the gunfire started. Kitts grabbed
Dyngo and pulled him down to the
ground, his back against a mud wall.
The next thing Kitts heard was a whis-
tling sound, high and fast, flying past
them at close range. Just feet from
where they were sitting, an explosion
shook the ground. Dyngo whimpered
and whined, his thick tail tucked be-
tween his legs. The grenade explo-
sion had registered much deeper and
louder to his canine ears. Knowing
he had to distract him, Kitts grabbed
a twig, and dog and handler engaged
in a manic tug-of-war until Dyngo re-
laxed. Then Kitts dropped the branch
and returned fire over the wall.Airborne Division would
make its way on foot to
nearby villages, connect-
ing with community el-
ders to find out whether
Taliban operatives were
planting improvised ex-
plosive devices (IEDs) in
the area. Kitts and Dyngo
walked in front to clear
the road ahead. After six
months of these scouting
missions, Kitts trusted
that Dyngo would keep
him safe.
They were in a grape
field a little more than
a mile outside the out-
post when Dyngo’s ears
perked up, his tail stiff-
ened, and his sniffing
intensified. It wasn’t a
full alert, but Kitts knew Dyngo well
enough to know he’d picked up the
odor of an IED. He signaled the pla-
toon leader. “There’s something over
there, or there’s not,” Kitts said. “But
my dog is showing me enough. We
should not continue going that way.”
The rest of the soldiers took cover
while Kitts walked Dyngo to the other
end of the path to clear a secure route
out. They’d gone barely 300 yards
when Kitts saw Dyngo’s nose start to
work faster. His ears perked and his
tail stopped. He was on odor again.
If Dyngo was right, there were two
bombs: one obstructing each path out
of the field. They were trapped. ThenAFTER SIX MONTHS OF SCOUTING
MISSIONS, KITTS TRUSTED THAT
DYNGO WOULD KEEP HIM SAFE.rd.com 89co
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Drama in Real LifeAir Force staff sergeant Justin Kitts and his faithful
canine companion on duty in Afghanistan