Sit! Stay! Fight! AFCENT working dog hub moves MWD teams into, out of war

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Any Airman en route to a deployment feels stress and anxiety about what's waiting for them at the next stop, but that feeling is doubled for members of military working dog teams, who not only have to worry about themselves, but their four-legged partners sleeping in kennels in the back of an airplane.

Fortunately, when they reach the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing on their way to Iraq or Afghanistan, members of the U.S. Air Forces Central working dog hub are waiting to help them and their dogs on their way and into the fight.

"In the beginning, military working dog teams were coming into theater basically on their own," said Master Sgt. Earl Wormley, AFCENT military working dog hub noncommissioned officer in charge. "They came out here with orders in hand, and as we split the pie more and more and moved out into FOBs and away from standard air base locations, it became harder and harder to get these teams, logistically-wise, where they needed to be."

Established in July of 2008, the working dog hub at the 386th is the only unit that deals with transient working dog teams moving into and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Capable of accommodating 24 teams, the hub's liaison officers must still work night and day to keep the teams moving. With more than 300 requirements for working dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan, any slow-down in movement could turn the hub into a chokepoint, Sergeant Wormley said.

"They're a high priority, so moving them is not a big problem," the New York City native said. "The real superstars are the liaisons. Without those guys moving those teams at all times of night, a 24-seven operation, then those troubles can actually take shape."

Tech. Sgt. Michael Coulter, deployed from the 305th Security Forces Squadron at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., is one of those liaison officers in charge of making sure the needs of working dogs and their handlers are met. He said the best days are busy days, and every day is busy.

"We pick them up, head back here and in-process them," Sergeant Coulter said. "Then we get them bedded down, get their lodging, put their weapons away and get on a computer and set them with a flight to get them into the fight."

Originally from Niagara Falls, N.Y., Sergeant Coulter said that while another unit could probably do the job, it's best for the dogs and handlers to deal with Airmen who have stood in their shoes.

"When you're handling military working dogs and handlers, it's a lot easier and comfortable for the handler to go through us, who have been K-9 handlers," he explained. "We have more knowledge with the dogs, what's needed, how to house them, so it's easier to have someone a little more knowledgeable in the field."

More than 400 working dogs have passed through the hub since it opened in July, and because they can't be treated like weapons, equipment or cargo, Sergeant Wormley and his team put emphasis on the care and assistance they offer dogs and their handlers.

"This hub has veterinary care dedicated to it, it has the right size vehicles to pick up the teams and get them where they need be and get their equipment," Sergeant Wormley said. "All of those things were limiting factors in the beginning and why we needed a hub in the first place."

The care hasn't gone unnoticed by the handlers. Staff Sgt. Joshua Germann, deploying from the 822nd Security Forces Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., said he was impressed by the way he and his dog were treated.

"The dogs are treated well," he said. "They're in a nice, controlled environment with water and proper beds. When you go to the AOR, things are stressful enough, and things here have been immaculate. If we desire more training, they offer that."

Sergeant Wormley said he knows from experience how much stress a deploying dog handler can be under, and his team works to alleviate that stress.

"Being a handler and having done this twice myself, moving in and out of theater with a dog, the gratification I get is seeing the working dog teams coming down here, especially handlers traveling for the first time, finally getting off the plane with this, 'I'm lost,' look," he said. "They see the LNOs out there to meet and greet them, and you see the look of 'Wow! Someone's here to actually help me!' We didn't have that at the start of OIF. So at least this piece is a stage of relaxation where they can calm their nerves. And it's the same when they come back. They have someone who is going to help work their issues. They don't have to go out scurrying for their own air flow."

Sergeant Germann said the brief respite gives him time to prepare for the deployment ahead.

"Things are stressful before a mission, so they try to maintain a level of comfort," he said. "It prepares us mentally as well as emotionally to go forward and the mission we have to do."

When the teams leave, Sergeant Wormley said they leave ready to finish the mission.
"What I see most is that they have confidence now," he said. "They know when they go forward, they're set up for success. Knowing that, me and my team do what we have to do to make sure the dog teams leave here with confidence."

Helping newer dog handlers is one of the best parts of the job, said Sergeant Coulter, and he takes it seriously.

"I may not work a dog here, but I can still help these younger guys and give them advice," he said. "You tell them to use what they were taught. You're in charge of that dog. You guys get close. Sometimes that's all you have is your dog. If you have negative thoughts, you have to find a way to clear your mind. You got to do the right thing, remember your training and stay focused on the mission."

With the skills military working dog teams bring to the war on terror, particularly in regards to bomb detection and patrolling, military dogs are considered a vital weapon, and caring for them has become a very important task.

Staff Sgt. Garry Laub, deploying from the 823rd Security Forces Squadron at Moody AFB, said it's easy to think of working dogs as equipment, but they're closer to fellow Airman than a rifle or aircraft.

"Overall, I think the military views the dog as equipment, and any handler will tell you that's not the case," he said. "My dog and I have been together two and half years. We don't have to tell each other what to do. She just knows what I want her to do. I don't even have to give her commands. To me, they're not really dogs. They're like an extra body out there that you have to take care of, because they're taking care of you."