Army Dog Team Laid to Rest Together

Killed in Iraq, dog team buried together -
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Army Times



By Michelle Tan

"The first military working dog team killed in action together since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were laid to rest together July 18.

Cpl. Kory D. Wiens, 20, of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and his partner, Cooper, were killed July 6 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq. They had been in Iraq since January.

The cremated remains of Wiens and Cooper, a Labrador retriever, were buried together at Salt Creek Cemetery in Wiens’ hometown of Dallas, Ore., at the request of his family, said Master Sgt. Matt McHugh, the family’s casualty assistance officer.

McHugh added that based on his own research, the last military canine team to be killed together was during the Vietnam War.

“Kory referred to Cooper as his son, that’s now much of a team they were,” McHugh said.

Cooper was Wiens’ first military working dog, and Wiens was Cooper’s first handler, McHugh said."

Please read the full text of this very sad story at the link.

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