In photos: Ohio native, K-9 sidekick help change fight in Afghanistan

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nicolas Morales | Spc. Christopher Lightner, a military dog handler assigned to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, “Dragons”, and native of Mentor, Ohio, along with Senna, pose for the camera at the conclusion of their training Aug. 10 on Forward Operating Base Sharana. Lightner and Senna are part of a Tactical Explosive Detector Dog team, and when they are not out saving lives, they are training for it.  

AFGHANISTAN

08.10.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. Nicolas Morales 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers on today’s modern battlefield have tools that we all know well. We often think of rifles, hand grenades and up-armored vehicles – but what about dogs? Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan with the Fort Riley, Kan., based 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry division, also known as the “Dragons,” are changing the game when it comes to finding roadside bombs in their area of operations.

Mentor, Ohio, native Spc. Christopher Lightner is a military dog handler deployed with the “Dragon” Brigade. With his loyal sidekick Senna at his side, Lightner patrols eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province to detect one of the biggest threat to U.S. troops here – the improvised explosive device.

Lightner and Senna are part of a Tactical Explosive Detector Dog team, and when they are not out saving lives, they are training for it.

• Date Taken: 08.10.2012
• Date Posted: 08.11.2012 07:11
• Story ID: 93039
• Location: AF