#1
I
was surfing through the internet and came upon your web page and
it brought back a lot of memories of Clark.
I was there in Sep
1972 thru Dec of 1973, and just like most of the handlers before
and after me I was fresh out of dog school.
Seems all of us around that time frame managed to get sent
overseas for our first assignments. There were four of us which
came in at the same time, Jim McCauley, John Hershburger,Robert
O'donley and myself. Jim, John and myself were in the same class
at dog school and Robert had been with me since basic training.
We all started with C flight and were the new jeeps if memory
services me (its been a long time). The old timers would looked at
us an say " guess what" I'm short how long do you have.
Robert and I worked flight for a while then decided to work
kennel care. We some how talked Balback to let us keep our dogs
Bob had Duke and I had Moose.
The history of the
original K-9 cemetery goes like this.
Bob and I had the
miss pleasure of taking the dogs to the Vet for the last time to
be put to sleep. We would let them run around the training area
and just play for the last time. Then the trip to the table and
destiny with the needle.
Seems before we started there the dogs were put to sleep and then
disposed off in any matter. Hermie and I would bury the dogs at
the end of the training area when ever possible. We felt that
these comrades deserved a better place.
We spoke with MST Balback and Sgt Marrerro and finally received
the okay to bury the dogs across the street from the kennels.
Hermie made the wooden frame for the cross and we would mix the
cement . The first crosses were kind of crude but at least there
was a marker, then we would buy the plate and have the name put
on.
We also made the
overhang in which guardmount was conducted. Thanks to CE and a
CMSgt Erben Jones form Communications who had a connection there.
Bob was a draftsman and drew up the plans and CE came and set the
poles and we scrounged up the material for the roof.
Armando
Beltran HCSO/Detective Bureau
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