thedrifter
02-12-06, 08:05 AM
Posted on Sun, Feb. 12, 2006
Ward tends to life-saving dogs
Iraq gets 1st urgent care facility for bomb-sniffers that save so many lives
CHRIS KRAUL
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq - One of six clinical veterinary surgeons in the U.S. military, Lt. Col. Randall Thompson works to save the lives of some of the military's most valued assets: bomb-sniffing dogs that have been severely wounded in combat. He arrived in Baghdad in October to open Iraq's first urgent surgical care ward for canines.
Before Thompson's arrival, injured dogs were shipped to a U.S. base in Germany or to the United States for emergency medical treatment. At best, seriously wounded dogs were out of commission for weeks; at worst, they died during transport.
The dogs' talent for sniffing out hidden explosive devices has become crucial to the war effort, so the command changed policy.
"It reached a buildup of dogs here and a concern level that said we had to do something to support these animals the best way possible," said Thompson, 46, a native of Savannah, Ga., who studied at N.C. State University's veterinary school.
Dogs pay steep price
By uncovering tons of explosives that insurgents otherwise could use on coalition soldiers, the dogs have saved countless lives, said Col. Arnaldo Claudio, who as 18th Airborne Corps provost marshal commands all military police and dog handlers in Iraq. He declined to disclose the precise number of war dogs in Iraq."The dogs weren't needed as much when (the war) started. But the threat has changed," he said, referring to insurgents' increasing use of hidden bombs often fashioned from mortar and artillery shells and detonated by cell phones and pagers. The bombs cause the majority of casualties suffered by U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
But the dogs and their handlers sometimes pay a steep price. Four-year-old Flapeur was receiving treatment at Thompson's clinic this month. The Belgian Malinois had taken a piece of shrapnel through the chest in a suicide bombing in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi days before. He was on crowd-control duty with two other dogs and their handlers when the bomber struck a line of police recruits.
Flapeur's handler, a Marine whom the military declined to identify, was also seriously wounded, as was a second handler. Both were airlifted to Germany for medical treatment. The third handler, Marine Sgt. Adam Cann, was killed by the bomb.
Flapeur and the other dogs, also wounded, were taken by helicopter to Baghdad's combat support hospital, as severely wounded soldiers or Marines would be. "We would never fly a dog in front of a human casualty. But when there isn't someone ahead of them, we'll fly them," Thompson said.
Thompson and other vets narrowly saved Flapeur, the most severely wounded of the three, from dying of shock, blood loss and a collapsed lung. Had the bombing happened before Thompson's arrival, Flapeur almost certainly would have died.
Although the wound left a nasty-looking hole in his chest, Flapeur was alert and friendly after his treatment. He is expected to be back on duty in three months, as is his handler.
Cann's dog, Bruno, will go through the training process again with a new handler. The third dog, Kevin, is expected back on duty as soon as his handler recovers.
6 months of training
The military dogs in Iraq were bought almost exclusively in Europe, where the canines are bred for detection and tracking skills. Then they are sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for training. Each dog goes through a six-month course to learn how to sense a dozen or more explosives and weapons.
Dogs that complete the training emerge "more reliable than any chip or software, high-tech machine or robot," Claudio said.
The training leaves the dogs with an uncanny ability to detect bombs buried underground, hidden behind walls and stashed aboard passing vehicles. The Air Force distributes working dogs to all five branches of the armed forces and to the Transportation Security Administration.
Dogs in Demand
After the 9-11 attacks, demand for bomb-sniffing dogs skyrocketed.
Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio trains 300 animals a year, 40 percent more than before the attacks. But there still aren't enough to go around, said Tim Ori, director of operations at the 341st Training Squadron, the unit at Lackland that oversees dog and handler training.
"It is a challenge to fill the demand," said Air Force Capt. Greg Blaylock, an operations officer with the squadron.
Dogs average eight years in active duty, and usually, "They retire by being adopted out to former military working dog handlers," he said.
Ellie
Ward tends to life-saving dogs
Iraq gets 1st urgent care facility for bomb-sniffers that save so many lives
CHRIS KRAUL
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq - One of six clinical veterinary surgeons in the U.S. military, Lt. Col. Randall Thompson works to save the lives of some of the military's most valued assets: bomb-sniffing dogs that have been severely wounded in combat. He arrived in Baghdad in October to open Iraq's first urgent surgical care ward for canines.
Before Thompson's arrival, injured dogs were shipped to a U.S. base in Germany or to the United States for emergency medical treatment. At best, seriously wounded dogs were out of commission for weeks; at worst, they died during transport.
The dogs' talent for sniffing out hidden explosive devices has become crucial to the war effort, so the command changed policy.
"It reached a buildup of dogs here and a concern level that said we had to do something to support these animals the best way possible," said Thompson, 46, a native of Savannah, Ga., who studied at N.C. State University's veterinary school.
Dogs pay steep price
By uncovering tons of explosives that insurgents otherwise could use on coalition soldiers, the dogs have saved countless lives, said Col. Arnaldo Claudio, who as 18th Airborne Corps provost marshal commands all military police and dog handlers in Iraq. He declined to disclose the precise number of war dogs in Iraq."The dogs weren't needed as much when (the war) started. But the threat has changed," he said, referring to insurgents' increasing use of hidden bombs often fashioned from mortar and artillery shells and detonated by cell phones and pagers. The bombs cause the majority of casualties suffered by U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
But the dogs and their handlers sometimes pay a steep price. Four-year-old Flapeur was receiving treatment at Thompson's clinic this month. The Belgian Malinois had taken a piece of shrapnel through the chest in a suicide bombing in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi days before. He was on crowd-control duty with two other dogs and their handlers when the bomber struck a line of police recruits.
Flapeur's handler, a Marine whom the military declined to identify, was also seriously wounded, as was a second handler. Both were airlifted to Germany for medical treatment. The third handler, Marine Sgt. Adam Cann, was killed by the bomb.
Flapeur and the other dogs, also wounded, were taken by helicopter to Baghdad's combat support hospital, as severely wounded soldiers or Marines would be. "We would never fly a dog in front of a human casualty. But when there isn't someone ahead of them, we'll fly them," Thompson said.
Thompson and other vets narrowly saved Flapeur, the most severely wounded of the three, from dying of shock, blood loss and a collapsed lung. Had the bombing happened before Thompson's arrival, Flapeur almost certainly would have died.
Although the wound left a nasty-looking hole in his chest, Flapeur was alert and friendly after his treatment. He is expected to be back on duty in three months, as is his handler.
Cann's dog, Bruno, will go through the training process again with a new handler. The third dog, Kevin, is expected back on duty as soon as his handler recovers.
6 months of training
The military dogs in Iraq were bought almost exclusively in Europe, where the canines are bred for detection and tracking skills. Then they are sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for training. Each dog goes through a six-month course to learn how to sense a dozen or more explosives and weapons.
Dogs that complete the training emerge "more reliable than any chip or software, high-tech machine or robot," Claudio said.
The training leaves the dogs with an uncanny ability to detect bombs buried underground, hidden behind walls and stashed aboard passing vehicles. The Air Force distributes working dogs to all five branches of the armed forces and to the Transportation Security Administration.
Dogs in Demand
After the 9-11 attacks, demand for bomb-sniffing dogs skyrocketed.
Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio trains 300 animals a year, 40 percent more than before the attacks. But there still aren't enough to go around, said Tim Ori, director of operations at the 341st Training Squadron, the unit at Lackland that oversees dog and handler training.
"It is a challenge to fill the demand," said Air Force Capt. Greg Blaylock, an operations officer with the squadron.
Dogs average eight years in active duty, and usually, "They retire by being adopted out to former military working dog handlers," he said.
Ellie