59th year, No. 7
Serving the Nato, Naples and Gaeta military community in italy
Friday, February 21, 2014
Working with Man’s Best Friend By MC3 Robert S. Price Navy Public Affairs Support Element – East Detachment Europe
“If there is anyone in there, come out with your hands up!” said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Wesley Rodriguez, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples Kennel dog handler. “We have a military working dog and we will come in to find you!” Fair warning given, Rodriguez’s military working dog, Jacky, led the way into the abandoned barracks in search of a suspect. A standard Navy barracks on the outside, inside the building challenged Rodriguez and Jacky with dark litter-filled rooms and narrow corridors packed with storage lockers. The team moved quickly down the hallways and peered around corners to find the hidden suspect. Rodriguez held Jacky on a 15-foot leash as they patrolled and Jacky used her nose to sweep the rooms and pick up on the suspect’s scent. Occasionally Jacky looked back at Rodriguez who guided her with silent hand gestures and body language. Jacky abruptly stopped. The Master-at-Arms 1st Class Stewart, Kennel leading petty officer, prehair on the back of her neck pares Freddy to search a compound for hidden personnel during a stood up. She whimpered and training scenario, Jan. 28. Dog handlers at NSA Naples conduct whined and began searching training exercises weekly to maintain readiness. (Photo by MC3 her handler’s eyes. Robert S. Price) Rodriguez received the bite down with bone-breaking pressure warning signs just as the suspect nel uses onto the man’s arm. Their suspect, Master attempted to escape the building. The detection. at Arms 2nd Class Christopher Morales, fierce dog bared her teeth and rushed to
went down with the dog clamped onto the heavily padded arm of his bite suit. Rodriguez called off Jacky and Morales pulled himself up. The training scenario was over. “To the military the dogs are just a tool,” Rodriguez said. “To the handler they are more than tools. The dog is a partner, a friend and somebody we can confide in.” After three-to-four weeks of consistent training exercises, the kennel has built respect in the handler-to-dog teams by maintaining a foundation of discipline, obedience and mutual trust. Master-at-Arms 1st Class Kyle Stewart, Kennel lead petty officer, said any of the kennel’s five dogs, which include German Shepherds, are capable of being called off an attack from mere feet of a suspect’s surrender. These military working dogs have gone through rigorous training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Stewart said the dogs here at NSA Naples have graduated to serve multiple purposes that include detecting explosives and drugs. “The dog’s sense of smell has been proven more reliable than any detection device we have to date,” Rodriguez said. The human sense of smell is limited, which is why the kendual-purpose dogs to handle
W hat ’ s I nsIde
Learning the Art of Making Pasta with FFSC Gaeta Page 4
Bataan Amphibious Ready Group Enters U.S. 6th Fleet Page 11
See MAN’S BEST FRIEND Page 5
Naples Chaplain Makes Delivery to Philippines Cmdr. Manuel Biadog Jr., chaplain for Naval Support Activity Naples, helps kids put on new flip-flops, Feb. 13, at a resettlement area near the Katutubong Ayta Village in the Philippines. Biadog, a service member with family ties to the country, facilitated the help of various U.S. and Philippine-based nongovernmental organizations to deliver more than 24,000 pounds of food, medicine, school and hygienic supplies to the Visayan and Luzon Islands through Operation Helping Hands. The U.S. Navy provided initial aid through Operation Damayan in the aftermath of the Super Typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda, which severely devastated the island, Nov. 7. (Photo courtesy of Cmdr. Manuel Biadog Jr.)
Black History in the American Revolution Page 12
Weekly Crime Report Review what happened between Feb. 12 and Feb. 18. Page 5
FRIDAY High 60 / Low 47 Chance of Rain
SATURDAY High 59 / Low 43 Partly Cloudy
SUNDAY High 53 / Low 40 Clear