62nd Combat Trackers from Vietnam Serve the Dog Handlers of Today
For many years, I have implored dog handlers to stay connected with their K9 friends and their unit, a task made much easier in the age of Facebook and the internet. I say this because of all of the dog handlers from Vietnam who, in an age of snail mail and no internet, more easily lost touch and couldn’t easily reconnect with friends from their days of service.
Some of them have tried mightily to find others who shared their burdens and shared their sacrifices. While I can never understand the emotions and the depths of these friendships, I do recognize a commitment to each other and a devotion to duty that still remains even 45-50 years later.
They are also committed to this country and to supporting current dog handlers. Our 2nd VP and our Webmaster are both Vietnam veterans. They would hard and do simply remarkable things with little resources.
Our 4th Quarter care packages were designed to recognize and honor this generational support with the theme of “Two Generations- One Cause.” The boxes were packed in Louisiana at an annual Veterans’ Day reunion and include our 2014 calendar which honors both generations. We also have donations that were made possible by Vietnam veterans at various companies. And, on top of all of this the 62nd Combat Trackers and their loving and devoted wives spent time together to make this 4th Quarter Care Package possible. Thanks to all of them.
The last photo was taken in June of 2012 at a 62nd IPCT reunion in Savannah, GA. Everyone enjoyed the trip to visit the base and the handlers at Fort Stewart.
I served with the 62nd combat tracker of the 1st air cave from 1968-69. I joined the team after already serving 18 months in Vietnam — 12 months with Charlie Co 1/12th 1st cab and 6 months with 1/87th security Saigon port shipping before joining the 62nd. Thanks for all the work ya’ll are doing.
Thank you for your service, Harold. We at MWDTSA are grateful for the MWD community.
Thanks to all my fellow trackers. I am proud to have been a member of the tracker teams who I served with and those of other units. God bless all of you. And a special thanks to Sue and others who put this site together for their time making it possible to reunite with members of our teams.