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| Afghanistan |
| Handler And Dog To Be Flown Home Together |
| 2011-03-07 |
| Proverbs 18:24 - A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. A dog handler and his springer spaniel, who died within hours of each other in Afghanistan, are to be flown home to Britain together. Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was shot dead on Tuesday while the pair were on patrol in southern Helmand province. His spaniel Theo died of a seizure shortly afterwards. The Ministry of Defence said on Friday the 22-month-old dog's ashes would be brought back to Britain on the same flight as L/Cpl Tasker. "A dog can not be repatriated, but they will be returned to the UK on the same day, in the same plane," a defence department spokesman said. They will be flown into RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire next week. Three weeks ago, Theo had been praised by the Ministry of Defence for finding 14 hidden bombs and weapons caches in just five months - a record for a dog and handler. The spaniel, on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, had uncovered so many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that his time in the country was extended by a month. Major Caroline Emmett, the officer commanding 104 Military Working Dog Squadron, paid tribute to a handler and dog that were "made for each other". "Lance Corporal Tasker was an Arms Explosive Search dog handler and trainer of the highest calibre," she said. "He and his dog had more operational finds than any individual team has had in Afghanistan to date and he saved many lives as a result of this. He was so proud of his achievements and I was so proud of him." L/Cpl Tasker, 26, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, was the 358th member of the British armed forces to be killed since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001. He died from injuries sustained in a fire fight with the Taliban, while Theo died after returning to the main British military base Camp Bastion. Theo is the sixth British military dog killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #2 Wow. I don't have the words. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-03-07 21:52 |
| #1 Very fitting....and our Dickhead-in-Chief send the bust of Churchill back...both events speaks volumes |
| Posted by: Warthog 2011-03-07 17:24 |