Memorial Day Tribute To Fallen Dogs

On this day most of us celebrate the day off from work by frolicking at the beach, having BBQs and enjoying the company of friends and family.

But while we rarely do it, we should all pause for a moment (at minimum) to think about why Memorial Day exists. It’s a day to remember and pay tribute to the men and women who gave the greatest sacrifice of all – their lives – while serving their country.

But we at I HAVE CAT believe today should also honor all the animals who were used in combat and ultimately lost their lives.

(left) Pilots on a US Navy aircraft carrier playing with the ship’s mascot in 1944, (right) USS Flusser cat ‘Wockle’ 1924 (source) www.usni.org

Felines have long served in the Navy in an unofficial capacity, keeping up moral and protecting the food supply from mice, their loss of life has not been recorded over time. But dogs have served in combat since the days of the Egyptians. The U.S. Armed Forces officially began using dogs in World War II, and around 5,000 dogs served during the Vietnam War (source Wikipedia).

As with cats however, record-keeping when it comes to dogs who have served and died in the line of duty is spotty. Often times their deaths are merely a byline in the paper, hardly noticed or acknowledged. Today, we’d like to share the story of just one of thousands of canines who served our country and paid the ultimate price along with his handler.

Cpl. Kory D. Wiens and Cooper (source: Army Times)

On July 6, 2007, Corporal Kory Wiens (20 years of age) and his military partner, a bomb-sniffing Labrador retriever named Cooper (approximately 4 years old), lost their lives together in Iraq by an improvised bomb.

The relationship between Kory and Cooper was so close that Kory had plans to stay in the Army long enough to adopt Cooper when his bomb-sniffing career was over.

Cooper the bomb-sniffing dog who lost his life at age 4 in Iraq.

HIs grandmother said that when Kory would come home on leave, he was always thinking about Cooper saying, “He’s like my kid.” The two shared a room in Iraq, each with their own cot. “And when the Army sent back his things,” she said, “there were so many dog toys.”

Working with dogs must have been in his blood as Kory’s grandfather was a military dog handler in the Korean war. The family displays side-by-side photos of grandfather and grandson with their dogs.

The family draws some peace from the knowledge that they’ve been laid to rest together.

(sources: Huffington Post, Parade, Army Times)

Kory and Cooper come home to Dallas.

While there is no official tally on the number of dogs who have lost their lives in battle, the Special Operations Forces (SOF) has lost 58 canines and in unveiled a statue outside the SOF Museum in Fayetteville, NC in 2013 to commemorate their bravery.

A new memorial salutes fallen canine heroes

Said one handler, Sgt Major Chris Moyer, who lost one of his canine’s Valco to sniper fire in Iraq in 2005, “These dogs are taking a bullet, flushing an enemy, and running down a terrorist, all for the simple pleasures of playing with a tennis ball at the end of the day, and a cup of dried food,”

So just for the day, I HAVE CAT is going to the dogs and saluting them for all they do – whether they know it or not – to protect our soldiers and ultimately protect us. We love you all and wish you were still with us.