Warrior dog

Will Chesney, 1984-

Book - 2020

"The powerful true story of a SEAL Team Six member and military dog handler, and the dog that saved his life. Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden's compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. This is Cairo's story, and that of his handler, Will Chesney, a member of SEAL Team Six whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo's. Starting in 2008, when Will was introduced to the DEVGRU canine program, he and Cairo worked side by side, depending on each other for survival on hundreds of critical operations in the war on terrorism. But their bond transcended their service. Then, in 2011, the call came: Pick up your dog and get back t...o Virginia. Now. What followed were several weeks of training for a secret mission. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary operation. Cairo was among the first members of the U.S. military on the ground in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the successful elimination of bin Laden. As Cairo settled into a role as a reliable "spare dog," Will went back to his job as a DEVGRU operator, until a grenade blast in 2013 left him with a brain injury and PTSD. Unable to participate in further missions, he suffered from crippling migraines, chronic pain, memory issues, and depression. Modern medicine provided only modest relief. Instead, it was up to Cairo to save Will's life once more-and then up to Will to be there when Cairo needed him the most"--

Saved in:

Children's Room Show me where

j636.7088/Chesney
0 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room j636.7088/Chesney Due Jan 7, 2025
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--8--Written in smooth first-person narration, this book tells the often sad story of Chesney and his best friend Cairo, a 70-pound Belgian Malinois. Chesney, who had been a SEAL for most of his six years in the Navy, became the handler of Cairo, a military working dog (MWD). Chesney and Cairo trained together, along with Chesney's team, and became a cohesive duo. In addition to conducting reconnaissance missions and searching for hidden explosives, Cairo was trained to find and attack any enemies who were a potential threat to the team. In 2008, Chesney and Cairo were ordered to Virginia for special training. The purpose of this mission was to capture and/or kill Osama bin Laden. The book's narrative eventually focuses on how Chesney helped nurse Cairo back to health and active duty after he was seriously injured by enemy fire. Cairo's deployments dwindled until he was reclassified as a spare MWD. Chesney's deployments continued to put him in harm's way until he got a severe back injury from a grenade blast in 2013. Though Chesney healed, he was seldom without pain. His best therapy turned out to be Cairo. VERDICT An excellent choice for readers who enjoy stories about military working dogs. Pair with Nancy Roe Pimm's Bonded by Battle: The Powerful Friendships of Military Dogs and Soldiers, from the Civil War to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Rebecca Frankel's War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love.--Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.