November 1, 2013

A monument to dogs that have served–and sometimes died–in United States military operations and their human handlers was dedicated this week at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (JBSA-Lackland) in San Antonio, Texas. “These dogs were patriots just as much as anybody else who served,” a former military dog handler who attended the dedication of the new U.S. Military Working Dogs Teams National Monument told the Thomson Reuters news service.  Inscribed on the base of the memorial, the first national monument to military dog teams, are the words “Guardians of America’s Freedom.” The Department of Defense’s Military Working Dog Program has been based at JBSA-Lackland since 1958. The program, which includes a veterinary service and dog hospital, is the world’s largest training center for military dogs and handlers.

The main pedestal of the monument features bronze statues of the four main working dog breeds used by the U.S. military since World War II–Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, Labrador retriever, and Belgian Malinois.  In the midst of the dogs is a 9-foot- (2.7-meter-) tall statue of a soldier representing all handlers who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War of 1991, and the war on terrorism, which includes the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. “As a nation we owe our war dogs a tremendous debt of gratitude. Their selfless service, loyalty and sacrifices to our country must never be forgotten,” said John Burnam, a Vietman War scout dog handler. Burnam developed the idea for the memorial and led the effort to enlist private donations for its construction.

A new monument honors military dogs and their handlers who have served with U.S. military forces. (Benjamin Faske, U.S. Air Force)

About 2,500 working dogs serve with the U.S. military. They are used in patrols, for tracking and scouting, for drug and explosive detection, and for specialized missions. A Belgian Malinois named Cairo served with the U.S. Navy SEAL team that tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. United States and other Western intelligence officials believe that bin Laden, the founder and leader of the global terrorist organization al-Qa`ida, was the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon Building near Washington, D.C.