The training Officier told them, when they get to their dog unit in Viet Nam, Just tell them you didn't take the training, and they will just send you to a striaght leg MP Co. Well, that sounded good on Okinawa, but it was another story when you got in country!!!!! In the 212th MP's the guys were told to select a dog and they would learn on the job (OJT).

I had to give you the background info for my little story. You see every class that went through training on Okinawa was told the same story. SOOOO, weeks later I'm on the ammo dump at Long Binh. Another class has arrived from Okinawa. I'm on my post with Donner and the handler on the ajoining post walks over to me. I didn't really know him, and I could see he was lets say a little nervous. We got talking and he tells me how the Army lied to him on Okinawa and here he was in Viet Nam the very first night and he didn't have any idea what he was doing with his dog.

Then it happened----------He asked me how will he know if his dog picks up something??? I thought to myself, "I'll have some fun with this guy!" I said "I don't know about your dog, but when Donner gets an alert, he stops.I get on one knee beside him.He then puts his paw on my shoulder and whispers in my ear, where they are, and if the wind is just right, he can tell me what there mission is, how many, and on an exceptionally good wind their names and rank!" He looked at me and said "How long did it take you to teach him to do that?" And he was dead serious!! I had to laugh and told him what to really watch his dog do. OJT (On The Job Training) is fine in the Army as long as someone takes the time to let a new guy (FNG) know a little bit of what he is suppose to do. I think I helped the guy out that night. Later that night when Donner and I was alone, Donner looked at me and just shook his head and we both laughed-----------FNG's