Photo By Staff Sgt. Kristi Mcdonald | U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Christopher Rufini, military working dog handler...... read more read more
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QUONSET AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, North Kingstown, R.I (June 10, 2018) -- Every year, crowds flock to the Rhode Island National Guard Open House Airshow to see helicopters, parachute teams, and of course, aircraft soaring through the sky. While many are busy looking up, they may not notice all of the action happening on the ground.
Handling a crowd of this magnitude requires a well-equipped team of security and first responders. Looking around, you can see about 300 law enforcement augmentees providing security services throughout the show.
Air Force Capt. Doug Nisbet, the 143d Airlift Wing Security Forces Squadron commander, said the 143 AW takes the lead in managing, organizing, planning and assigning roles. “There’s a lot of organizing that goes into this, we work with the State Police, North Kingstown Police Department, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and members of the Massachusetts and Connecticut National Guard,” he said. “The help that we receive from outside departments is crucial to our show running smoothly.” The security teams handle everything from parking lots to emergency responses.
One very important role at the show is that of the military working dog handler. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Korthuis, a MWD handler from Hanscom Air Force Base, said the dogs act as a deterrent. “People see the dog and know right then and there that they should not try to bring in anything that they’re not supposed to.” The Hanscom MWD teams have been key air show players over the last few years.
Air Force Staff Sgt.Tyler Kliss, a non-commissioned officer in charge of combat arms training (CATM), Hanscom Air Force Base, believes the strong partnership may have formed through CATM. “Many times, the 143d has come to use our shooting range and we have also used this base for various trainings. Since we are neighboring units, there is a strong connection and we gain so much by helping each other out.” Hanscom, which serves as an active duty Air Force base, is also a training point for Airman Leadership School, where many members of the 143 AW train to become effective leaders in the military.
This year, a new partnership was formed with the Connecticut Army National Guard and their MWD team. Both trainers and their dogs are kept busy by answering calls to work security events throughout the country.
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Rufini, a MWD handler at the 928th Military Working Dog Detachment, Connecticut Army National Guard, spoke about the mission for himself and his 5-year-old German Shepherd, Rexo. “The dogs are highly trained to patrol and search. They are able to effectively search anything from a vehicle to the side of a roadway and find what they are trained to look for. We also work a lot on obedience. This includes making sure the dogs know when and when not to bite, how to behave off of the leash and how to navigate various obstacles.”
These working dogs are trained to either detect drugs or explosives, but never both. This avoids confusion for the trainers if the dogs discover something, as a bomb and a drug discovery are handled very differently, said Rufini. The dogs stay on the team from about two years old until they are either medically unable to work or no longer proficient in their jobs. The dogs are then retired, and often adopted by their trainers.
Rufini recalled the security partnership with the Rhode Island Air National Guard forming through the State Partnership Program that the Rhode Island National Guard has with the Bahamas. “The Bahamian Army was looking to improve their K-9 program, and since [the Rhode Island Air National Guard] does not have one of their own, Rhode Island reached out to us,” he said.
Members of both the 143d AW and CTNG flew together to the Bahamas to train with their Bahamian counterparts. Following that mission, the relationship between both units flourished and now many members of the CTNG can be seen working throughout the Air Show.
Working the Air Show also serves as additional training for Rufini. “Working the show has given me the opportunity to see what my dog is capable of in this specific environment,” he said. “I need to be mindful of the sights, sounds, and smells that all come along with a show like this. With all of the moving parts, my dog may have a hard time focusing on his training and I need to be able to pick up on that and get him back on track. Also, taking into consideration the weather and the distances that we are walking.”
There are many invaluable partnerships both new and old that make the Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show run smoothly. This year, the 143d AW welcomes some new faces and furry friends to join the team, and keep safety as the number one priority. These partnerships are the key to giving service members new opportunities to learn, train, and evolve so that they are able to be the best at what they do.
| Date Taken: | 06.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2018 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 292450 |
| Location: | NORTH KINGSTOWN , RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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