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Airmen from the 374th Security Forces Squadron military working dog section of Yokota Air Base, Japan, received five MWDs, June 22, on behalf of U.S. Forces Japan.
The new MWDs are destined for service at Yokota, Kadena AB, Yokosuka Naval Base, Sasebo Naval Base and Camp Butler.
“All these bases have shortages because of K-9 retirements, and due to COVID-19 it has been very hard to get the them here,” said Staff Sgt. Seth Shannon, 374th SFS MWD kennel master. “They have been booking these dogs on flights, only to have the flights cancelled due to the pandemic.”
Shannon coordinated with Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, security forces as well as liaisons from the military bases around Japan to organize transport for the much-needed new arrivals.
“This task as a whole has taken 140 hours of coordination to get approved,” said Shannon. “Our leadership here at Yokota has been incredible.”
“The support we received, all the way up to the Fifth Air Force Vice Commander, was amazing. We were able to finally get it approved and send our trainer to meet the dogs in Hawaii and secure them for U.S. Pacific Command.”
These additional dogs not only support the defense of USFJ installations, but they also bring renewed encouragement to the MWD units.
“It’s a great revamp the kennel section itself,” said Staff Sgt. Bryan Savella, 18th SFS MWD handler from Kadena. “Most of our dogs have been there for eight years or more. Having the new K-9s keeps us on our toes, handlers and trainers alike. The whole environment changes for the better and we all learn something new.”
Shannon and Savella both acknowledged our newest pups as a huge win for USFJ.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2020 03:29 |
| Story ID: | 372793 |
| Location: | YOKOTA AIR BASE, TOKYO, JP |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, USFJ: New Dogs on the Block, by SSgt Brieana Bolfing, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
