LETTER: Our canine military veterans also deserve Nov. 11 honors

To Ozaukee Press:

Veterans Day in the United States is Wednesday, Nov. 11. The original observance of this day was in 1919, when it was called Armistice Day to memorialize the end of World War I. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law renaming the day in honor of all American military veterans, living and deceased, who had served in both war and peace times.

A group of veterans that should also be honored on that special day are the MWDs, military working dogs. Dogs have a long history in warfare. They have been trained as scouts, sentries, messengers and trackers. Certain breeds do better in battlefield positions, including German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Dutch  Shepherds and the Belgian Malinois breed. 

They assist with security, tracking targets, sniffing out IEDs, landmines, bombs and illegal drugs. They also scout dense or dangerous terrain. During World War I, dogs were used as messengers.  World War II and the Viet Nam conflict saw canines employed to sniff out enemy positions. 

During the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts an estimated 2,500 dogs were deployed to help our fighting forces.  Presently approximately 1,600 military dogs work with their fellow armed services members to detect explosives, sniff out threats and make the bases and troops safer.  

A current movie, “Heart of the Beast,” shows the true camaraderie and interdependence between a human member of the military and his MWD. 

On this Veterans Day, let’s honor all those veterans who have served our country, including our military working dogs. They deserve it.

Karen Meador

Port Washington