FORT CARSON, Colo. — A group is wanting to honor America’s Forgotten Heroes with a bronze statue at a local park.
Ruby and Wade Ridpath are the proud handlers of retired war dogs Heky and Tomo.
Heky is a Dutch Shepard who served as bomb detector in two deployments in Afghanistan. Tomo spent 7 years in Kuwait. They have the patches on their protective vests to prove it. In Tomo’s case, he has injuries too. He lost her hearing in one ear and had to have reconstructive surgery on the other.
The Ridpaths have had three other dogs since 2011. “They go through the same things a soldier does and even suffer from PTSD,” Ruby said. “They carry out orders for the pure satisfaction of a pat on the head or a dog treat. We believe they need to be recognized for their service.”
Now, they’re trying to raise awareness with a bronze War Dog Memorial to be erected at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. The unveiling will be on June 20th of this year. It’s been four years in the making and hasn’t been cheap. A sculptor is nearly finished but funding is still needed.
If you’d like to know more about the project, dogs or fundraising, click here to go to their website.
