An excerpt from Guardians Of The Night, Author - Unknown
"If we should meet again on another field I will gladly take up your fight, Because I am a Military Working Dog and Federal, State, and municipal law enforcement agency Working Dog and together We are guardians of the night."
Phil Weitlauf is Project Director of the Michigan War Dog Memorial located in Lyon Township, Michigan, a member of Amvets Post 2006 of Milford, MI and a good friend and partner of mine. Weitlauf has given me full permission to reprint this talk that he gives to various Veterans' Service Organizations, VA Hospital Ann Arbor, and service related retirement homes.
"They are considered unsung heroes. Some people view them as just an animal...a piece of equipment that the military uses.
Military Working Dogs have been fighting along side of our service men and women in many of our conflicts going back to World War I.
Military records indicate that during World War II Military Working Dogs saved 15,000 lives. That is 15,000 men and women that would have not come home if it wasn't for a dog.
It is recorded that 550 patrol missions on Guam were led by Military Working Dogs - Not one patrol was ambushed.
In Vietnam it is indicated the Military Working Dogs saved 10,000 lives.
These dogs were not only trained for trip wire detection and booby traps but also spotting the enemy...the jungle was so dense that it was almost impossible for humans to detect the enemy.
And now they are doing the same thing in Afghanistan. As we know there are Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) all over the place maiming and killing our service men and women. Dogs can smell IEDs, dig them up and prevent them from exploding.
The general public has no idea what these K-9s are capable of doing.
There is a War Dog Memorial at 11 Mile and Milford Road in Lyon Twp, MI. and on that site there is also a Military Working Dog buried there by the name of Sergeant Spikes. He fought with the Marine Corps in the battle of of Guadalcanal in the Pacific Ocean during World War II between August of 1942 and February 7th of 1943.
These are very heroic animals and we need to honor them.
They Were There During World War I
They Were There World War II
They Were There During the Korean War
They Were There During Vietnam
They Were There During Bosnia - Herzegovina
They Were There During Operation Desert Storm
They Were There When Terror Struck New York City
They Were There During Opeation Iraqi Freedom
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The War in Afghanistan
- TO VIEW THE VIDEO THAT THIS TALK WAS TAKEN FROM VISIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJX4RVJJRpI
