Qatar is a small, peninsular Arab country in the Middle East, more accurately referred to as Southwest Asia, bordering Saudi Arabia on the west, separated from Bahrain on the north by the warm Gulf of Bahrain, by a mere 511 miles to the east across the Persian Gulf from Iran Persian Gulf, and barely touches the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the southwest. Qatar has the highest per capita income globally because it is home to 15 % of the global natural gas reserves. Less than 15 % of Qatar’s population are citizens. The rest of the population are Arab merchants or laborers from the Global South. The country and its location are of critical, strategic importance to the stability of the Southwest Asia and the Emir frequently serves as a mediator between countries and groups in conflict. For example, negotiations between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban took place in Qatar. Neutrality and security are so strong in Qatar that both NATO and Al Qaeda send their troops to Qatar for Rest and Recreation! Try wrapping your head around that! Al Jazeera is based in Qatar and, in my opinion, provides the most balanced global news available. Al Jazeera’s impartiality is a welcome relief from our domestic news media which is, like many Americans, American-centric.
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My first active-duty deployment was to Camp As Saliya (CAS) near Doha, Qatar, an area of the world classified as a combat area, as Officer in Charge of the 109th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services.
In addition to many other duties, my team provided veterinary care for Military Working Dogs (MWDs), public health collaboration with physicians, and food safety inspections for CAS and Al Udeid Air Base (AUB), located 13 miles away. CAS was the coordination and equipment supply hub for Southwest Asia’s Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn from 2000 until June 2021 when its functions were moved to Jordan. AUB is the Combined Air Operations base for all NATO air support throughout Southwest Asia and the headquarters for the United States military Central Command (CENTOCOM).
Many MWDs passed through our hands during our tour. Kennels house MWDs at both bases and other MWDs frequently often stopped by during their redeployment to the US after serving a combat tour in Southwest Asia. The MWDs were often tired, worn, sometimes ill, and required veterinary therapy in order to continue their travel back to the US with their handlers. We didn’t get to know these dogs in transit, because they passed through our hands briefly, but it was obvious how hard they and their handlers had worked during their deployment.
Dogs rotated through the two bases, serving various periods of deployment, and it was impossible not to form a relationship with these dogs. Our philosophy for working with the MWDs that were attached to our bases was to treat them as we would treat our own dogs. As a result, these dogs were always eager to come to our clinic or for us to visit them in their clinic.
Brett was an Air Force MWD, a large German Shepherd, based at CAS. I frequently interacted with Brett because he was affected by a gastrointestinal condition requiring veterinary therapy. Brett and the other MWDs at CAS had much better tours than the MWDs at AUB. The CAS dogs were able to sleep with their handlers in the handler’s Conex containers located inside air-conditioned warehouses. The CAS Base commander was a “dog person,” with a kind heart towards MWDs and her troops. The MWDs at AUB slept in chain link runs with concrete floors inside an air-conditioned building located at the Base Kennel. The AUB base commander was less enchanted and appreciative of the work her MWDs did for her base.
Bret retired to live the rest of his life with his handler at the end of his tour. Unfortunately, Brett, like one of my dearly departed dogs, Padi, succumbed to the autoimmune condition named Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This is a very serious, debilitating condition, that affects humans and canids. Rest in peace, Brett. You were a good soldier and a loyal friend.
My photograph with Bret was my going away photograph. Our detachment was being replaced by another veterinary detachment and we were redeploying to Fort Benning, Georgia.
Max was on his way to a Forward Operating Base (FOB). He was an energetic, large Belgian Malinois. One of my jobs as the Veterinarian in Charge of CAS and AUB was to determine if an MWD was fit to be deployed to a forward position where they and their handler would be in greater danger. This was the most emotionally difficult part of my job because they faced an uncertain future in a dangerous area. It was challenging for me to send them on their way knowing that I might never see them return.
Nirvana was a small, Air Force, Belgian Malinois, based at AUB. Her home when she wasn’t deployed was at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was as sweet a dog as I have ever known. A hard worker, but always willing to sit on my lap, yes, a MWD who sat on my lap, and she wasn’t the only one. Wasn’t this dangerous? Not really. MWD aggressive behavior is a trained behavior that is exhibited when the dog is commanded to do so. Of all the dogs I worked with during this first deployment, Bret and Nirvana were my favorites. This photograph was taken on my last day in Qatar. Nirvana and I were saying goodbye.
Somehow, she knew that we were never going to cross paths again. Thinking about this moment 12 years later brings tears to my eyes, but they are tears recognizing the privilege I had of caring for her.
During my deployment, I never watched to dogs work until my last week in Qatar. You ask, why not? I traveled, unarmed, the 13 miles between the bases in an SUV. Most of the time, SPC Jimmy Tang traveled with me, also unarmed. This was a condition placed upon our military services by the Emir. As mentioned, Al Qaeda operatives also visited Qatar for rest and recuperation. So, there was always some risk of kidnapping when we traveled between bases or when we were carrying out other veterinary activities off base. If I was kidnapped I didn’t want to have any information about how and what the MWDs did as part of their mission.
MWDs save lives. They have participated in every US major military operation since World War II. They are superheroes without capes, and it has been my privilege to provide veterinary care for them during two combat deployments.
I hope to have a book available on my work with MWDs in a few years.
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