As some of you Kit Up! readers may have seen — last week Military.com sent two of the editorial staff to Bagram, Afghanistan to look at the USAF’s Aeromedical Evacuation teams and the various phases of care delivered to our combat wounded.
Thanks to the USAF’s Air Mobility Command we caught a ride from Ramstein to JB McGuire / Dix / Lakehurst and I got the chance to chat with some of the flight crew about the things they’ve seen and experienced in their job.
It turns out that just two days earlier they had a very special guest on their C-17 –this military working dog is named Cujo and while the crew didn’t know a lot of details about what happened to him they told me he had been shot in the leg a few days earlier and was given the same professional and competent level of care as his human colleagues during his med-evac. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Here’s our latest video from the trip…
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Just like the soldiers and Marines fighting on front lines, there are other heroes that serve. __Thanks for taking care of our sons and daughters..
There's a reason they don't send cats to fight our battles.
Cujo rules
The ancient Romans and other armies (Carthage), use to unleash tigers, elephants and other animals on their enemies. They all serve their purpose. :)
Glad to see the dogs are being taken care of as well as they are… they deserve a tremendous amount of gratitude for their selfless service. I was amazed while watching them work on my last deployment.
These too are solders,with paws. Poor baby!
Our precious little four legged soilders!!… Get well soon Cujo!!!! Bless his little heart. :)
Now get better and git sum!!!!
get better fast Cujo, your the man, oops! your the TOP DOG
get better soon Cujo you are top dog !!
Does anyone know if the body of the SEAL K9 killed in the helicopter shot down in Afghanistan was brought back to the US?
get better soon Cujo, you're top dog in my book!
Get well soon, Cujo, so you can go back and find the man who shot your paw.
HalP, your cat comment made me laugh! Actually, cats have been employed successfully in military missions. Unsuspected, they were the perfect spy tool in Russia during the cold war. They were given cochlear implants, both for listening devices and for tone generators. The battery packs were surgically implanted, too– the joke was that they had to be plugged in at night! The cats were trained to follow tone cues; for example, one tone meant walk, one meant stop in place, one cued them to orient their heads in different directions until they heard the next tone cue. They were released into Red Square out of taxi cabs and served well as mobile listening devices that the KGB didn't suspect. Some were KIA by cars but most returned to base unharmed.
That;s wonderful. to think that he gave his life protecting the two legged heroes.((yes I am a dog lover). I hope he receives the same honors the others do.
Yeah cujo get better so you can find him and give him a slow painful death, yes I am very protected of my fellow military member whether two legged or four. God Bless you Cujo
Glad to see Cujo's getting the care that he deserves. Good job!
Get well Cujo….
I hope your handler gives you a nice juicy dog treat after you heal.
Homeboy on the gurney there looks like it just pissed him off. "They shot me, they fucking shot me. I swear to god, I'm going find the little sod, I'm going to sneak up on him like an earthquake, and I'm going to chew his nuts off. " You gotta love the working dogs. I've worked with a couple of agencies in my local area who use working dogs, and those dogs deserve all the honors their human handlers deserve. They do incredible work on a daily basis. I've watched a dog that was trained to detect the smell of gunpowder find a pistol hidden in a field in the middle of the night. This same dog found a scrap of a marijuana bud hidden in an office building. I'm glad to use the military working dogs get taken care of as much their handlers. I'm not a dog, I'm a crocodile with fur!
Hang in there buddy! you'll make it back to good health
….and pay back is a bitch!
Very cool. I bet he won't complain about the hospital food.
Now, where the b***ches at!?
Thank you Cujo for your service. You rest and get well, then get back in there and support your fellow four-legged comrads by taking care of a wounded vet. We are pround of you!
Similar action in Dalat, Vietman. Our "house dog" struck by Vietnamese on m'cycle. back leg badly mauled, brought him out to Dalat Airfield. Chopper was there and flew him to Nha Trang for amputation. Few days later he came back by chopper, received TLC and the new name "Tripod".
I helped train you and saw what you could do, must have been one lucky shot buddy, just get well soon and take care of buisness later. That bugger will wish he never looked at you again.
Cujo is receiving the best of care, I know one of his vest personally! She's devoted to all of the dogs and gives all that she can, and more, to take care of these guys. He's not only being cared for, but he's being loved on. Thank you team at "K-town."
You go, Cujo. I'm so glad your getting the best care possible and coming home. Get well soon.
I'm a Vietnam era vet & a real fan of military working dogs. They are my four legged heroes.
I’m a former AF Dogman, and it’s nice to see the progress they have achieved over the years.