In the Aroostook County town of Washburn, a bronze German shepherd will honor the military dogs of the former Loring Air Force Base.
The sculpture and memorial installation will be unveiled at Washburn’s Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, Aug. 16, during the town’s annual August Festival.
About 100 sentry and guard dogs patrolled Loring with their handlers day and night, no matter the weather. A small cemetery on the base holds about 14 dogs who died there, but nothing existed to honor all the canine guards. For one local veteran who has helped the park add a new military tribute for eight years, it’s a recognition long overdue.
“I can’t let go that there’s nothing at Loring to honor all the dogs, because they’re veterans. And we’re going to do that,” said Larry Harrison, a retired Air Force master sergeant and the project organizer. “It’s been a labor of love.”
Harrison, who spent 16 years at Loring, spearheaded a fundraising campaign early this spring for the $9,700 project with the backing of the Washburn Rotary Club. The site includes the bronze sculpture, a granite monument, a pathway of memorial bricks containing the dogs’ and handlers’ names and an information board with photos.
It took some time to discover all those who served, Harrison said. He visited the Loring Air Museum to research the names of the soldiers and their canines, then cross-checked several times to make sure there were no duplications. The task was complicated by the fact that some handlers worked with several dogs during their service.
He’s glad everything came together, he said Thursday afternoon as he and several others worked in the park, completing groundwork in preparation to place 46 memorial bricks in a pathway by the sculpture.
There’s room for 120 bricks in the spot, so more will be added as funds come in, Harrison said.
A highlight of the process has been talking with the veterans about their service companions. One of those conversations inspired the naming of the bronze dog, which will be called Farro.
James St. Thomas Jr., who lived in Presque Isle and Caribou, served at Loring. He and his dog, Farro, were in the base’s first local canine training class in 1964, Harrison said. Previously, dogs were trained at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas or elsewhere.
St. Thomas retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant and died in 2013. Harrison has talked with a family member, who was moved to learn the sculpture in Washburn would be named after the original Farro. Some of the family will attend the unveiling, Harrison said.
Veterans from elsewhere in Maine also plan to come north for the celebration, including David Priest of Milford and Donald Pelkey of Mattawamkeag, Harrison said.
Priest and his canine partner, Skeeze, are on one of the pathway bricks. Skeeze was his third dog and remained with him until he left the military in 1972.
“I doubt if anyone on base other than security police and a few people around the flight line knew these noble beasts worked every night from sunset to sunrise,” Priest said in April. “If we don’t remember them, no one will.”
That’s what inspired Harrison to start the project in the first place. The dogs served alongside human soldiers to protect the base’s planes, nuclear areas and personnel, and he believes they should be honored. He pointed to the Military Working Dog Creed printed on the park information board.
“It says, ‘Trust in me, my friend, for I am your comrade. I will protect you with my last breath,’” he said. “They’re heroes, just like all veterans.”
The unveiling ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the park. There will be readings and a ribbon cutting, and Harrison will play a recording of a song written by a veteran about his patrol dog.
The public is welcome to attend.
