Remember.

Happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend to All.....

Thank you to all that made the ultimate sacrifice. 

For those who dont know me well Im involved with a number of veterans  groups  
doing my part to help those who serve  past and present .
   I want to take a moment to share a story about a veteran  who passed this last year .
His name is Emperor,   He departed us  at the ripe old age of 12. 
Emperor was a  war dog.  A member of Seal Team  3  Decorated hero.
Emperor died of cancer , A tumor the size of a football according to the vet who did the  surgery in a hail mary attempt to save his life
Emperor was my close friend  Laszlo's therapy / seizure  dog for the last 6 years .
Before that he was a  trained  explosive detection  dog , who served multiple tours in the middle east  with the teams.
His last patrol Emperor was  with the  squad  to clear a road that was mined all the time  . The road was for workers to get to a school
under construction  for girls to become  educated ... A NO No  in that part of the world..
While out front  of the patrol  his handler was  cut down and killed by  machine gun..
Emperor  chewed himself loose from his harness and   flanked the  3 machine gun nests and went on the attack.
While the seals were pinned down by heavy fire  Emperor  managed to get into the 3 fighting positions and  killed  all but one  terrorist.
As the fire stopped the  patrol went forward and  saw Emperor dragging the last half dead  enemy out of his hole by the head 
and finished the guy off.  Looking over the scene  they found   5 dead men  . They tended to  Emperor who had his throat slit,  A knife blade busted off
in his skull and his mouth  badly broken and missing most of his teeth.  . A medivac helicopter was called in  for the team and they didnt want to take the dog
as their protocols  call for dispatching the wounded K 9.
   This didnt sit well with the Seals who  changed their minds and Emperor was transported to Germany  to be  saved . 
     Mind you all,,,,, Emperor was NOT trained as a fighting   combat dog, he was a bomb sniffer , yet when duty called he  went above and beyond to save his teammates .
With such sever injuries  Emperor was returned to his trainers in Colorado who repurposed him as a therapy dog.  His team mates awarded him a Bronze star and Purple heart even though that  is not done for animals
His next duty was helping my buddy Laszlo  who suffers from PTSD / Seizures  and depression  . Lazlo is a 18 year Marine  recon /  agency operator who needed help 
 and Emperor was there for him too.
After faithful service to all  Emperor is now buried in our local Wardog  Memorial
GONE But NOT Forgotten 
Peace be with you Emperor.  You will Not Be Forgotten
Dave
 

@Street Fighter LTD What a great story. Thanks for sharing. I have to confess it got a little dusty in the garage when I read that... 

wrote:

@Street Fighter LTD What a great story. Thanks for sharing. I have to confess it got a little dusty in the garage when I read that... 

Trust Me ,, I  tear up all the time thinking  of all our fallen  who   gave all.
Dave
 

Im crying hard, don't care who knows it !  What a hell of a DEVIL DOG!            And I am sorry for your Brother Lazlo, I am sure his loss is monumental from his friends passing. Remember those who are gone, and why.

To help  cheer us up here is a story follow up for my Brother Laszlo.
After Emperor passed  he contacted  the breeder in Colorado who is also a brother in arms. 
We  got a new companion for Laszlo. Her name is Ravin 
Ravin is a  niece  of Emperor.  She is a well mannered lady  who has bonded with Laszlo
 Attached is her picture in a hotel on the way back from Colorado.
She has big shoes to fill but has already won us over .
For more war / protection dog info look up    CQB  K 9
These dogs are better trained  than our kids  and dont talk back LOL
 Cost start at 8 grand  and go up depending on training modules  
Isnt she cute  

 

Yes! Remember The Fallen Who Gave All!
I was a few years away from the draft in the early 70's
I visit the cemetery were my parents are buried! I lost my Dad in 1972. I was 13. He was a Korean Conflict Veteran, all my older Uncles and God Father served in WWII.
But, today and every Memorial Day When I visit.
I play Mark Knopfler! "Dire Straights" OZ, down under band! His song "Brothers In Arms" Live version.

I reflect on it as the World after WII. With the US and it's Allies saving the globe from Nazi Hitler!
But what a nice somber song to listen to.
This Cemetery has a nice tribute to the Fallen Veterans
Play this in quiet , dark room, on a smart TV up loud by yourself and reflect! Then hit replay!
That's what I do.
JMO.

Please excuse my Canadian ignorance. Does America also celebrate a version of Remembrance Day on Nov 11, or just Memorial Day?

Here's a picture of me promenading a few years back. Front left with the gross mustache. 
 

Yes we do too.
 Veterans Day,,,,,   Chosen as the  11th Month of the 11th Day of the 11th Hour    Regarding     WW1

Thank You for your service 

Dave    My father is from   Windsor

Remember that Hitler invaded Norway.  KZRider was founded by a Norwegian.
A number of my close relatives served in WWII.  One was a Navy officer & another was a Seabee.  The others were regular Army.  All of them saw battle but amazingly none were killed.  But one for certain upon his return suffered from battle fatigue, what we now call PTSD.   Four of them were brothers in one town:  the local judge who oversaw the local draft board sent all four off to war but none of his own sons who were of typical draft age and none of his sons volunteered.   My oldest brother was declined for service near the end of the Vietnam war by the military for medical reasons:  his was a real medical diagnosis by the US military.  He didn't receive a fake diagnosis as a favor from a doctor who rented office space from his father.

Remember:  Hitler had a failed coup attempt.  Hitler never won a majority of votes.  Hitler's Nazi playbook was to accuse the others of that for which you are guilty.  Hitler's Nazi playbook also said to lie and lie again and keep lying until the masses don't know what the truth is.  Sounds all too familiar.

wrote:

Please excuse my Canadian ignorance. Does America also celebrate a version of Remembrance Day on Nov 11, or just Memorial Day?

Here's a picture of me promenading a few years back. Front left with the gross mustache. 
 

Hello Kay L, Thank You for serving your Country! Don't know your music taste? But the "TREWS" great Canadian band along with Hugh Dillon and the "Headstones"! They get a lot of play on 97.7 fm in the Southern Niagara region, as I am near Buffalo.
But they have this great Tribute Song also for your Fallen Canadian Brothers!
"Highway Of Heroes" Nice video also.