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thedrifter
05-12-07, 06:24 AM
Devil Dogs take a bite out of Anbar insurgency

By Cpl. Zachary Dyer, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (FWD)

AL ASAD, Iraq (May 11, 2007) -- In the states, McGruff the crime dog is responsible for taking a bite out of crime. In the Al Anbar Province, more specifically Al Asad, it is the four-legged Marines at the Military Working Dog Kennel taking a bite out of insurgency.

The dogs and their handlers make sure that the service members aboard Al Asad and those they accompany outside the wire, are kept safe from improvised explosive devices and other dangers.

The military working dogs and their handlers at Al Asad and the rest of Multi-National Forces-West fall under Task Force Military Police, controlled by 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. Through TFMP, the handlers and their canine partners support all the units in Al Anbar Province, helping with everything from foot patrols to Entry Control Point searches.

“The (Explosive Ordnance Disposal team) from this base works with us, and we work hand in hand with them,” said Cpl. Tara Parrish, a military working dog handler from MCAS Miramar. “But the important part is getting the dogs out there with the different battalions and the platoons that are marching out and actually searching and doing foot patrols, that way we can protect them.”

The number of dogs and handlers at the kennel changes from week to week because Al Asad is the starting point for handlers and their dogs before moving to different areas of operation, according to Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Trambulo, the Al Asad kennel master.

“This is the hub for all the handlers,” said Trambulo. “We all have to start from Al Asad to do the in-country briefs and (the battlesight zero) range. Plus, the veterinarian is here.”

After checking in at Al Asad, the handlers and their dogs will move to other bases and outposts throughout MNF-W to be closer to the units they will support.

The Marines at the Al Asad kennel come from different bases throughout the Marine Corps, from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., on the West Coast to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., on the East Coast.

The handlers and their canine counterparts have an important mission to accomplish, both on and off base, according to Parrish, who works with an MWD named Paco.

“We go with Special Forces, we go with Recon, we go with whatever group needs us,” said Parrish, a Columbus, Wis., native. “We search all the vehicles coming into the ECP’s. We’ll go to the flight line and search baggage coming in, to make sure there’s no explosives or narcotics coming onto the base.”

The units that handlers and their dogs attach to often welcome them with open arms, because the Marines know that having a dog with them increases their chances of finding weapons caches or capturing insurgents, according to Cpl. James Riepe, a handler from Camp Lejeune who works with MWD Caro.

“When you’re out on a long mission, when you have a dog, it helps the Marines,” said Riepe, a Sussex County, N.J., native.

Riepe said the Marines get excited when dogs are attached to their units. They know they have a chance to see a dog in action.

The relationship between the dog and their handler is critical to the mission. The Marines must stay alert. A handler that is not paying attention can miss the signals that his dog is sending, according to Lance Cpl. Matthew Blackburn, a handler from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C, who works with MWD Bancuk.

“It can be a challenge at times,” said Blackburn, a Wadsworth, Ohio, native. “You don’t know what’s going to happen. We make it sound like its fun and its easy, and that all we do is cache sweeps. But you’re really out there looking for an explosive that can kill four people in a Humvee, and you’re on foot with a dog. You have to be on your toes, you can’t get complacent as a dog handler. If you do, you’ll overlook your dog’s change and what your dog’s trying to tell you.”

The tight relationship between handlers and their dogs means the Marines have to stay upbeat and excited when they are on a mission. Handlers control the drive of their dog. If they get tired or start to slack off, their dog will sense it and do the same thing. The emotions of the handler travel down the leash to the dog, according to Blackburn.

Despite the stressful situations they sometimes encounter, the handlers are having a good time on their deployment. They all agree that they have the best job in the Marine Corps.

“Just imagine, part of my job is to play with my dog anytime I want to,” said Trambulo. “How cool is that?”

Being deployed to Iraq provides the Marines with a rare opportunity. Handlers, who are with their dogs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, build a relationship with their MWD that is rare back in the states. While deployed, handlers have complete control over their dogs, whereas in the states, responsibility for the dogs is shared by all the Marines in the kennel.

“That rapport, and that bond, is really strong with you and the dog,” said Parrish. “It’s a really good way, since your with them so much, to get a new understanding of how they (the dogs) work. A new understanding of what they do when they find odors, or what they do when they are sniffing other stuff.

“It’s really hard to give them back when you have to,” added Parrish. “They’re always with you, and they’re always loyal to you.”

Ellie