3. Brookings Institution, Iraq Index, “U.S. Troop Fatalities Since March 19, 2003,” September 27, 2007 (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution), p. 17.
4. Center for Strategic and International Studies. IED Metrics for Afghanistan. http://csis.org/files/publication/101110_ied_metrics_afghanistan.pdf.
The author, two weeks before joining the Navy, atop the World Trade Center in NYC, aptly wearing a SEAL T-shirt.
The author and “Bud” the dog that started it all.
The author in headdress in central Iraq.
The author on patrol with the acrobat-ninja dog Luke.
The author in front of the U.S.S. Cole after it was attacked in Yemen.
SEAL Team 3 Echo platoon, post oil platform takedown two days prior to ground war commencing in Iraq.
The author with Barco, the uphill-runaway-freight-train of a dog.
Wayne doing what he does best.
Lloyd with Cairo.
Lloyd and Cairo on watch.
Lloyd sending Cairo off to grab an insurgent.
Training in bitework, notice the deep full grip of the dogs mouth.
Aaron and Castor after detonating one of his life-saving finds.
Dave and Samson, winning hearts and minds.
The social nature of these dogs is of the utmost importance.
Samson and the famous Elmo toy that became his favorite.
Dave and Samson getting some much needed rest.
Aaron and Castor pose next to the company logo.
Treadmills aren’t just for humans.
Wayne and his arch nemesis Luke, putting water under the bridge during a long training exercise.
The author during a sequence of events from the window training scenario that didn’t quite go as planned.
An MPC and his handler getting ready to do some helo operations.
Gearing up for some cold weather detection exercises.
The “company” logo.
Luke smiling at the photographer.
Dave and Samson getting ready to load up and get after it.
Samson playing the role of “hood ornament.”
MPC and handler getting ready to clear an Afghan village.
Cairo gets his workout in for the day.
Too cool for school …
Curt and Odin after a long night of work.
MPC and his handler fresh off an Afghan operation.
Retired MPC with his handler on a wintery R & R hike.
MPC and his handler on a CH-47 helo during insert.
MPC and his handler after a long night of combat operations in Afghanistan.
The retired dog Arko, wounded in combat and almost ten years old, but still very capable.
The author with Carlos, the dog that protected his handler even when his own life was in the balance.
Curt and Odin pre operation.
Curt and Odin getting ready to clear a tunnel.
Odin charging ahead, sniffing out the enemy.
Odin showing off his goggles, a much needed piece of gear to combat the dust and sand for our K9s.
Odin on a munitions cache hunt after an ATV insert.
Odin ready to go as usual.
Odin alerting on an explosive find.
Curt and Odin about to load up for a raid.
An MPC and his handler atop a mountain.
Circling the wagons after a long patrol.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MIKE RITLAND joined the Navy in 1996 and graduated with BUD/S class 215. After years as a member of SEAL Team 3, he became a BUD/S instructor and then started his own company to train dogs for the SEAL teams. Today he continues to supply working and protection dogs to a host of clients, including the U.S. government and Department of Defense. He also started the Warrior Dog Foundation to help retired Special Operations dogs live long and happy lives after their service.
GARY BROZEK has coauthored and ghostwritten nearly twenty books, four of which have become New York Times bestsellers. He lives with his wife and their dog, Huckleberry, in the mountains outside of Denver.
This is a true story, though some names and details have been changed.
TRIDENT K9 WARRIORS. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Ritland and Gary Brozek. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
All photographs except the following are courtesy of the author: Insert, here: sealswcc.com.
Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Cover photograph by IDF/Chameleons/Newscom
ISBN 978-1-250-02497-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781250024985 (e-book)
First Edition: March 2013
Trident K9 Warriors: My Tale From the Training Ground to the Battlefield With Elite Navy SEAL Canines Page 24