Memorial Day Weekend is not just several days set aside for picnics and BBQs, days to get away from it all and kick back.
No doubt, for many, that is the agenda, but the real purpose of the commemoration of Memorial Day – originally called Decoration Day – is to pay homage to the thousands of American service men and women who gave their lives defending our freedoms.
It wasn't that long ago that every town had parades and memorials on May 30 for the military – the survivors and those who came home in a box covered with a flag and those whose bodies were never returned home after their greatest sacrifice – missing in action or lost at sea.
But Americans have short memories and generally don't like to remember events that are unpleasant – like war – and so the real meaning of patriotic holidays has been watered down.
Think about it – the Fourth of July is for parties, fireworks and concerts with very little if any notice given to the fact that it's really Independence Day. But we ignore that and take our "freedom" and "independence" for granted.
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Too often, we take our military for granted because they're called upon to do a job many people have no stomach for. Their job is hard and dirty and dangerous and deadly and, too often, thankless.
But the military has compatriots in its duties and, if we look at the humans who are taken for granted, their four-legged partners are too often totally ignored.
The military has long used dogs in war – training them for duties that might be impossible for humans. For years, the role of canines existed just below the surface of public awareness. So much so, that at the end of the Vietnam War, the military ordered that all of the war dogs be shot so that they wouldn't have to be returned to the states. The brass just considered them no more than pieces of expendable equipment.
As word got out about this travesty, pressure was brought on the system, the red-tape was cut and gradually it became possible for the dogs to be brought home with their handlers – the men who trained and fought with them and who shared a bond of love and loyalty only a dog lover can understand.
These war dogs have domestic parallels, again something most people don't even know exist.
We've all seen news coverage of disasters – earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, floods, explosions, avalanches, landslides, tsunamis and yes, even 9/11.
Often there's mention of dogs being used to find survivors.
But most people have no idea where these animals come from, usually thinking the government provides them.
They're wrong.
In fact, the finding of capable dogs, their training, upkeep and use for disasters worldwide is done and paid for privately.
Think of the recent tornados in this country and the horrific earthquakes in Nepal. You probably never heard that American search-dog teams were there and responsible for locating and saving people buried for days under mountains of debris.
In all my years of working in news, we reported on the use of dogs for avalanche and other rescues, but nothing was said about where those dogs came from.
News coverage in my local papers virtually ignored that search dog teams were saving lives in Nepal.
There were six teams there from California, and others from Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia and several other states.
So where do the dogs come from?
The angel behind it all is Wilma Melville who founded the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation in 1996. It's a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-governmental organization headquartered in Ojai, California.
Her goal is to develop and train teams to save lives in the disasters that are part of life.
The teams need a request for help from the country of the disaster. Our government puts together a Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART – U.S. AID disaster experts, structural engineers, canine search and rescue teams, debris experts.
The teams gather at a military base and are flown to the crisis location. The government pays for this part of the effort, but that's all.
All other expenses are covered by the foundation, and it gets funds from donations.
Some of the dogs they train are donated to the group but most are rescued from shelters across the country. The SDF trains people to go to shelters to identify animals with the right personalities and characteristics to do search work. They rescue the dogs, train them to do the job and donate them to fire departments and police departments to use in their rescue operations.
There is no cost to the fire/police departments, and when it comes time for the animals to retire, they are assured of lifetime care with adopted families.
The dogs are trained to find living victims of the disasters. Because of their magnificent noses and their agility, they can get into places that humans cannot. When they detect a survivor, the dog barks and, at that point, human teams move in to dig out the survivor.
Right now, there are 72 SDF trained teams in California, Florida, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
If by chance, a dog doesn't pass the rigorous tests to qualify, they change careers to work with the blind or with veterans needing canine therapy after war experiences or with a lifetime care family.
The dogs are never disposed of and are guaranteed a good home forever.
Check out the website: SearchDogFoundaton.org.
There's lots of information about their work and how you can help support them.
Since most of the dogs come from shelters, their slogan is perfect:
"From rescued … to rescuer."
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