Efforts mount to honor dogs of war

WASHINGTON - To the Pentagon, they're "equipment." But to the U.S. troops who have served with the military's working dogs, they are the unsung heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

More than 600 U.S. war dogs have served in those combat zones, commonly in multiple tours, and, though precise figures are closely held by the military, at least three dozen have been seriously injured or killed. At least 30 have suffered what some call canine post-traumatic stress disorder.

Most of the war dogs serve as detectors of homemade bombs, and they are estimated to have found thousands of pounds of the deadly explosives, which have been responsible for the bulk of combat casualties. A back-of-the-envelope estimate used by war-dog handlers is that each canine saves about 150 lives during its combat service.

Even so, the Pentagon is adamant that the dogs are forbidden from receiving any official medal or commendation for their service and sacrifice because they are "non-human" and "equipment."

Ron Aiello, a former Vietnam War dog handler and head of the U.S. War Dogs Association, has been lobbying for eight years to persuade the military to give formal recognition to the dogs by, for example, creating a medal specifically for them. Current and former U.S. dog handlers have given their wholehearted support.

But the Pentagon says it is bound by law to reserve any such honors for people.

A glint of hope emerged last month, when Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., promised to introduce a measure that would provide legal permission for the U.S. military to honor K-9s judged to be especially courageous or meritorious, as well as with those killed in action.

Contact Lisa Hoffman at hoffmanl@shns.com .