Mike Ritland - Trident K9 Warriors: My Tale from the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines

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This book is dedicated to the brotherhood, and the loyal hounds that help keep them safe.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people, for without them this book would not have been possible.

My parents, George and SandyThank you for putting up with me as a kid and instilling the values and foundation that forged me into the man I am today.

The SEAL TeamsEnlisting at eighteen, I grew up in the teams. There could not have been a finer collection of warriors to be around to set the example of how to live your life. The entire country owes you an infinite debt of gratitude for the violence you bestow on our enemies.

Marc Resnick, his assistant Kate Canfield, and everyone at St. Martins PressThank you for your professionalism and pride in what you do. Its been a pleasure working with you.

Gary BrozekThank you for the countless hours of hard work you have put into this project, bringing my words to life in a way that couldnt make me prouder.

Brandon WebbThe brotherhood continues to prove that it takes care of its own, and your friendship and advice are certainly no exception. Thank you for everything, brother.

Wayne DodgeBrother, there are no words to give ample thanks for what you have done for me, in more ways than one. Your friendship will be forever appreciated.

The warriors (both men and dogs) at MPC-1You guys are the reason I do what I do, and I could not be prouder of the job you guys have done and continue to do.

Special thanks to:

The Allon Family

Happy

Fro

BC

Mike Mike

Wimbo

DK

Shrek

Del

Echy

Dusty

CP

SA

Cinnamon Bear

Johnny D

Mrs. Toad

Mike Suttle

Darryl Richey

AUTHORS NOTE

Since earliest recorded history, dating back to the time when humans first battled over territory or property using rocks and sticks, one other weapon has been usedcanines. Whether it was the Ephesians doing battle, the Athenians fending off the advancing Persians at the Battle of Marathon, or the Spanish Conquistadors using Mastiffs against Native Americans, to more modern examples, we have utilized the dogs of war. Not only have they been utilized, theyve been memorialized for their heroic loyalty and service. This book is my attempt to bring attention and praise to one segment of the military working dog community of warriors. At a time when an operator sitting in a room thousands of miles from a battlefield can direct a drone attack, when billions of dollars are spent developing high-tech weaponry, the one constant in war remains our use of canines. That speaks to their effectiveness as well as their heart, and proves the truth of their being Mans Best Friend.

INTRODUCTION

The tense silence was broken only by the sound of the MH-60s rotors and blades beating like a quickened pulse. Along with the sixteen other members of a West Coastbased SEAL Team, the multi-purpose K9 Duco sat vigilant and eager. Duco and his handler, Seth, had been assigned to a forward operating base (FOB) in northeastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistani border in the mountainous region of the Hindu Kush. The area is well known as a porous zone where Taliban terrorists and their leaders travel from training grounds in Pakistan into Afghanistan. A few hours earlier Seth had attended a pre-mission briefing. The Operations Order commanded them to neutralize a high-value target in a nearby village, some fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) away. The target, as the intelligence report had indicated, was a leading Taliban munitions expert, one of the head trainers who instructed cell leaders and their underlings in the deadly craft of improvised explosive device (IED) making.

With the communications check complete, Duco sat tucked between Seths knees, his chest rising and falling at a slightly agitated rate as he reacted to the others heightened sense of anticipation. The copilot radioed that they were several clicks from the landing zone (LZ). In their briefing, theyd learned that theyd have to fast-rope in; no LZ large enough or flat enough to accommodate three helos was in range. Seth stood and commanded Duco to do the same. Seth turned his back and waited. The platoon chief stepped forward and squatted in front of Duco before wrapping his arms around the dogs rear end and chest. Duco remained alert but impassive while he was being strapped into the harness on Seths back.

Seth felt a thwack on his shoulder, a signal that he and Duco were good to go. Seth spent the next few moments making his way to the end of the line, checking the cams on his descenders, before stepping out of the MH-60s bay into the darkness. The only sound was the rush of wind past his ears and the high-pitched whirring sound of the rope snaking through the device. After unhooking the line, Seth waited for another team member to release Duco. He grabbed the dogs lead, double-checked the harness, and proceeded to the head of the formation. Behind him, the other men moved out of their defensive perimeter positions to follow Seth and Duco, all of them careful to maintain their spacing discipline. The SEAL Team members were all on comms, but Duco didnt need anyone to tell him what to do. All his years of training and experience, coupled with years of genetic fine tuning and his honed instincts, had been held at bay on the flight in and were now released.

Steadily moving at a pace between a lope and a trot, with his broad snout alternately to the ground and lifted above his shoulder to pick up any target odor, Duco worked along a snakelike path. Hed been trained to detect explosives and was at the head of the line sniffing out the possible locations of IEDs or munitions caches. His nose flaring and recessing like a beating heart, Duco led the platoon on into the night.

Even though it was pitch-dark, Seth and the others trusted that Ducos keen senses wouldnt fail him or them. They all may not have known that a dogs extraordinary exteroception, its ability to detect stimuli from the environment (including light, sound, chemical agents [taste and smell], heat, cold, and pressure), made the team members night-vision goggles seem like tissue-roll binoculars by comparison, but they trusted Duco based on past experience. More than anything the bond of trust that existed between canine and soldier was once again being tested and ultimately proven worthy.

After several clicks maneuvering along a dirt road, Seth noticed something change in Ducos demeanor. The handler had anticipated seeing Duco signal that hed detected the odor of explosives. Normally, if Duco had smelled explosives, he would have signaled detection by flagging his tail, hoisting it straight up and making it quiver from side to side, nearly like a rattlesnake alerting others to its presence. Along with that, he would become more intense, his movements more rapid, as he zeroed in on the exact location, his body acting as a kind of needle on a scale indicating that the concentration of molecules he was picking up was on the increase.

What Seth saw instead was Ducos body go rigid, assuming the posture of a show doghead lifted, front shoulders at attention and stretched forward, his hips similarly straining forward. Seth also felt that strain on the leash and heard Duco emit a low whiny whimper.

Duco was letting the rest of the team know that they werent alone.