Page 12 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt May 5 2017

12 May 2017 NEWS Thunderbolt www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb http://www.luke.af.mil
MWDs retire, honored for devoted service
by Airman 1st Class CALEB WORPEL
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Retiring from the military is a milestone only a few achieve throughout their careers. For military working dogs, their entire life is devoted to service until the day they retire.
Chrach and Maxo, two German shep- herds, 56th Security Forces Squadron MWDs, retired from duty April 7 at Luke Air Force Base.
“MWDs are such an incredible asset to the Air Force,” said Kyle Alltop, a former 56th SFS MWD handler and Chrach’s new adoptive owner. “These dogs’ lives are dedicated to their duty and service, day in and day out.”
The Air Force places MWDs into specific roles, whether it be bombs and narcotics searching or patrolling with Airmen, the dogs are scattered all across the globe sup- porting a multitude of missions.
Chrach and Maxo have both been sta- tioned at Luke for a majority of their lives and are dual role MWDs. Their daily du- ties vary on the day-to-day tasks assigned to them, but just like Airmen, they could be called to serve overseas at a moment’s notice. Both have deployed several times performing their duties in support of larger missions.
“It’s the deployments and what these
Senior Airman Devante Williams
Chrach, 56th Security Forc- es Squadron military work- ing dog, poses next to a stat- ue dedicated to his service April 7 in Fowler Park at Luke Air Force Base. Chrach is a 9-year-
old German shepherd who earned numer- ous awards and medals for his actions while de- ployed over- seas.
dogs have set the example for new dogs of the standards to which they will be ex- pected to perform.
“The way Luke treats MWDs is unique,” Alltop said. “They truly make sure that the dogs are appreciated and get what they need but also put a high value on training them to be the best.”
Chrach, who has become somewhat of a celebrity MWD, had a statue dedicated in his honor at Fowler Park on base the day of his retirement. Chrach earned numerous awards and medals for his actions while deployed overseas.
Alltop was Chrach’s handler during his deployment to Kuwait and his first handler when arriving to Luke. According to Alltop, as Chrach enters his retirement they plan on paddle boarding, swimming and just letting Chrach roam free on Alltop’s seven acres of land.
Maxo is being adopted by Tech. Sgt. Kur- tis Buchawiecki, 56th SFS kennel master, and his wife Eugenia.
Maxo was forced to retire because of a noncancerous mass in his spine. Maxo is still able to run, play and be a normal dog but not keep up with the strenuous sched- ule of being an MWD.
“I am very happy to see both dogs go- ing to good homes for their retirements,” Reinhart said. “I hope they come back to visit regularly.”
dogs have done overseas that make people remember them,” Alltop said. “Everyone gravitates toward them because of their friendly nature but when its game time, they get the job done.”
The average career of a MWD is un- known, said Kari Reinhart, Luke Air Force Base Veterinary Treatment Facility Opera- tions Assistant.
“People always ask how we know when they should retire,” Reinhart said. “It’s on a case-by-case basis. It really depends on their health and their ability to perform. There is no way of telling how long they will be able to continue their duty or at what age they will be done.”
Currently, Chrach is 9 years old and Maxo is 8. While stationed at Luke, both
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