USAFE Airman joins forces with Marines in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eydie Sakura
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  Being one of four military working dog handlers at a Marine camp in Iraq can make any Air Force member stick out like a sore thumb.

Staff Sgt. Cleophus Gallon, 52nd Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, left for Iraq in April for a six-month deployment with the Marines.

“We had a bit of a heads up regarding the deployment because we knew the Marines were short on working dogs. The kennel master here asked me if deploying with the Marines was something I would like to do,” Sergeant Gallon said. “They needed a good dog team.”

Just two weeks after hearing about the deployment opportunity, Sergeant Gallon was notified by his supervisor and had two days’ notice to prepare for deployment.

“I was proud to see my husband deploy to Iraq, but I was also sad to see him go on such short notice,” said Fredericka Gallon, Sergeant Gallon’s wife. “I felt like he had one of the most dangerous jobs, and sometimes I got worried.”

Sergeant Gallon and his six-year-old German shepherd partner, Alan, were sent to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, with 12 other Air Force dog handlers from various commands throughout the Air Force. They were assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Fallujah. His first mission was performing vehicle checks at the entry control points, while the Marine dog handlers went out on raids performing reconnaissance.

“The Marines ended up not having enough dogs for the numerous raids, so I got moved into recon and doing raids with the 1st Reconnaissance, a sub-unit of the 1st MEF,” Sergeant Gallon said.

The missions often involved Sergeant Gallon and Alan walking down a road alone in front of a Marine convoy, sniffing out improvised explosive devices or road-side bombs. Alan would have to make sure the roads were clear and safe before vehicles would drive through.

Even through Alan’s bravery and tireless day-to-day work, his inner puppy came out every so often.

“We took incoming rounds a lot at our camp, and one night I was out giving him [Alan] a break to run around and I told him to come back to me, but he didn’t,” Sergeant Gallon remembered. “Then a mortar round hit near him about 200 meters away and he jumped up and ran over to my side and looked at me like, ‘Ok, hook me up, I’m ready to go back inside.’ I was laughing in my head and thinking, ‘Oh sure, now you want to listen to me.’”

Having a dog present at the camp was an ice breaker for Sergeant Gallon, as he got to know his Marine Corps brethren. The whole experience gave Sergeant Gallon a different outlook on his job, and he was more than happy to display his Air Force pride among the Marines.

“When the Marines passed me, they would say, ‘ooh-rah,’ and when I passed them I would say, ‘Airpower!’ and they liked that,” Sergeant Gallon said. “They liked that I had pride in my service.”

Having pride in his service and knowledge of his job is what makes Sergeant Gallon a respected and experienced dog handler.

(Sergeant Gallon) has the ability to interact with a variety of people, which is what allowed him to integrate so well with the Marines, said Staff Sgt. Nancy Gonzalez, 52nd SFS NCOIC of the Installation Access Control Systems. “Leave it to him to be selected as the kennel master, in charge of several Marines. He is very respected by the Airmen and his peers.”

On a normal air expeditionary force deployment, the sergeant’s main mission would have been air base defense and acting as a deterrent to hostile forces. This deployment was one of the first times an Air Force K-9 had supported combat operations since the Vietnam War, Sergeant Gallon said.

“I don’t think I would have been involved in raids on insurgent safe houses for weapons caches, conducted sweeps for roadside bombs with recon units or cleared a section of an underground tunnel system if it wasn’t for deploying to a Marine camp,” he said.

Working with the Marines changed his outlook on the magnitude of his job and the skills he learned throughout his security forces career, Sergeant Gallon said.

“The Marines are more offensive minded and have a ‘let’s go get ‘em’ attitude,” Sergeant Gallon said. “All the things I trained to do with Alan I actually got to do first-hand in one of the most dangerous places in the world. We measured up to the task.”