read more here
Healing Heroes and Helping Hounds
Thursday, April 9, 2009
War hero helps nab suspects in dog killing
War hero helps nab suspects in dog killing
Labrador retriever had been given to him to help heal after Afghan combat
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A highly decorated Navy SEAL who found his beloved yellow Labrador retriever shot dead outside his home helped capture the alleged gunmen following a high-speed chase through three counties.
Marcus Luttrell stayed on the line with a 911 operator as he tried to catch the fleeing suspects during the 40-mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph.
"I told them, 'You need to get somebody out here because if I catch them I'm going to kill them,'" Luttrell said he told the operator, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Labrador retriever had been given to him to help heal after Afghan combat
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A highly decorated Navy SEAL who found his beloved yellow Labrador retriever shot dead outside his home helped capture the alleged gunmen following a high-speed chase through three counties.
Marcus Luttrell stayed on the line with a 911 operator as he tried to catch the fleeing suspects during the 40-mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph.
"I told them, 'You need to get somebody out here because if I catch them I'm going to kill them,'" Luttrell said he told the operator, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Lone survivor of Taliban attack
Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism in 2006. He is the lone SEAL team member to survive a June 2005 firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan and was given a puppy to help him heal after he returned from the war. He named it Dasy as an acronym for his SEAL team members lost in that battle.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30136615/
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