FORT SILL, Okla., Nov. 17, 2016 -- Sgt. Jarred Palmer stood next to Chap. (Col.) John Morris as he and his fellow Soldiers from the 902nd Military Working Dog (MWD) Detachment prayed in the training yard, Nov. 7. Palmer and his K-9 partner Isam, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, were to deploy to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait the following morning, and from there to an undisclosed unit in the Middle East.
"It is tough to send a good Soldier away from his family, away from his teammates, and into harm's way," Morris told the gathering.
Soldiers from his small unit, as well as Fort Sill Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Walter Puckett, Sgt. Maj. Kevin Daley of the Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), and Fred Makinney, DES deputy director, prayed with Morris and bid Palmer farewell.
Unlike other deployment ceremonies where entire units leave at the same time, the MWD handlers leave one at a time, to augment the mission of units stationed overseas wherever they are needed. They don't have the hoopla and crowds of a typical farewell ceremony. But, the reason they deploy is the same: to help the United States fight the war on terror.
"They deploy as individual augmentees," said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Oliver, kennelmaster. "They're borrowed by any unit that requests us." Palmer's deployment is due to last nine months.
Oliver has deployed several times since entering the MWD program in 2003, and said that even though the handler deploys without a unit, his four-footed buddy makes a big difference. "Seeing the dog reminds Soldiers of home, as soon as the Soldier sees the dog they're very thankful the animal is there."
"I'll always be praying for him," said Palmer's wife Amanda after the ceremony. Her challenge will be to keep 4-year-old Wyatt and 2-year-old Emma busy. "We'll go to parks, the movies, play games," she said. Skype and FaceTime will be how they "visit" with each other while he's deployed.
Another family member stayed home. Zzazu, a 12-year-old retired Belgian Malinois was Palmer's canine partner during a previous deployment to Afghanistan. "She'll be taking care of us while he's away," said Amanda. "She's so good with the kids. She smells Jarred on me and knows I'm family."
Zzazu, a tactical explosives detector dog, formerly belonged to an Army contractor, and was transferred over to Fort Sill. She retired two years ago.
Palmer still had some packing to do, including extra leashes, collars, and 50 pounds of dog food for Isam. He said Isam "wants nothing more than to do her job, and to get her toy -- a KONG ball."
Their last evening at home will be spent having "some alone time, soaking up every minute," said Amanda. Then she'll be counting the days until he returns home.
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