Page 241 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
on their dog procurement drafts.
The journey was going to be long, but we did not
expect to have the problems that Cpl Jake Barker and Sgt Andy Strange had experienced on the first trip. They had back briefed us on everything that had happened but we were confident that our flight schedule, although it was only available 72 hours in advance, looked straightforward.
A total of six days later – after two flights on a C5 aircraft, overnight stays in travel lodges, and 35.5 hours on a Greyhound coach – we finally arrived in San Antonio, Texas. We were met at the bus depot by Lt McGillicuddy and Chief Potter who took us to Lackland AFB where we were shown to our accommodation which had been kindly offered by the US Navy. We were sharing with Navy students (the equivalent of our phase 2 trainees) who made us very welcome. It was high standard accommodation and... at no cost.
After only a few hours’ sleep we were awoken first thing and taken to meet the ‘head sheds’ of the US Navy. They were very hospitable and afforded every effort to make our stay a good one. Chief Potter took us on a quick tour of the base which is split into two by a Freeway. To give you some idea of the size of the installation; one runway is 12,000ft (3.6km) long and there is an average of over thirty thousand people on base at any one time. There are three branches of Burger King, four swimming pools, three fully-manned 24hr fuel stations, two cinemas, one bowling alley, two mini-malls (the size of NAAFI max in Sennelager), and a BX/PX twice the size of Tesco in Melton Mowbray. That’s naming only a few of the facilities available to us.
The programme the Americans had planned for us was intense as everyone wanted or had planned something to do with us, whether it was dog related or not. We did too much to mention in any detail here, but I will try to give you the best overview possible.
We saw in detail the stages of training for their Dual Purpose dogs which is the backbone of the US MWD program. These dogs are trained for both protection and search work with the most favoured breed being the Belgian Shepherd (Malinois). The dogs’ search training is done on leash with the dog giving a passive response of a ‘sit and stare’, no other response is accepted. The dogs are trained initially on a nitrate-based odour, then other odours are introduced. The reward is given on indication in the form of a Kong delivered to source.
The Protection side of the dogs’ training is carried out using the Malinois’ high drive and the dog must complete a full release, standoff,
and a passive response to someone approaching the handler, very similar to the standard expected from a Police dog. In addition to this, the dog is worked inside a building, tested over an agility course, on wind scenting and very basic obedience. It was of interest that it is not always the trainer who handles the dog for Certification (pass out), sometimes it maybe someone who happens to be around only during certification to show that there’s no need for a long dog/handler relationship.
The veterinary facilities (which make our human hospitals look outdated!) are first class and are at least three times bigger than the facilities at the Defence Animal Centre with plans currently underway to double their size to provide further facilities for the dogs at Lackland. The Puppy Program, which the Americans have being running for five-years, is now starting to produce first class dogs. To date they have produced 26 litters and have four generations of the same family in the kennels. Although opinion amongst the American trainers is split regarding the program and if it is worthwhile.
It was of interest to see the basic dog course students under instruction and what they are expected to complete before Certification. Many of the problems encountered by the instructors training students were similar to those on our Basic Dog Course. The Americans are currently running a new course called SSD which is very similar to our AES dogs, but it was clear that because this course is in its infancy there are teething problems. It was of benefit to both sides to see this as many other training ideas and techniques were discussed and small lessons were learnt from both nationalities.
Other highlights included ‘tubing’ which involves sitting in the inner tube of a large tyre floating down a river in temperatures reaching 90°F drinking cold soft drinks, eating some of the best, biggest and cheapest steaks ever and visiting Sea World for free, because we were military. So, after a total of twenty days away from 102 MWDSU, including fourteen days actually at the Dog Unit, it was time to return to Ramstein.
We left the US on the morning of Thursday 28th July at 1600 hrs and flew by C5 to Dover AFB where we stayed overnight then continued from Dover to Ramstein on Friday 29th July flying by C141 at 1945 hrs to arrive at Ramstein at 1030 hrs German time. A total flying time from Dover of 7.5 hours. The long-lasting memory of this visit is the amazing response we had from our American hosts and I will never forget the generosity and hospitality above and beyond the call of duty
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