National K-9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history.

It was on March 13, 1942, that the Army began training for its new War Dog Program, also known as the "K-9 Corps," according to American Humane Society, marking the first time that dogs were officially a part of the U.S. Armed Forces. The rest, as they say, is history.  Officially a part of the service,  the dogs of war span centuries and include such heroes as Sgt. Stubby, the original war dog, Chips, the most decorated dog in World War II and Lex, who retired with his fallen owners family and Cairo, the Navy SEAL working dog on the bin Laden raid. Today's military dogs are valued as important  members of their military units and even have their own retirement ceremonies, awards and medals and memorial services.  As a dog lover I really admire these canine hero's and their handlers.  With that in mind I found these medals, Max and Gabe to add to my collection from...  "The K-9 Hero Portrait Project".   They have recently added two more dogs to this set...Jony and Krijger.   Needless to say these guys are on there way to my house.  ; ) Thanks for reading my blog! Comments are always welcome  ; )