Master Sergeant Bo finds comfort with his handler’s family
by Barbara J. Koll, Best Friends Network VolunteerBo is a 2-ear old black Labrador with extensive specialized training in bomb search operations. Up until last week ago Bo was a military working dog and part of a specialized search team along with Staff Sergeant Donald Tabb. In an emotional ceremony at the Gwinnett County Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Bo was officially retired after being wounded in a roadside bombing that killed his handler and partner and protector in Afghanistan in early February.
Staff Sergeant Tabb, an Atlanta native serving his fourth deployment with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, was killed when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Bo, who was trained to clear roadways and find explosives, survived the explosion and has been adopted by Tabb’s family. Bo and Tabb trained together, graduating in March 2007 from the Defense Department’s Dog Training Center at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. They served with the Military Working Dog Section in the 6th Military Police Detachment, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Traditionally, a military working dog outranks his handler by one grade. Tabb was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class at the ceremony and Bo was officially retired as a master sergeant. During the ceremony Tabb’s family was also given Tabb’s Purple Heart and Bronze Star in honor of the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country.
Military working dogs and their handlers form a powerful bond as they train together and face death on a regular basis. Bo was with Tabb’s family during Tabb’s funeral and will now be there to comfort them as they work through the grief of their loss. Likewise, they will be there to comfort Bo as he misses his partner and adjusts to life as a “civilian.”
Photo unrelated to story; courtesy of MorgueFile.com.