K-9 Veteran's

By Diane Forrest

Dogs have bled, suffered, and died while serving in all our wars, to include this war on terror, and they have done so in ways that do us all proud. Dogs were there in the trenches of France in WW I, and the slopes of Iwo Jima in WW II, and though many were pure breeds, some others were mixed breeds, and our troops didn’t care either way. They were simply grateful to have one, and they treated them with respect as a fellow soldier. Of course dogs also served with honor in Korea, and Vietnam, and wherever our Country has called them to serve. And unlike other so called weapons, dogs served not to take a life, but to save them.

It was reported that there was a dog along with the SEAL team on the Osama Bin Ladin Attack.  The dog, reportedly trained to sniff out explosives, is believed to have nosed around the compound, looking for explosives and booby-traps. Had bin Laden been hiding in a secret room, the dog could have been used to sniff him out. He could also have chased anyone fleeing the compound. 

Military sources say it was most likely a German shepherd or a Belgian Maligns, another type of large shepherd. Both breeds, the two most commonly used by the military, can run about twice as fast as a human, and, according to a military fact sheet, "have the best overall combination of keen sense of smell, endurance, speed, strength, courage, intelligence and adaptability to almost any climatic condition." That said, Labrador retrievers are also becoming increasingly popular; they're used to check the safety of a route by wandering ahead of a patrol.

The Pentagon currently employs some 2,700 dogs, up from 1,800 before the September 11 terrorist attacks. About 600 of those dogs are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They are no longer listed as equipment, and some that are killed in action are even awarded medals and buried with full military honors. March 13, 1942 is the official birthday of the United States K9 Corps, and so it seems only right to annually honor their service on that date. They served to save, and they deserve to be remembered.  

Today is K-9 Veteran's Day, for ways you can help promote this occasion, visit this website: http://k9veteransday.org/ 

(All images from Google) 

Weekend Graveside

Greetings fellow readers – received this email this morning and wanted to share these images with you.  Next time I’m in Santa Barbara, I am going to ensure to see this beach. ~Akindman

(This has not been verified)

"Got this email from a friend and wondered if it was true, so emailed our daughter-in-law, who grew up in Santa Barbara, and here is her reply:

Yes, they do this…it is very moving, sad.  Chris"

Santa Barbara

This first picture and the last picture are taken at the beach in Santa Barbara right next to the pier.

There is a veterans group that started putting a cross and candle for every death in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The amazing this is that they only do it on the weekends.  They put up this graveyard and take it down every weekend.  

Guys sleep in the sand next to it and keep watch over it at night so nobody messes with it.

Every cross has the name, rank and D.O.B and D.O.D on it.

Very moving! Very powerful!  So many young volunteers!  So many 30 to 40 year olds as well.

Amazing!

Did you know that the ACLU has filed a suit to have all military cross-shaped headstones removed? That they filed another suit to end prayer from the military completely?  They’re making great progress.

The Navy Chaplains can no longer mention Jesus’ name in prayer thanks to the ACLU and our new administration.

Keep forwarding this email to others. I’m not breaking this one. I’m that you not break it either.