Four military working dogs were honored for their service at American Humane’s fourth annual K-9 Medal of Courage awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
One of them was Sgt. Yeager, a black lab trained as an improvised explosive detection dog who was on patrol with his handler, Lance Cpl. Abraham Tarwoe, on April 12, 2012, when an IED exploded. Sgt. Yeager survived, but Tarwoe did not.
Sgt. Yeager had been on three combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, participating in over 100 patrols, when the attack took away his handler and part of his ear. Suffering from shrapnel wounds, the black lab was brought back to the U.S. to recover and later given a Purple Heart. He was retired from the Marine Corps and adopted by a family in North Carolina.
“I think this ceremony allows all Americans a chance to have a glimpse into what these heroes do everyday. These heroes as explosive detection dogs, they allow so many mothers and fathers, sons and daughters to return to the front lines because they’re able to sniff out enemy weapons and enemy positions,” American Humane President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert told the Washington Examiner.
Other dogs given the country’s top award for military dogs include Troll, a Dutch Shepherd who served in the Air Force with his handler Tech. Sgt. Robert Wilson, who has since adopted him. Troll and Wilson conducted 89 combat missions together. During a four-day battle, Troll discovered three IEDs and a tunnel filled with weapons and explosives.
Niko, another Dutch Shepherd, had deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 and stayed in the country until he retired in 2016. During his time in Afghanistan, Niko went on over 600 missions, sniffing out IEDs while also protecting embassies and U.S. dignitaries.
Black lab Emmie went on three tours to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2012 as an IED detection dog. While she is no longer in the military, she now works to protect the Pentagon by searching cars and conducting random sweeps in the surrounding parking lots with the Pentagon Police.
Congratulations to Yeager, Troll, Niko, and Emmie! #militaryworkingdogs pic.twitter.com/GNmhIA4NxF
— DOD Outreach (@DOD_Outreach) September 10, 2019
Even at home, Emmie helps her handler’s family. Eric Harris told the Washington Examiner she helps his autistic son calm down when he gets upset.
“She gotta, let’s say a gift, that kind of helps smooth things out when [he has] meltdowns and at times when he can get a little heated or things aren’t going right for him. She just kind of steps right in, put her head underneath his hand as a way to calm him down,” Harris said.
Each of the dog’s families are happy to have their dog’s service recognized in the nation’s capital.
“It’s really a powerful message because we do take for granted what these animals do,” Caroline Zuendel, Sgt. Yeager’s owner, said. “I don’t think you could come up with a metric to figure out how many lives they have saved…all of the Marines and sailors lives that he would have saved, but add in to that innocent civilians.”
