Navy Seal Canine in bin Laden Raid Intense interest surrounds dog who may have participated in bin Laden raid - Yahoo! News Intense interest surrounds dog who may have participated in bin Laden raid By Liz Goodwin Americans are fascinated by the anonymous U.S. Navy SEALs who daringly raided Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan compound this week, but one canine commando is attracting especially fervent interest. According to the New York Times and the British tabloid The Sun, a military dog (not pictured) was strapped onto one of the assault team members as he was lowered out of a Black Hawk helicopter and began the operation that killed the notorious terrorist on Monday. But who is this canine hero? Sadly, we know very little, and the Pentagon hasn't confirmed that a dog was even on the mission, much less release information about the canine's name or breed. "Little is known about what may be the nation's most courageous dog," the Times' Gardner Harris writes. He speculates that the dog was most likely a German shepherd or a Belgian Malinois, since those are the breeds most often found in the military's 2,700-strong military dog program. (A new breed, however, is becoming popular with the troops. Labrador retrievers have begun to "wander off-leash 100 yards or more in front of patrols to ensure the safety of the route.") The Pentagon and White House are keeping tight-lipped about the details of the operation, but that, of course, hasn't prevented commentators from speculating on the dog's role based on the functions of other war dogs in combat. "It's possible that the commandos brought a specialized search dog, which would have been sent in ahead of the humans to find explosives or people hidden inside the building," Slate's Brian Palmer writes. Or the dog could have been a "combat tracker"--canines who are specially trained to sniff out individuals and then follow their trail. Saddam Hussein was found in a hole under a hut--the assault team could have decided that they needed a good tracking dog in case bin Laden had a similar idea. Dogs are increasingly important in America's combat operations abroad, and some have been outfitted with special (and adorable) "doggles" to protect their eyes, oxygen masks to protect their lungs as they parachute out with soldiers at high altitudes, and even waterproof vests that contain infrared cameras that transmit video back to servicemen watching a monitor yards behind them. Check out Foreign Policy's beautiful photo essay on military dogs here. Luckily for this courageous and anonymous furry creature, there is some precedent for war dogs receiving military honors. The Navy awarded a Silver Star in 2009 to a dog named Remco who gave his life charging "an insurgent's hide-out in Afghanistan," Harris writes. According to Foreign Policy, another dog named Eli fiercely guarded his Marine, Private First Class Carlton Rusk, after he was shot by Taliban sniper fire in Afghanistan. Rusk's bomb-sniffing dog would not even let fellow Marines approach the wounded Rusk, who did not survive the attack. Eli now lives with Rusk's family. The dog's role was not mentioned in any of the public White House press briefings on bin Laden's death. Pentagon spokeswoman Elizabeth Robbins wrote in an e-mail to The Lookout in response to our question about the dog that the Pentagon has "no additional operational details, or comments on operational details, to make at this time." |
Wow! That would be awesome. I hope we find out more about this canine hero. :) |
Wow, how cool! My guess is the dog found him. They should release the dog's picture(jk);):D:p |
Okay, I should have known this wouldn't stay a secret forever. It was Thor. |
I just knew it! Please Thor...tell us all the details. Ruby loves it that her guy is the hero! |
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At first it wasn't clear if Thor would be chosen for the mission, but none of the other dogs came equipped with an adorable camouflage harness. Fortunately, Thor has been on an airplane twice before, so the helicopter ride was no problem for him. Thor first provided bark support, which deafened everyone in the immediate area (the Navy Seals wore ear plugs). Several enemies lost their minds because of his uniquely shrill pitch and ability to generate a "wall" of unbelievably annoying sound. Thor was carried into the compound in a Celltei bag, and was thus completely hidden from view. During the heat of battle, he jumped out of the bag, and disarmed the remaining enemies with his incredible cuteness. Would the Seals have been able to do it without Thor? I for one am glad we didn't have to find out. |
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T True H Hero O Operation R Rover |
HA HA HA! BB, you are an amazing code cracker. |
Oh Thor....We are honored you have decided to entrust your YT supporters with the details of this covert mission. We will forever be indebted to you and shall never forget your acts of heroism. You deserve the Navy's highest medal of honor for Canine Service beyond the call of duty! |
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"Thor was carried into the compound in a Celltei bag!" :D "Thor first provided bark support!" :D " I for one am glad we didn't have to find out" :D :eyetearss:eyetearss:eyetearss |
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Way to go Thor. ;) My Hot Rod wants to be just like you when he grows up. ;) |
Thor you are my hero! |
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