Joseph White would be proud. He was the founder of K9 Veterans Day. As a Vietnam War Veteran and Military Working Dog (MWD) handler, he knew all too well the importance of a K9 partner. He worked right up until the time of his death in October 2009 to make sure there was a day to honor working K9s because of what the dogs had done in his life, but more importantly for what the dogs had meant to their many human counterparts and the many people who were saved by them.
Thousands of dogs have served since the U.S. Canine Corps was born on March 13, 1942. It is said that each MWD has saved an average of 100-150 military lives. Each one of those service members had another opportunity to make it home to their loved ones thanks to a dog. To return the favor, Joseph White selected March 13 of every year to be K9 Veterans Day so that we may never forget the MWDs who died for our freedom, the police dogs who walk the thin blue line between civilians and criminals, the search & rescue dogs who use their noses to locate the living or bring closure to the families who must live on, and even the veteran assistance dogs who bring life back to the men and women who have fought for our freedom and paid the high price with their own health and security.
Thank you for your presence here today and for your tribute to these dogs. It is not so much for the dogs as it is for their handlers who can now feel that there is someone else who remembers and cares for that special animal that was and is everything to them. This day is part of a healing process. This day is a way to make things right by lifting these four-legged heroes from the status of "surplus military equipment" or "a tool" to the status of "man's beloved counterpart in life" . . . better known as . . . "man’s best friend."
