Recently on the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, an honor guard lined a walkway in Cypress, Texas, to pay tribute to an American hero.

But this wasn't a military-inspired event.The honor guard comprised fire department, police rescue and other emergency service personnel. They were saluting a golden retriever named Bretagne (pronounced Brittany), the last of the ground zero search dogs to serve in New York City after the 9/11 attacks.In recent weeks, Bretagne began experiencing kidney failure and slowing down. When she entered the veterinary office at Fairfield Animal Hospital that day it was her final walk before being put to sleep. Honor guards again lined the walkway as Bretagne departed the animal hospital, her body draped in an American flag. In her 16 years, Bretagne lived the life of a true American action hero. In addition to search and rescue duty at ground zero, she was also deployed with a search team in response to national disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ivan.Just a few weeks ago, she made the last of her regular visits to an elementary school classroom. With her calm demeanor, Bretagne was very popular among those with special needs, including students with autism.Stories about the specially trained rescue and military dogs never cease to amaze us and our newspaper has featured a number of them. One was a bomb-sniffing yellow Labrador named Gabe who befriended a former Lansford man in 2006 when the pair was preparing to deploy to Iraq.Gabe and Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles "Chuck" Shuck completed 210 combat missions together, traveling through the enemy danger zones of Iraq. Sadly, Gabe succumbed to cancer at the age of 10 on Feb. 13, 2013, just five months after being named the 2012 American Humane Association's Hero Dog.Earlier this year, the Times News ran another story about a dog named Skye, who was part of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's K-9 program. After White Haven Police had been unsuccessful in locating a person believed to be hunting on institutional grounds, Skye was brought in and immediately led authorities to their man.Skye came from Maranatha Farm Kennels in West Buxton, Maine, which has produced numerous canines expert in tracking, article detection and wildlife detection as well as dogs for search and rescue work.On the military side, organizations like Hero Dogs Inc., a Maryland nonprofit, raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with our nation's veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence. It's been estimated these four-legged heroes have saved tens of thousands of lives since World War II, when the U.S. embarked on its military working dog program. Last Veterans Day, the Smithsonian Channel aired an inspiring story about a 10-year-old German shepherd named Chopper and his handler, former Navy SEAL Trevor Maroshek.The training regime for SEAL dog teams is quite extensive, from rock climbing to sniper missions and target takedowns. Chopper and Maroshek developed a close relationship, from training to combat. Bonding between the K-9 and handler grows so tight that they develop a "sixth sense," allowing the dog to become part of his handler. The handler is constantly aware of what the dog is doing, even allowing for nonverbal commands in the darkness.In one mission, Chopper was credited with helping save the lives of more than a dozen Special Forces team members in Afghanistan after tracking down and then attacking Taliban hiding in the bushes. The enemy soldiers were prepared to detonate explosives buried beneath the U.S. base. After a decade of combat, Maroshek found himself not only dealing with the effects of two traumatic brain injuries, but also with post-traumatic stress. His retirement with Chopper inspired him to create the Seal Dog Foundation, a nonprofit that provides support to veterans and their families. Through the foundation, therapy dogs like Chopper are placed with the soldiers as they transition to civilian life.Maroshek credits Chopper with saving his life, referring to him as "kind of an angel."Many others whose lives have been touched in a special way by their own four-legged heroes would agree.By Jim Zbick |

tneditor@tnonline.com