Base mourns loss of military working dog

Published March 17, 2011
By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Dozens of Air Commandos, local community law enforcement and police canines gathered at the Hurlburt Field Chapel March 8 to honor the service and sacrifice of a fallen military working dog.

Beto, a narcotics detection dog assigned to the 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, died of natural causes in January while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Military working dogs are used in patrol, drug and explosive detection, and specialized mission functions for the Department of Defense and other government agencies in security efforts worldwide.

"[MWDs] are loyal, dedicated to their mission, their handler and the base they're protecting every single day," said Maj. Christopher Sheffield, 1st SOSFS commander. "The handlers who serve with these canines say they would sacrifice themselves for them and vice versa. This makes losing Beto that much more difficult--he was the perfect Airman. He was not just a dog; he was a fellow defender."

Beto began his career after graduating Sept. 1, 2005, from the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. His time with the 1st SOSFS spanned six different handlers culminating in more than 1,400 hours of service, including 85 working dog demos and leading 280 foot patrols on duty.

"Beto will never know how many lives he saved or how many homes he protected," said Tech. Sgt. Ron King, 1st SOSFS kennel master. "Beto, we are very grateful for all that you did for this great nation. You will never be forgotten."

Memorial organizers set up a "missing dog" display complete with an empty kennel, leather leash, an inverted food bucket all representing the bond between a handler and a dog that can never be broken.

"In an attempt to build our rapport, I got him a fuzzy duck with a kazoo type of squeaker inside," said Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Lind, 1st SOSFS dog handler, who first handled Beto when he was just a puppy. "The first time he made it squeak, he'd jump back about 20 feet. He then walked up to it really slowly, circling it, poke with his nose just to jump back again. This went on for quite a while until he finally got over his fear of that strange new toy. I eventually felt sorry for that toy duck--it was missing fur and was pretty gross from being slobbered on every day. You couldn't even tell what it started out as. But that was Beto's way: at first, he needed to take his time getting used to a new task, but once he did--watch out. I enjoyed watching him grow into a great MWD."

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Smith, 1st SOSFS, was Beto's last handler before and during their deployment to Afghanistan in September 2010.

"Although he wasn't my first partner, he would always be my most memorable," Sergeant Smith said. "He was a warrior who loved to work. There wasn't a day I couldn't come into the kennels and not see his big black head pop up over the wall as if saying 'Hey, Dad, are we going to go do it again today? Let's go get 'em!' He hated to be put up at the end of the night. Always on duty, that was Beto."

While he said their stories could fill books, Sergeant Smith shared his final moments with Beto.

"As we waited for the helicopter that would take us from the forward operating base back to the veterinarian on the main base, I made one last request of Beto," he said. "I told him, 'Hold on buddy. Hold on, partner. Just hang on. Just get to the vet for me. Things will be all right from there.' Beto did hold on. He held on for five hours, all the way through the helicopter ride and eventually to the vet. In his final act and through his pain, he sat up from the stretcher to lick my face. I thought he was saying 'Thanks.' It wasn't until later I realized he was saying 'Goodbye.' Beto was my partner, my friend, my hero and defender. Good boy, buddy. Good boy."