These four service members combined have countless accomplished combat missions and operations — and 16 legs.
Recently they received the nation's highest K-9 honor for extraordinary valor and service — the American Humane K-9 Medal of Courage. This year's recipients were K-9s Emmie, Niko, Troll and Yeager.
Troll is a 12-year-old Dutch shepherd who lives in El Paso, Texas with his former Air Force handler, Staff Sgt. Rob Wilson. Troll conducted 89 combat missions over 1,240 hours during a 2012 deployment to Afghanistan operating with Army and Special Operations units.
Sgt. Yeager is a 13-year-old black lab who now lives in Cary, North Carolina. He served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Marine Corps, during which he found dozens of explosive devices and completed more than 100 route-clearing patrols. He lost part of his ear to shrapnel wounds during an attack that killed his handler, Lance Cpl. Abraham Tarwoe. Sgt. Yeager received the Purple Heart for his actions.
Emmie is a 12-year-old black lab who completed three combat tours in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps before spending five more years working as a Pentagon Police explosive detector dog searching hundreds of buildings, vehicles and open areas. Now, she lives in Mechanicsville, Maryland with her adopted dad Eric Harris — but she hasn't retired yet. Harris said Emmie helps his autistic son around the house, something she learned to do on her own.
Niko
Niko is a 10-year-old Dutch shepherd who worked all over Afghanistan from 2012 to 2016 protecting foreign and U.S. dignitaries and embassy personnel. He completed more than 600 missions for the State Department clearing routes, sweeping homes, searching vehicles and even flying in helicopters. Now, Niko lives the retired life in the open fields of Willow, Alaska.
Congratulations and endless thanks for the devotion and sacrifices of these four-legged service members.
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