Page 64 - K9News_Issue12_July2020
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BUSTER chosen for his next assignment – Afghanistan.
A tough call for Nick Lyons who offered-up
Buster as the best dog for the job and he was
teamed with Flight Sergeant Michael “Will”
Barrow.
The partnership of Buster and Will Barrow was
one of those rare and special relationships.
During their time in Afghanistan Buster was
attached to several regiments including A
Company 2nd Battalion the Mercian regiment,
the Viking Troop Royal Marines and the
Coldstream Guards. Buster had also impressed
the US Forces with his abilities as a search
dog and as a valuable colleague in the ‘other’
battle – to win the hearts and minds of the local
people. Buster made friends because he was a
dog for all people and especially children.
Buster’s prowess as an AES dog saved many
Representing Mascot Dogs is Buster, a Royal
lives. Always working ahead of the ground
Air Force Police Arms and Explosives Search
troops, he cleared a safe passage detecting
Dog. He completed five tours of duty to Bosnia,
any weapons, hidden explosives and deadly
Iraq and Afghanistan in his career and was the
IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) set by
last Military Working Dog to leave Iraq.
the Taliban to cause maximum harm to military
Buster, an English Springer Spaniel, arrived at personnel and civilians. Deployed to Kabul and
the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray many locations within Helmand Province, Buster
in 2003 to train as an Arms and Explosives adapted to the heat, the cold and the dust to
Search dog. During his career as a Military carry out his duties in what was then one of the
Working Dog with the RAF Police, Buster is most dangerous places in the world.
credited with saving a thousand lives, both
Returning to Iraq as part of Operation Telic in
military and civilian.
March 2009, Buster provided safe passage for
On graduation he was teamed with Corporal the many convoys to Kuwait in support of the
(later Sergeant) Nick Lyons and posted to HMS UK drawdown. As befitting a war dog with his
Caledonia, the Royal Navy base in Rosyth, record, he had the honour of being the last UK
assigned to the RAF Special Investigations Military Working Dog to leave Iraq.
Branch.
After an action-packed career, Buster came
Between 2006-07, Buster was deployed to home in March 2010 ready to run-down to
Bosnia Herzegovina for the first of two tours his retirement in 2011. From the moment Will
where his expertise as an AES dog was in high met him off the Hercules at RAF Lyneham,
demand, locating illegally held weapons and Buster became a target for the world’s media.
explosives. This put him in a good position to be Television appearances on BBC’s The One
Read the Hero dogs full stories at:
nmwdm.org.uk/hero-dogs
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / JULY 2020
