A fitting tribute

For more than a decade, he served at least six tours in Afghanistan in one of the most dangerous jobs.

With each tour consisting of 12-15 months, he sniffed locations and vehicles for bombs, checked out visitors to the compound and provided security when most soldiers called it a night.

Pvt. Binky served his country well with many thanking him for a job well done for possibly saving thousands of lives with his unique talent. Like many who deployed to a foreign land, Binky served with the best and as such was rewarded with a pat to the head or an extra bowl of chow.

Binky, a Belgian Mallinois, fought his greatest enemy and lost. He died April 23 after a valiant fight against cancer.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1002 in Fallon conducted a ceremony to recognize the 14-year-old Binky, a military and later a civilian working dog. VFW Chaplain Jay Goodrich read several prayers for the working dog, and the ceremonial team fired a 3-volley salute followed by the playing of Taps.

Mike Terry, a VFW member and retired Navy chief petty officer, said Binky served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003. Records for the dog are incomplete until his medical file showed him working for a civilian contractor from 2007 to 2013.

One of his last handlers, Spc. Adam Watson of Fallon, spent many hours in 2012 and early 2013 with Binky at Camp Phoenix, a post outside of Kabul. When Binky retired from duty in November 2013, Watson was able to adopt Binky.

“He spent most of his time in Afghanistan before I was assigned to work with him,” said Watson, a veterinarian technician in the Army who is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.

By wading through red tape, Watson succeeded in having Binky flown to the United States where they reunited. Watson had Binky for a short time, but because the Fallon soldier was single, the Army did not allow him to keep and care for the dog.

Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and Fallon policeman Tony Giove stepped in to care for Binky as one of his own K-9s. The last months of Binky’s life, though, took an ironic turn.

“I took him to the vet with something in his foot, but tests showed bone cancer,” Giove said. “That cancer spread fast.”

After serving valiantly in Afghanistan and surviving war, the private lost his life to a dreaded disease.

Giove, Watson and the VFW felt it was necessary to give Binky a proper military ceremony. Watson, still visibly upset after the ceremony, said Binky was asked to do his job.

“No telling how many American lives he saved,” Watson said.

Although the Belgian Mallinois is known for its ferocity, Giove said Binky was not a “bite” dog.

“He was very gentle,” Giove said, his voice beginning to crack.