KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Right now about 1,600 dogs are serving in the military according to the Department of Defense. Sunday at Pellissippi State Community College was a day to celebrate those veteran dogs as well as remember the ones who served our country.
The Veterans Heritage Site Foundation (VHSF) War Dog Memorial March had to be put on hiatus due to the pandemic, and those at the big event this weekend said it was wonderful to be back.
Albert Johnson serves as President of the Military Working Dog Heritage Museum. He also served five years in the Marine Corps.
“I was a military working dog handler,” Johnson said. “I went through the basic handler’s course and then I was selected for the specialized search dog program which is searching off leash doing bomb detection.”
Johnson knows exactly how crucial a dog’s role can be on the battlefield.
“My dog Johnny, who’s a specialized search dog trained in Israel, he saved my life one day on patrol. There was a 155 howitzer round tied in a palm tree rigged to blow and he found it before the patrol got to it,” he said.
“They are veterans,” VHSF President Marilyn Childress said. “They ought to be taken care of just like our regular veterans do and so as long as we can bring some awareness that maybe some of that stuff will help.”
“This is a great event, helps raise money for Young-Williams Animal Center and as well at our veterans park that we will soon begin over at French Broad River. There will be various memorials to service branches as well as to those dogs that have served in the United States military. It’s pretty cool,” said Knox County Mayor Mark Jacobs.
“It’s a tragedy when so many of these animals, they just sort of disappear off the face of the earth and no one seems to remember them,” Army veteran Raymond Wagner said. “But anyone who’s ever served in the Army or any part of the military, like my grandson the Marine, they know what these animals are all about.”
As they marched with their dogs, it was also a time to learn more about the effort to create a military working dog heritage museum.
“Our organization is a grassroots organization trying to build a museum to house all the military working dog heritage from WWII to the present,” said Johnson.
“It’s just a way to make sure we keep awareness and comradery and always help our veterans,” Childress said.
Click here to learn more about The Veterans Heritage Site Foundation or here for more information on the Military Working Dog Heritage Museum.
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