Giving Thanks For Military Dogs

This Christmas, please keep in mind both the people and the dogs that are serving our country all around the world. This photo was taken on Christmas Day at the Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial in Durham, North Carolina, which is on a beautiful neighborhood trail here in town.

This memorial is for Bernie, a military dog who served in Vietnam. He was obviously loved and is still remembered as one of the devoted and intelligent dogs that served in Vietnam, where 281 military dogs were killed in action. This memorial garden is a small, but powerful reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a country with so many freedoms and opportunities. Freedom is truly NOT free- the cost in lives, along with physical and emotional injuries and pain is immeasurable. Along with the several million troops that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, at the height of those conflicts, there were 2,500 military working dogs in country.

This holiday season please take a moment to thank all of the people and animals who have served, those that are still living, those that have died, those that have been wounded, and those that continue to protect our freedom. Regardless of how you feel about the situations where we have people around the world, they are away from home and family this holiday season and appreciate a heartfelt and loving ‘Happy Holidays!’