MWD Luke
This is a picture of my husband SSgt Joseph Phillips and his MWD Luke. They have just returned from temporary duty in Kuwait. SSgt Phillips and Luke have been deployed 3 times in the last 2 years in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the most recent being Operation Iraqi Freedom. They are assigned to the 824th Security Forces Squadron at Moody, AFB. GA. SSgt Phillips and Luke were one of the first dog teams to ever be in Pakistan, where they provided explosive sweeps of vehicles and buildings. SSgt Phillips will be leaving Luke soon for duty at Lackland AFB, TX.
Colleen Phillips
When you honor the red, white, and blue
When you celebrate our nation’s liberty
Think of the one who’s been beside you
in spirit, in heart, in body…
No being could be as loyal as me, for I am
your best friend, your partner… your family
When our nation was young
I was the runner, carrying messages
in a war that would leave us undone
where brother fought beside brother.
And, alone in the face of terror
I moved through enemy lines,
as families fought one another,
my mission foremost in my mind.
I was the one waiting for you even though
I sensed you would not be coming home
I languished on our wooden porch
growing thinner, until the war was over
and my days on earth were done.
I was in the trenches, fields, and meadows
accompanying you into foreign lands.
With you in the jungles and swamps
and at your heels on hot, dusty roads
or on blistering, desert sands.
I have been first in the line of fire
first to enter a field laden with mines
putting myself in your stead.
I went unflinching, leading,
to wherever, doing whatever you said.
With you I’ve jumped from the belly of a plane
dropping into places neither of us had ever seen.
All for the greater glory and good. All for humanity.
When a bullet took your life I laid by your side
my chin on your chest–despair in my eyes.
Content to have remained with you,
until a man in our unit lifted me up,
carrying me back to the war… as he cried.
When we had parted, when you’d gone home
and when on foreign soil I was left all alone
through no fault of your own I was forsaken.
The government advised you that your friend
and helper; the soldier who’d been by your side,
would not be accompanying you home…
To our home, our country, I could not be taken.
And so it was that we were abandoned
after you tearfully told us we could not follow
the men with whom we had served.
Confusion set in as we watched you depart;
being left behind, we had not deserved.
You left us dispirited, empty, and hollow
for we had given to you all of our all.
Like ghosts were we, missing our souls,
for you had taken with you… our hearts
I have been injured for you.
And I have died for you.
In your absence I have wasted away
from the loss of you.
I’m the scruffy, thin dog sitting quietly
next to the veteran in his wheelchair.
On the hill, the band plays a song
and the man softly cries, while
fireworks light up the night’s air.
Gently I place my paw on his knee
lay my muzzle on his withered leg.
He looks at the small flag he is clutching
then he turns his attention to me.
His eyes are filled with thoughts and tears
but his smile is as warm as the sun.
“Thank you for reminding me,” says he,
“what’s been sacrificed for the freedom we’ve won.”
In the now, we cannot know
who will be needing who.
But what you may not know is
that when you’ll be needing me
I’ll be needing and looking for you.
We’ve been a team, you and me
through the many years
that have shaped this land,
and God has blessed us mightily.
So, every now and then, thank me–
with a look, kind words, and the
touch of a gentle hand…
When you think of liberty
and count the reasons you are free
Don’t forget to think of me!
Copyright © Kathy Pippig Harris
Kathy lives in California’s San Joaquin Valley with her husband and furry family. She is a columnist for the publication “Frank Talk” and a published author of five novels. She states, “Were it not for her need, desire, and love of writing — she would surely go mad!”
MWD Dago
MA1 Sandoval and MWD Dago have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for a period of one month. MWD Dago alerted to the presence of smokeless powder in a vehicle requesting access to the installation and search team discovered the items that appear on the picture. MWD Dago is a five year old German Shepherd stationed at Naval Air Station Key West Florida.
K9 Carlos
I would like to submit MWD Carlos/F337 for your K-9 pride section.
MWD Carlos is a 5 year old Dutch Shepherd who has been there and done that. Carlos has deployed four times in his short life and has had the honor of leaving a lasting impression on many people during multiple support missions. His second deployment to Baghdad, Iraq is where he stepped up and saved hundreds of lives. His contributions to the War on Terrorism read like a fictional novel.
Carlos contributed critical explosive detection to 100 downtown raids with the 506th RCT/101st ABN. During these missions Carlos was credited with multiple solo finds consisting of rifles, EFP devices, RPG’s, IED’s, and in one raid, over 700 anti-personnel mines. In this one find Carlos saved countless US personnel and civilians. These finds along with his relentless display of bravery during a 45 minute firefight to rescue an American convoy solidify his presence as a “true” working dog. During this rescue Carlos endured continued direct and indirect fire making sweep after sweep to clear a safe route to retrograde. For his actions Carlos was made an honorary member of the 506th RCT and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster.
Carlos will be greatly missed by his handler.
SSgt Geoffrey Welsh
Army Staff Sgt Donald T. Tabb 29, of Norcross, Ga.; assigned to the 6th Military Police Detachment, 1st Battalion,
13th Aviation Regiment, Fort Rucker, Ala.; died Feb. 5 in Sangin, Afghanistan,
of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Rucker to hold memorial service for fallen soldierMontgomery Advertiser
Fort Rucker will pause to remember a fallen hero who was killed in action Feb. 5 while serving with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Donald T. Tabb, 29, will be honored by Family, friends and fellow Soldiers during a memorial service at the Main Post Chapel Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
While stationed at Fort Rucker, the Soldier served with the Military Working Dog Section, 6th Military Police Detachment, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment.
Tabb’s Specialized Search Dog, Bo, a 2-year-old black Labrador, was injured but is expected to recover.
A Norcross, Ga., native, Tabb is survived by his mother, Gloria Smith of Lawrenceville, Ga.
He served with the military police here for about three years before attending the Military Working Dog School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He graduated from the SSD handler program last March.
SSDs are specially trained in one field — detection. Unlike regular MWDs, SSDs aren’t aggressive and can be released by the handler to search up to a quarter-mile, according to Staff Sgt. Brian Coleman, a MWD handler and one of Tabb’s close friends.
Coleman attended the school with Tabb last year and knew him for three years. They also rode motorcycles together and Tabb often came to Coleman’s home for dinner.
“If there was food there, he’d be there. He was always hungry,” Coleman said with a laugh.
Coleman remembered Tabb as a guy who liked to work out, was laidback, outgoing and fun.
MWD handler Sgt. Michael Calvert said he had known Tabb for about four years.
“He was really easy to get along with. I would look forward to coming to work if I knew he was working. I knew if he was working I was going to have a good day,” Calvert said. “He’ll definitely be missed.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttckE7-nf00]
Tabb’s sense of humor reached all of the MWD handlers he worked with, they said.
Sgt. Audra Rose, another MWD handler, described Tabb as “shameless.”
“He would do or say whatever — he didn’t care what other people thought,” she said. “If it was funny, he was going to do it even if no one else thought it was funny.”
Tabb also gave Rose some of his motorcycle equipment when she purchased her bike, which she said she appreciated.
Although his peers and comrades remember Tabb as being funny and outgoing, they also portrayed him as an exceptional leader and friend.
“He’s exactly what a [noncommissioned officer] should be. He would go out of his way to help anybody. All you had to do was ask him,” said Sgt. John Stevenson, MWD handler.
Tabb earned the rank of staff sergeant in four and a half years, which is a huge accomplishment, according to Coleman.
Tabb was upfront and honest, he’d speak his mind and was a really good NCO, Rose said.
Calvert said he and the other dog handlers were shocked and saddened when they heard the news of Tabb’s death.
The MWD Section is a close-knit group comprised of about 10 Soldiers, Rose said.
“It was hard [to hear the news]. I just cried,” she said.
Coleman said he spoke to his friend two days before he was killed.
“He and his dog were doing great and were successful [in Afghanistan] before the incident,” he said. “It hurts to see a good friend go because you meet a lot of good people in the military.”
Since enlisting in the Army on Jan. 26, 1999, Tabb deployed four times in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Tabb was eager to deploy and turned down permanent change of station orders and drill sergeant school so he could deploy, according to Sgt. 1st Class Cecil Dawson, Directorate of Public Safety operations NCO and Tabb’s former supervisor at the MWD Section.
“He was a proven combat veteran of three previous deployments to Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan,” he said.
DPS Sgt. Maj. Marcel Dumais said Tabb volunteered for this deployment.
“He felt strongly about our presence and our mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom … he fully understood what was expected of him and he rose to the occasion, Dumais said. He is a true patriot and a great American, and I wish I had 10 more just like him.”
Tabb’s commander, Capt. Jay Massey, 6th Military Police Detachment, said Tabb was a role model and the epitome of a noncommissioned officer.
“Any time a Soldier of mine is deployed is a big deal,” Massey said. “Every task or mission that Tabb was given was executed above and beyond what was asked and he performed 110 percent. I have a son who’s 5 years old and if my son was 18 and he deployed, Staff Sgt. Tabb was the kind of guy you’d trust to lead your kid. He was a friend, he was a son and he was well-loved by every Soldier in my unit. He’s going to be missed.”
Tabb is the third Fort Rucker Soldier to die in combat in more than 18 months and the first Army MP dog handler to die in combat during the Global War on Terrorism. His funeral service will take place Saturday in Lawrenceville.
From Jim Barnett
CNN Pentagon Producer
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia (CNN) – Bo, a 2-year-old black Labrador and specialized search dog, has good reason to be wagging his tail.
Willie Smith fought back tears Friday as
he officially received Bo, a military working
dog wounded in Iraq.
The military working canine officially hung up his war leash at a moving ceremony Friday and retired to the good life in Georgia after being wounded in a roadside bombing that killed his handler in Afghanistan two months ago.
Staff Sgt. Donald Tabb, 29, serving his fourth deployment with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, died February 5, when his vehicle was hit by the roadside bomb. Bo, who was trained to clear roadways, find explosives and bomb-making materials, survived and has been adopted by Tabb’s family.
Willie Smith, Tabb’s brother, fought back tears Friday as he officially received the dog.
“I just want to say, having Bo means a great deal to myself and my family,” he said.
“Mr. Smith, today you’ve agreed to take Bo into your home to be part of your family,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Timmins, kennel master with the 6th Military Police Detachment. “You’re not just receiving a pet today. Bo is an outstanding soldier, and he served his country with distinction.”
Bo and Tabb went through extensive training together, graduating in March 2007 from the Defense Department’s Dog Training Center at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The dog’s specialized training allowed him to be “off the leash at distances up to 100 meters,” according to an Army news release.
“It’s impossible to spend two minutes with this dog without smiling at least once,” Timmins said.
Of Tabb, Timmins added, “The one constant thing he would always tell me is how much everybody loved Bo. And I wholeheartedly believe that a dog takes on a personality of its handler … because everyone who knew Sgt. Tabb loved him too.”
Tabb served with the Military Working Dog section, 6th Military Police Detachment, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Traditionally, a military working dog outranks the handler by one grade. Bo was officially retired as master sergeant. Tabb, an Atlanta native, was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class at Friday’s ceremony at the Gwinnett County Fallen Heroes Memorial.
CNN’s Jignesh Patel contributed to this report from Lawrenceville.
National Guard release:
Kory was born September 6, 1986 in Albany, Oregon. He was the middle son of three boys and an older sister. He was named after his grandfather who was a canine handler during the Korean War.
Kory was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, Pack 38 in Independence, Oregon. He was a wrestler and quarterback of the football team at West Albany High School, where he graduated in 2005.
The Wiens family said Kory was liked by many people and was an easy going kid. As a hobby, Kory liked to customize his vehicles, spending lots of time with all the details. Kory was a good story teller and had a wonderful imagination.
Kory enlisted into the Army to gain experience for pursuing a career in law enforcement. He attended canine school at the 341st Training Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he met his partner and friend, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Cooper. Cooper was a specialized search dog trained to find firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Kory and Cooper shared a special bond, spending most of their time together. Kory often referred to Cooper as his “son”. The two were featured in many news articles.
Kory and Cooper were assigned to the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The two deployed to Iraq together in January. Their abilities to detect TNT, C-4, detonation cords, smokeless powder and mortars saved countless lives by taking explosives and other IED manufacturing materials off the streets of Iraq. Kory and Cooper died alongside each other while performing a search patrol on July 6.
He is survived by his father, Kevin; mother, Judith (also known as Laura); brothers, Kevin and Kyle; sister, Lindsay; and grandmother, Patricia McAlister. He had four nieces and nephews, and was a great uncle to his sister’s children. Kory’s older brother Kevin is currently serving on a second tour in Iraq as a military police officer for the Army.
Kory and his two brothers, Kevin and Kyle, decided to get tattoos on their upper left shoulders that said “Brotherhood of Wiens” in Korean and the names of their brothers. Kyle was too young at the time to get his tattoo, but plans to have his done as soon as he can.
Kevin Wiens, who is also serving in Iraq, is escorting his brother’s body back to Oregon, along with Cooper’s.
Dedicated to Marine Cpl Dustin Jerome Lee. Born April 7, 1986, Killed March 21, 2007 in Fallujah, Iraq.
He was 20 years old. Dustin was born in Meridian, MS, graduated from Quitman High School in 2004.
He was stationed at MCLB, HQ BN in Albany GA, before deploying for Iraq.
Cpl Dustin J. Lee was a Marine K9 handler attached to 3rd Recon Battalion in Fallujah when the attack happened.
His dog Lex received injuries but non life-threatening.
UPDATE: LEX was Adopted by Dustin’s family on December 21, 2007. Visit this site http://www.remembercpldustinlee.blogspot.com/
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWswnaCoFKk]
Dustin’s shadow box created by Frank DeAngelis
http://www.frankdeangelis.com/Corporal%20Dustin%20J%20Lee.htm
K-9 LEX
Marine Bomb-Sniffing Dog
8 Years Old. Wounded in Iraq War
Retired 12-21.07
To The Lee Family
Poster of all Micahael Reagan’s illustrations.
http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/images/portrait%20poster.jpg
Awesome video here, I served with both Sgt Gehring and Sgt Maple at Camp Pendleton. Both are fantastic handlers and great Marines. Quick story about Sgt Ben Maple below the video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JORlVWNfDTQ&NR=1]
Sgt Maple and I went through the same military working dog handler’s course at Lackland Air Force base. I’ll never forget the first time he decoyed. We had been in class for about a month and a half and everyone had been taught the basics of decoying and started practicing. Everyone except Maple. Ben’s training dog was handler aggressive so to counter it Ben spent the time trying to build better rapport with his dog while the rest of the class decoyed for eachother in training. No one noticed that he never decoyed.
We had a beast of a training dog in our class named Chaos. Chaos was a prototype Belgian Malinois. He was one of the hardest hitting dogs I had ever seen. A big, strong, athletic dog that seemed to be a perfect working dog. However he had a difficult time certifying as a working dog because he consistently failed two key areas. He would not stop biting when commanded to, and he wouldn’t stop pursuing the suspect when commanded, he would keep going to get the bite and then they had a hard time getting him off the bite. If you ever decoyed for this dog you felt like a train wreck afterward and you certainly would not be standing up anymore.
Well our instructor asked Ben to decoy for Chaos one day not knowing Ben had not practiced decoying before. Ben didn’t mention he never decoyed because he figured it was simple. The only gear he used was a bite sleeve he put on his left arm. As Ben took off facing away from us he ran at half speed. He never looked back to see the dog coming at him he just ran at half speed with his back completely turned thinking the dog was trained to bite the gear and not the actual person.
Chaos was released and shot away like a bullet across the field-seriously, if there was a dog I thought that could go through a brick wall it would be him. As we watch we are saying quietly “present the sleeve” thinking Maple was going to present the sleeve just before Chaos jumped. The sleeve was never presented and Chaos hit him at full speed right in the middle of his back-direct hit.
Maple flew a good fifteen feet or so forward with Chaos’ jaws locked in his back. In unison we all started yell the command to release “out! out! out!.” But Chaos’ number one problem was not releasing on commmand and he stayed locked onto Maple. Maple finally had the sense to lift his arm up with the sleeve and shake it and Chaos ended up transitioning onto the sleeve releasing the flesh in his back.
He had hit Maple so hard we thought he might be seriously injured. However, other than a few canine holes and cuts he was ok. Once we found out he was alright, we laughed about it for the rest of the day-actually the rest of the three months we were there… Priceless
Obviously Maple has come a long way since then. He has done multiple tours in Iraq and has established himself as a premier handler in the Marines. He is also the recipient of a purple heart after taking shrapnel through his throat when a raodside bomb detonated next to his vehicle. I visited him before I left Camp Pendleton and he showed me a picture of him and about a dozen Marines he worked with while in Iraq. He mentioned out of all those Marines in the picture, he is the only one still alive today. Semper Fi
A Police Dogs Prayer
Author – Unknown
Oh almighty God,
whose great power and eternal
wisdom embraces the universe,
watch over my handler while I sleep.
Protect my handler from harm
while I am unable to do so.
I pray, help keep our streets and homes
safe while my handler and I rest.
I ask for your loving care because
my handler’s duty is dangerous.
Grant my handler your unending strength
and courage in our daily assignments.
Dear God,
protect my brave handler,
grant your almighty protection,
unite my handler safely with the family
after the tour of duty has ended.
I ask nothing for myself.
Amen.
