K-9 competition honors soldiers who gave lives
A trained dog is being donated to Alliance police in honor of a fallen soldier.
By KATIE LIBECCO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
VIENNA -- It's a competition in which the participants aren't worried about winning or losing. It's about honoring real heroes.
Nine police officers and their K-9 partners are competing this weekend in the National K-9 Competition at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station held by the Northeast Ohio Dog Training Academy to honor fallen soldiers.
The event, which began Saturday and ends today, includes obedience and obstacle courses, building and area searches, narcotics searches and criminal apprehension with bite work.
"The officers aren't here to prove their dogs are better than anyone else's; they're here to honor fallen soldiers," said Paul Piergiovanni, NODTA master trainer. "That's what this is all about."
Being memorialized
The two soldiers that the event is focusing on are Sgt. 1st Class Pedro Munoz, nicknamed "Papi," an Army Special Forces soldier and Golden Knight, who was killed while conducting an operation against enemy forces in Shindand, Afghanistan, on Jan. 2; and Sgt. Nathan Rock, a Marine sniper, who was killed in Iraq. Rock also was a part-time police officer for the Martins Ferry Police Department.
"We're hoping to raise a lot of money and support for these soldiers' families," said Tom Colosimo, NODTA assistant head trainer.
Three members of Munoz's Army unit and Rock's father will attend the memorial ceremony this afternoon to speak on their behalf.
Through a Chinese auction, raffles, entry fees, shirt sales and donations, the families of Munoz and Rock will each be presented with Marine swords, plaques and a cash contribution of $1,000.
Dog donation
In addition to the gifts, the largest sponsor of the event, Dogs Against Drugs, Dogs Against Crimes, is donating a fully trained German shepherd K-9, with a bulletproof vest, to the Alliance Police Department. The K-9 is named Papi to honor Munoz. The department will attend the event today to formally accept Papi.
Nonprofit organization
DAD-DAC is a nonprofit organization created by Darren Sparks of Anderson, Ind., who attended the event. The organization promotes police K-9 programs.
Sparks also paid for the families and friends of the fallen soldiers to attend the memorial ceremony today, the Marine swords and items that were used in the Chinese auction.
Coordinators of the event said 150 civilians and base employees registered to attend the weekend events.
"I really don't care where I finish. It's about the camaraderie and honoring the soldiers," John Wilt said, a K-9 officer from Alliance. "It's always great when K-9 guys get together; we tend to be laid back."
Wilt competed with his partner, Oz, whom he had been working with for four or five months.
"This is a lot of fun for the dogs. They are bred to work, that's the difference between them and pets," Wilt said. "This is playing for them."
Annual event
Colosimo and Piergiovanni said NODTA, based in Girard, plans on making the competition an annual event at the air base. They also said every year they would donate a trained dog in honor of a fallen soldier.
"This is about the camaraderie, having a point of contact. Most of these officers don't know each other, but they are standing around talking like best friends," Piergiovanni said. "They just have one thing in common -- and that's the dog."