VALCO
SPIKE
My boyfriend, Master Sergeant Don Weir (USAF), is stationed for his second tour in Iraq at a base somewhere in Western Iraq. Of course, he cannot disclose his exact location, but he is near Air Base Al Asad for reference. Each day he walks by the "Wall of Warriors", dedicated to fallen soldiers in his unit. These tributes are placed at the entrances to each main building on the camp. I wanted to share with all of you two warriors who sacrificed their lives serving their masters and ultimately, their country. Their memory is interlaced with all their human comrades on those same walls.
Don isn't certain what the exact details of each dogs' story is, but he is certain that these dogs were decorated tracking and attack soldiers. He will try to provide details later. I wanted to post photos Don took today of these beautiful dogs (at the monument) to share with all of you. The kennel at this particular base (with a strong Air Force and Marine presence) is named after Spike. Don will try to capture more images as he can.
Please enjoy. I know you will all pay homage to these wonderful canine soldiers - true heroes. You can read more comments from Don at his online gallery HERE.
2 comments:
I saw this post and it floored me. I saw it several days ago but was lost for words. I absolutely love the pictures and the tributes that put these dogs alongside our soldiers. It certianly would never take the place of our fallen soldiers but for those of us that work around dogs for a living we can relate. Our canine partners mean just as much to us as our human partners. Our dogs put their lives on the line without hesitation or even a fear of their own safety. So, how do we put into words how much these dogs mean to us. I don't think we ever can. They have probably saved more lives in their tours than most will save in a lifetime. We unconsciously turn to them for safety and put our lives on their backs to sniff or bite our way through each day. They do it day in and day out for no more than their handler's love. Man, what a thought. Hopefully just one of us are able to find just one partner like that. I hang my head for them and thank their handlers for all they do for us. We could never repay them. We enjoy our freedom everyday bacause of our soldiers.
Thank You, You are true HEROS!
No one could have said it better than you, trainer! There are many people in this world who do not appreciate the scope of what dogs do for mankind. These soldiers, as well as the dogs you train and dogs like Argus, contribute SO much to the safety of our daily lives.
BTW, Don has visited the kennels several times and spent some time with the military dogs in his camp. Most of them are Belgian Malanois. He will try his best to send photos of them soon. Plus - he has a little surprise for you on its way from Iraq soon!
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