Once outcast and shunned from the military dog community, U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Sandoval had gotten a second chance.
He was accepted into Fort Bragg’s dog kennels unconditionally. When his newborn son Carter was born with meconium in his lungs making the baby’s oxygen level very low just weeks before Daniel and Military Working Dog Bony were supposed to attend certification, Daniel was given no choice.
His leadership ordered him to the Neo-Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the hospital to be with his family.
Team certification and his deployment could wait.
But now it was a two months later, Carter was doing well, and his wife Sabrina had a handle on things on the home front.
Well, the truth was that she was surviving alone with three kids, but he knew she was proud of him. They both knew that deploying to a combat zone as a dog handler was something that Daniel needed to do.
It was a personal journey to redeem his honor.
Bony yawned and shook the plastic Vari-kennel as he tried to stretch his 100-pound body in the cramped space.
Lucky for Daniel he was paired with the Bony, The Grey Wolf.
A pretty, petite female Airman walked by as Bony nosed his snout through the mesh door and let out a short whine.
She stopped, the scowl on her face replaced by a smile as she said, “Oh, look a puppy. Can I pat him?”
Daniel’s buddy SGT James “JB” Bethea looked at him, then stroked MWD Jetta’s square head and chuckled.
Daniel had warned James during their flight over here.
Friggin’ Bony man, he could be a mean son of a bitch, but for some reason he loved the ladies.
Too bad he hadn’t had Bony as a partner when he was a young single guy.
Daniel obliged the Airman’s request and he watched her eyes light up when she looked at the dog. He opened up the kennel, snapped a six-foot leash on Bony’s harness, and—before he could even give the Grey Wolf a command to come—the big dog was snuggled up to the Airman’s leg relishing her attention.
JB just smiled at him and was probably thinking the same thing: this 10-year-old greying shepherd knew how to get what he wanted.
They were at Bagram Airbase, the largest point of arrival for U.S. service members in Afghanistan.
There were throngs of Service Members on the street between the Bagram Airbase terminal and the Pat Tillman USO as Daniel stared out toward the horizon and the mountainous territory surrounding the largest U.S. Airbase in the country.
The jagged light brown mountains seemed to rise up and disappear into the clouds. It was anabsolutely spectacular site, even if it was in Afghanistan.
He knew it was the most densely populated base in Afghanistan. It was also home to the Combined Joint Special Operations Forces Military Working Dog Kennel.
This is where Daniel and Bony would become acclimated to Afghanistan, conduct theater specific training, and imprint Bony with the explosive scents commonly found in Afghanistan.
These non-traditional homemade explosives (HME) were virtually impossible to secure in the states for training. Because HME was the number one explosive used by the Taliban, it was critical that Bony be trained on detecting it.
A bright red pickup truck approached and Dan’s heart start to thump when he saw “Danger Military Working Dog” in black lettering on the side of the truck.
“We have to go,” Daniel told the Airman as he nodded at the red truck. Two soldiers stepped out of the truck and approached them.
Bony had whined when his new girlfriend had walked away and had already retreated into his Vari-kennel. Most dogs hated the kennel, but for some reason The Grey Wolf loved to lounge around in his kennel.
He and JB loaded up the dogs and their gear and they headed down Disney Boulevard, the main drag of Bagram Airbase. There was construction everywhere. Troops and civilians flooded the sidewalk on the street. Daniel looked out in wonder.
This was his first combat deployment and he was going to do it with a Special Forces units. He knew there would be a steep learning curve.
The next morning Daniel walked to the kennel in order to check on Bony. The Grey Wolf needed to be tended to before he got himself some chow.
Outside the kennel Daniel saw a tall, wiry soldier with a large yellow Labrador Retriever on a retractable 26-foot leash. The soldier’s uniform was faded, his face was deeply tan, and his “special forces” beard grew from his chin.
“Hey, man, you new?” asked the soldier.
“Just got here last night,” Dan started to say. Before he could finish his sentence, the 90-pound yellow Labrador leaped up with his massive paws, planting them on his chest, and caused Daniel’s body to jolt backwards.
He steadied himself and looked at the handler whose name tag he could now read. It said Nolan.
“Cool, man. I’m John Nolan and this knucklehead is Honza.”
“Honza Bear.”
John pulled at the leash, freeing Daniel’s torso of the powerful dog’s paws. Honza Bear whined, but then began sniffing Daniel’s boots.
Daniel slid his hand down and rubbed the dog’s square head.
“You guys go get some chow. We have training to do today,” Sergeant First Class Jenkins, his new kennel master, called out.
“No rest for the wicked,” Johns said as he smiled and shook his head.
Sergeant Daniel Sandoval had arrived. But he knew he was no longer in Afghanistan for redemption.
Daniel was now in Afghanistan to keep himself and his fellow service members alive.
How does Bony respond to Afghanistan and the HME scents?
What mischief does John Nolan lead Daniel into?
Where is Daniel heading to next in Afghanistan?
Stay tuned for the next chapter in this true story
READ MORE:
His leadership ordered him to the Neo-Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the hospital to be with his family.
Team certification and his deployment could wait.
But now it was a two months later, Carter was doing well, and his wife Sabrina had a handle on things on the home front.
Well, the truth was that she was surviving alone with three kids, but he knew she was proud of him. They both knew that deploying to a combat zone as a dog handler was something that Daniel needed to do.
It was a personal journey to redeem his honor.
Bony yawned and shook the plastic Vari-kennel as he tried to stretch his 100-pound body in the cramped space.
Lucky for Daniel he was paired with the Bony, The Grey Wolf.
The Grey Wolf scopes out the ladies.
She stopped, the scowl on her face replaced by a smile as she said, “Oh, look a puppy. Can I pat him?”
Daniel’s buddy SGT James “JB” Bethea looked at him, then stroked MWD Jetta’s square head and chuckled.
Daniel had warned James during their flight over here.
Friggin’ Bony man, he could be a mean son of a bitch, but for some reason he loved the ladies.
Too bad he hadn’t had Bony as a partner when he was a young single guy.
Daniel obliged the Airman’s request and he watched her eyes light up when she looked at the dog. He opened up the kennel, snapped a six-foot leash on Bony’s harness, and—before he could even give the Grey Wolf a command to come—the big dog was snuggled up to the Airman’s leg relishing her attention.
JB just smiled at him and was probably thinking the same thing: this 10-year-old greying shepherd knew how to get what he wanted.
They were at Bagram Airbase, the largest point of arrival for U.S. service members in Afghanistan.
There were throngs of Service Members on the street between the Bagram Airbase terminal and the Pat Tillman USO as Daniel stared out toward the horizon and the mountainous territory surrounding the largest U.S. Airbase in the country.
The jagged light brown mountains seemed to rise up and disappear into the clouds. It was anabsolutely spectacular site, even if it was in Afghanistan.
He knew it was the most densely populated base in Afghanistan. It was also home to the Combined Joint Special Operations Forces Military Working Dog Kennel.
Combined Joint Special Operations Forces Military Working Dog Kennel, Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan
These non-traditional homemade explosives (HME) were virtually impossible to secure in the states for training. Because HME was the number one explosive used by the Taliban, it was critical that Bony be trained on detecting it.
A bright red pickup truck approached and Dan’s heart start to thump when he saw “Danger Military Working Dog” in black lettering on the side of the truck.
“We have to go,” Daniel told the Airman as he nodded at the red truck. Two soldiers stepped out of the truck and approached them.
Bony had whined when his new girlfriend had walked away and had already retreated into his Vari-kennel. Most dogs hated the kennel, but for some reason The Grey Wolf loved to lounge around in his kennel.
He and JB loaded up the dogs and their gear and they headed down Disney Boulevard, the main drag of Bagram Airbase. There was construction everywhere. Troops and civilians flooded the sidewalk on the street. Daniel looked out in wonder.
This was his first combat deployment and he was going to do it with a Special Forces units. He knew there would be a steep learning curve.
The next morning Daniel walked to the kennel in order to check on Bony. The Grey Wolf needed to be tended to before he got himself some chow.
Outside the kennel Daniel saw a tall, wiry soldier with a large yellow Labrador Retriever on a retractable 26-foot leash. The soldier’s uniform was faded, his face was deeply tan, and his “special forces” beard grew from his chin.
“Hey, man, you new?” asked the soldier.
“Just got here last night,” Dan started to say. Before he could finish his sentence, the 90-pound yellow Labrador leaped up with his massive paws, planting them on his chest, and caused Daniel’s body to jolt backwards.
He steadied himself and looked at the handler whose name tag he could now read. It said Nolan.
“Cool, man. I’m John Nolan and this knucklehead is Honza.”
John Nolan, Specialized Search Dog Honza “Bear” and their new French friend!
John pulled at the leash, freeing Daniel’s torso of the powerful dog’s paws. Honza Bear whined, but then began sniffing Daniel’s boots.
Daniel slid his hand down and rubbed the dog’s square head.
“You guys go get some chow. We have training to do today,” Sergeant First Class Jenkins, his new kennel master, called out.
“No rest for the wicked,” Johns said as he smiled and shook his head.
Sergeant Daniel Sandoval had arrived. But he knew he was no longer in Afghanistan for redemption.
Daniel was now in Afghanistan to keep himself and his fellow service members alive.
How does Bony respond to Afghanistan and the HME scents?
What mischief does John Nolan lead Daniel into?
Where is Daniel heading to next in Afghanistan?
Stay tuned for the next chapter in this true story
READ MORE:
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