http://unityconquer.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/war-dog-ii/#more-1057
War Dog <http://unityconquer.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/war-dog-ii/> II The legend of the bin Laden hunter continues. BY REBECCA FRANKEL | MAY 12, 2011 <http://unityconquer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/clip_image0012.jpg> 09042-F-5193R-063 _____ <http://unityconquer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/clip_image0021.jpg> 110301-F-RR679-717 War Dog <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/war_dog> There's a reason they brought one to get bin Laden. The dog that started it all has been identified - or so we think. The canine member of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Special_Warfare_Developmen t_Group> that took down Osama bin Laden - a Belgian Malinois <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Shepherd_Dog_%28Malinois%29> who answers to the name of Cairo - reportedly <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/obama_hero_seal_the_deal_DuqxG3k4YHFs 0NCBrlgEDO> met with President Barack Obama <http://www.myspace.com/everything/barack-obama> behind closed doors last week. But even as that burning question now appears to have been answered, the excitement over war dogs abounds. Speculation and rumors have been flying, from titanium teeth <http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/05/050511-news-seal-dog-1-5/> to canine parachute jumps to just how a dog might've brought down bin Laden. Here's some more war-dog fodder to chew on. Above, Staff Sgt. Philip Mendoza and his military working dog, Rico, wearing specially made goggles, train aboard a helicopter at Joint Base Balad <http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.9333333333,44.3666666667&spn=0.03,0.03&q= 33.9333333333,44.3666666667%20%28Joint%20Base%20Balad%29&t=h> , Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Elizabeth Rissmiller <http://unityconquer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/clip_image003.jpg> clip_image003 Thrill seekers: The first U.S. dog <http://books.google.com/books?id=V6U537SjE7oC&pg=PA183&dq=Jesse+Mendez+dog+ Pal+parachute&hl=en&ei=gRXMTbOUMsLt0gH0y-XyBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result& resnum=2&ved=0CGIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Jesse%20Mendez%20dog%20Pal%20parachute& f=false> to take a "military parachute free fall" was Pal, a 46-pound German shepherd, in 1969. He made that jump with Sergeant First Class Jesse Mendez, a scout dog trainer during the Vietnam War. But do dogs like leaping out of planes and helicopters? Apparently, they enjoy it more than you would. One handler recently told <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7063359.ece> the Times of London, "Dogs don't perceive height difference.. They're more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we're on the way down, that doesn't matter and they just enjoy the view.. [The dog] has a much cooler head than most recruits." As former Marine and dog handler Mike Dowling put it in an interview, "As long as the dog is with the handler, he's loving life." Above U.S. Army <http://www.army.mil/> 1st Sgt. Chris Lalonde, center, holds his military working dog, Sgt. Maj. Fosco, while jumpmaster Kirby Rodriguez, behind them, deploys his parachute during the military's first tandem airborne jump with a canine from an altitude of 12,500 feet onto Gammon Parade Field on Ft. Leonard Wood <http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.7380555556,-92.1172222222&spn=0.1,0.1&q=3 7.7380555556,-92.1172222222%20%28Fort%20Leonard%20Wood%2C%20Missouri%29&t=h> , Mo., on Sept. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Vince Vander Maarel <http://foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_images/110512_0_3dog_4743817420_ 236c4e7a1d_b.jpg> 081203-M-2700C-149 Ready to lead, ready to follow: Most have assumed that Cairo's part of the mission would've included one of two things: to sniff out any explosives that may have been on the premises or to put that superstrong canine nose to use flushing out bin Laden. But there's a third possibility: What if the dog's job was actually to take out bin Laden? Instead of playing a backup role, in that case, he would've been the first line of defense. Mike McConnery, owner of a private canine training firm in Canada called K-9 (that has been awarded multiple contracts <http://doglawreporter.blogspot.com/2010/11/dispute-over-44-million-contract -shows.html> to train dogs for the U.S. military), told AP <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110508/ts_alt_afp/usattacksbinladenanimaldog_ 20110508213452> this week that if there were a dog on this mission, it was possibly used "as a distraction and as a probe." McConnery elaborated, explaining the effectiveness of an elite-trained canine attack dog. "If you see my dog coming, you can shoot my dog or you can shoot at me," he said. "If you shoot at my dog I will shoot you. If you shoot me, the dog will get you. This draws the attention of the bad guys and gives you a few seconds to make that entry." Lance Cpl. Trevor M. Smith, a 20-year-old combat tracker dog handler with the II Marine Expeditionary Force <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/II_Marine_Expeditionary_Force> , taunts Grek, a military working dog. U.S. Marines Photo <http://foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_images/110512_or4dog_110505-F-50 40D-2217.jpg> 110210-F-5040D- Doggie dentures: One of the more misleading rumors <http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/05/050511-news-seal-dog-1-5/> floating around the Internet this week was the claim that the U.S. Navy SEALs <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_SEALs> outfit their dogs with titanium teeth to make them even more ferocious. Spencer Ackerman over at the Wired's Danger Room was quick to dispel the myth <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/no-navy-seal-dogs-dont-have-titaniu m-teeth/> . The only reason that a dog would have any titanium would be medical, he pointed out. Dogs sometimes lose teeth, and their handlers or trainers would have them replaced. But no one should fear these iron teeth, as Ackerman says: "Our proper reaction is pity for the creature." Above, Rruuk attacks trainer Corby Czajka, who is using a protective soft bite sleeve. U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III <http://foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_images/110512_5dog_110101-F-5040 D-002.jpg> 100720-F-5040D-142 Where do war dogs come from? When dogs were first inducted into the military in 1942, they were usually donated by or purchased from civilians. These days, while the demand for working dogs is so high that the Department of Homeland Security recently put out a call <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/30/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_wee k_uncle_sam_wants_your_dog> to civilians for viable canine candidates, war dogs are usually bred and trained by the military or private contractors. Most of them come from one place <http://www.lackland.af.mil/units/341stmwd/index.asp> : Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas - otherwise known as the "dog mecca for all service branches." According to <http://www.airmanonline.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123235585> Airman Magazine, the Lackland program is tasked with the goal of producing "at least 100 puppies each fiscal year." Above, Rrisky, a Belgian Malinois puppy - just like the one rumored to have gone on the bin Laden mission - greets visitors at Lackland's kennels. The puppies names all are preceded with the letter "R" to show that they came from the "R" litter and to "indicate that they were bred through the program at Lackland." U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III <http://foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_images/110512_6dog_110101-F-5040 D-004.jpg> 100727-F-2907C-091 Training a super dog: Lackland's puppies start their training early. Very early. Randy Roughton reports <http://www.airmanonline.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123235585> that as early as a puppy's third day of life, a specialist "[evaluates] their reflexes and responses with neurological stimulation exercises" - biosensor exercises that are part of what's known as the "Super Dog Program" designed to ultimately improve the dogs' "cardiovascular performance . and [cause] a greater resistance to disease and stress." After eight weeks comes the "puppy aptitude test," which evaluates, among other things, whether the pups come when called and how good they are at fetch. Once it's been determined whether a pup is a good candidate to be a service dog, it goes to live with foster parents for six months of intensive pre-training. Then, back at Lackland, the real training begins. Above, Rrespect follows a trail of kibble into a darkened box as part of a test of puppy courage and perseverance. U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III <http://unityconquer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/clip_image008.jpg> 080924-G-0694D-026-K9VI The war dog <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/18/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_wee k_is_there_a_canine_retirement_plan> retirement plan: For some dogs, the days of parachuting out of planes and tours in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan end sooner than others - whether it's from fatigue, a debilitating injury from battle, or a personality that's just not cut out <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/10/08/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_wee k_not_cut_out_for_war_gunner_finds_a_new_home> for the rigors of war. But the military works hard to find all these dogs good adoptive homes. Irano, an 11-year-old retired military dog, is a good example <http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/okinawa/military-dog-gets-new-home-whee lchair-1.135215> . A former explosives detection dog, Irano has a debilitating disease called degenerative lumbosacral stenosis and has lost most of the function in his hind legs. But the Air Force found a good home for him with Army Sgt. Jeffrey Souder - who has even built him a custom wheelchair. Coast Guard photo/PA3 Henry G. Dunphy <http://foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_images/110512_8dog_110505-F-5040 D-2254.jpg> 110210-F-5040D- Behind every good dog: According to Lackland Air Force Base spokesman, Gerry Proctor, it's pretty clear what makes for a good handler. "[It's] the same thing that leads someone to be a good mechanic. They have a good intuitive sense for this, they have a devotion to it, a love for it.. These people are a cut above the people that you normally run into. They know how to make that connection with the animals." But former handler Mike Dowling told me that the best teams take two: "If you get a good handler and a really good dog, there's no limit on how far that team can go." Military working dog trainer Andrew Chumbler pats Rruuk, providing positive reinforcement after Rruuk successfully completed a pursuit training. U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Benne J. Davis III <http://unityconquer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/clip_image010.jpg> clip_image010 The difference a dog makes: No matter how war dogs were involved on that fateful day in Abbottabad, the military's canine forces are doing more than their fair share. And even if the true story of what happened never comes out, we already have plenty of legendary war dogs to celebrate: the three stray mutts <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/10/15/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_wee k_time_to_lift_the_don_t_pet_dont_feed_ban> living on a base in Afghanistan who wrestled a suicide bomber to the ground, forcing him to detonate before ever reaching the barracks where 50 soldiers lay sleeping; the fatally wounded handler <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/01/rebecca_s_war_dog_of_the_we ek_a_soldier_s_last_words_are_a_plea_for_cane> who called for his dog with his last breath; the bomb-sniffing dog who, after his trainer was killed in Afghanistan, succumbed shortly after of a "broken heart <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/04/rebeccas_wdotw_did_theo_the _bomb_dog_die_of_a_broken_heart_in_afghanistan> ." Like other handlers <http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/02/rebeccas_war_dog_of_the_wee k_black_the_protector_on_his_4th_combat_tour_at_age_9> , Dowling knows this from experience. His dog Rex was "a great moral boost, a symbol of home. You come back to base [to these dogs] that are so freakin' loyal - a dog who is waiting for you, who will play with you because they love you.. There are so many benefits." Above Lance Cpl. Daniel Franke, a dog handler attached to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, enjoys a quiet moment in Towrah Ghundey, Afghanistan, on June 11, 2010. Cpl. Daniel Blatter [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
