THE GULF WAR: DOGS OF DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM
As we mark the nation's 250th year of independence, Paws of War has been looking back through our history at the roles animals have played in what many of our leaders have termed "making the world safe for democracy."
In 1990, in what's been called either the Gulf War or Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm, America built a coalition of allies to oppose the brutal dictatorship of the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, who had invaded Kuwait, a peaceful neighbor. Leading the way, literally, for the troops sent to force the Iraqi Army out of Kuwait were 118 Military Working Dog (MWD) teams.
Army Explosive Detection Dogs were at the forefront of
advancing columns, detecting mines buried in the desert sands and weapons stockpiles that were either secreted beneath the desert floor or camouflaged. The dogs were sent into bunkers, dugouts, and trenches to detect if they were abandoned or held Iraqi soldiers ready to stage ambushes. They patrolled base perimeters and were deployed to guard prisoner of war camps.
The Air Force put many MWD teams to work patrolling the perimeters of bases for enemy scouts and infiltrators, guarding parked aircraft from saboteurs, detecting explosives meant to destroy support and supply vehicles and tanker trucks, as well as defending mess halls, tactical air control centers, and living quarters. In short, dogs were invaluable assets and both physical and psychological deterrents working in the fierce conditions of withering heat, intense live fire, and terrorist infiltration.
Three particular dogs exemplify the contributions of all those canines who served.
Bruno, an Army dog, was sent to clear supply routes. He discovered multiple mines in the shifting sands that obscured them to all means of detection save his sense of smell.
Rocky, an Air Force dog trained to patrol and detect, worked 12-hour shifts in typical 120-degree heat, securing tent cities housing our troops against internal sabotage and external espionage threats.
Von, another Air Force dog, saved the lives of security personnel by detecting an extremely hidden set of booby traps and a cache of enemy munitions at an airfield in Saudi Arabia from which our bombers and fighter jets took off, headed for the Iraqi battlefront.
Teamwork by the handlers and the dogs was crucial to the successful war effort. And it's the teamwork executed by Paws of War that's responsible for the successful missions undertaken on behalf of active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and our 4-legged warriors, all of which have protected and served America. Thanks to all of them, we are still very much the land of the free and the home of the brave.
