Wiens & Cooper

Cpl. Kory Wiens and Cooper caught my eyes when I received the above picture in an e-mail, so, just out of curiosity I searched for these two and found out the story behind them.
Cpl. Wiens and Cooper were the first Military K-9 team to lose their lives in the current war on terror. They both died on July 7, 2007 in Muhammad Sath, Iraq, when a IED exploded near their vehicle. They had started their tour of duty in Iraq in January.

According to officials, they are the first K-9 team to perish in combat since the Vietnam War and they had been together since Cooper had entered the military working dog program. Cooper was a bomb sniffing dog and together with Kory, they were part of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment of the 5th Engineering Battalion, 1st Engineering Brigade out of Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Their cremated ashes were interred together in Kory’s hometown of Dallas, OR. The service was attended by many from the small community as the Patriot Guard Riders escorted and paid the last respects to the fallen and their grieving families.
I also came across this tribute video in memory of these two American Heroes. It brings tears to my eyes but it is really great.

http://www.rayallen.info/video/honoring-fallen-handler-cpl

One of the most amazing aspects of the Military, and especially of the current War on Terror our country is involved in, is that there are millions of individual stories which are known only to few. I felt that way as I walked through the head stones at Riverside National Cemetery on Memorial Day. I would read the writing on some of them, Cpl. USMC Korea or Pvt. Army WWII, and wonder the story behind the man, the experience he endured.
One specific grave I visited was that of Sgt. Rhys W. Klasno, who lost his life in Iraq in 2007 and whose funeral I had the honor to escort as a Patriot Guard Rider. I went to pay my respects to him as I know a little about him and his family. It was one of my first missions as a PGR and I will never forget the strength of character I witnessed that day.

To the American Military I promise this: I shall never forget what you did for me and my country, and as long as the Lord allows me to be on this Earth, I will work so that others will never forget.

And these are my thoughts!
Frank “Semperpapa”