Tajna Cools Out
Lieutenant Colonel Keith A. McConnell, USMCR
Acquisition Number: 2012.1057.131
Medium: Pencil on Paper

Tanja, a military working dog with Headquarters and Service Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, takes a well-deserved break. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm—August 1990 to February 1991—118 war dogs were “paws on the ground” in the Persian Gulf area across all military services. Because of their keen noses and eyesight, combined with loyalty to their handlers, dogs were perfectly suited for patrols, tracking, search and rescue, and detection, especially detecting explosives. The Marine Corps has been using dogs in combat situations since WWII. Favorite breeds include German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and retrievers.