War Dogs: Freakin' Amazing!

A friend of mine recently sent me this fabulous photo essay about war dogs from Foreign Policy.  It has numerous photos with each having background information on the raising and training of our brave canine companions.  Be careful, though -- there are very cute soldiers to look at, and then the next photo and story might blindside you with a sad story, sending you running for the Kleenex.

Here are a few excerpts: 

War Dog: There's A Reason They Brought One to Get Osama bin Laden

Dogs have been fighting alongside U.S. soldiers for more than 100 years, seeing combat in the Civil War and World War I. But their service was informal; only in 1942 were canines officially inducted into the U.S. Army. Today, they're a central part of U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan -- as of early 2010 the U.S. Army had 2,800 active-duty dogs deployed (the largest canine contingent in the world). And these numbers will continue to grow as these dogs become an ever-more-vital military asset.

So it should come as no surprise that among the 79 commandos involved in Operation Neptune Spear that resulted in Osama bin Laden's killing, there was one dog -- the elite of the four-legged variety. And though the dog in question remains an enigma -- another mysterious detail of the still-unfolding narrative of that historic mission -- there should be little reason to speculate about why there was a dog involved: Man's best friend is a pretty fearsome warrior.

Above, a U.S. soldier with the 10th Special Forces Group and his dog leap off the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during water training over the Gulf of Mexico as part of exercise Emerald Warrior on March 1.

There's a beautiful second part to the photo essay ... including PUPPIES!

War Dog II: The Legend of bin Laden Hunter Continues

The dog that started it all has been identified -- or so we think. The canine member of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 that took down Osama bin Laden -- a Belgian Malinois who answers to the name of Cairo -- reportedly met with President Barack Obama behind closed doors last week. But even as that burning question now appears to have been answered, the excitement over war dogs abounds. Speculation and rumors have been flying, from titanium teeth to canine parachute jumps to just how a dog might've brought down bin Laden. Here's some more war-dog fodder to chew on.

Above, Staff Sgt. Philip Mendoza and his military working dog, Rico, wearing specially made goggles, train aboard a helicopter at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

And here's another heart-warming story that was linked off of one of the photos/stories:

Canine combatants and those not so combatant (but in war zones nonetheless)

And that begs the question, can ‘military working dogs' be just what they are supposed to be -- tools of warfare, always coldly utilized and employed like M16s or armored troop carriers? I don't think so.

During my most recent embed, which took place in the Helmand Province of southwestern Afghanistan in the month of February, 2011, I came in contact with both military working dogs and local dogs. Contrary to many news stories, not all military dogs are ultra-efficient machines, ruthlessly sniffing out explosives and weapons where they are hidden. At one far-flung patrol base housing just a squad of Marines, I met a military working dog -- its name I won't disclose -- who never went out on any patrols. She had accompanied Marines on a few during the beginning of their deployment, but when the Taliban engaged the Marines in a firefight she flipped out and ran away. A long search ensued; she finally wandered back into base hours later -- hungry and exhausted. "She's got doggy PTSD now," one of the Marines told me. Of course, she still served the Marines well -- she gave them company, and they gave her the food and attention all dogs crave. At that same patrol base, a small fur-ball of a puppy had wandered inside the perimeter one day, separated from its mother either by death or abandonment. Yes -- the puppy represented a potential hygiene problem, but he was welcome nonetheless. The puppy saw the Marines off during each patrol, and welcomed them back as they crossed safely back inside the wire after each potentially deadly, and always exhausting mission. 
....

Without exception -- at least that I saw -- all of these dogs are well cared for. And the dogs, whether they are military working dogs brought over from the United States like Copper and Lotty, found and used in-country like Hamchuck and Henryetta, or just adopted pets like Alf, pay this back in spades. Even in the very worst of the world's war zones, dogs still wag their tails.

Ed Darack is an independent writer and photographer. His book Victory Point (www.victorypoint.info), now out in paperback and chosen as one of the best books of 2009 by the Naval Institute, details Operations Red Wings and Whalers-including the roles Hamchuck and Henrietta played. His website is www.darack.com

Big SNIFF here after reading these!  Yep, I'm a schmaltzy dog lover, and such stories of bravery and devotion only reinforce my belief and feelings.