A dog assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment in southwestern Afghanistan was killed after he saved his handler’s life during a close-quarters battle that also led to the death of an Army Ranger, according to a report.
Maiko, a 7-year-old multipurpose canine assigned to the 2nd Battalion, “was killed in action while leading Rangers into the breach of a targeted compound,” an unofficial biography leaked online and reported by Army Times reads. “Maiko’s presence and actions inside the building directly caused the enemy to engage him, giving away his position and resulting in the assault force eliminating the threat.”
The outlet confirmed the biography’s accuracy with a military spokeswoman, who said it was not authorized for release.
The biography said Maiko’s actions saved the life of his handler, whose name was not reported, as well as the lives of other rangers.
Maiko was originally born in Holland in 2011 and came to the United States in 2012. He was selected to be trained under the the Regimental Dog Program that same year.
Over the course of his career, Maiko deployed a total of six times to Afghanistan and conducted over 50 Ranger-led direct action raids.
“Maiko was best known for his easy-going temperament, his rock solid consistency in training, deployments and his forgiving nature when his revolving door of new handlers made mistakes,” according to the biography.
At the time of his death on Nov. 24, Maiko was the most senior multipurpose canine assigned to his unit, with the most experience in training and combat.
“The result [of his death] is tangible to all of us, it is an empty kennel, husbands coming home to their wives, kids getting to see their fathers once more, and Rangers getting to live to fight another day,” the biography reads.
Along with SGT Jasso, MPC Maiko was killed in action on 24 November 2018 in Afghanistan. His actions saved the life of his handler and other Rangers. Thank you for your service and sacrifice! pic.twitter.com/gVquyLsHFe
— Morgan in J1 (@usawtfmJ1) December 2, 2018
