Sheppard bids farewell to a 4-legged hero

Photo By Kyle Gese | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tyler Jones, 325th Security Forces Squadron from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., plays with U.S. Air Force retired Military Working Dog Larry, after his retirement ceremony at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Aug. 12, 2015. Larry conducted more than 150 outside-the-wire missions during his deployments overseas. Jones adopted Larry during the ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle Gese/Released)  

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, TX, UNITED STATES

08.12.2015

Story by Senior Airman Kyle Gese 

82nd Training Wing

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - It was Sunday March 22, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. when military working dog Larry, 82nd Training Wing Security Forces Squadron, was called for explosive support by the Wichita Falls police department.

During that afternoon call, Larry helped the local police find several different explosives including fuses, black powder, smokeless powder and other military-grade munitions.

"I was pretty shocked," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Flores, 82nd SFS MWD kennel master. "I was like, 'Wow, this is local and he found something off base. That's a big deal,' and sure enough because of that find, he won the Elizabeth Jacobson Award that year."

At a unique ceremony Aug. 12, 2015, Larry was recognized for his contributions to the Air Force and granted an early retirement from military service.

Calls such as the request in March 2012 were not unusual for Larry, trained as an expert in detecting and locating explosive odors. During his six years at Sheppard he executed more than 8,000 working hours and 2,000 explosive detection search time. Throughout his career, he completed four deployments, one to Manas, Kyrgyzstan, and three to Afghanistan.

Larry's first handler U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tyler Jones hadn't seen Larry for several years until his retirement ceremony at Sheppard.

Jones recalled one of his fondest memories from a deployment together when they found improvised explosive devices on a night mission assisting one of the local Army units.

"They knew there were IEDs out in the area, they just didn't know where they were, so we started going out and sweeping roads," he said.

Larry had already found two IEDs that night and Jones realized he had come across a third under a group of rocks in the desert.

"I got behind the smallest twig of a tree because I realized what had just happened and I'm calling 'Larry! Larry!' trying to keep it quiet," only the wrong Larry responded.

"One of the guys I was with was also named Larry," Jones continued. "So he comes up and said, 'What!?' then looks at Larry and said, 'Oh shoot!' and runs in the other direction. Finally I just pulled my Kong out and basically did an emergency recall."

During the ceremony, several more of Larry's Security Forces friends and colleagues recognized him by reading his accomplishments and a MWD poem. They also played a service video and he conducted his final search as a service dog.

At the conclusion of his ceremony, Jones, who is now with the 325th Security Forces Squadron from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., adopted him. To signify Larry's retirement he placed a new collar around his neck and fed him his first meal as a retired MWD.

"What's going to happen now is that he is going to be able to be a normal dog," said Flores.

"My goal is to keep him comfortable and as healthy as possible," Jones said. "I think it's going to be fun ... I'm really looking forward to it."

Larry will now enjoy a relaxing retirement on the sunny beaches of Florida, with his new owner and old friend Jones.

• Date Taken: 08.12.2015
• Date Posted: 08.13.2015 15:59
• Story ID: 173095
• Location: SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, TX, US
• Hometown: MOUNT PLEASANT, NC, US