FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Two handlers from the 483rd Military Working Dog Detachment and their canine partners recently returned from a security mission at the Warrior Games in San Diego June 2-12.
The Warrior Games is a multi-sport event for wounded, injured or ill service members and veterans, organized by the Department of Defense. Over a two-week period, athletes compete in events such as archery, cycling, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, rugby, shooting, rowing and powerlifting.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Dobson and Sgt. Travis Hawthorne and their military working dogs, Rruby and Sira, helped provide security for the event. The two MWD teams worked primarily behind the scenes and played an important part in making sure the games went off smoothly and safely.
“We provided explosives detection to the athletes and any VIPs that were at the games,” Dobson said. “We searched the facilities and searched the transportation that they came in, as well as their accommodations, if they desired.
“It took about three hours in the morning, and three to four hours in the afternoon,” he said. “Plus, we did a 3 a.m. sweep of all the venues.”
Dobson admits it may not sound very glamorous, but considering how many high ranking people were there, he knows it was an important job.
“The Secretary of the Air Force was there,” Hawthorne said. “The Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, a bunch of generals, and even the Duke of Sussex.”
“Yeah, that was cool,” chimed in Dobson. “We got to meet Prince Harry!”
They also conducted a security sweep of one of the famous ships in the world, the USS Midway.
Named for the U.S. Navy’s landmark victory at the Battle of Midway, USS Midway (CVB-41) was commissioned 10 September 1945 with Capt. Joseph F. Bolger in command. She began her service with the Navy just eight days after the instrument of surrender was signed by representatives of the Allied and Japanese governments onboard USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay. Midway, first in her class, was at the time the largest ship in the world, and the first U.S. aircraft carrier that was too big to transit the Panama Canal. The “supercarrier” was equipped with an armored flight deck, weighed in at 45,000 tons at commissioning, housed more than 100 aircraft, and was complimented by a crew of more than 4,000 Sailors and Marines.
“We had to search the entire ship from top to bottom, before the kickoff event started,” Hawthorne explained.
Although searching the ship was a big chore for the two handlers to tackle, Dobson said it was one of the most interesting and memorable parts of the mission.
“That’s actually one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” he said.
The weather during their two-week assignment was unusually gloomy, and they were kept busy enough that they were unable to actually watch any of the competition, but both handlers say the time spent in San Diego was rewarding.
“It was really nice to be a force protection factor for the games to happen,” Dobson said. “Even though we stayed busy, and we didn’t get to see any of the games, or really meet all of the athletes, it was still awesome to represent them behind the scenes.
“I think overall it was the satisfaction that we were allowing these people, who are on the path to recovery, to compete and have a different avenue of recovery. Us being there, helping to make the event happen, that was really gratifying.”
Hawthorne agreed, “Seeing the athletes, and seeing how they were able to keep going, how they didn’t let anything keep them down, that was just amazing to see.”
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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