Photo By Sgt. Michelle Reif | K-9 Ddrago, under the orders of Ryan Pilz (left), K-9 handler with the Provost...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - A group of Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps members traveled from Orlando, Florida to visit Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. While touring the base, they met many important people, witnessed several noteworthy events the Commandant’s Own Drum and Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon, and saw some very impressive military machinery. However, the event that captivated a few of the students the most was a demonstration by three of the Marine Corps’ furriest members.
Several Marines from the Provost Marshal’s Office held a K-9 demonstration for JROTC students at the Provost Marshalls Office’s kennel on base arch 24, 2015.
The visiting high school students watched in awe as K-9s Joey, Iiggy, and Ddrago bounded through the obstacle course, revealed hidden drugs and took down a simulated enemy combatant. The students learned that dogs can be one of the military’s most valuable and versatile assets.
“When you fire a weapon, you can’t take that bullet back,” explained Ryan Pilz, a K-9 handler with PMO and native of Milton, Wisconsin. “These dogs are like our retractable bullets.” A dog may chase after an enemy and attack him, but if the enemy surrenders or backs down, the dog can be called back. They are considered one step below deadly force, Pilz said.
Pilz also explained to the students that handlers train the dogs to act as guards when the police are doing body searches on potential enemy combatants. If the situation becomes agitated, the dogs are trained to defend their handlers.
The students also learned that the dogs undergo boot camp just like the Marines. They train for 120 days at Lackland Air Force Base before being sent into the fleet, Pilz said. This training prepares the dog and handler for deployments to other countries or aboard Marine Expeditionary Units.
At the end of the day, these highly-trained animals just want what any Marine wants; a scratch behind the ears and the reward of a job well done.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2015 10:39 |
| Story ID: | 158160 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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