National K9 Veterans Day is March 13, a day of remembrance for the dogs who serve the United States in times of war and everyday military life. On Sounds Good, Tracy Ross speaks with McCracken County Chief Deputy Mike Turnbow and Madeline Schmidt of the Veterans Student Organization at Murray State University about the day for remembrance.
The U.S. military started using dogs periodically, during WWI, WWII and the Korean War, but the Vietnam War was when their use really picked up, Turnbow says. They were looked at as excess equipment, thus few dogs were brought home from the war, creating a "storm of controversy," he says, adding many of their handlers petitioned for this to never happen again.
More recently, dog handlers and combat trackers have been instrumental in starting a program where military dogs can be retired to former handlers or people who wanted the dogs, not disposed of as excess equipment. To memorialize their use in times of war and in everyday military life, a day of remembrance was made.
Often, combat dogs will sniff out IEDs and render them to make them save. Sometimes they trip the device, sacrificing their lives. Turnbow says it's important to think about what the dogs do and how they're used in the military.
He says his K9 got a celebratory cheeseburger, his favorite treat.