John Douangdara
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March 2012 Military Working Dog Team Support Association, Inc. Award Winning Bi-Monthly Newsletter MWDTSA KENNEL TALK Volume 4, Issue 2 www.mwdtsa.org SupportMWDTSAnow andyouwon’tmissany John Douangdara, a ofthephotos,stories, 26 year old Lao newsandhighlightsof American, was the 2012! K9 handler killed KennelTalk isnowan with members of awardwinning SEAL Team Six in MWDpublication! August when their Inside this issue: Chinook helicopter John Douangdara 2 was shot down in - By his sister Afghanistan after a PTSD: Post Traumatic 4 mission to assist a Stress Disorder Special Forces team that had come un- Super Bowl in a Box 5 der siege. Speaker’s Bureau 6 Rest in peace, Sailor. Super Bowl in a Box 7 Resulting Photos What skills can you John Douangdara: American Hero share to support our ByDixieWhitman dog teams? We are Petty Officer 1st Class John His drive and determination looking for volunteers Douangdara, the 26 year old resulted in an assignment to Medal, The Bronze Star with in: sonofLaotianimmigrants,was theNavalSpecialWarfareunit “V” Device, The Joint Service amongthe30Americanskilled whereheservedasadoghan- CommendationMedalwith“V” Fundraising on August 6, 2011. The Chi- dlerinsupportofNavySEAL Device, Army Commendation Grant writing nook helicopter on which he TeamSix. Medal, Presidential Unit Cita- and his dog rode was shot tion (2), Good Conduct Medal Giving presentations down by a rocket propelled Doghandlingwasnothisfirst (2), National Defense Service goal, though. Originally, John Soliciting in kind grenade in Wardak Province, Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Afghanistan. intendedtoworkonanuclear donations Medal (3), Iraq Campaign submarine, but that objective Medal, Global War on Terror- Newsletter editing Described by his siblings as was passedbywhenapassion ismMedal,SeaServiceDeploy- both “geeky” and “quiet”, fordogsinterceded. mentRibbon(3),OverseasSer- Social networking John’s love of the military vice Deployment Ribbon (3) Petty Officer 1st Class pushed him to graduate a se- Rifle Marksmanship Medal and Contact us for more Douangdara’s decorations in- mester early from his South PistolMarksmanshipMedal. info: [email protected] Sioux City, Nebraska high clude The Purple Heart, The school and head to Illinois for Defense Meritorious Service John Douangdara, is buriedin Navy’sbasictraining. ArlingtonNationalCemetery. Pa ge 2 MWDTSA KENNEL TALK Volume 4, Issue 2 Johnwww.mwdtsa.org Douangdara: My Brother, My Friend, My Hero ByChanFollen Johnny with Toby, in the mountains. The only time Johnny ever called home in tears was regarding Toby’s death. Toby was Killed In Action. The action remains classi- fied, but we do know that Toby and Johnny saved six lives that day . MynameisChanFollen;Iam nickname,wasthetypicalboy. whocouldbecountedon,and wouldmakehimproudifoneof the sister of the late John Ashematuredintoateenager, that trait stayed with him us would join. “Army—Be All Douangdara,theleaddoghan- so did his leadership; he did throughout his life. When his YouCanBe”iswhatwesaweve- dler for the Elite Seal Team6. not blindly follow others. militaryfriends were deployed, rydaywhenwewalkedoutofour John and his MilitaryWorking While countless local kids he would step in. One of his home. Dog, Bart, were both on the were often pulled into gangs friend’s daughters was dis- TowardstheendofJohnny’sjun- Chinook helicopter that was anddrugsorthelesserevilof traught that her father was un- ior year in high school he began shotdownonAugust6,2011.I skipping school, Johnny re- abletoattendafather-daughter weighing future options. He vis- wanttosharewithyouamore mainedsteadfast; he was sim- school function, but was ec- ited recruiters and by the begin- personal side of John that you ply not susceptible to peer staticwhenJohnnystoodinfor ning of his senior year he had probablyhavenotheardorread pressure. her dad. He sometimes also madeuphismindtoenlistinthe about. While others boys were ro- babysat for his Seal Team Navy. He specificallywanted to My parents fled Laos, a small mancing girls, Johnny was friendssotheycouldmakethe work in the Navy’s nuclear pro- land-locked countrysituated in working on computers at most of their time at home, gram.Infact,hisblueprintwasto Indochina, back in 1980, with home. He was prettymuch a takingtheirwivesouton“date graduate from high school a se- just me in tow. Born Decem- computer geek. — a well night”. mesterearly(December)andhead ber29,1984inSiouxCityIowa, loved computer geek. He From as far back as I can re- tobootcampinJanuary. Johnwasthethirdchildoffive thrived on school activities member, myfather was always Mybrother,Pan,andIquestioned siblings. Our family actually andenjoyedthe challenges of tryingtoget one ofhiskidsin Johnny to find out if the Navy grewup on the Nebraska side debate team, an activity that themilitary.Mymother’sfather was what he reallywantedto do. of the Missouri River in South bolsteredhisskillsinresearch, was a Captain in the Laotian Personally, I could not see my SiouxCity.Formyfamily,Ne- public speaking, persuasion, Army.Myfatherknewthatthe geekylittle brother succeedingin braskawasavastchangefrom teamwork and finding oppo- military would add discipline the military. He was small - 5’5” communist Laos andour Bud- nentsweaknesses. andstructuretoourlivessowe and maybe 115 pounds - and dhist foundation; but America He had tons of friends and alwaysstoppedattherecruiter’s would probably have to prove was an opportunity we always avoided conflict during the officeeverytimewewenttothe himselfoverandover.Weoffered respected. normal tumultuous teenage mall. We even had an Army topayforhiscollege,evenifthat Asachild,Johnny,ourfamily’s years. He was an individual bumper sticker on our front meant taking out personal loans door that reminded us that it Volume 4, Issue 2 MWDTSA KENNEL TALK Pa ge 3 www.mwdtsa.org forhim.But,Johnnywasada- mantaboutgoingintothemili- Johnny’s last partner, Bart, taryandthatwasthat.Debate (shown at left) lost his life over. Johnny graduated mid- terms in 2002 and headed to on the Chinook with the GreatLakes,ILforNavyboot other 30Americans. campinJanuaryof2003. Johnnywent in as a Master at I am now taking my Arms (security and force pro- brother, Johnny’s, passion tection) and after completing his school, he headedto Sicily, and his legacy and making Italy.Inhiscallsandletters,we it my passion. couldtellhewashomesickand it broke my heart hearing my MWDTSA’s missions in- baby brother so unhappy. It clude supporting, recogniz- appeared it was going to be a long three year tour for all of ing and honoring dog us. teams. Afewweeks passedandI no- ticed his mood had changed. Johnny would call me, but in- that I learned the full story of talkingabout his dogs. His first ingtheoccasion. stead of hearing muted voices, Johnny being drawn into the deployment to Iraq scared me. the background noises were GoingthroughallofJohnny’s kennel. Billy shared with me Hehadabombsniffingdogand personal belongings after he now barking dogs. I asked that, indeed, Johnnywas miser- they worked the gates. I told what he was doingat the ken- passed, one could tell how ableinSicily.Billyfeltbadlyfor Johnnythatheneededtocallor much each and everydog he nels and he told me he was himsoheinvitedJohnnytostop emailmetoletmeknowhewas watching the dogs that were handledmeanttohim.Hehad bythekennelsandhangoutwith safe.Wenevertalkedabouthow all kinds of pictures of his retired,butunadoptable.They him. Billyfelt like he neededto itwasoverthere.Webothknew would stay in the Navy until dogsalloverhishouseandon take this young kid under his itwasdangerous,butourphone hiscellphone. theirlastbreath.Iaskedhimif wings and make his staya little conversationsweremoreofget- thatwasahardthingtodo,and easierbybefriendinghim.Thatis ting his mind away from this Most especially, he had hetoldmehespenttimegiving when Billy discovered that dangerousplace. Toby’s ashes in his room. great care to these K9s before Toby was a dog he had on Johnnyloved being in the ken- Never complaining, Johnnywas theyhadto go. Youcould tell nelsandbeingwithdogs.Johnny deployment on his second inhisvoicethathelovedbeing thetypeofguytomakethebest tourinIraq.Tragically,Toby wouldwork10-12hourshiftsat of things in any situation. An aroundthesedogs. thesecuritygateandthenwould was Killedin Action in 2008, example of that are the pictures the only time Johnny ever Then, a wonderful surprise: go to the kennels andvolunteer he would send me. He would Johnnycalledmetotellmethat histimeatthekennelforacou- called home in tears. The ac- email me pictures himself with tionremainsclassified,butwe he would be in San Antonio, pleofhours.OnceBillyrealized hisdogsandhealwayshadthem Texas for canine school. I was thatJohnnylovedbeingwiththe doknowthatTobyhadsaved wearingsillyaccessories.Hehad 6 Canadian lives that dayand ecstatic since I lived in Dallas dogs,andthathehadthisnatural bunny ears on one dog for andwas goingto see mybaby understandingofthem,Billyput our family was gifted with a Easter. He hadto celebrate his plaque from the Canadian brothermoreoftennow. inawordforJohnnytoheadto 21stbirthdayinIraq,buthesent canineschoolinSanAntonio. Militaryto honor Johnnyand It was not until after Johnny meapictureofhimandhisdog Toby,afterJohnny’spassing. had passed and I met Billy, a After canine school, Johnny with Hawaiians leis andabottle Kennel Master for the Navy, lovedhisjob.Heneverstopped ofsparklinggrapejuicecelebrat- SeeJohn-Continuedbottompage6 Thanks Newnan Kennel Club for your continued awesomeness! Pa ge 4 MWDTSA KENNEL