Military Working Dog who helped take out Al-Baghdadi is honored at White House
The Military Working Dog (MWD) who helped take out ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was honored recently at the White House. Initially unnamed to help protect his identity, it was eventually learned that the MWD’s name is Conan.
Hero dog visits the White House
He was honored in the Rose Garden by President Trump. Also in attendance were Vice President Mike Pence and First Lady Melania Trump. As a part of the visit, Conan was presented with a certificate and award.
“Conan did a fantastic job and we’re very honored to have Conan here and to have given Conan a certificate and an award,” Trump said.
President Trump Posts a photoshopped image of Conan
AMERICAN HERO! pic.twitter.com/XCCa2sGfsZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2019
Before the visit, President Trump’s Twitter account had posted a photoshopped image of him giving the MWD a medal for his actions. It was only a matter of time before fiction became reality as the President insisted on a White House visit by the brave dog.
“Having this extraordinary dog here today is all a reflection of our armed forces and the great job that they do. Conan is really a hero,” Vice President Pence said. “It’s really a joy to be able to help welcome him here to the White House.”
The real Conan
Conan rose to fame on October 27, 2019, when U.S. Special Forces performed an evening raid that took out Al-Baghdadi. A Belgian Malinois, Conan took up pursuit of Al-Baghdadi, as he fled into a tunnel network attached to the complex. It was there that Al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and two children.
Unfortunately, during the raid, Conan was injured and required medical attention. He quickly made a full recovery and soon returned to duty. As an MWD, Conan, and other dogs like him, put their lives on the line every day as they serve along with their human counterparts in war zones around the world.
“They’re kind of the first line of defense,” Ron Aiello, a retired Marine who runs the nonprofit U.S. War Dogs Association, told NPR last month. “Their job is to detect any type of danger that’s out front.”
Military Working Dogs
MWDs are trained for a variety of tasks, including security, search, and bomb detection. Conan was a part of the unit sent to apprehend or kill Al-Baghdadi, mainly because of a dog’s more sensitive sense of smell, which is up to five to 10 times stronger than humans. MWDs, like Conan, also can detect explosives, which helps units better detect booby traps set by the enemy.
As a Belgian Malinois, Conan is especially suited to working in the types of environments that the Middle East presents. His smaller stature and shorter hair means that he can work in the hot, desert climate of the region for longer periods of time. Ultimately though, it is the dog’s training, intelligence, and strength which led to Conan’s successful completion of the mission against Al-Baghdadi.
Here is the video of this true American hero being honored by the President.
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