The Vietnam Dog Handler Association and the Vietnam Security Police Association have identified many of the sentry, patrol, tracker, scout, and mine dogs that served in Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War era. Veterans of the Vietnam War have also located more than 2,000 handlers of these military working dogs from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The VSPA Web site, www.vspa.com/k9/bases.htm, lists the war dogs and handlers that were assigned to the various military installations. Veterinarians and technicians helped maintain the dogs' quality of life, but they are absent from the records. Bill Cummings , vice president of the Thailand units of the VDHA and VSPA Kennelmaster, said, "We feel that the only personnel missing are the veterinarians and veterinary technicians that served at these bases and the year in which they so professionally served their country and our working companions."
E-Mail From A Vet Tech " I was a USAF Veterinary Technician from 1973-1977. I chose the career field when I enlisted under the delayed enlistment program 6 months before high school graduation. I knew that I wanted to work with the MWDs' I was not disappointed. My first assignment after tech. school was to Malmstrom AFB, MT. A SAC missile base. We had approx. 16-18 dogs at all times. The dogs were a joy to behold. I could have watched them in training at the kennels every day if their weren't other aspects of our career field that needed attention. Assisting the base veterinarian to provide health care to those fine four legged Airmen was an honor and a privilege. Also, the men and women Security Police Dog Handlers were of the highest caliber that the Security Police possessed.
After 16 mos. at Malmstrom. I was transferred
to Osan AFB, ROK. Osan was a TAC fighter base and we had between 25
and 30 dogs at all times. With that number of dogs the lone USAF
Veterinarian needed assistance. Osan was served for many years by a
wonderful Korean veterinarian, Dr. Cho, Kil Hyon. Dr. Cho was the
one entity at the Osan Vet Office that didn't rotate out after the
end of a 12 month un-accompanied tour, he knew every dog from the
day it arrived to the day that sadly it was euthanized. Dr. Cho has
passed away and
The most disturbing part of my job, or any
other Vet. Techs. job was The most bizarre part of euthanasia, at least at Osan where we had a clinic at the kennels was that at the precise moment that the MWD passed on to his permanent post every dog in the kennel complex would start to howl, not the normal near constant din of barking but soulful head tilted back wolf howling. It was so eerie, the dogs could sense that a kennel mate was gone. This happened each and every time we did a euthanasia, at least 6 times during my year at Osan. The saving grace for me at least was knowing that the necropsy analysis and the dogs health records were correlated back at Lackland to provide better health care for future MWDs'. I was pleased to see that routine euthanasia is no longer carried out and that suitable dogs are adopted out.
The stories of past and present dogs and their
handlers at the VSPA site has filled my heart with pride and I am
not ashamed to say my eyes with tears. Keep up the good work. "
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