Ceremony recognizes military working dog's service

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tiffany Colburn
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFNEWS) --  Retirement ceremonies celebrate the careers, sacrifices and vital contributions of military members in service to their country, and on April 28 Incirlik Air Base Airmen honored one such member who has been on the frontlines of the base's force protection efforts for the past nine years.

Brosky, an 11-year-old patrol/explosive detection military working dog who has been stationed here since April 28, 1998, was officially retired from Air Force service.

"He is an active dog that quickly learns new tasks. He is very dedicated to his handler and to his work," said Staff Sgt. Sharlene Daniels, the 39th Security Forces Squadron military working dog kennel master. "He loves to play fetch with tennis balls. The amount of courage, sacrifice and dedication that these dogs have -- it's unbelievable."

Brosky has been on five U.S. Secret Service missions throughout Turkey. In November 1999, he supported visits by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of Sate Madeleine Albright. During his career, Brosky also provided security for visits by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. In the past year, he has worked 2,190 hours and completed more than 800 hours of training and maintained a 95 percent average in detection training.

The ceremony celebrated Brosky's career as a military working dog. Brosky was presented with a ceremonial cloth leash to replace the standard steel MWD leash. Brosky was retired because he was no longer able to keep up with the demanding physical standards.

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