{"id":13691,"date":"2019-03-13T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T15:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/?p=13691"},"modified":"2020-07-06T19:17:16","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T02:17:16","slug":"guest-post-national-k-9-veterans-day-from-paula-cas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/guest-post-national-k-9-veterans-day-from-paula-cas\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: National K-9 Veterans Day (From Paula Cas)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

National K9 <\/span>Veterans Day<\/span><\/a>, March 13, is a day set aside to honor commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was on March 13, 1942, that the <\/span>Army<\/span><\/a> began training for its new War Dog Program, also known as the “K-9 Corps,” according to American Humane, marking the first time that dogs were <\/span>https:\/\/www.military.com\/<\/span><\/a>officially a part of the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest, as they say, is history. Officially a part of the service of not, the dogs of war span centuries and include such heroes as <\/span>Sgt. Stubby<\/span><\/a>, the original war dog, <\/span>Chips, the most decorated dog in World War II<\/span><\/a> and Lex, <\/span>who retired with his fallen owners family<\/span><\/a> and Cairo, the <\/span>Navy SEAL<\/span><\/a> working dog on the bin Laden raid<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s military dogs are valued as important members of their military units and even have their own retirement ceremonies, awards and medals, and memorial services.<\/span><\/p>\n

For More Information<\/strong>: Military.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Now for a Sylum Snippet from Paula Cas<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

~ Sylum Manor ~<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Sitting on the veranda outside their rooms, and enjoying the morning peace of the Manor, a slow smile spread across the handsome face of John Reese. He hid the smile behind his coffee cup as it wouldn\u2019t do to upset the delicate feelings of his companion. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s your own fault.\u201d John reminded the Belgian Malinois. \u201cIf you didn\u2019t insist on chewing the covers off books, you could be with him. Nicolaus would be most upset if you chewed any of the books in his office.\u201d Bear rolled his eyes at his Alpha as he huffed out his indignation at the two black and tan lumps pressed against his sides. \u201cI don\u2019t know who let Merry and Pippin out of Antonio\u2019s suite, but I\u2019m sure he will be VERY appreciative of you looking after the little darlings.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed.\u201d Thomas stepped out onto the veranda. \u201cIt was quite naughty of them to slip out of the door when the suite was being cleaned.\u201d He wagged his finger at the miniature Dachshunds, who rolled on their backs and wagged their tails at the Chief of Staff. Sitting a tray on the table, he called the small dogs to him. \u201cTime to get back to your rooms before Antonio gets in a hover.\u201d He lightly scolded the dogs that paid him absolutely no mind as they trotted off toward the suite. \u201cA little something for Bear\u2019s patience.\u201d Thomas grinned as John reached for the doggie Danish laying on the tray.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTold you there\u2019d be a reward.\u201d Bear picked the Danish delicately from his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA box arrived for by special courier from General O\u2019Neill and your uniform has arrived from the dry cleaners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Thomas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s in place, we just need to get Harold on the plane.\u201d John picked up his coffee cup as Bear enjoyed his Danish.<\/span><\/p>\n

~ \u2022 ~ \u2022 ~<\/span><\/p>\n

Something bumping his knee drew Harold\u2019s attention from what he was reading on his computer screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2026\u201d He looked down to see Bear sitting by his chair holding a leash in his mouth. \u201cI supposed John put you up to this.\u201d He sounded annoyed until he looked at the time. \u201cVery well. I suppose I should get up and walk a bit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Deciding a pot of tea would be a good way to finish his afternoon constitutional with Bear, Harold was surprised to see John placing suitcases, garment bags, and Bear\u2019s bed in the back of a black SUV.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Reese has something happened that requires we leave. I am not quite finished \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing has happened, Mr. Finch, but we have an appointment in San Antonio on the 13<\/span>th<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the day after tomorrow. I don\u2019t recall anything on the calendar \u2026\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a day for Bear and his brother and sisters in arms.\u201d John unclipped his leash then picked up something from the back of the SUV and slipped it over Bear\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harold blinked owlishly as Bear sat in front of him wearing a military harness that contained his name, rank, unit, his campaign ribbon, Army retired, and American flag patches. He looked back and forth between his Mate and their dog.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJohn?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cO\u2019Neill got one of his minions to do me a favor.\u201d He handed Harold a document pouch. \u201cBear\u2019s official adoption papers to one Mr. Harold Finch, and passes for entry to Lackland Air Force Base Military Working Dog Teams National Monument for National K-9 Veterans Day. Now get in the car. We\u2019re on a private flight to San Antonio, and a modest room at the Omni. We\u2019ll be returning on the 14<\/span>th<\/span>.\u201d Harold was so flummoxed he climbed in the passenger seat while John closed the back and put Bear in the backseat. <\/span><\/p>\n

~ \u2022 ~ \u2022 ~<\/span><\/p>\n

John wore a self-satisfied smirk right up until he was ordering room service for him and Harold. His Mate had remained off balance until John seated him at the table, he\u2019d moved onto the balcony so they could eat dinner while looking out over the Riverwalk. As Harold regained his mental balance, he began to quiz him about their plans for the next day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wanting to distract Harold, after Bear\u2019s last walk of the evening, John began to seduce his Mate until Harold\u2019s mind was so full of John and what he was doing that he gave in and let himself be carried away. <\/span><\/p>\n

~ \u2022 ~ \u2022 ~<\/span><\/p>\n

It was such a beautiful spring day that Harold chose a summer weight blue pinstripe suit. \u201cWhat do you think, Bear? Is this adequate for what Mr. Reese has planned for the day?\u201d The Malinois pushed his head into Harold\u2019s hand for scritches, which he was happy to give. <\/span><\/p>\n

The scritches were forgotten when John stepped out of the walk-in closet in his Army uniform. Bear grabbed his harness off the table and dropped it as John\u2019s feet then sat patiently waiting for John to put on his \u2018uniform\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

They made it to the gate at Lackland Air Force Base in good time. The passes O\u2019Neill provided got them through the gate with little fuss. At the memorial, John encouraged Harold to sit on one of the marble benches with Bear sitting at his side, and John standing directly behind. Harold spent a few minutes reading the history of the Military Working Dogs on the granite memorial before his attention was caught by the honor guard along with an officer carrying a wreath of flowers.<\/span><\/p>\n

He felt John cup his elbow to give him the support he needed to stand as they watched the small remembrance ceremony. Harold noticed several other people and their dogs had arrived while he was distracted reading the memorial wall. The veterans acknowledged each other as John and Harold headed back to the rental car. <\/span><\/p>\n

Both men were quiet on the drive back to the hotel. Not wanting to be cooped up in the room, but not wanting to leave Bear behind, they found a nice sidewalk caf\u00e9 for dinner where Bear could lay under the table. Harold talked about what was in Bear\u2019s military record, and John talked about the dog handler he\u2019d befriended while stationed in the Middle East, and how he\u2019d taught John to handle his dog in case something happened to him. <\/span><\/p>\n

Laying in bed with Harold resting against his side, listening to the river outside their window, John was a little surprised when Harold broke the quiet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never did thank you for giving me Bear after you stole him from that white supremacist.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome, Harold. You make a good pair. You spoil him, and he gets you from behind your computer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad we seem to be past the book chewing stage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably a bit of PTSD.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Harold gave a snort of disbelief. \u201cI was doing some research \u2026\u201d John smiled. So many of their conversations started out this way. \u201cThe closest War Dog Memorial to New York is New Jersey or Connecticut.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like something the city might need.\u201d John kissed the top of his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

~ Finis ~<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history. It was on March 13, 1942, that the Army began training for its new War Dog Program, also known as the “K-9 Corps,” according …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[850],"tags":[704,591],"class_list":["post-13691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-posts","tag-guest-post","tag-writer-yanzadracan"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Da1M-3yP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15652,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/guest-post-bootleggers-day-by-paula-cas\/","url_meta":{"origin":13691,"position":0},"title":"Guest Post: Bootleggers Day by Paula Cas","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"January 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bootlegger-Day.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bootlegger-Day.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bootlegger-Day.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bootlegger-Day.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13703,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/guest-post-nurses-day-from-paula-cas\/","url_meta":{"origin":13691,"position":1},"title":"Guest Post: Nurses Day (From Paula Cas)","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"March 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/banner_guestpost.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14070,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/guest-post-red-cross-founders-day-by-paula-cas\/","url_meta":{"origin":13691,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: Red Cross Founders Day by Paula Cas","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"May 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/banner_guestpost.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17019,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/throwback-thursday-guest-post-pow-recognition-day-by-paula-cas\/","url_meta":{"origin":13691,"position":3},"title":"Throwback Thursday: Guest Post: POW Recognition Day – by Paula Cas","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"October 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Link to Post\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bar-banner_ThrowbackThursday.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15889,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/guest-repost-hug-a-gi-day-by-paula-cas\/","url_meta":{"origin":13691,"position":4},"title":"Guest Repost: Hug a GI Day by Paula Cas","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"March 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"March 4 \u2013 National Hug A GI Day Sylum Snippet by Paula Cas Bored \u2026 Bored \u2026 Bored \u2026 Though being bored while traveling through a war zone was not a bad thing, but it felt like his bones were rattling inside his skin. 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