JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. , March 13, 2020 — Marching along the perimeter of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, members of the 633rd Security Forces Squadron, 3rd Military Working Dog Detachment and their military working dogs honored the most selfless service members with an extended eight-mile walk for National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, 2020.
According to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Carmen Pontello, 633rd SFS MWD handler, celebrating National K9 Veterans Day with his K-9 counterpart just makes sense.
“We have retirements for them, have medals for them and they serve along with us for most of their lives,” Pontello said. “It’s important that we honor them and give them the attention they deserve. Just like we have our Veterans Day, they deserve one, too.”
This year’s celebration means a little bit more to Pontello. Last April, his MWD, Max, retired and shortly after passed away in November 2019. He added he will be carrying Max’s ashes with him throughout the event.
“Max and I spent a lot of time together, deployed together and when I brought him home, he became an instant best friend to my daughter,” Pontello said. “On this day, we get to recognize him and all our other fallen MWDs.”
