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The Animals in War and Peace Medal Ceremony

Celebrates Six Remarkable K-9 Heroes

  This week saw the second presentation of the Animals in War and Peace Medal Presentation which highlights and recognizes the bravery and sacrifice of animals in our society.


  The Medal of Bravery, which was instituted in 2019 and the newly inaugurated Distinguished Service Medal were awarded to six recipients at the ceremony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon (March 9 2022).


  The medals were presented by members of Congress and were followed by a procession of service animals from a wide range of sectors, including law enforcement, the fire department, therapy and search and rescue dogs.


  Our own president, Chris Willingham, played a key role in this year’s celebrations, as a member of the leadership committee. On the awards, Chris said: “These awards align with our mission at US War Dogs as they shine a well-deserved spotlight on the incredible role of animals in society, including that of military working dogs. The event highlighted a number of awe-inspiring stories spanning over 70 years, from World War II and Vietnam to the actions of dogs serving our country today.


  “A number of the US War Dogs team joined me at the event and we were honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”


  War Dogs Honored


  Three military working dogs were awarded the Medal of Bravery, including Nemo – the US Air Force scout dog who served in Vietnam. While charging an enemy ambush in 1966, Nemo was shot twice. Despite his horrific injuries, he managed to crawl back to his handler – who had also been shot – and protect him until help arrived.


  US Marine Corps multi-purpose canine (MPC), Ziggy was also honored for his actions across five international deployments. Ziggy’s owner and former Marine Corps dog handler, Sean Hemphill, accompanied him to the ceremony and was proud to witness his decoration.

 

  Also added to the Medal of Bravery’s roll of honor was Navy Seal Dog, Cairo, who was posthumously awarded for his distinguished career, including the role he played in Operation Neptune Spear – the world-famous operation that successfully eliminated Osama Bin Laden.


  Previous MWD recipients of the Medal of Bravery include US Marine Corps specialized search dog (SSD), Lucca and MPC Bass – handled and owned by our very own Chris Willingham and Alex Schnell, respectively.


  New Silverware


  The Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal was awarded for the first time this year, to three recipients, including former US Secret Service dog, Hurricane, who successfully stopped a fence jumper from entering the White House, during a security breach in 2014 and US Coast Guard bomb detection dog, Feco. Hungarian Vizsla, Feco has completed over 1,300 separate searches across the Bay area – helping to keep the California coastline safe and secure.


  WWII dog, Smoky, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for the role that she played as a constant companion to Bill Wynne, who served with the Fifth Air Force Battalion, in New Guinea and the Philippines. The tiny Yorkshire Terrier, racked up 12 sorties and was labelled the ‘first therapy dog of record’ by Animal Planet.



A Final Update for 2024!

December 28, 2024
A Final Update for 2024! The last three months of 2024 have been action-packed, with US War Dogs’ suite of programs providing well-deserved support for our K-9 community. A busy final quarter means that the overall care we’ve been able to provide this year has been incredible! Let’s dig into the details… Supporting Our Retired K-9 Heroes We’ve signed up 91 new retired MWDs to our Rx program and spent over $167,000 on treatments through our Emergency Care program. We are particularly proud of this program, as it was developed in response to the need arising from within the community and through conversations with handlers and adoptive families about the challenges they face.  Since rolling out this program last year, we’ve not seen a single Go Fund Me page for retired MWDs, needing support with treatments. This is something we are exceptionally proud of. Read more about some of the recipients of care through the program, like Rex, SSeneca and Gunner.

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

December 28, 2024
In Conversation With… US Army dog handler and Purple Heart recipient, Alec Alcoser

War Dogs Turns 25!

September 27, 2024
War Dogs Turns 25! As our big birthday year fast approaches, we have some very special dates for your calendar in 2025, as we look forward to celebrating our quarter-century in epic style.

War Dogs Summer

September 27, 2024
War Dogs Summer Our president, Chris Willingham, takes a look back at our work and our impact across July, August and September.  The last three months have been super busy for US War Dogs. Our vital support for the K-9 community continues to increase as word spreads further about who we are and what we do. We love nothing more than signing up new retired MWDs to our Rx Program and providing vital support when dogs and their families need it most, and this last quarter has been no exception. We were thrilled to welcome 18 new dogs to our Rx Program this quarter, including US Navy patrol and explosive detection dog (PEDD) Ivo, who retired with his former handler, Dan. Notorious as being the most aggressive dog in the kennels at NAS Lemoore, CA, six-year-old Ivo has become the model house dog in retirement, lounging and enjoying meeting new people. Ivo was retired with lumbar-spinal stenosis, so the provision of medications through the Rx Program will really help alleviate the financial burden for Dan and his family. Welcome to the pack, Ivo!

Volunteer Highlight: Kim Roberson

August 16, 2024
Volunteer Highlight: Kim Roberson The team at US War Dogs is almost completely made up of retired, honorably discharged or current serving members of K-9. Kim Roberson is the trainer at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska. She takes excellent care of our social media and we are blessed to have her as part of the team. We chatted with Kim to learn more about her military service and experiences and why she chose to dedicate her precious free time to US War Dogs.

Supporting our K-9 Heroes – Q2 Update, 2024

June 29, 2024
Supporting our K-9 Heroes – Q2 Update, 2024 An update from our president, Chris Willingham Our mission to provide practical support to MWDs, their handlers and families, has been in full swing during the second part of this year and we are thrilled to share with you some facts and figures about the kind of care we have provided, by means of your generosity. Veterinary Care Take-up of our care programs has continued to grow this quarter, as word spreads about our mission and the kind of help that we provide. From April to June, we received 21 Rx Applications and spent over $35,000 on medications for dogs on the program.

Memorials and Memories

June 29, 2024
Memorials and Memories The second portion of 2024 has been significant for many reasons. Alongside the delivery of service to help retired MWDs in practical ways, we have also been busy supporting the K-9 community in other ways too. Our president, Chris Willingham, reflects on three special events this quarter that War Dogs has been proud to be a part of: the dedication of the K-9 memorial at Fort Drum, NY, the US Army’s Annual MWD Symposium in Michigan and the fourth annual US Marine Corps K-9 handlers’ reunion at Camp Pendleton, CA. Memorializing our K-9 Heroes When retired US Army colonel Christine Stark contacted US War Dogs to ask for help with a memorial that the K-9 team at Fort Drum had spent a decade working on, the board and I were intrigued to hear more about the project. As you may have read in our interview with Christine, the memorial took on new life when the Eddy family wanted to make a financial donation to the K-9 section on base, in memory of their late father, William Eddy. When Christine volunteered to act as conduit between the family and the Army – utilizing her years of military service – plans were set in motion to connect the family with their aspiration to honor the MWDs that had served out of Fort Drum. US War Dogs has a long history of supporting the dedication of monuments to honor K-9. It is part of our mission to raise the status and awareness of what our MWDs bring to the table and how their service has been pivotal in protecting our nation’s freedom. A monument has the power to do that and we are honored to have played a part in bringing this poignant tribute to life.  I was fortunate to attend the dedication ceremony of the monument in May, which was attended by base personnel and the Eddy family, who were both proud and emotional to see a permanent tribute to their father unveiled.

In Conversation With… Retired US Army Colonel, Christine Stark

June 29, 2024
In Conversation With… Retired US Army Colonel, Christine Stark After spending a 32-year career in the US Army, Colonel Christine Stark (ret) had her fair share of experience and a well-earned respect for K-9. But little did she know that a chance meeting with the daughter of a Korean War era veteran would ignite a passion project that had MWDs at its very heart: The dedication of a memorial to honor the MWDs who served out of Fort Drum, NY. Although Christine never worked directly within K-9, her role as a unit commander meant that she often had K-9 teams within her sphere of responsibility. “It became a tradition to invite me to the kennels to don a bite suit and test my mettle against the dogs when I joined a new detachment. I never turned down the opportunity – and have the scars to prove it.”

In conversation with… Vietnam dog handler Sebastian Cardella

June 29, 2024
In conversation with… Vietnam dog handler Sebastian Cardella

Volunteer Spotlight: US War Dogs Vice President, Chuck Rotenberry

March 28, 2024
Volunteer Spotlight: US War Dogs Vice President, Chuck Rotenberry Former US Marine Corps dog handler and trainer, Chuck Rotenberry, has been our organization’s vice president since 2021, supporting the board in making positive changes to increase support and ensure the future of US War Dogs. But before joining our team, Chuck enjoyed a rich and varied career in K-9 – bringing with him hard-fought life experiences that include a serious combat injury that totally changed the course of his life. So, on Chuck’s Alive Day, we spoke to him about his career, his combat injury and how giving back has become inherent to him.
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