In Conversation With… US Marine Corps Dog Handler, Jose Armenta
On the anniversary of 9/11, many of us reflect on the moments that changed the trajectory of millions of lives forever. From the people at Ground Zero to those men and women who were moved to fight for America’s freedom in the months and years that followed.
One of those men was Jose Armenta – a Marine Corps dog handler whose story of courage and tenacity when faced with overwhelming adversity, acts as an inspiration to us all. Jose shares his story with US War Dogs.
Jose was 11 years old and living in LA when America was attacked by al qaeda on September 11, 2001. Acknowledging the overwhelming sense of terror any understanding that the world had somehow changed forever, a young Jose would – like the rest of us – remember where he was on that dreadful day. Even before 9/11 though, Jose was committed to joining the military. “My grandad served in the Army but I always wanted to be a Marine. The war was raging while I was in high school and hearing the news just about the attacks amped up my desire to do my part and support my country.”
Jose recalls chasing down the Marine recruiters who visited his high school. “It’s usually the other way around so they were pretty happy to have someone as enthusiastic as me knocking on their door. I was a junior though, so they told me to come back when I was a senior. I still went along and joined in the physical fitness stuff with the recruiters and older hopefuls for about two years before my time came.”
A young patriot from the get-go, Jose would help the Marine recruiters by asking his friends in the school yard if they wanted to join the Corps. “I got a couple interested and two guys actually ended up joining with me, which was pretty cool.”
In July 2007, Jose’s military dreams came true as he attended bootcamp, graduating in November of that year. “It was exactly as I expected and I loved every second of it. Graduating was the proudest moment to date for me.” Jose then attended Marine combat training before going to military police school in Fort Leonard Wood, MI. “Training in the snow was a big change after growing up in LA, but I took it all in my stride. I was keen to enter a career in law enforcement so I really enjoyed the classes.”
It was while Jose was in MPS that he heard about K-9. “Our instructors told us about it. Like many, I didn’t know that such a thing existed but as soon as it entered my radar, I was hooked on the idea. I grew up around dogs so I knew it would be my jam.”
Following the production of impeccable test scores, Jose was accepted into the K-9 program and sent to Lackland AFB for basic training as a patrol and explosive detection dog (PEDD) handler. Following his four months of training, Jose was assigned to his unit where he would also be paired with his first MWD. “I was stationed with the first Marine Expeditionary Force (1 MEF) in Camp Pendleton, CA. It was a brand new support company set up to provide always-on support for the war on terror.”
First Dog
After arriving with a few other handlers from his course, Jose was poised to meet his new dog. “There was a new batch of dogs waiting for us when we arrived. The more senior guys got first pick and then we went down the line with the new handlers.”
Jose was paired with Ttroy – a 90lb Malinois with some serious stage presence. “He had more muscle than I had ever seen on a dog and the hardest bite in the kennel. This dude would bite through the suit. He was pretty awe-inspiring.
“Being a new dog handler, I liked to do things by the book as I really didn’t want to get my face gnawed off. I took a week out to spend some time with Ttroy to build a rapport and feed him some treats. I was so nervous, taking him out for the first time but after two years of training together, we were absolutely solid.”
Further East Than Planned
Jose and Ttroy were bound for a deployment to Iraq in 2009 but the numbers required were cut at the last moment. A further change in 2010 saw Jose’s orders to go to Afghanistan with Ttroy shift. “I was sent to Okinawa which is when I had to leave Ttroy behind. I wasn’t happy about it as I wanted to deploy with my guys but, as Marines, we do as we are told.
Jose arrived in Japan in July 2010 and was given the chance to choose his next dog. “I decided to try out working with a GSD to see how I faired, so I chose my boy Zenit. As any handler will know, Mals are like rockets – always going at 120MPH, but Shepherds are a little calmer and thoughtful. Zenit was more methodical in how he approached things and I welcomed the change in pace. Ttroy was a real ass-eater – he absolutely loved biting. He would find explosives but biting people was his chocolate.
“Zenit was much less aggressive, so I spent a lot of time with him, building up his bite capability.”
Jose had landed in Okinawa at an exciting time, as the Marine Corps was starting to build up the third Marine Expeditionary Force (3 MEF), with the other half of the company based out of 29 Palms, SC. “I got to see the start of the company from the ground up, which was pretty special.”
Jose and Zenit trained together for almost exactly a year in Japan. “We knew we were training to replace whoever came back from Afghanistan and moved out to 29 Palms to meet up with the other half of 3 MEF for pre-deployment training. Three months later, I was finally on a bird to the Middle East.”
Jose and his PEDD, Zenit
Afghanistan
Pre-deployment training enabled Armenta’s company of Marines to know what to expect from outside the wire so they could adjust in real time to the changing threats, in the face of a desperate enemy. It was June 2011 and after a couple of false starts, Armenta was ready for the fight. “I felt a real mixture of excitement that I was finally getting to do what I had been training for over the last few years, with a real sense of pressure, coming from the burden of wanting to perform well. How was I going to perform when I needed to? Knowing that any mistakes I made could cost lives, was a real and present concern for me.”
Armenta and Zenit were attached to the Third Recon Battalion, – First Platoon Charlie Company, in Sangin, where they quickly settled into the flow of life on deployment. “The first thing I had to do was introduce Zenit to the platoon. I told the guys not to pet him outside of the tent but while he was inside, he really was one of the guys. I was concerned as to what to expect because these guys were a completely new team, so I knew I needed to gain their trust. I was lucky though, as the whole team was so professional and positive. The motivation to be there was high and that is infectious. It set the tone for the whole deployment for me – even the parts that really weren’t fun were made better because of the collective mentality of the platoon. These guys were extremely good at what they did.”
Armenta and Zenit were attached to the Third Recon Battalion, - First Platoon Charlie Company
Armenta’s role with the platoon revolved around Zenit’s capabilities. “As a PEDD, Zenit was always on a retractable leash, walking out in front of the patrol to search areas of concern, followed closely by the guy with the metal detector. Typically, we’d do four days of missions then four days of base security. The aim of the game was to disrupt enemy activities as much as possible. Some days, we’d patrol directly outside our FOB (forward operating base) and sometimes, we’d be away for the full four days to take a new compound but whatever the mission, me and Zenit would be ready.
“He adapted really well to life out there and the structure of my day was formed around his needs: Get up and take him to the bathroom, give him breakfast and if it was really hot, give him an IV to keep him hydrated.”
Armenta recalls how Zenit’s character was tested early on in the deployment, when they were thrust into a fire fight with the enemy: “It was our first patrol and we were in an open area when the enemy opened fire. This would become a common occurrence but during that first time, I really didn’t know how Zenit would react. You train and train for these moments but the real test is out there in a live situation. He absolutely crushed it – he wasn’t phased at all and stood calmly by my side while we returned fire. I was so proud of him.”
Changed
Deployments are fraught with experiences that have the ability to change mindsets and alter world views and for Armenta, this was no exception. “Acknowledging how dangerous that place that we were operating in was one thing we all had huge respect for, but the anomaly of seeing small children running around, playing, really jarred with that sense of reality. They were just living their lives and we were fighting for ours – it took some comprehending at times.”
As well as the culture shock of being in Afghanistan and seeing the poverty that pervaded the country, Armenta also recalls some of the ethical twists that war can place in your path. “The first week I was there with 3rd Recon, we were on patrol when some guys drove by and opened fire with automatic weapons. We had just left the FOB, so our gunner started shooting from the tower.
“After things had calmed down, a group of locals approached the FOB with a wounded man in a wheelbarrow. He was one of the insurgents that had shot at us just minutes before and had taken fire from our gunner.
“One of our medics provided this guy with aid, no doubt saving his life. To me, it speaks to the professionalism of the guys I was serving with. They set their personal feelings aside to treat this man – our enemy – who could well have injured one of us. War is full of blurred lines but what inspired me in those moments was the professional pride of my fellow Marines. If I needed any validation that I was in the right place with the right people, it was then.”
High Level Threat
Armenta and Zenit were halfway through their deployment in August 2011 and the biggest threat that continued to weigh heavy in Armenta’s mind was the presence of IEDs. “We’d been lucky up to that point, finding a number of IEDs as a unit, before they were able to cause us any harm. We were constantly training to stay ahead of the threat – our EOD would bring new explosive ingredients over so I could train Zenit to detect them. We knew the lay of the land by this point but we weren’t letting our guard down.
“The responsibility to protect these guys weighed heavy on my mind. I knew these guys now. We had a bond and I didn’t want to let anyone down. The stakes were even higher than ever.”
On August 28, 2011, Armenta and Zenit were out on a busy mission with the unit. “We had killed a lot of insurgents in the area and we received intel that they were leaving as they had lost too many fighters. That was when the IED threat was even more heightened. Leaving an area laced with IEDs is their last-ditch attempt to make an impact.”
Remaining on high alert, the unit was tasked with taking the town opposite the FOB. “We knew we were going to come across IEDs so in preparation, I put my blast boxers on for the first time. It was 100 degrees so wearing another thick layer is not a nice feeling, but we all had to be ready for that threat level.”
Half the platoon would move into the compound to secure it, and the other half would stay outside to provide extra cover and be on standby as a quick reaction force. “The plan was that if nothing notable happened, we would meet up again at nightfall.”
Armenta and Zenit travelled with the first half of the platoon. It was afternoon when the team came across a giant empty canal that the team were very familiar with. “It was 10 feet wide and 12 feet deep, with trees lining both side and was a prime place for IEDs. We had to take the most complex route across the canal to avoid any potential booby traps.”
The EOD goes first as the team use the canal to head south. “He finds an IED about 10 feet from the entrance, which we blow up and go again. I am walking point with Zenit now, searching the tree roots. I send Zenit down on the left side and Ryan – the squad’s sniper– is checking along the right side with me, where we find some wires and plastic, which we spray before I go to check on Zenit’s indication… he had found a second device.”
Armenta, Zenit and Ryan continue 50 feet down the canal path, which they can see now has been set up as a huge landmine. They continue to push forward without blowing up the devices at this point, choosing to mark them with spray to return to later. They spot an easy entry point on the embankment, on which Ryan uses a metal detector to the left side, leaving Armenta to take the right of the pathway, behind Zenit.
The dog team took about five steps before the unthinkable happened.
Blast
“I was laying on the ground and my ears were ringing. I had dirt in my mouth and I realised that Ryan was providing me with first aid. ‘I screwed up’, I told him. I looked for Zenit, who was laying down beside me. He had been far away enough from the blast to be ok.”
The IED had blown Armenta back into the mine-laced canal, which was going to cause significant issues when it came to getting them out of there.
“Ryan applied tourniquets and called a MEDEVAC, but Sangin Province was so kinetic and volatile at that time, it was no surprise that they were busy on another pick-up, so we had to wait.”
The EOD medic and Ryan continued to render aid to Armenta, applying body tourniquets and administering pain meds. “I was in shock. Conscious but not all there. I don’t remember every detail of those moments, which I think is probably for the best.”
Two hours after the initial call was made, the chopper came for Armenta. “I remember vaguely, being picked up. Zenit came with me and from what I was told later, stayed calmly by my side the whole time.”
Jose was taken to Camp Leatherneck where he underwent initial surgery and treatment – being placed in a coma to stabilize before he could travel to Germany for further treatment. “Two days after the incident, they told me I’d lost both my legs. I was distraught. I spoke to my wife and remember the enduring feeling of not being able to move any part of my body. I was frozen to the spot.”
Armenta stayed in Germany for four days before being flown back home to the States and transferred to Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland. “That’s when I saw my wife and parents. It was such a relief to see some loved ones again.”
There was one face, though, that Armenta would have to wait a while longer to see. That of his K-9 brother in arms, Zenit.
Climb
The initial blast had taken most of Jose’s leg to above the knee and his left leg below the knee but thanks to a number of relentless infections, Jose endured 13 more surgeries at Walter Reed before he was stable enough to return home to California. “I was eventually transferred to the Navy Medical Center Balboa, San Diego, so I could be close to my family. I stayed there for two weeks before I was able to go home – visiting the center regularly for physical and occupational therapy.
The enormity of what had happened to him was sinking in but Jose was focussed on his recovery. “There are definitely different stages to the recovery process – lots of hurdles and curveballs that can derail you and take you down, but the most important thing for me was mindset and focussing on the things I could control. I give a lot of credit to my time in the military for that pragmatism – I was building on a solid foundation, thanks to my training. In war, you take things piece by piece to do the best you can. This is what I had to do now.”
But doing all of this without Zenit, seemed a task that was insurmountable. “I had always kept my relationship with Zenit professional, but after I left Afghanistan, Zenit was paired with another handler to serve out the rest of his deployment. I felt angry that he was still there and in danger and I realised that my feelings for him had changed. He has stayed steadfast by my side through the worst moments of my life and now, as the road stretched out ahead of me, I realised I needed him more than ever.”
Armenta embarked on a complex and time-consuming process to adopt Zenit from the service and in 2012, the dog team was finally reunited. Zenit joined the Armenta family and helped Jose to face the many challenges that lay in wait for him.
Relearning everything was at the center of the next stage: Rehab. “I had to learn how to take care of myself on my own. This was hampered by the fact that as well as losing my legs, I’d sustained several shrapnel wounds so I couldn’t wheel myself around in a wheelchair. It was a waiting game. Waiting, healing, building on my new abilities and approaches to tasks until finally, I was ready to learn how to walk again in prosthetics.”
Jose’s recovery was painstaking
Armenta was ready for the challenge that prosthetic limbs would provide him with. “Being in a wheelchair was a hard adjustment for me. One second, you’re a Marine, fighting for your country in one of the deadliest places on earth. Then, you’re in a wheelchair, unable to take care of yourself. I craved that mobility and independence, but it was the beginning of a hard journey.”
Three months after the injury, Armenta was fitted with short prosthetics. “These are designed to get your limbs used to the pressure. You have to build callouses and get the nerve endings used to the sensation. I’ll tell you that none of that is pleasant.”
Armenta then needed to build his core strength to prepare for his starter prosthetics, which were fitted nine months after the blast. “Standing up was a real moment. There had been so much preparation to get to that point. I just had to take things one stage at a time, throughout that whole process.
“Another moment that needed real focus was learning how to control the robotic knee I was fitted with. That took some real patience.”
Zenit remained by Jose’s side throughout his recovery
Even 12 years after Jose was injured, he still faces regular health challenges. “I had some titanium rods screwed into my femurs earlier this year. These will allow me to wear a new type of prosthetic, which will be well worth it in the end but you have to take a couple of steps back to take those jumps forward.”
Gary Sinise
Armenta recalls the time he spent in the Hospital, which was being overwhelmed by the number of injured troops that were returning from the war. “It was a very hard time – there were so many injured Marines and soldiers in the hospital that we had to share therapists because there were too many of us.
“I got to meet lots of other injured Marines while in the hospital and when Gary Sinise came to visit, we were all given the chance to meet him. He is the nicest guy and genuinely cared about what we were going through.”
Through Jose’s network of fellow wounded warriors, he heard about the Gary Sinise Foundation. “I made the connection with the foundation and was told about the RISE Program, where the foundation builds specially adapted homes for injured veterans and first responders. We were accepted into the program and our home is currently under construction.
“We’re due to move in on Veterans Day this year and the difference it will make to our lives will be incredible. Everything will be completely adapted for wheelchair access which I have to accept, I will need to fall back on from time to time. After the surgery earlier this year, I spent six months in a wheelchair, so moving around the new house in a wheelchair will be completely hassle-free – especially with three little ones to take care of.”
Thanks to the Gary Sinese Foundation, the Armenta family will have a fully adapted home for life
Focus
Just over 12 years since the blast that changed the course of his life forever, Jose, Eliana and their children, Jose (5), Bella (6) and Dean (9) are thriving and looking forward to starting the next chapter of their family’s life in their new home, which will make a huge difference as Jose continues to adapt and overcome the challenges that began in Afghanistan in 2011.
Jose studied for his Master’s degree in financial and tax planning at San Diego University and went on to set up his own financial planning firm, which specializes in helping FERS federal employees.
But how does a person carry on in the face of such pain and adversity? Jose said: “If you give up, failure is guaranteed but if you keep going, you’ll eventually succeed and that is something to be proud of. Those words sound simple, but the emotion behind them was always my driving force. I saw a lot of people giving up on their life and their goals. I saw the hopelessness.
“There is always hope if you don’t give up.”
Check out his website: https://createyourpathfp.com/
