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+Purple Heart chapter, others launch
$30,000 campaign to erect military working dogs monument at Eglin AFB
By Joe Culpepper. Navarre Press, Florida (http://www.navarrepress.com)
Jacco & Rickey. Double click drawing for larger image
. . . . Military
working dogs serve in many capacities on U.S. bases around the world and
also on the front lines of combat. Before Sept. 11, 2001, Air Force
security forces trained about 200 working dogs a year for the Defense
Department. That number is up to more than 500, with the vast majority
of dogs being trained as sentries and bomb-sniffers. Organizers hope to
erect the monument by late September.
"The wing commander at Eglin asked if we could help
organize and launch an initiative to erect a monument to commemorate the
dogs and handlers and place it at the Armament Museum," Bill Elliott, a
Baker resident, Vietnam veteran and commander of the MOPH Chapter 566,
said. "Of course, we were proud to do it.
"It’s a long haul, because we have to raise a lot of
money. But with everybody working together, I think we can get it done
by late September."
A local veterinarians association recently donated the first $1,000 to
the cause. Organizers are seeking corporate sponsorships from area
businesses as well as private, individual donations. The MOPH is
inviting pet owners to make a donation in the name of their pet.
Collection cans are being placed in area veterinarian offices for cash
gifts.
"I am very passionate about the memorial because I see the
behind-the-scenes sacrifices that the dogs, handlers, trainers, kennel
masters and veterinary staff make, and I believe they deserve more
recognition for it," said Kelly Hooker, the wife of Staff Sgt. Rickey
Hooker, the military working dogs trainer at Eglin.
Hooker and her husband plan to adopt Jacco, a
well-known Eglin military working dog that will retire soon after making
eight tours of duty into overseas combat. Rickey Hooker and Jacco just
recently returned from Iraq.
"Most of the time when soldiers deploy, they deploy
with a group. It might be a 10-person group," Kelly Hooker said.
"Military working dogs and their handlers deploy in two member teams.
They are sent to parts of Iraq, Afghanistan, wherever, so they really
have to depend on each other. They form this superstrong bond because
they don’t know anybody else. They are put in situations where they do a
lot of dangerous stuff that most people never know about. Unfortunately,
they don’t get a lot of recognition."
Another person behind the fundraising campaign is Michelle Ortiz, a
civilian veterinary technician employed by the U.S. Army. She has worked
closely with Tech Sgt. Lawrence Millard, another Eglin MWD trainer.
"Many times, these dogs are put in life-threatening
situations," Ortiz said."That dog not only protects his handler but also
the troops they are stationed with.In the long run, they are protecting
all of us. That’s the heart of it right there."
Military working dogs generally include two breeds – German Shepherds
and Belgian Malinois. They are extremely intelligent, devoutly loyal to
their handlers and full of energy. They live to please their masters.
There are approximately 17 military working dogs
serving Eglin and Hurlburt Field. The dogs initially are trained at
Lackland Air Force Base in Texas before they arrive at Okaloosa County’s
bases. . . . Read more in the book
