When Alfred Brenner enlisted in the Marines, he was told that the K-9 unit got to travel with air conditioning so he volunteered, even though he didn’t really know anything about dogs. He was assigned a German shepherd named Grief and these two forged a bond during four months of training and in combat in Afghanistan. 

Alfred explains the role of a K-9 team as part of a platoon, how they train the dogs to detect explosives and bravely lead the way on patrol in enemy territory. This highly dangerous work eventually led to tragedy. Discovering a powerful IED, Grief was killed, and Alfred was grievously wounded. He ultimately recovered.

Now a confirmed dog lover, Alfred recounts his unique experience and the job of these canine heroes in our military in his book, Surviving with Grief.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com