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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This joint resolution designates March 13 as "K9 Veterans Day."
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This resolution:
12 ▸ recognizes that the United States War Dog Program was established to utilize the
13 unique skills of dogs;
14 ▸ recognizes and describes military working dogs' service to the United States Armed
15 Forces; and
16 ▸ calls for the designation of "K9 Veterans Day" to commemorate the lives of military
17 working dogs that serve.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
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21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
22 WHEREAS, during World War I, the United States employed sled dogs at military
23 stations in Alaska where they were employed when snow and ice precluded horses, mules, and
24 motorized transportation;
25 WHEREAS, because of the success of military working dogs in World War I, in
26 January 1942, a private establishment called Dogs for Defense recruited dogs from the public
27 for the United States military's War Dog Program;
28 WHEREAS, during Dogs for Defense's three years of operation, Dogs for Defense
29 procured approximately 20,000 dogs that were trained for messenger, mine-detection, sentry,
30 sled, and scout duties;
31 WHEREAS, more than 10,000 dogs from the Dogs for Defense procurement process
32 finished training for some form of war work;
33 WHEREAS, in 1944, nearly 2,000 trained military working dogs were shipped overseas
34 and approximately 8,500 were stationed in United States military stations;
35 WHEREAS, by the end of World War II, 1,600 military working dogs were trained to
36 scout and deployed overseas;
37 WHEREAS, the United States Armed Forces employed around 1,500 military working
38 dogs during the Korean War, 4,000 military working dogs during the Vietnam War, and 500
39 military working dog teams in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts;
40 WHEREAS, the presence of military working dogs lessens the danger of military
41 ambush;
42 WHEREAS, the presence of military working dogs saves and protects service members'
43 lives;
44 WHEREAS, military working dogs selflessly serve and should be commemorated for
45 their service;
46 WHEREAS, March 13, 1942, is the official birthday of the United States War Dog
47 Program:
48 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah,
49 designates March 13 of each year as "K9 Veterans Day."