美国首次为军犬建立国家纪念碑

 

JBSA-Lackland is the home to the Department of Defense² Military Working Dog Program and is where the U.S. Armed Forces has been training its military working dog teams since 1958. The United States' first national monument to a soldier's best friend, recognizing the sacrifices of dogs in combat, was dedicated³ by the U.S. Military on Monday. SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The United States' first national monument to a soldier's best friend, recognizing the sacrifices of dogs in combat, was dedicated by the U.S. military on Monday.

 

Inscribed⁴ with the words "Guardians⁵ of America's Freedom," the nine-foot tall bronze statue at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, features four dogs and a handler.

 

"These dogs were patriots⁶ just as much as anybody else who served," said military dog handler John Baker⁷ of Fallon, Nevada, whose 212th Military Police Company Detachment A was known as "Hell on Paws."

 

Lackland is home to the U.S. Armed Forces center that has trained dogs for all branches of the military since 1958.

 

The sculpture, built with private donations, features the four major breeds used since World War Two: Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, and Belgian Malinois.

 

In World War I, a bulldog named Stubby helped sniff⁸ out poison gas, was promoted to sergeant⁹, decorated for bravery by General John Pershing, and became the mascot¹⁰ for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

 

During World War II and in Korea and Vietnam, dogs were used as sentries¹¹, scouts¹³, and trackers. In Iraq and Afghanistan, dogs have detected improvised¹⁴ explosive devises (IEDs) and roadside explosives.

 

Larry Buehner, who served in Vietnam as a platoon scout¹² with the Army's First Cavalry¹⁵ Division, said he is alive because of his military dog.

 

"Callie saved my life on at least one occasion," he said on Monday of the dog that accompanied him and his unit on jungle patrols.

 

John Burnam, who handled dogs during the war in Vietnam, said he got the idea for a memorial after military officials decided¹⁶ not to let dogs working in Vietnam return to the United States with their handlers.

 

"They were heroes, and they were left to die," said Burnam, who has written two books about combat dogs.

 

"Dog units are worth a million dollars for everything they do ... You can't say enough, you can't give enough accolades¹⁷（赞美，表扬） to them."

分享到：