K-9 Warriors
Writing by treason on Thursday, 26 of July , 2007 at 8:52 pm
“My eyes are your eyes to watch and protect you and yours.
My ears are your ears to hear and detect evil minds in the dark.
My nose is your nose to scent the invader of your domain.
And so you may live, my life is also yours.”
– The K-9 Promise, Author Unknown
Canine warriors, dogs who fight on our behalf. No, I’m not talking about those poor souls on Michael Vick’s property – I’m talking about our MWDs. The Military War Dogs who have been working alongside the human members of our armed forces since the First World War and are our forgotten heroes.
To avoid seeing the grisly dogfighting videos that the 24-hour cable news programs are foisting upon us, T and I caught part of Eight Below, a film about an expedition in the Antarctic that goes really South. A fierce winter storm’s coming, so the human team is forced to leave their sled dogs at the camp. The eight dogs are chained down so they won’t get away and get lost; the plan is to quickly come back and get them. But that doesn’t happen.
We landed on the part where the aircraft is above the eight dogs below, who are there on the ground, looking up, wondering why their humans are abandoning them in all that ice and snow. (This is the point when I started crying and didn’t stop until the end of the closing credits.) T watched me for a few moments, then asked: “What’s with these Disney movies?”
It’s just a film, you say. Yes, but there’s a lesson to be learned here. You don’t leave your comrades behind. The military knows that, but it’s obvious that we civilians haven’t quite grasped that concept.
But even our military breaks the promise. About 4900 canine warriors served in Vietnam and of that number, only 204 dogs exited the war zone. Some stayed in the Pacific, a few came home, but none returned to civilian life. Most of these brave dogs were euthanized, many were handed over to the South Vietnamese Army, and the rest were just left to fend for themselves.
We cut and ran, leaving our comrades behind. Leaving those who had helped us, yet depended on us, behind. Surely we’ve had enough time to study and reflect on the result of our actions; surely we wouldn’t consider similar measures again.
There are a handful of memorials in the U.S. honoring our four-legged soldiers, but there is presently no official national memorial in place. Such memorials honor not only the dogs and their service, but they symbolize the “special connection” humans share with dogs. Still, despite the thousands of stories of bravery and selflessness, Military War Dogs are often thought of equipment rather than personnel. Some even believe that awarding a dog for his service demeans his human counterpart. Soldiers who know the truth, and the value of their canine comrades, are routinely awarded the Bronze or Silver Star, and when the medals are accepted the soldiers kneel at the side of their best buddies and fasten them to their collars, saying that the four-legged soldier is the one who really deserves the honor.
“The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous; it is indissolubly connected with the fate of men.”
– Emile Zola
It is time to honor these dogs; it is time for a commemorative stamp and an official memorial; it is time that we recognize and reward our greatest allies, our best friends, our devoted protectors, our four-legged forces.
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