CAMP RIPPER, Iraq -- Since its birth in 1775, the Marine Corps has been fighting and working alongside other branches of the U.S. military to insure freedom and democracy around the world.
This is no different for the military working dog handler team of Regimental Combat Team-2, which is made up of both Air Force and Marine dog handlers working together to fight in the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq.
The joint team works together everyday to keep the many bases and Marines patrolling in Al Anbar province safe. Together, they use their gifted canines to hunt out explosives planted by terrorists.
For almost five months, Parkersburg, Iowa, native, Senior Airman Steven K. Temple, has worked with the Marine command in Iraq. Used to the Air Force way of life, Temple had to adjust to the ways of the Marine Corps in a matter of days.
“It is a totally different environment working with the Marines,” commented Temple, a military working dog handler. “A lot of the Air Force has never been exposed to any other branch than their own. But being out here and working with the Marines helps to show people we aren’t just a part of a corporation like a lot of people think.”
Most Air Force dog handlers mainly work entry control points and search vehicles for explosives. But while with RCT-2, airmen like Temple are performing in every capacity that the Marine dog handlers do.
“The Air Force does the same stuff as Marine dog handlers out here,” commented the 1999 Aplington-Parkersburg High School graduate. “We do combat patrols, convoy security and go with [Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams] on missions. Everyone here expects us to pull our own weight just as they do the Marines.”
According to Temple, not very many airmen get the chance to see combat like the Marines do. So when Temple heard he was going to Iraq to work with the Marines, he was excited to get the opportunity.
“I knew I would get the chance to get into something and the knowledge I gained is something I can share with the dog handlers back at my base,” the 24-year-old said.
The tight-knit dog-handling team here uses each others’ experiences to perform better when on missions. From obedience training to small tricks for the dogs, the knowledge shared helps better each dog and handler team as they work for battalions attached to RCT-2.
“Each branch has a different way of doing things,” said Marine Sgt. Jason R. Harvey, an Endwell, N.Y., native and military working dog handler. “We share knowledge with each other all the time. I think it is always good to have a little diversity when working as a team.”
With Temple’s deployment almost finished, he says there are a few things he will take with him as he goes back to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The most important thing is the experience he has gained with the Marines; the experience he will turn into training for the airmen back at his unit to help them be successful in Iraq.
“I’ve learned a lot our here,” Temple said. “I’m going to miss hanging out with the Marines. If I got the chance, I would do this all again in a heartbeat.”