In Conversation With… US Army dog handler and Purple Heart recipient, Alec Alcoser

Military life calls people for a multitude of different reasons and Alec Alcoser’s journey to holding the leash in the US Army was born – at first – out of a desire to better his life: ‘I just graduated high school and was working at Chick-Fil-A. I had my own apartment and college wasn’t an option for me. I was estranged from my parents, so it was a tough situation. I always saw the recruiting office when I would walk to school and work and so one day, I got up the courage to go in.

‘I figured that with my problems and my tattoos, the worst thing they could tell me was no, but the conversation with the recruiter went well and I was on a bus to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, within three months.’

Alec turned 20 years old while he underwent basic training at in 2015. His plan was to gain experience as a Military Police officer and then transition out to a civilian post thereafter, but his plans quickly had to adapt. ‘They didn’t have space at MP school, so I was given another position, training as an optometrist’s assistant. It was a pivot for me, but as I was about to sign my contract, the recruiter told me to call the center called ‘The Rock’ who knew of all other openings available. They thought it was better for me to check whether there was anything else.’

Alec was offered the chance to join 31 Kilo: K-9 school. ‘They had space and I was all in. Not many people knew about the program from my intake and I was lucky enough to be one of the first students to go straight in as a pipeline handler.’

After basic training, Alec then went to MP school before shipping out to San Antonio, TX, to join K-9 school.

‘I’d had a German Shepherd when I was 11 so I had some experience of being around the breed, so I was very comfortable right off the bat. It was humbling to be around these animals who had capabilities like the MWDs.’

Alec was paired with his first MWD, Layla: a stubby, long-haired GSD. With Layla at his side, Alec gave his all in K-9 school: ‘Every day was unique and the instructors emphasised that it was a difficult course and that people fell out all the time, but I was focused on graduating. I was very driven to succeed.’

Fresh Start

After passing the course, Alec received orders to go to Fort Drum, NY: ‘I was the only one in my cohort chosen to go but what was cool was that there was a senior class just three weeks ahead of me and four of them were going to Fort Drum. I had some friendly faces.

‘The dog school was in the same town that I grew up in and being so young, moving across the country felt scary. After catching up with friends to say goodbye, I only had three days to get there so I packed my stuff and drove from Texas. I made it in 32 hours and had a day to look around before my adventure began. I went to the parks and looked around what would be my new home but it felt like a dream. I had this feeling beating out of my chest as I walked around: I’m in the Army! I was so motivated and so ready.’

Alec admits that his first day on base felt very intimidating: ‘I met Sergeant Arnold, this really wholesome guy who just really inspired me. He was there with his dog and his uniform and just really stood out as a professional. Then I find out that as a  PFC, he was a Special Forces dog handler and had won the Bronze Star. I felt like I was amongst real pros, which is daunting when you’re starting out.’

Alec was paired with his first dog in the kennels – Vando. ‘We didn’t work out as a team, which was really upsetting. We frustrated each other and we ran out of chances. I really wanted it to work out Vando and I knew I could do it but for some reason, we failed cert.

‘He hadn’t gelled with me when we he switched from his previous handler and I definitely had less time on leash with him. I also think I was suffering with some test anxiety as the I really felt the weight of wanting and needing to succeed, on my shoulders. Vando and I  failed two certs – the only two I’d ever failed.’

After the crushing disappointment with Vando, Alec was paired with Alex – a push button dog whose experience and confidence really travelled back up the leash. ‘Alex made work pleasurable again. Because he was so sharp, I just needed a good pattern and some confidence and he did the rest. He really raised my spirits after what had been a tough start in Ft Drum.

‘Our relationship was rushed in the beginning as I needed to be certified, so the pressure was on. Two weeks after cert, we had a month on rotation with the Secret Service in NYC, which is where our bond was really built.’

Alex recalls that the USO offered handlers tickets to enjoy some of the sports and theater shows while they were in town. ‘Alex and I went to a Mets vs Yankees game, where he followed the ball around non-stop. We also went to see The Lion King on Broadway show, which Alex was less bothered about. He came everywhere with me and it’s where we really formed that partnership.’

Yankees or Mets: Alec and Alex bond at a baseball game in NYC

Deploying

As Alec and Alex settled into a groove at Ft Drum, orders were coming down to replace dog teams returning from Afghanistan. ‘I volunteered. I wanted to go so bad, to do what Alex and I had been trained for. It was also in the culture in K-9 to want to earn a combat patch. It’s very common for K-9 to want that. Me and one of the guys in the senior class from San Antonio volunteered to go.’

Alec recalls that when he first arrived in country, the need for dog handlers was insatiable. ‘It was the norm is that you train for a month, certify and go out, but our time was shortened to two weeks because the need for our expertise was so great. I certified and went out with the Engineering Corps.’

Alec and Alex were stationed in the Logar area, which was known as ‘Rocket City’ as the base was subject to daily rocket bombardments. ‘Once there were seven attacks in one day’, Alec recalls.

Their next assignment was with a Special Forces compound. ‘We were the only dog team on the FOB. We would search vehicles coming into the base and spent around two months on that post before Alex and I were attached to the Czech Army.’ 

Inseparable: Alec and Alex spent almost every moment together

As Alec and Alex continued to work with the Czech Army platoon, the requirement for their skills continued in earnest. ‘We saw a whole bunch of action: Spotters, car bombs and IEDs, but every mission with the Czechs ran smoothly – they were professionals. I worked with them for about a month and a half before I got hit.’

August 5, 2018

Alec recalls the day that the trajectory of his deployment – and his life thereafter – would change forever. ‘It started the night before we got the newsletter containing the mission briefs. It was another handler’s team that was due to head out he wasn’t comfortable going out at night so I volunteered. I knew Alex was ok in the dark so I felt that we were ready.

‘We woke up at 3am, I got us ready and we walked over to the new team. I introduced myself to and explained how we worked, as well as checking in on if they needed anything specific from Alex and I. The unit leader explained that we were travelling to chat with someone who had intel on a local bomb maker, so we just needed to provide support and clear a safe route inside.

‘We got to our position and they talked to the dude who knew stuff, while me and Alex stood outside. We were about two hours into the mission and were almost ready to go back to the vehicles when I could just see this one individual, loitering in the distance.

‘I was taking photos for the next set of handlers – to help ready them for missions and what to expect. I got a picture of him but I wasn’t looking to advance as Alex would brush against him and he had been known to snap at random moments.

‘My instructor taught me that it was better for the Afghan Army to search people or do anything so they could learn – I wanted them to search him but the Czechs moved forward.

‘As I bent down to pick up a cigarette and the world shook.’

Suicide Bomber

Alec explains that everything turned yellow and orange. ‘I lost control of my body. At first, I thought I’d missed an IED but the Afghan Army guy came up to see if I was ok and shouted ‘suicide bomber, suicide bomber, suicide bomber’, so I was quickly put in the picture. Alex appeared out of the dust and plopped down next to me – he wouldn’t let anyone near me.

‘The pain was unbearable but in the Black Hawk, they gave me ketamine to knock me out.’

Alec spent a day in Bagram being stabilized by local medics before being flown to Germany for surgery. He was intubated and knocked out for a week, before flying back to the US to recover at Walter Reed in Maryland.

Alec’s injuries were extensive. He had suffered fractures to all four extremities, ripped tendons, severe damage to his foot that was at risk of amputation; shrapnel in his legs, arms, hands, face, as well as a mild TBI.



‘A bunch of doctors said that it wasn’t a normal thing to survive. Three of the Czech soldiers were killed in the blast.’ 

Alex played a key role in Alec’s recovery

Deeper Scars

‘Emotionally, I was pretty torn up. When it first happens, it’s overwhelming but you’re surrounded by a lot of support that clouds the reality of the situation. It began to get really rough after I got my first apartment with my sister, who came to live with me so she could take care of me. Life was easier with a helping hand. It was so hard to be in that position again – it almost felt like I was back at the start, before I joined the military.

‘You lose a lot of innocence when you go through an experience like that. I was still myself when I was in Afghanistan but after that, I couldn’t connect with anything. Songs that evoked emotion had lost their meaning. I had lost myself. Then you remember what happened and you go down this rabbit hole of reliving all of it again.’

Alec explains that in the aftermath of that awful day – seeing his teammates killed and suffering life-altering injuries – left him feeling isolated and alone. ‘How do I explain what happened to anyone? I lost it all when those men died in front of me. I lost all the happy memories. You lose your cheer for all of it.

‘My sister suffered along with me. It was so hard. I’m not even sure if I’ve gotten better – I have a wife and a baby on the way but there isn’t a single day that I don’t think about it. It controls a large part of me and I am reminded of it every single day.

‘I have been able to make a life for myself: I have a master’s degree and aspirations to work in international intelligence, but moving past that pain feels like too tall a task.’

Alex

Alex had his back left leg amputated as a result of the blast that had injured Alec and killed his three Czech comrades. Having been medically retired, Alec would visit him on base at every available opportunity and was waiting for the paperwork to complete to retire him out of the Army. ‘I adopted him on my birthday in 2018 and he came to live with me and my sister. It was such a relief that I could retire him – it was one of my fears that I would come back and I would lose him.

‘I was very connected to Alex – on another level. In Afghanistan, we slept in the same bed and were never apart for more than an hour and a half – and that was when I had to leave him to go to the chow hall.



‘It was relief to have him home with me. He could actually understand what had happened and was living with the scars from that day too. We would just hang out – he always had such a lazy personality but always respected work. He loved food and loved chilling with us. I built a real close relationship with the service community in San Antonio and everyone would give him a second look:  With the missing leg, you could tell he wasn’t a normal dog. He was a dog with a story to tell.

Purple Heart: Alex had his leg amputated as a result of the suicide bombing

‘He did really well, living with three legs, but at 10 years old, he started to have problems.

‘Alex passed away the day after my wedding this year. He passed away at home, in his sleep, so we didn’t ever have to make that heartbreaking decision to say goodbye. He chose his own time. My wife was also a military dog handler and she loved Alex – everyone loved him! Adjusting to life without him has been tough over the last few months.’

Future Plans

As Alec adjusts to life without Alex, he remains thankful for the bond they shared and the memories they made together. ‘We saw the world and experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows together. I am so grateful to have shared that time with Alex – he will always be a part of me.’



As Alec looks forward to life with his young family, he tells of his aspirations to return to combat theater – albeit in a different guise. ‘My master’s degree is in international intelligence and I would relish the chance to insert myself back into a combat environment, in the intelligence field. The lessons my Army career taught me and the mentors who shaped me into the dog handler I became have inspired me. I also feel like my life in service isn’t over.’