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AUSTIN, Texas - Military Police Officers of the 89th Military Police Brigade participated in a presentation about the role of military working dogs held at the Austin Public Library here Sept. 4.
The Soldiers were part of a panel discussing the role of military-working dogs from World War II to current military operations around the world during the showing of Canine Soldiers, a documentary in-progress by filmmaker and professor, Nancy Schiesari.
Schiesari said she was inspired to make the documentary while conducting research for a previous work, and it was during this time she struck up a conversation with a Soldier about the importance of dogs to the Army’s mission.
“The Soldier told me about how valuable working dogs were in the fight, and I was very moved by the fact dogs were in as much danger as Soldiers,” said Schiesari. “I thought if we were to discuss the war by talking about the dogs people would have more empathy with what’s going on with Soldiers as well.”
Schiesari said as she continued her work on the film, she was impressed by the amount of training the dogs and their handlers had to go through and the strong bonds that developed between them.
Schiesari relayed a story of a dog handler coming under heavy fire while out on a mission in Afghanistan and how the dedication of the Soldier’s K9 companion inspired her.
“The Soldier was taking fire when her dog got on her back and tried to protect her, instead of running away,” said Schiesari. “At that point the Soldier said she knew the dog would lay its life down for her.”
Staff Sgt. Joshua Miller, the master dog trainer for the 89th Military Police Brigade, said working with the dogs is an incredible experience for the M.P.s.
“We work hard with the dogs to ensure we’re ready whenever our teams are needed,” said Miller. “You never know what type of situation that we’ll be called to assist in, so we design our training to mirror a large variety of scenarios.”
Jack Goodman, a dog handler during World War II and panelist for the presentation, said the training he experienced was very different than what’s being used today.
“People from across the country would donate dogs for us to use during the war,” said Goodman. “If they didn’t spook at the sound of gun fire, we knew we could depend on the dog not to run away during combat.”
Miller said, unlike the donated dogs of World War II, today’s military working dogs are purchased by the United States Air Force and receive some initial training before being sent to units for additional training and pairing with their handlers.
“All of our teams have to be certified by United States Army Forces Command before being assigned to combat operations,” said Miller. “Gaining the certification is what’s needed, but every team strives to be the best they can possible be because they know people’s lives depend on it.”
Miller thanked Schiesari for the documentary and helping to show the level of hard work and dedication that goes into the making of a dog handler team.
Speaking to the audience at the presentation, Miller said, he hopes they come away from the evening with a deeper appreciation for the work the Soldiers and their dogs do.
Sadly, Goodman died during the presentation, but the enduring legacy he and others like him left, continues to be a building block for future military dog handlers.
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2014 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 141577 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 271 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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