Despite dogs long having a presence in national defense, it took until 1942 before their role became official. They've been soldiers' best friend ever since.
“We've been together since he was a puppy. We've done two deployments together. So there's definitely that bond of having to go out and conduct missions overseas as well,” Fort Drum 91st Military Police Battalion Sgt. Johnathan Cortes said.
Cortez met Clif in 2019 and now four years later, that bond has become as strong as any can be. Clif is essential to what Sgt. Cortez now does.
“They bring a capability that, you know, most machines can't bring. They would use X-ray machines, metal detectors and what not. But these have a higher detection rate,” Sgt. Cortes said.
What You Need To Know
- Military Dogs first became official military members around the time of World War II
- Soldiers and their dogs -- which can help detect weapons, drugs, explosives and even people, not only require trust from each other, but grow a strong bond built on love
- Military Dogs are often one rank higher than their handlers. That is a show of respect, and using the chain of command, requires handlers to treat their dogs with the utmost respect
Explosives, weapons, drugs, even people — when deployed, specific dogs can find and alert to it all.
But it's back home in training areas like on Fort Drum, the 91st Military Police Battalion, that they learn it all.
“Yeah, that's exactly what these are to mimic, you know, things that they might encounter in the real world. It also builds on their obedience so the dog can listen to you and is always paying attention and can take commands not only from you, but with you," Sgt. Cortes said.
And while, yes, each of the 1,600 working military dogs in the U.S. Army are the ones taking commands, they are actually one rank higher than their handlers. It's all about respect.
“To us, the handlers, it is more than that,” Sgt. Cortes said of that respect.
It's also about love and trust.
“To be able to conduct those types of things, you have to know that that your dog's going to do what you did in training,” Sgt. Cortes added.
That also works both ways.
“How good of a handler are you? How can, how good are you thinking quickly on your feet?” Sgt. Cortes said of the desire to deserve the dog’s trust.
When training meets love, meets trust, missions are successful. And more importantly, soldiers and their best friends return home safely.
"We’ve definitely got a relationship. I'm very proud of him as how far he's come. He’s definitely my favorite dog,” Sgt. Cortes said.
And in the same way, solders can take part in competitions to show off just how skilled they are, dogs have those as well.