All interviews in this book were conducted between May and October 2011, either in person, by phone, or via e-mail. Rarely did I have e-mail contact only.
Interviews with several sources are used throughout the book—for background and/or direct quotation—and cannot be categorized neatly into one or two sections below. These wide-ranging sources are Air Force Master Sergeant Antonio “Arod” Rodriguez, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Kristopher Knight, “Doc” Stewart Hilliard, Air Force Major William Roberts, Marine Captain John “Brandon” Bowe, Michael Lemish, Air Force Technical Sergeant Joseph Null, Gerry Proctor, Nancy Ori (Department of Defense military working dog inventory manager), Brandon Liebert, and Navy Master Chief Scott Thompson.
In doing research for this book, I pored through hundreds of publications, including newspapers and magazine articles, government documents, Web site posts, scientific studies, PowerPoint presentations, and books. This research was primarily to bolster my background and knowledge of the topic. In this section I cite only publications I directly quote or refer to in the book.
“1st Cavalry Division, 7th Regiment, Hq. & Hq. Co., K-9 Platoon First K-9 Unit to See Combat During the Korean War,” USWardogs.org, http://www.uswardogs.org/id89.html.
Harris, Gardiner. “A Bin Laden Hunter on Four Legs,” New York Times, May 4, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/science/05dog.html.
Interviews with Marine Sergeant Rosendo Mesa, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Justin Green, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Chris Willingham, Marine Corporal Andrei Idriceanu, Julie Schrock, Navy Lieutenant Commander John Gay, Amanda Lothian, Ron Aiello, Victoria Stillwell, Army Sergeant Amanda Ingraham, Army Staff Sergeant Marcus Bates.
Johnson, Garth. “Awww: A War Dog Helped Take Out Osama,” Gothamist, May 4, 2011, http://gothamist.com/2011/05/04/awww_a_war_dog_helped_take_out_osam.php.
Kriel, Robyn. “Civilian Casualties Helped by Marines in Safar Bazaar Garmsir Province Afghanistan,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBIzVysaJXs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL.
Lemish, Michael G. War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism (Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, Inc., 2008).
Waller, Anna M. Dogs and National Defense, Department of the Army, Office of the Quartermaster General, 1958, http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/dogs_and_national_defense.htm.
“Funny Police Dog Fail,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTDn0-jIm7k.
Interviews with Marine Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Burger (program manager for the Improvised Explosive Device Detector Dog [IDD] capability), Navy Master-at-Arms First Class McAuthor Parker, Navy Senior Chief Machinist Mate Sean Craycraft, Navy Master-at-Arms Third Class Cameron Frost, Ronnie Nye DVM, John Engstrom, John Bradshaw, David Garcia, Air Force Staff Sergeant Richard Crotty, Air Force Master Sergeant Richard Reidel (341st Training Squadron operations superintendent), Air Force Technical Sergeant Justin Marshall, Air Force Technical Sergeant Jason Barken, Navy Master-at-Arms First Class Ekali Brooks, Navy Master-at-Arms Seaman Glenn Patton, Victoria Stillwell, Mark Hines (Canine Behavior and Training Specialist, Kong Co.).
Richardson, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin H. British War Dogs: Their Training and Psychology (London: Skeffington & Son, Ltd., 1920).
Statement of Work: Potential Military Working Dogs, 341st Training Squadron, 2006, www.lackland.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061211-005.pdf.
“Your Country Needs Your Dog,” Mod.uk, http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/TrainingandExercises/DefenceAnimalCentre/YourCountryNeedsYourDog.htm.
Bradshaw, John. Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet (New York: Basic Books, 2011).
Coren, Stanley. How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do (New York: Free Press, 2005).
Interviews with Alexandra Horowitz, Air Force Technical Sergeant Gwendolyn Dodd, Marine Staff Sergeant Kenny Porras, Marine Corporal Charles “Cody” Haliscak, Navy Master-at-Arms Second Class Joshua Raymond, Air Force Technical Sergeant Adam Miller, Army Captain Emily Pieracci DVM, John Bradshaw, Stanley Coren, Navy Lieutenant Commander John Gay, Marine Corporal Wesley Gerwin, Brian Hare, Alice and Duane Putnam, Jingzhi “Hippo” Tan.
Stillwell, Victoria. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know (New York: Scribner, 2009).
Dalton, Curt. “The Dog Days of War,” DaytonHistoryBooks.com: http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/1640971.htm.
Fimrite, Peter. “Marine, Dog to Reunite After Hard Journey for Both,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 24, 2011.
“Guardians of the Night,” K9Pride.com, http://k9pride.com/2008/05/06/guardians-of-the-night/.
Interviews with Marine Sergeant Mark Vierig, Air Force Staff Sergeant Brent Olson, Air Force Staff Sergeant Chris Keilman, Army Sergeant Amanda Ingraham, Robert Kollar, Walter Burghardt, DVM, Kelly Mann, DVM, Nicola J. Rooney (Research Fellow, University of Bristol Anthrozoology Institute), Marine Sergeant Rosendo Mesa, Julie Schrock, John Engstrom, Sylvana Stratton, James Bailey, Larry and Lynette Sargent, Debbie Kandoll, Jerry and Karen Self, Ron Aiello, Michael Jernigan, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Chris Willingham, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Justin Green, Marine Corporal Andrei Idriceanu.
Lemish, Michael G. War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism (Dulles, VA: Potomac Books Inc., 2008).
Letter from Connie Totten-Oldham, manager of stamp development for the U.S. Postal Service, to Ron Aiello, president, United States War Dog Association, September 19, 2011.
Letter to Sen. John Warner from William Putney, DVM, October 18, 2000, Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 16, October 13, 2000, to October 24, 2000.
McCombs, Phil. “A Soldier’s Best Friend,” The Washington Post, November 25, 2000.
The Papers of George Washington—Documents, October 6, 1777, http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/revolution/howe.html.
Perry, Tony. “Afghanistan’s Most Loyal Troops,” Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2011.
“PFC Colton Wesley Rusk, USMC,” http://www.sawyergeorgefuneralhome.com/obituaries/2010/12/pfc-colton-wesley-rusk-usmc/.
Roughton, Randy. “Fallen Marine’s Family Adopts His Best Friend,” U.S. Department of Defense, February 4, 2011, http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62703.
Schrock, Julie Burget. Missing Max: Finding Hope After My Marine Son’s Death (Altamonte Springs, FL: Advantage Inspirational, 2011).