Military working dog does a super job sniffing out ordnance

  • Published
  • By Susan Burritt
  • Nucleus staff
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico --  Mandatory noncommissioned officer retraining...not always something that will bring a smile to an Airman's face, but what if it meant having a constant companion with capabilities that are truly superhuman? 

Talk to someone in the K-9 unit. It's probably not for everyone, but Staff Sgt. Raymond Castro said he had wanted to be with the K-9 unit when he was younger and when the mandatory retraining choices were between that and combat arms training, it was a no-brainer for him. 

Sergeant Castro was stationed here in September and was selected for retraining in the K-9 unit in October, when he went to Lackland AFB, Texas. He was deployed to Iraq in February and returned this month. 

Sergeant Castro was put together with a military working dog named Wisum. He said that they give the Airman and dog a couple of weeks to get used to each other and see if they will be able to work together. He said that he and Wisum "clicked" right away. The German Shepherd came to Kirtland AFB from Germany. 

During their deployment, the K-9 team took part in more than 80 combat missions along with three other K-9 teams, two from Moody AFB, Ga. and one from Goodfellow AFB, Texas. 

Sergeant Castro said Wisum found four caches and several finds, such as grenades in cars and improvised explosive devices. While deployed, they were part of an Army Force Infantry Division, the 1st Battalion of the 66th Armored Brigade, working out of Qatar. 

"I'm happy. I love it. It's a great thing when you're working with your dog and you find explosives and save lives," said Sergeant Castro. 

Will he be doing this for the rest of his Air Force career? No. "Once you hit E-6, you must move on, effectively being promoted out of your career field," he said.