FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- There is no question that our veterans are deserving of praise. They selflessly serve their country, protecting their comrades and securing the safety of our nation and its people. These heroes come in different genders, military occupational specialties and ranks. Sometimes they are even of the four-legged variety.
One such hero was honored during a ceremony Oct. 23 outside Fort Drum's military working dog kennels. After more than eight years of service, Bandit, a specialized search dog trained to detect explosives, received recognition for his service and was officially retired.
Staff Sgt. Gloria Greenidge, kennel master, said that military working dogs of all designations have become an important part of current operations.
"Military working dogs play a vital role in missions or operations that require patrol, detection or combined capabilities," she said. "In recent wars, the use of military working dogs to find explosives caches or being able to alert (Soldiers) to danger has saved thousands of lives."
When it was determined that Sgt. Sterling Wells, a Military Police officer with the 91st Military Police Battalion, and Bandit's handler, would soon separate from the Army, Greenidge said it made sense to retire Bandit.
"They said -- technically, no one else can work with your dog," Wells said. "The specialized search dog program is going away, and Bandit is small -- he's not going to be able to retrain for patrol work."
Having worked together as a team for more than five years, Wells said that there was never any question in his mind where Bandit would go after being retired.
"With everything we have been through together there's a bond that you just can't break," Wells said. "He is a friend, but above all he is Family to me. I told my command -- he's not going anywhere."
This bond is not something that canine and handler always felt. For nearly four years, Bandit had worked with another handler. When his owner got out of the military, Bandit returned to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas -- the home of the specialized search dog program. His nickname within the kennels was "The Gremlin," due to his detachment and difficult temperament.
Bandit was assigned to Wells, who had nearly completed the specialized search dog handler school.
"We could not graduate the school without performing certain tasks," Wells said. "I didn't get Bandit until the last two days of the course and I had to certify with him. I certified with him, but he did not like me and I did not like him."
After completing the course, canine and handler work as a team, traveling together to each duty station and deploying together. After the school, Bandit returned with Wells to his duty station -- Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Although their personalities did not mesh and Bandit acted aggressively toward Wells, the canine followed commands and performed his job well.
Wells did his best to gain Bandit's trust. He was sure to put aside his emotions as the two trained, knowing that this was an important part of learning to work together effectively.
"We have a saying in the military working dog program -- everything runs down leash," he said. "When you work with the dog, you have to forget everything or you're not going to perform effectively as a team and you're putting others -- Soldiers and civilians -- at risk."
Just as Bandit could tell how Wells was feeling, Wells needed to learn to recognize the cues that Bandit was giving him as they trained and worked together.
"It's up to the handler to focus on the dog's change in behavior," he said. "We train them to find explosives. He knows what he's looking for, but sometimes he will find something else that piques his interest -- an object or an unfamiliar smell. That's when it's important for the handler to recognize that it's not something his dog normally does and take a closer look."
This interdependence between Wells and Bandit was never more important than when the two deployed to Afghanistan together in 2012. While searching for explosives in support of units that the pair worked with, Wells said that he paid very close attention to Bandit's behavior.
"I could tell when he would come upon something that might be dangerous just by watching him," Wells said. "You have to be very alert to the way your dog is behaving."
A close call that Bandit and Wells shared caused a major shift in their relationship. Wells said he believes that Bandit was able to sense his emotions and responded to him in a way he never had before.
"He came to me and that was how it has been ever since," he said. "He had never cuddled with me. After this, he suddenly wanted to be in my lap all of the time. He slept right next to me."
In August 2014, there was talk of retiring Bandit.
"I had just gotten back from attending another working dog handler's course," Wells said. "They talked about retiring Bandit, but he was just too great an asset. He was very effective, and we worked well together."
When it came time for Wells to separate from the Army, he went immediately to his kennel master and asked to adopt Bandit.
Greenidge said she was not surprised in the least.
"Wells has credited Bandit with saving his life as well as the lives of Soldiers they have worked with," she said. "It was to be expected that he would want to take Bandit with him."
Although Greenidge had never been through the process of completing the extensive packet required for the adoption of a retired military working dog, she got to work right away.
"We had to send the paperwork to (U.S. Army Forces Command) to get it approved," he said. "Then (Bandit) had to go to Lackland Air Force Base. They had to clear him medically and make sure there was nothing in his packet that would prevent him from going home, (and) then get the final go ahead from FORSCOM."
Wells had checked in with Greenidge almost daily as they awaited word of the approval status.
"Every day, I would show up and ask -- hey, where are we at with Bandit?" he said.
Finally, Greenidge received a call from the detachment commander. Wells' request to adopt Bandit had been approved. Greenidge called Wells to share the good news.
During the retirement ceremony, Bandit was presented with an award officially signifying the end of his service, and Wells immediately took Bandit off his leash -- his way of showing the canine that he was released from duty.
That very same day, he brought Bandit home.
"For the first 48 hours, all he did was run around the house sniffing everything he found," Wells said.
Now that the canine has grown accustomed to his new home, Wells said that Bandit constantly wants to play. Wells' wife and daughter, who are living in Missouri, said they are eagerly awaiting his return. He said he's not sure whether his daughter will be more excited to see him or Bandit.
Whatever the future holds for the two, Wells said he plans to give Bandit a life deserving of a hero.
"My dog saved my life numerous times," he said. "My way of repaying that is by giving him a home where he can live out the rest of his days in happiness."
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