San Antonio home to U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument

Thank you to Cathy M. Rosenthal with the San Antonio Express News for bringing awareness to the Military Working Dog Teams National Monument. Rosenthal was able to capture the experience during the reunion of the 366th Security Police Squadron Sentry Dog Handlers Unit of the Air Force who served during Vietnam. Read more below:

On Memorial Day, we honor and mourn soldiers who died while serving in the U.S. military. In San Antonio, there is another “soldier” we can remember: the military working dog.

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland trains military working dogs for all branches of the Armed Forces. So, it’s only fitting that the Military Working Dog Team National Monument is located there. The monument was the brainchild of John C. Burnam, an author of several books on military working dogs and a Vietnam veteran infantry soldier and handler of a military working dog named Clipper. Thanks to Burnam, he raised money for its creation, and legislation for the monument was signed into law in 2008. The memorial was unveiled at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Oct. 28, 2013.

If you have never seen it, the monument features a granite pedestal with four larger than life, bronze sculptures of the breeds of military working dogs used since World War II – the Doberman Pinscher, German shepherd, Labrador retriever and Belgian Malinois. It also features a 9 foot working soldier/dog handler with a leash in one hand and a rifle in the other.

Behind the pedestal is a granite wall. One side gives the history of the military working dog and the other side shows images of those dogs with their handlers from five wars since World War II. Off to one side, surrounded by a green hedge, is the Not Forgotten Foundation, a bronze sculpture of a Vietnam war dog handler pouring water from his canteen into his helmet. The dog’s paw rests on the soldier’s leg to signify their bond.

Laura Worsham of Wimberly was at the monument that day attending a reunion of the 366th Security Police Squadron Sentry Dog Handlers Unit of the Air Force who served in Vietnam. Her husband, John Henry Worsham, had served with his military working dog, King 150A. Her husband has since died, but she quickly recalled his first night in Da Nang and relationship with King.

“They were at a bomb dump when a missile landed,” she said. “He spent the rest of the night putting out fires. John said he could always count on King to let him know danger was afoot. When King perked up his ears, John knew there was something there.”

When asked if King had ever saved John’s life, she said, “Yes, many times. But John wouldn’t talk about it. John always said King was his best friend and that he doesn’t know if he would have survived the war without him.”

These dogs not only protected soldiers but were their friends as well. I’m glad there is a monument that honors them both. To see the monument, visit the Visitor’s Center at Luke East Gate at 2602 Luke Blvd., Lackland Air Force Base, for your visitor’s pass. It’s worth the trip to honor these canine soldiers.

Read the original article at San Antonio home to U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument (expressnews.com).

 

Thank you to the U.S. Air Force for sharing the photos below.