Bomb-sniffing military dog that served in Iraq to get 21-gun salute<\/p>\n
Camp Nelson National Cemetery will mark a first when it holds a public memorial service Saturday for a military working dog who served two tours in Iraq, sniffing out explosive devices. Iireland, a female Belgian Malinois who died in August, will receive full military honors, including a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps, said Shawnda Ebert, a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve who sought permission for the service. Military working dogs \u201care veterans,\u201d Ebert said. \u201cThey deserve the same treatment as our brothers and sisters who fought over there.\u201d Iireland couldn\u2019t be buried at the national cemetery six miles south of Nicholasville. She is buried on a family farm, Ebert said. Iireland and her handler, Joshua Sutherland, a Marine, were in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. \u201cShe was an explosive-detector dog, so any kind of explosive that could possibly be there, it was her job to sniff it out,\u201d Ebert said. When Sutherland came home, he was able to adopt Iireland. \u201cThese dogs become part of your family,\u201d Ebert said. \u201cThey\u2019re with you in times when your family can\u2019t be. They\u2019ve seen the same stuff you\u2019ve seen.\u201d Ebert, who has participated in numerous military funerals, was asked by McCaw Veterinary Clinic in Nicholasville to see whether it was possible to have a military service for Iireland at Camp Nelson. She said cemetery personnel were \u201ccompletely\u201d cooperative in working with her. The 2 p.m. service, open to the public, will be held at a pavilion on the grounds of the national cemetery. \u201cWe\u2019ve got various canine units that are coming to support it, such as various police departments and military units,\u201d Ebert said. The cemetery doesn\u2019t allow pets onto the property, so the canine units \u201chave to be a service dog,\u201d she said. American Legion Lexington Man o\u2019 War Post 8 will provide the rifle detail for a gun salute. The Camp Nelson Honor Guard will have its horse-drawn caisson and will fire a cannon. The Marine Corps Military Police Company Alpha of Lexington will assist with flag-folding. Ebert\u2019s husband, James, a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, will play taps on trumpet. Sutherland and Dr. Elizabeth Banks, the veterinarian who treated Iireland in her last days, will speak during the service. Ebert said she couldn\u2019t predict how many people will attend the service, but there has been attention through word of mouth and social media. \u201cThe community has been extremely supportive of this,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe we\u2019re going to have a rather decent, if not large, turnout just because this is so unique.\u201d Ebert cautioned that people should not bring their pets. \u201cIf I have not contacted them, they really shouldn\u2019t be bringing their pets, simply because we\u2019re having artillery fire and things of that nature. We don\u2019t need dogs getting distressed, because we don\u2019t need anything disruptive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bomb-sniffing military dog that served in Iraq to get 21-gun salute Camp Nelson National Cemetery will mark a first when it holds a public memorial service Saturday for a military working dog who served two tours in Iraq, sniffing out explosive devices. Iireland, a female Belgian Malinois who died in August, will receive full military …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-2195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-military","tag-ky"],"yoast_head":"\n