LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Drak flew by in a blur of motion, chasing down the fleeing man. The distance between them was closing fast, and they both knew it. The man had time for one last look back and then Drak was on him.
It was just another day of training for Drak, a 10-year-old German shepherd with the 633d Security Forces Squadron.
At Joint Base Langley-Eustis, the military working dog units are a significant, yet often unheralded, part of the security mission of both the Army and the Air Force.
In some ways, this is understandable. The military working dog sections at the 633d Air Base Wing Security Forces Squadron at Langley, and the 221st Military Police Detachment, 733d Security Forces Squadron at Fort Eustis, are smaller subsets of the larger security forces or military police units.
Though these units are rather small in size, their mission is exceptionally important.
The dogs are key to narcotics and explosives counteraction in the deployed environment, said Tech. Sgt. Kelly Mylott, kennel master at Langley. They also engage in weapons sweeps, IED detection and routine foot patrols.
All in all, the dogs of the 633d and 221st are a key part of the mission overseas.
The importance of these dogs has been recognized at the highest levels. When asked about the value of dogs in the deployed environment, Sgt. George Jay, 221st MPD, responded not just with his opinion, but with the following opinion from one of the armed forces' key leaders -- Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
"The capability they [military working dogs] bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine. By all measures of performance, their yield outperforms any asset we have in our inventory. Our Army would be remiss if we failed to invest more in this incredibly valuable resource," said General Petraeus.
Every dog that serves as a working dog in the armed forces receives initial training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. While at Lackland, each dog goes through 60 days of patrol training and 60 days of detection training. If the dog shows the required level of proficiency in these areas, it is then assigned to a particular unit, which then assigns the handler.
Once at Langley, each dog must pass validation training in order to qualify for deployment and participation in operations on base. A large amount of the handlers' time is spent training the dogs in the necessary areas of proficiency, primarily patrol and detection.
The dogs must maintain very high levels of proficiency when it comes to the training process, typically being required to sustain success rates of more than 90 percent in their training regimens, said Sergeant Mylott.
"We try to prepare them as much as possible [for deployed environments]," she said.
The handlers at Eustis maintain similar standards.
"We have to maintain four hours of obedience and aggression work a week, and four hours of
detection work," said Sgt. Maj. Todd Angel, kennel master for the 221st.
Each handler is assigned to one dog, which allows the trainer and dog to get to know one another very well, and establish an effective and meaningful relationship. One Soldier described the relationship with his dog as "just like being with your family."
The vast majority of the dogs in service are either German shepherds or Belgian Malinois. These particular breeds quickly adapt to different environments, which makes them ideal for the current theaters in which the United States is involved.
The process by which Air Force and Army personnel become dog handlers is quite similar, with minor differences. For Air Force personnel, the individual must have at least 24 months in service and have obtained their five-level training, which is essentially the intermediate level of expertise and is awarded after an individual successfully completes certain career development courses and on-the-job training. He or she may then apply to cross-train into this career field. The individual will then spend several days with the dogs, in order for the kennel master to evaluate how well he or she responds to the dogs, and to determine how devoted the individual would be to the job. Those who are accepted for this career field are those who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to training and caring for their dog.
For Army personnel, an individual must be a military police officer for at least two years and then be recommended for the job by his or her commander. He or she will then also have a similar exposure period to determine if the career field is the right fit.
At the end of the day, regardless of their particular branch, what these men and women bring to the fight is a passion for their team and a passion for their furry companions.
One Airman summed it well when he said that the best thing about his job was "making a difference and making that team better."