Our organization is supported and enhanced by a number of chapters that concentrate on and drive forward specific facets of our mission.

We spoke to Phil Weitlauf – founder and head of US War Dogs Association’s Chapter #4, Northern Midwest Region, the Michigan War Dog Memorial, about what drives their passion and some of the achievements that Phil has been most proud of.

The tale of the Michigan War Dog Memorial’s beginnings is like the plot of a movie. “I was told about an abandoned war dog memorial, buried deep in the scrub of thick woodland”, explains Phil Weitlauf – founder and custodian of the facility. “It piqued my interest, so I took my German Shepherd companion, Cody, to check it out.”

Wading through the thick brush, Cody and Phil – a US Army veteran – located the overgrown memorial, which, Phil later discovered, was established to honour Sgt Sparks – a US Marine Corps dog who served in four major campaigns during WWII. “The memorial was located in a pet cemetery, that was originally set up in 1936 but had fallen into disrepair in the 80s. When Cody and I found it, I heard myself uttering those classic words: ‘someone should do something about this’. The feeling nagged at me to the point where I knew that ‘someone’ was me.”

Phil, who had just retired from his corporate job, decided to clean up the memorial and surrounding area so that people could enjoy and remember once more. I put a call out to my veteran buddies, K-9 supporters and other local volunteers and when 55 people showed up, I thought, ‘we’ve really got something here’.

Written in the Stars

Phil set about reactivating the site for burials and as a place where people could come and pay their respects to military working dogs and police dogs – both of whom would be granted burial rights inside the cemetery.

The clean-up of the two-acre site took two years and with each passing task – whether it was asking for physical or financial help, reactivating the legal use of the cemetery or changing the name – Phil couldn’t help but feel his crossing paths with the cemetery was meant to be. Phil recalls: “It’s like the fire was waiting to be lit on getting this thing going again. All I had to do was strike the match. It really was the most delightful domino effect as the more people I spoke to about the memorial, the more support we got.”

In 2013, the Michigan War Dog Memorial staged its first ever interment for TSA dog Buddy. “We had a vision for how the ceremonies would be conducted and as the first one, Buddy’s service was beautiful. We had bagpipers escort the family into the cemetery and the service featured a prayer from a retired Air Force chaplain Col. Mindy Albright, as well a personal tribute from Buddy’s adoptive owner in retirement, Tracy Sprader.

“Buddy’s ceremony set the stage for how this thing was going to go. We now needed to raise awareness of our presence and let people know that their dogs could be interred here and buried with full honors, which would all be offered at no cost to the handler or adoptive family.”

Pomp and Ceremony

The level of thought and detail that goes into a single interment for a dog is mind-blowing. Phil and his team think of every detail to make the day a perfect tribute and a moment to remember.

Veteran Service Organizations including Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Veterans Association stage an honor guard, which is led into the cemetery by a band of bagpipers. The handler or adoptive family then follow with the remains of the dog, along with a procession of 12 German shepherds.

A table of honor is set up on a specially erected stage and Phil takes the lead in opening the ceremony, which is often recorded. “We create an order of service with details of the dog’s career and life, along with pictures of the dog, supplied by the family."

Phil explains: “Following the invocation by our retired Air Force chaplain Col. Mindy Albright, the handler or owner is invited to say a few words about the dog’s life and service, which is often very emotional. Once they return to their seat, they are presented with a folded American flag and a sketch of their dog, created by a volunteer artist on our team.

“We then play taps and the pipers play Amazing Grace, which takes on a celestial tone as the sound rises into the trees.

“One of our band of German shepherds that process into the ceremony has been trained to howl on command for 20 seconds: a K-9 salute to their fallen comrade. Finally, we have the missing dog formation, where the K-9 salute team members process out of the cemetery and while they are doing this, one dog team breaks away from the formation to leave a gap that represents our fallen K-9.”

With over 57 dogs having received interments at MWDM, there are countless experiences and testimonials of the power of the format and the solemnity of the event. US War Dogs president, Chris Willingham, attended the interment of his US Marine Corps specialized search dog, Lucca, in 2021.

Chris said: “Phil reached out to me after Lucca died in 2018 but I wasn’t ready to go through the ceremony. After a couple of years though, it felt like the right time to give Lucca the burial she deserved. Being on the receiving end of the intricacies and details of a MWDM service was truly humbling and was an experience I will never forget. I was fortunate to share the occasion with Lucca’s second handler, Juan Rodriguez. We both shed some tears for her again that day.”

Vietnam

With the stage set and the mission laid out for MWDM, Phil set up a committee and began setting annual goals for what they wanted to achieve. “A great team is key”, says Phil. “Our committee helps share the load when it comes to planning the interments and fundraising for key projects, such as key memorials to honor dogs in specific conflicts. The first specific memorial I wanted to have dedicated on the site was for all the dogs that served in Vietnam.”

With 4,238 dogs deploying to Vietnam and only 204 that returned to US soil following the conflict, the role of dogs in the Vietnam conflict has long been a source of tremendous grief for the handlers who worked alongside them and the dog-loving Americans who railed against policy decisions not to bring them home. “The heart-breaking decision was given to dog handlers to either surrender their dogs to the South Vietnamese Army or to have the dogs euthanized. Most chose the latter.”

It became of paramount importance to Phil to record the name and tattoo number of every dog that served in Vietnam. “Two years into it and I still hadn’t gathered all the names, then a contact introduced me to John Burnham – acclaimed author and the man behind the Guardians of America’s Freedom monument outside Lackland Air Force Base. Within a couple of hours of speaking to John, I had all the names and tattoo numbers in my inbox. It was incredible.”

Phil had an idea of how he wanted the monument to look. “Like the Vietnam memorial in D.C, I saw a black granite wall with the names of all the dogs inscribed onto it. I spoke to a fabricator in Lebanon, OH, who made a computer drawing that matched my thoughts to the letter. He calculated the size of the wall, now we had all four thousand-plus names and, with the application of some generous discount, he also calculated the cost.”

Phil made an arrangement to pay the fabricator piecemeal, with whatever he had managed to raise of the $40,000 total. “We raised $8,000 in the first three months”, notes Phil, “but we still had a long way to go.”

That was until Phil received a phone call from a Vietnam dog handler who had heard about the project. “My dog was Dawn. Will she be on it?”

“Yes sir”, I said with fervour in my voice.

“In that case, I’d like to make a donation.”

The gentleman wrote a check for $20,000. “That’s how much it meant to him, for us to do this. It was yet another nod of approval for what we were doing – it gave us a real boost to keep going.”

The Vietnam K-9 Memorial Wall gave rise for the first opportunity for Phil to reach out to US War Dogs Association. “I contacted president Ron Aeillo in 2016 to explain what we were doing and invite him to speak at the dedication. Not only did he agree, but he also donated the remaining $12,000 to cover the rest of the monument costs. We were absolutely made up.”

Ron and John Burnham came to the unveiling ceremony of the memorial in 2017, which was also attended by 40 former Vietnam dog handlers.

“Ron and John unveiled the monument, which was covered with a parachute silk. Once the wall was exposed, I put out the call: ‘Alright guys, go find your dog.’

“The fellas stayed at that wall for two hours. I think it helped them to have closure with their K-9 companions. The bond and love they have with their battle buddy never died. It really was very special.”

Phil credits Ron Aeillo and John Burnham for bringing the knowledge and background to the table to help make the memorial a real success. “I’ve never been a dog handler, so their insights were absolutely invaluable. To this day, that memorial means so much to those veterans and their families. I am hugely proud of what we achieved with the Vietnam Memorial and the legacy it has created for a whole generation of dog handlers.”

Levelling Up

Following the Vietnam Memorial dedication, Ron made Phil an offer he couldn’t refuse. “While we were at the dedication, Ron handed me a check for $10,000 to help us to continue our vital work. It instantly took the pressure off us as far as immediate fundraising needs and allowed us to plan for the future.

“Not only that, but Ron also offered for MWDM to become an official chapter of US War Dogs, meaning that we would maintain our own status but receive regular financial support from the organization.”

Memorable Memorials

With over 57 dogs so far having received individual interments inside the cemetery, there have been countless special moments shared inside the gates of the Michigan War Dog Memorial. But can Phil pinpoint some of his most memorable moments?

“One interment that really sticks out for me was that of MWD Cena, a US Marine explosive detection dog. He was a beautiful black Labrador who enjoyed three incredible years in retirement with his handler before receiving a bone cancer diagnosis.

“The handler wanted his dog to feel the wind in his face one more time, so rented a Jeep and drove the three hours from his home to the Navy Museum in Michigan, where a veterinarian was waiting to put the dog to sleep. What was incredible was that a convoy of 80 ‘Jeepers’, adorned in American flags, escorted dog and handler cross country to the Museum, with a second convoy taking Cena and his handler to the cemetery, where 450 people gathered for the burial.

“It was a huge moment of solidarity in grief and grateful thanks to Cena’s service, which was picked up by national news outlets. It was a very special moment.”

Enduring Pride

Reflecting on the last ten years of achievements, Phil reflects: “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to honor these dogs in this way. It’s the little moments when handlers come and give me a hearty embrace of gratitude for what we have done to remember their dog – it means the world. This work makes me complete and I feel so lucky to have found this path. We have created the Arlington for dogs and it still takes my breath away, what we’ve managed to achieve with the support and help of so many passionate and dedicated people.”

But how does Phil cope with the heavy burden of grief and sadness? “An air of professionalism takes over, much like – I suspect – how funeral directors deal with the business of human death. There are times that the professional face slips, though.

“After I lost Cody, we were conducting an interment and I had a ‘Cody wave’ and I lost my breath. I had to step away. But succumbing to the emotion of losing our K-9 friends is nothing new. Big, bold, Marine guys break down during the services – such is the weight of the emotion and the solemnity of the occasion.

“Around 150 people often attend the interments – all of whom are quiet and dignified. They really add something special to the occasion, coming out to share the moment with the family and handlers of the dogs’ ‘final hour’.”

Future-Proof

Phil’s diligence and hard work to bring the MWDM to life has been nothing short of awe-inspiring, but the aspirations for the cemetery and its mission show no signs of slowing down. “We will continue with full steam, to honor military and law enforcement K-9s at the cemetery, but as we look to the future, we have to be smart about our activity to make sure we can continue.

“We are now looking into fitting a columbarium which will house 96 compartments, to provide a final resting place to dogs. We also want to expand our scope to include therapy, search and rescue and assistance dogs – all of whom provide priceless devotion and service to their owners and to their community.”

Phil is all-to aware of his own time limitations. “I’m not getting any younger, so succession planning is a key part of my work for the next period of time. Finding someone to carry on this mission will be difficult but I believe there is someone out there who is right for the task.”

In the meantime for Phil, though, it’s business as usual. “We are always looking ahead to our next ceremony.

“So long as there are dogs for us to honor, we will keep doing what we do with pride.”