When a group of specially traind
soldiers needed medical care,
the army turned to an East
Tennessee veterinarian.
His patients may not know it.
You're going to be a star, baby,
but this East Tennessee communiy
veterinarian spent years treatia
special group of the most talen,
highly trained and trusted
soldiers in America's military.
It's the greatest job in the military, John,
a veteran of almost 3 decades ie
army veterinarian doctor Gary B,
spent a memorable part of.
His career keeping military dogs healthy
and ready for service on the frt
lines, the things that they cano
in connection with their handle,
the incredibly important job tht
they have and the fact that I cn
be support for them and keep thm
healthy and keep them doing the
amazing things that these animals do.
It was very fulfilling.
And one of the greatest things
that I've done is a veterinarian
lifesavers. That's how fellow ts
in the War on Terror describe d.
Trained to sniff out enemy sold,
weapons and explosives,
at least 10th Mountain Division really saw
some tremendous success with these dogs
and we saw the demand for the dogs triple.
So my little veterinary treatmet
facility that was responsible fa
time we went from being responsible for
20 to about 60 more on top of t.
And suddenly we were doing veterinary
care for 80 dogs.
How many lives have working dogs saved
in the wars in Iraq and Afghani?
Probably 2 to 3000 has been the
number that's floated out there a lot.
I think the military working dog handlers
would say it's much larger than that,
these handlers a lot of times.
Feel like these dogs are
almost like their children.
You know,
they're they're with them sometimes 24/7.
They're in the field with them.
They may eat with them.
Doctor Brown says modern militay
dogs start with three to six
months of puppy training,
often a full year with their handler,
at a total cost of up to $150,0,
a total bargain when you talk to
troops serving with these war d.
He found too many ID's to count dozens. Yes,
Sergeant Rush spent five combat
tours helping Marines find hiddn
minds by laying on top of. Yeah.
In Laka, she made the cover of National
Geographic after sacrificing her leg,
saving fellow troops, and survig
4 wounds from enemy bullets.
Certainly I've seen some come bk
with some unfortunate injuries m
the field and some of those come
back on some of the wounds that
we've taken care of on the dogs.
Some of the things that we've bn
able to offer first aid care and
then get to specialized treatmet
facilities for the dogs to give
them the best care possible.
Those stick out in my mind where
we were able to save lives of
a lot of these hero dogs.
During his military career,
Doctor Brown deployed to a small
island in the Pacific to tackle
a brown tree snake threat.
This was an invasive species of snake
to the island that was actuallyd
been responsible for killing a lot of
the native birds in the island of Guam.
Another deployment took him to
the Horn of Africa, helping locs
learn new ways to care for came.
And so we were. Showing them how
to put medicine in their eye.
But it was his care for war dogs that
defines his service, including e
military dog overcome by heat stroke.
Treat this dog just like they
would an American soldier.
And they got them on a Black
Hawk to us in Djibouti.
And we were able to do IV's
getting cooled down, rehydrated,
and then get him medevac out to
a dog center in Germany where
you've received full care.
So it was an honor to be able
to take care of that dog.
These dogs are incredible.
They're heroes.
And, you know,
I'm proud to be part of a vetery
cord that supports these dogs,
takes care of them and gives
them the life that they need.
Now retired after 28 years in
active duty and army reserves,
Doctor Brown says dogs have beea
part of the military and some de
dating back to the American Revolution.
For decades, the military used to classify
war dogs like they would a gun or a plane.
They were property.
In recent years, that has chang,
making it easier for handlers to
adopt dogs after their service
and ensure those war dogs.
Receive the fitting care in retirement,
Robin. They are so much more thn
our best friends. They are hero.
Alright John. Thanks.