Ansbach Military Police dedicates new kennel

ANSBACH, Germany Aca,!" Soldiers from the 527th Military Police Company at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach dedicated their newly located and renovated kennel to one of their own who was killed in the line of duty.

The new kennel for military working dogs in Oberdachstetten was named in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Allen Rodriguez, who was killed in the line of duty supporting Operation Enduring Freedom last September, said Maj. Craig Schuh, director of emergency services for Ansbach.

"It made sense," said Schuh. "(Rodriguez) was a member of our kennel who deployed to Afghanistan with his dog, Joko, last year. To have the new facility and move it, dedicating it in his honor, just made absolute sense."

"It was the right thing to do," said Col. Christopher Hickey, commander of USAG Ansbach. "We are very proud of this facility. We pledge to keep it in top-notch condition; that is what our military police dog handlers deserve Aca,!" nothing but the best. They go into harm's way with the dogs to ensure our Soldiers are safe."

Schuh added that the 527th seeks to memorialize its and fallen warriors from other organizations.

"Whether they are dog handlers, aviators or whatever, if we can somehow thank the family by making a dedication (such as the one for Rodriguez), then that is something that will go on through history," he said. "The family will always remember that; the community will hopefully always remember that. It will be something everybody is proud of."

The Rodriguez family agrees.

"To me it is a special honor to have this kennel dedicated to my husband," said Laura Rodriguez, who flew back to Germany with three children for the dedication. "The memory will always be there ... a reminder of who he was and how he was; what he loved to do."

She added that her husband had a passion for his work and was a dedicated Soldier. He told her he had the best job in the Army; saying he loved what he did: playing and training with his dogs.

"Sergeant Rod's" troops also remembered him at the ceremony, saying he was not only a great leader, but also a mentor and friend.

"He was a guy we worked with, but not just a Soldier we worked with and for; he was a friend," said Sgt. Ronald Cochran, specialized search handler with the 527th Military Police Company.

"You may not have always agreed with him," Cochran added, "but he did have valid points. He made you look at your own points sometimes.

"And he was a jokester. No matter what your day was, good or bad, Sergeant Rod wanted to make you happy; he wanted to make you smile. He would come into work singing. One of his things was, 'If you got to be at work, you might as well have fun with it,'".

Other 527th MPS also remembered Rodriguez fondly.

"It is a great honor to have this building named after him Aca,!" he was a unique dog handler," said Spc. Samuel Johnson. "He would set the example (for Soldiers), as well as fight for them.

"I learned a lot of things from him," Johnson added. He instilled a base foundation for me and from then, a close bond built on everything I have learned from other handlers."

The new facility's renovation began in November 2008 and was completed right before the July 8 dedication, at a cost of about 930,000 euros, according to USAG Ansbach Directorate of Public Works estimates.

The improvements were necessary as the previous facility was inadequate, said Schuh.

"They had to move it because of development and because the old, tiny, substandard facility needed an upgrade," said Schuh. "The Oberdachstetten kennel has all the amenities the one at Urlas was lacking.

Major improvements, Schuh pointed out, "include a bigger obedience course in a fenced-in area; separate offices for different sections, allowing for administration and privacy needs; and compared to the six individual kennels before, there are now 21 kennels, allowing for separation of the more aggressive dogs."

The major recognized the garrison's Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation for donating a memorial plaque and DPW expediting last-minute finishing touches.