A new monument erected in San Antonio will honor U.S. military service dogs that died in combat overseas while aiding servicemembers, The Associated Press reported. A dedication ceremony for the U.S. Working Dog Teams National Monument is slated for the end of October at the nearby Lackland Air Force Base, where a majority of military service dogs are trained and treated when injured.
The news source stated that the memorial, which depicts four dogs and a military dog handler, was designed by John Burnam, a former military dog trainer. A Doberman, Labrador retriever, German shepherd and Belgian Malinois are the breeds featured on the monument because of their prevalence in the military.
According to the Department of Defense, military working dogs first entered the ranks during World War I. The Army used about 1,500 canines during the Korean War, while the Vietnam War saw nearly 4,000 dogs in combat. The most famous military working dogs in recent years are members of the Navy Seals "elite dog team" – a group that can parachute or rappel into combat. Discovery.com reported that these dogs are equipped with ballistic gear and night-vision cameras and work with the Seals on special operations.