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Lackland Air Force Base, TX. (June 15, 2022). A soldier in the Continental Army could scarcely conceive of today’s military. Men in flying machines fighting wars in the skies would be beyond their comprehension.
They do, however, have one thing in common with the young men and women who volunteer to serve today, an insatiable thirst for freedom.
As in all wars, America turns to the “flower of our youth”, the brave young people who willingly volunteer to protect our nation, even if it means sacrificing their own lives. In the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army under George Washington adopted guerilla tactics that befuddled the British, who were often overconfident in battle. The British marveled at the ferocity of the American defenders and quickly realized they had underestimated the “warrior spirit” of America’s youth.
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Gowan Field, Boise, IA. (June 5, 2022) Historians are quick to credit the politicians and generals who run wars while often neglecting the troops fighting in the trenches, sacrificing their all for the cause. In 1776, America faced a determined foe that had many advantages over the fledgling American Army.
The British soldier was highly trained, led by experienced officers, and was well-supplied with food and ammunition. Backed by a population three times that of the colonies, the British Army had the money and technology to overwhelm the meager resources of America.
Although vastly outnumbered and ill-equipped, the Americans had one advantage the English didn’t, a ferocious zeal for freedom. British morale was low, especially among hired mercenaries, and many felt they were fighting their fellow citizens. The rebels, on the other hand, were fighting on home ground, backed by thousands of sympathizers, while the British were unfamiliar with the land or its people and totally dependent upon supplies shipped from thousands of miles away.
Read more: “CITIZEN SOLDIERS” WON OUR INDEPENDENCE THEY ARE ON DUTY TODAY
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Normandy, France. (June 22, 2022) America almost didn’t make it.
When the American Colonists declared independence from Great Britain, they started a war whose outcome was far from certain. In fact, the odds heavily favored the British as America’s army in 1776 was a hodgepodge of citizen soldiers thrust together under the direst conditions.
America had picked a fight with an enemy that was superior in numbers, experience, training, and equipment. At the time, Britain had the largest navy in the world and the funding for a long-term war. America, by contrast, had a weak central government with little money to battle the enormous and well supplied British Army. America depended on patriotic volunteers to carry the day.
Constantly outnumbered, George Washington’s Continental Army of 20,000 volunteers was short on equipment, lacked formal military training, and constantly struggled just to feed itself. British General William Howe’s 32,000-man expeditionary force, by comparison, was well armed, highly trained, and well-supplied.
Were it not for the willingness of ordinary citizens to sacrifice their blood and treasure, the United States would not exist.
Today, America continues to rely on patriotic volunteers to fill the ranks of our armed forces and, as we gather with friends and family this 4th of July, we should honor their sacrifice and dedication to our nation’s freedom.
In this photo by Specialist Vincent Levelev, World War II veterans attend the Eternal Heroes Memorial in Normandy, France, to honor fallen paratroopers who liberated the town of Ravenoville in June 1944. Veterans and representatives of veterans who could not be there received “challenge coins” during the event.
Read more: AMERICA ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN… DECLARING INDEPENDENCE WAS A GAMBLE.
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Dog lovers everywhere wince at the thought of a working dog being euthanized when they become unfit for military duty. It would be an even bigger crime to end the lives of these loyal creatures after years of faithful service.
Thankfully, that doesn’t happen.
In 2000, Congress passed Robby’s Law, legislation that allows retiring military working dogs to be adopted by their former handlers or civilians. Before being placed in homes, adoptees must pass a behavior assessment and the new owner must pledge that the dog will not be used in working service again.
Read more: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE… WHAT HAPPENS TO MILITARY DOGS WHEN THEY RETIRE?
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Okinawa, Japan. (June 4, 2022): America’s military working dogs save lives in many ways, from detecting bombs to guarding sensitive installations, but nowhere is their service more valuable than in combat.
Much as in civilian police work, military dogs and their handlers accompany foot patrols into dangerous urban environments, places where humans cannot or should not go. These skills are vital for door-to-door searches, subduing bad guys, and alerting units to danger.
Working dogs have proven so essential to America’s combat units that the Air Force created a new course, Combat Dog Tracker, at its joint training facilities at Lackland Air Force Base. To combat the deadly threat from improvised explosive devices (IED’s), military dogs are trained to search from the location of an IED explosion tracking the scent back to the perpetrator. The goal is to find the terrorist bomber to neutralize the threat and prevent further attacks. This new course is expected to graduate 10 K-9 teams a year.
Read more: WORKING DOGS ON PATROL… SAVING LIVES, FINDING THE BAD GUYS
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Lackland Air Force Base, TX. (June 15, 2022): Since ancient times, dogs have served alongside their handlers in all manner of combat situations. During WWII, America established the War Dog Program with the requisition of 11,000 dogs needed for combat service around the world. In 1965, the Air Force fielded dog and handler teams for missions in Viet Nam that evolved into today’s Air Force Security Forces Center/Army Veterinary Corps, 341st Training Squadron.
The school houses up to 900 dogs graduating approximately 270 multi-purpose warriors a year. Dogs are selected for their temperament and acumen and only half qualify for training as working dogs. Dogs and their handlers must pass a grueling 93-day course at Lackland followed by a field portion at Yuma, Arizona. The school teaches a Specialized Dog Course (for dogs dealing with explosives or narcotics), a Dog Handler's Course, and a new Combat Dog Tracker Course that just graduated its first set of Marines and their dogs.
In this U.S. Army photo, Specialist Michael Coffey and his dog Max, assigned to the 550th Military Working Dog Detachment, 503rd Military Police Battalion, practice “controlled aggression” during training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Max is an explosive detector dog trained for work on dismounted patrols in combat situations.