Photo By Jason Johnston | A U.S. Soldier assigned to the 100th Military Police Detachment, 18th MP Brigade...... read more read more
Subscribe
CHIÈVRES AIR BASE, Belgium – A picture of an attentive Military Working Dog looking at his camouflage-clad handler through a tunnel greets people when they open a wide variety of Army programs from the Enterprise Access Management Service-Army login page.
That dog is Torro, a U.S. Army working dog and his current handler is Cpl. Henry M. Blanco.
The seven-year-old German Shepherd is stationed on Chièvres Air Base, Belgium. Also known as the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Airfield, the NATO base is supported by U.S. Army Garrison Benelux in Belgium.
Blanco said Torro is trained for patrol and explosive detection service.
Providing paws on the ground outside the wire and inside the cordon, Military Working Dogs with explosive detection skills like Torro support Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians around the world.
U.S. Army EOD technicians are explosive experts trained to confront and defeat everything from a hand grenade to a nuclear weapon.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s EOD technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
U.S. Army EOD techs often rely on Military Working Dogs to support operations. Approximately 1,600 Military Working Dogs serve in every branch of the U.S. military. Military Working Dogs support operations on land, at sea and in the air.
Since the 1950s, the U.S. Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron has been training the dogs.
Torro is part of the Combined Military Working Dog Detachment-Europe (CMWDD-E). Assigned to the U.S. Army’s 18th Military Police Brigade, the detachment has 59 Military Working Dogs and more than 70 personnel.
With large, medium and small kennels, Combined Military Working Detachment-Europe has primarily German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois that are stationed in the countries of their origin, serving on installations in Germany, Belgium and Italy.
Sgt. 1st Class Brandon T. Meyer, the kennel master for the 100th Military Police (MP) Detachment (MWD), said the Military Working Dogs and their handlers cover the entire U.S. Army Europe-Africa footprint and support contingency operations around the world.
“We currently have missions in Africa, Kosovo, Egypt and Kuwait,” said Meyer. “We work closely with our joint service counterparts for unity of effort to accomplish all missions in our area of operations.”
Meyer said the MWD teams train daily to stay certified for operations.
“Each kennel location conducts realistic training scenarios daily to ensure the Military Working Dog can be employed in unique and complex environments,” said Meyer. “Our dogs are capable of serving on ships and aircraft but our main objective is land warfare.”
A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Meyer has served in the U.S. Army for 11 years and deployed to Afghanistan for nine months in support of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.
Meyer decided to join the Army after meeting a classmate in high school who lost his mother during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.
“Something hit me right then that I needed to ensure something like that never occurs again,” said Meyer. “I initially enlisted as an MP since it would translate to the civilian sector.”
Meyer was one of the first privates selected from basic training to attend the Military Working Dog Handler’s Course in a test pilot program. Military Police previously had to be a specialist before attending MWD training.
“The highlight of my job is seeing the development of a MWD team from beginning to end,” said Meyer.
Taken by Jason Johnston on April 24, 2018, the photo on the EAMS-A login page was from the Boeblingen Local Training Area in Germany.
At the time, Torro was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and his handler was Cpl. David Stefanik.
Meyer said that seeing the EAMS-A photo reminds him of the important missions that his kennel conducts daily in support of U.S. forces and NATO allies in Europe.
“Every time I see Torro on the EAMS-A login page it reminds me of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that our MWD teams conduct everyday around the world,” said Meyer. “It gives me a sense of purpose and motivation to continue my career in the best job in the Army.”
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2023 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 440643 |
| Location: | CHIèVRES AIR BASE, BE |
| Hometown: | SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 288 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Military Working Dog makes mark on Enterprise Access Management Service-Army page, by Walter Ham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
