Afghanistan 2011

[bteague2]

[bteague2]

[reed1285]

thanks for sharing and for your service

[hipower]

thanks for sharing and for your service

......Amen. Stay safe, my friend. Thanks and God Bless You.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Thanks, great pictures!

A question-- Lab dogs are among my favorites. Smart, loyal, energetic, easy to train etc. But they don't seem as likely aggressive compared to ferinstance German Shepherds or Dobermans.

Labs are surely as ideal as any for bomb sniffing or warning about strangers, but do they also adapt and become "war dogs" willing to attack enemies as needed? Just curious.

The labs I've known were likely real friendly to strangers, though my favorite Lab was protective of the family. She would have attacked a burglar in a heartbeat, but most of em seem more laid-back?

[mcurrier]

Thanks Brother, and God Bless!

[MattCary]

Thanks for sharing and thanks for your service!

There are some great stories in those pics.

[Guest Catfish36]

Let me repeat, as words are not enough, but they are all we have.

Thanks for the pics. And Thanks for your Bravery and Willingness to serve.

[bteague2]

Thanks, great pictures!

A question-- Lab dogs are among my favorites. Smart, loyal, energetic, easy to train etc. But they don't seem as likely aggressive compared to ferinstance German Shepherds or Dobermans.

Labs are surely as ideal as any for bomb sniffing or warning about strangers, but do they also adapt and become "war dogs" willing to attack enemies as needed? Just curious.

The labs I've known were likely real friendly to strangers, though my favorite Lab was protective of the family. She would have attacked a burglar in a heartbeat, but most of em seem more laid-back?

The labs are strictly for explosive material detection. We still had some MPs attached to us with their shepherds which are all purpose MWDs. They use labs for the same reasons hunters use labs; they have good noses, a high drive to please their handler and a good work ethic. The dogs are still extremely friendly but they know who the handler is and that's where their loyalty lies. It took almost the whole deployment for him to even look at other people when they called him if I was around.

[mav]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

[Patton]

I have some old friends that are Dog Handlers and for the most part the Labs and a few other breeds that are mostly all traditional sporting/field breeds are for superior detection. They were calling them SSD's(Specialized Search Dogs) The more traditional dogs the German Shepard, Belgium Malmois, and Dutch Shepard are more all purpose. The German Shepard makes up less than10% of military Working Dogs for the US and those numbers will most likely continue to decline. I have watched the SSD's and they can go a great distance from there handler and still obey directions for detecting explosives via Hand Arm signals or radio commands.

I don't mean to thread Hi-jack but I have a lot of friends on this page. Please pass it around.

Military Working Dog Teams National Monument

SSG Donald Tabbs Dog Bo was one of the most impressive K-9's, MWD or pet, that I have ever seen. I now have a Black Lab named BO because of him.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Patton

[leroy]

There are simply no words eloquent enough to convey our thanks and gratiude for your service. We live in a time in which what you have chosen to do is truly freely done. You didnt have to volunteer to do what you are doin, but you have. That sets you apart as a very special young man. For that we are supremely thankful. Thank you.

leroy

[Patton]

I was there in 04 and as much as I hated it then I think about it all the time shared with good friends. Thanks for your service.

[Dolomite_supafly]

There is a lot to learn from the average Afghan. They live on the bare minimum in most cases. Electricity, running water and cars are luxuries most Afghans will never have. And yet they continue to survive. Their life expectency is mid 40's which says a lot for their quality of life. They also age very early, most 30 year old Afghan men look to be in the 50's or 60's by American standards. The oldest person I met over there was in his 70's and he looked like he should have died a few years earlier. Another big killer over there is Hepatitus B, no doubt because of their sanitation and water supply systems.

They are a very, very proud people in everything they do. In one trip we had a gentleman who looked to be in his 80's but was actually in his 40's. He spent his days moving rocks from the center of a road to the sides. Everyday he had to show me how much he did.

They are also a very ingenius and industrious people. I liken them to McGyver in their ability to use something to do a job it was never intended to do.

Even though being over there has changed my life forever, in a bad way, I would go back tomorrow if I could. Had I not been in that helicopter accident in the middle of "indian country" I would no doubt be posting this from a remote area somewhere in Afghanistan.

I believe that Afghanistan is a country we can't give up on.

Dolomite

[-boatman-]

Thanks for the great pictures.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The labs are strictly for explosive material detection. We still had some MPs attached to us with their shepherds which are all purpose MWDs. They use labs for the same reasons hunters use labs; they have good noses, a high drive to please their handler and a good work ethic. The dogs are still extremely friendly but they know who the handler is and that's where their loyalty lies. It took almost the whole deployment for him to even look at other people when they called him if I was around.

Thanks for the explanation bteague2, and thanks for your service.

He looks like a fine soldier, as do all the two-legged soldiers.

Is your deployment finished now?

I have some old friends that are Dog Handlers and for the most part the Labs and a few other breeds that are mostly all traditional sporting/field breeds are for superior detection. They were calling them SSD's(Specialized Search Dogs) The more traditional dogs the German Shepard, Belgium Malmois, and Dutch Shepard are more all purpose. The German Shepard makes up less than10% of military Working Dogs for the US and those numbers will most likely continue to decline. I have watched the SSD's and they can go a great distance from there handler and still obey directions for detecting explosives via Hand Arm signals or radio commands.

I don't mean to thread Hi-jack but I have a lot of friends on this page. Please pass it around.

Military Working Dog Teams National Monument

SSG Donald Tabbs Dog Bo was one of the most impressive K-9's, MWD or pet, that I have ever seen. I now have a Black Lab named BO because of him.

Thanks Patton, that is an inspirational and tear-jerking site.

My current coonhounds seem to have better noses than my old lab, but they don't seem temperamentally suited to an explosives sniffing task.

Bloodhounds are less nervous and more stable and have excellent noses, but perhaps they are not energetic enough? Have read that bloodhounds are like coonhounds in that they don't pay much attention to commands once they get a scent, so maybe they would be difficult to train for distance work?

[Guest pfries]

Thanks and stay safe... Wish I could send ya the Jack.....

[willis68]

Thank you for your service to our Country and for these pictures, may God Bless you and your family!

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

Even though being over there has changed my life forever, in a bad way, I would go back tomorrow if I could.

Dolomite

I feel the same way about Iraq Dolomite, I met a whole lot of good people and saw many good things that will never be shown on the news here.

Had I not been hurt I had every intention of finding my way to a tour in the Gan, and would still be wearing the uniform, the Docs however put the brakes on any of that.

I think about our troops overseas everyday and not a day goes by that I dont wish that I was over there with them.

Thank You so much for your service Bteague and for the fine pics.

There is nothing like a trip to a third world country to give a person some appreciation for those people and even more so for being lucky enough to have been born in the good old USA.

[kwe45919]

Thank you very much.

[hornett22]

Thank you and God bless you and all that have served! Everyone of you!

[lowery100]

Thank you for the pictures and thank you for your service to the nation. I was in Desert Storm as a grunt Marine. Our experience was nothing compared to the war you guys have been dealt. My son is in the Air Force and has a non combat job(couldn't talk him into joining the Corps . If you are home welcome home,if you are still there God Bless and stay safe!

Semper Fi !!

[Dolomite_supafly]

Thank you for the pictures and thank you for your service to the nation. I was in Desert Storm as a grunt Marine. Our experience was nothing compared to the war you guys have been dealt. My son is in the Air Force and has a non combat job(couldn't talk him into joining the Corps . If you are home welcome home,if you are still there God Bless and stay safe!

Semper Fi !!

As a father I explained to my son the benefits of staying out of any job or service that increased the risks.

I do not want my son to have to endure what I have as well as still do endure from my time in a war zone. He graduated Air Force basic this past week and is on his way to training for computers and software. I can't imagine a safer job for him which makes me happy as a father.

Dolomite

[lowery100]

As a father I explained to my son the benefits of staying out of any job or service that increased the risks.

I do not want my son to have to endure what I have as well as still do endure from my time in a war zone. He graduated Air Force basic this past week and is on his way to training for computers and software. I can't imagine a safer job for him which makes me happy as a father.

Dolomite

Yea, I certainly don't discount their service in the Air Force just because of my choice to be a grunt. He is in a safe job, stationed in Fort Walton Beach and I could not imagine the terror and sleepless nights I would have if he had followed in footsteps. My dad tells me my mom barely slept the whole time we were in the desert and we were barely shot at. My good friend lost his brother in Afghanistan this past summer, before that my friend lost his health and well being in Iraq.

When I see pictures like the original posters, I am so proud of our guys still willing to sign-up and volunteer for this duty. It makes me miss not being able to be there with them, even though my time has passed. The friendships I forged during my time in, are still strong today.....

[Daniel]

The pics look very similar to my experiences in the first year of the Iraq war... Very Spartan.