Small Town Times
Issue 2-8
Litchfield Public Schools PO Box 167 Litchfield, NE 68852-0167 Phone: 308-446-2244
March 2017
NATIONAL K9 VETERANS DAY( March 13 th)
By: Rachel Linden
Dogs are amazing creatures aren’ t they? They have stood by their people, helping in any way they can, for hundreds of years. Out of all the remarkable things they do, though, jumping into battle is one of the most amazing.
Student Editors: Rachel Linden, Amanda McClain, Tyren Howard, Joseph Ptacnik, RaNay Casper
Newsletter Advisor:
Mrs. Nikia Hunt nikia. hunt @ litchfieldps. org
Inside this Issue
1 National K9 Veterans Day 2 Senior Spotlight 2 Dr. Seuss’ s Birthday 3 National Puppy Day 3 Digital Citizenship Conference 4 Sports Highlights 5 FFA News / Updates 6 February School Board Minutes 7 General Fund 7 Principal’ s Report 8 Superintendent’ s Report
10 Counselor’ s Corner 12 March Lunch Menu 13 FBLA News / Updates 14 March Activities / Events Calendar 15 Music Dept. News / Updates 16 Early Years Preschool Newsletter
The earliest record of dogs being used in war is 600 B. C. Greeks and Romans were likely the first users of dogs in warfare. They sent formations of attack dogs, complete with spiked armor, to harass and cause general disturbance throughout enemy lines. Napoleon used dogs in 1798 by chaining them to the walls of Alexandria to warn of impending attack and help delay attackers. During World War I, German and French armies used an estimated 50,000 trained dogs as sentries, scouts, messengers, casualty dogs, and ammunition carriers. Similarly, the British and Belgians loaned trained dogs to the American Expeditionary Forces late in the war.
Today, 2500 dogs serve in the U. S. Military. They are trained to track, defend, and detect drugs / explosives. Currently, the German Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd, and Belgian Malinois have proven to be some of the best choices for patrol and detection work. Other breeds such as the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and other sporting dogs have been used in support of the Transportation Security Administration mission.
It is only appropriate that a special day has been set aside to salute these courageous canines. National K9 Veterans Day, which falls on March 13 th, honors all military and working dogs for their service and sacrifices made for our nation. This day was chosen because it is the official birthday of the U. S. Army K9 Corps, which was formed in 1942. So, on March 13 th, honor our K9 Veterans by using # NationalK9VeteransDay to post on social media.
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