Up & Coming Weekly

November 19, 2019

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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10 UCW NOVEMBER 20-26, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Ever since a raid that targeted ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month, military working dogs have been in the spotlight. A Belgian Malinois, whose name was later declassified and revealed to be Conan, was slightly hurt while taking part in the mission that cornered Baghdadi in Syria. But Depart- ment of Defense leaders said he was recovering and had already returned to duty after the raid. There are hundreds of military work- ing dogs across the service branches serving day-in and day-out alongside our service members. Their missions include drug and explosive detection, subduing fleeing suspects and search and rescue missions. U.S. war dogs, as they are called, and their handlers from every military service, are deployed worldwide. About 1,600 dogs are either in the field or helping veterans, the mili- tary said. On July 27, 2013, the first bronze statue of a Special Operations Force K9 was unveiled on the grounds of the Airborne & Special Operations Mu- seum in Fayetteville. Over 2,000 people gathered to honor brave K9s and remember what they have done for our country. The statue depicts a life-size Belgian Malinois wearing his full deployment kit. SOF dogs are called super dogs. They parachute from planes with their handlers and can track enemy forces in difficult conditions. Most U.S. military war dogs are German and Dutch shepherds and Belgian Malinois breeds, said Army Col. David Rolfe, director of the De- fense Department's Military Working Dog Pro- gram. That's also true of K9s involved in police work. The Fayetteville Police Department's dogs are bred and initially trained in Europe. The Belgian Malinois, in particular, is high-strung, "very aggressive, very smart, very loyal and very athletic," Rolfe said. Master Sculptor Lena Toritch has cre- ated several K9 military dog statues for different branches of the U.S. Military. The statue at the ASOM is a bronze monument depicting a life-size Bel- gian Malinois wearing his full deploy- ment kit. The monument is a symbol of respect and mourning for SOF dogs that have died in the line of duty. Each of those dogs is represented by a paver that is placed at the base of the statue and includes the dog's name and the year and theater in which it was killed. The SOF bronze statue by Toritch was the first monument in the world depict- ing this type of a military dog. SOF super dogs are trained to jump out of planes and float to the ground with their partners. They can track and seize the enemy in the most dif- ficult conditions. The SOF K9 Memorial Founda- tion continues its work by helping K9 Handlers remember their canine partners by assisting with the purchase of memorial plaques, photos, head- stones or anything else the handler would like to memorialize his partner. Honoring military dogs of war by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS On July 27, 2013, the first bronze statue of a Special Operations Force K9 was unveiled on the grounds of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. Make a difference in your life and the lives of others! Fire Protection Technology* Register now for continued fall and spring classes! Admissions counselors available to assist with enrollment! *Accredited by Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Invest in yourself! Your community college can help you reach your potential! Learn the technical and administrative skills to make fire protection decisions for public and private sectors! Associate Degree and Certificate Programs The SMART choice for education! (910) 678-8400 • www.faytechcc.edu

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