Constant Vigilance: Honoring Our Fallen SOF K9s and the Names We Refuse to Let Go Silent

A heart-wrenching farewell to Combat Assault Dog Duco, wrapped in the American flag Rick Hogg carried in combat, as Rick lies beside him in a poignant moment of grief and gratitude for their shared service.

The Day Duco Took His Last Breath

On July 5, 2021, around 1600 EST, Combat Assault Dog Duco took his last breath. And with it, a part of my soul left as well. If you’ve never worked a dog in combat, that might sound dramatic. If you have, you already understand why it isn’t. These dogs don’t just work alongside you. In the dark, under pressure, with lives on the line, they become an extension of you.

Until we meet again, buddy, when we can throw the ball once more.

And to every Special Operations Forces K9, past, present, and future, Godspeed, and happy hunting.

Why We Built the SOF K9 Memorial

The SOF K9 Memorial Foundation was created by SOF K9 members to honor the dogs who paid the ultimate price. Funds were raised and sculptor Lena Toritch was commissioned to create the statue, an absolute work of art depicting a Belgian Malinois in a full assault vest with detail that will stop you in your tracks if you know what you’re looking at.

This isn’t a “nice monument.” It’s a standard. It’s a reminder. It’s a promise that these teammates won’t become a footnote.

Where the Sentry Stands

On July 27, 2013, the SOF K9 Memorial was dedicated in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. The memorial is positioned so the K9 faces Iron Mike and the museum’s front doors, like a sentry guarding the legends of airborne and special operations.

And if that sounds symbolic, good. It’s supposed to.

Because every handler knows the truth: the dog doesn’t get to “clock out.” The dog stays on duty, watching, listening, reading the world in a language most humans will never fully understand.

“Constant Vigilance” Isn’t a Catchphrase

At the base of the statue is the phrase “CONSTANT VIGILANCE.” And right beneath it is the truth every handler carries: the bond between a SOF handler and his K9 is eternal. 

That bond is built in repetition and pressure, day after day, until the dog trusts you with his life and you trust him with yours. It’s built in training, then proven in combat.

“Constant vigilance” isn’t a motto you slap on a t-shirt. It’s what keeps you alive. It’s what keeps your team alive. It’s what makes a war dog the greatest combat multiplier on the battlefield.

Always trust the dog.

The Pavers: Proof This Fight Was Shared

At the memorial, 67 pavers bear the names of SOF K9s from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia who have been killed in action protecting their pack since the September 11 attacks.

Let that settle in.

This wasn’t one unit’s burden. This wasn’t one country’s sacrifice. This was a shared cost paid by teams who hunted at night, moved in silence, and fought in places most people can’t find on a map.

And those pavers are there for one reason: so the names don’t disappear.

SOF K9 Rocky: The Night I Learned What Loss Looks Like

Rocky was a Dutch Shepherd, killed in action February 23, 2005, Iraq. He was one of the first dogs I worked with in training and in combat. I remember the night he was killed. He died doing what he loved: protecting his teammates. Rocky saved lives that night.

Seeing his lifeless body carried by his handler, and the pain on that handler’s face, is something I’ll never forget.

Here’s what people don’t understand until it’s them: the gear comes off. The assault vest comes off. The collar comes off. And you realize you dressed your partner hours earlier, then the mission took him.

Godspeed, Rocky. You are never forgotten.

SOF K9 Arcos: The Night the Dog Beat the “Eye in the Sky”

Arcos was killed in action August 16, 2005, Iraq. He’s the K9 who first taught me what I’ve said ever since: trust the dog.

I wasn’t a handler yet. We chased a terrorist who fled a target house. The dog indicated left. The “eye in the sky” said right.

Arcos was right. Technology was wrong. We got the guy. And I got the lesson: sensors fail, comms fail, feeds lag, assumptions get people killed, but a trained dog, on odor, in the moment, tells the truth.

Thank you, Arcos. I’ll never forget.

SOF K9 Valco: Three Years Together, One Shot, and a Life Saved

On October 25, 2005, my friend Chris “Dutch” Moyer was on a combat mission in Iraq’s Western Euphrates River Valley with his SOF K9 Valco. The enemy fled into a thick palm grove. Valco located the combatant, and the combatant shot Valco, killing him instantly.

Dutch spent three years as Valco’s handler. Multiple deployments. Rarely separated back home. And then, in one second, it’s over.

But Valco saved lives in the process. That’s the part people need to understand: these dogs don’t just “help.” They absorb danger first so the team doesn’t.

Valco did what he was trained to do. And the pack is alive because of it.

SOF K9 Pepper: The Heartbreak of Never Bringing Them Home

Pepper went missing / killed in action February 4, 2006, Iraq. Pepper’s story is heartbreak in its purest form.

It’s one thing to lose your dog in combat and bring their remains home. It’s another thing to never recover them, to leave empty-handed, without your partner, without closure.

I can’t imagine what that does to a handler’s mind.

Pepper, you are never forgotten.

SOF K9 Bodhi: Even Wounded, He Guarded His Dad

Bodhi was wounded in action September 18, 2010, Afghanistan, with his handler Aaron Grider, who was killed in action. Bodhi was later killed in action January 24, 2012, Afghanistan.

Bodhi’s story shows the drive in these dogs. Even wounded, he didn’t want anyone messing with his Dad.

That’s not “training only.” That’s bond. That’s loyalty. That’s a teammate doing what a teammate does, protecting his own.

Aaron and Bodhi: you are never forgotten.

SOF K9 Timo: A Hard-Biting Teammate We Felt in Our Bones

Timo was killed in action August 15, 2012, Afghanistan. He was a hard-biting dog, one of mine and Duco’s teammates. His loss hit home hard because he was one of our mates, but his actions that day saved lives.

And here’s another truth outsiders don’t see: sometimes you’re separated by geography in a combat zone, trying to console a teammate who just lost his dog, knowing he has to get back on the horse, head out again, and trust a new dog to protect the pack.

Godspeed, Timo.

SOF K9 Marco: The Lesson I Learned Too Late—and Then Never Forgot

Marco was my first primary SOF K9 partner. He taught me what it means to be a handler, not a guy who “uses a dog,” but a man responsible for building a bond strong enough for war.

Marco was edgy and he was a great war dog. And early on, I treated him more like a weapon than a dog.

One of my trainers corrected me with a simple truth: sometimes you have to let a war dog just be a dog.

That lesson matters. Because if all you ever see is a tool, you’ll miss what actually makes the tool work: relationship, trust, and the dog’s willingness to hunt for you.

Godspeed, Marco, until we meet again.

SOF K9 Duco: The Gold Standard and the Dog Who Took a Piece of Me

Duco lost his battle with osteosarcoma on July 5, 2021, surrounded by his family. On that day, I lost a part of myself, because Duco was an extension of me on the battlefield.

My teammates and I are alive today because of Duco’s actions. In my opinion, Duco was the gold standard of the SOF K9. He was my second primary partner, after working other dogs in combat, he was the one.

Duco was social with his pack, but an absolute beast on the battlefield. He loved to hunt.

And if there’s any way Duco’s legacy lives on, it’s in the standard he set, and in the names we keep speaking.

Memorial Day 2018: When the Weather Changed, the Mission Didn’t

In 2018, the SOF K9 Memorial Foundation asked me to be the guest speaker at the Memorial Day service at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. The weather didn’t cooperate, so the service moved indoors. Duco was there, of course he was.

That’s what these dogs are: present. Part of the team. Part of the family.

Say Their Names, Honoring Our Fallen SOF K9s

They say you die twice, once when you physically pass, and again when your name is spoken for the last time.

In honoring our fallen SOF K9s who paid the ultimate sacrifice, I say these names:

Iwan, Rocky, Arcos, Valco, Ties, Pepper, Bonky, Duke, Vinny, Boy, Atos, Ramon, Reno, Duke, Shadow, Bahco, Falco, Freddy, Blade, Conan, Spido, Nik, Sammy, Barbar, Nero, Youri, Eros, Cody, Nora, Jarco, Hunter, Djanga, Boy, Marco, Bohdi, Benno, Kaylo, Timo, Ape, Banan, Apollo, Shadow, Jani, Sandy, Roy, Merle, Iris, Maiko.

If you’re reading this and you stumble over the names, good. That means you’re actually paying attention.

Say them anyway.

Guardians of the Night

There’s a piece titled “Guardians of the Night” with heartfelt narration by Max Martini honoring Duco. It’s worth your time. Not for entertainment, because remembrance is part of the job.

We live in a world that moves on fast. This pulls you back to what matters.

What “Honoring Them” Actually Means

Here’s what I’m not interested in: performative respect.

Here’s what I am interested in: action.

Honor these dogs by visiting the memorial if you ever find yourself near Fayetteville. Honor them by teaching your kids that freedom has a cost, and sometimes that cost walks on four legs. Honor them by supporting the handlers who carry the weight after the missions are over.

And honor them by training like your life depends on it, because sometimes it will.

“Constant vigilance” isn’t just a memorial inscription. It’s a way of living. It’s the mindset that keeps you sharp, keeps you humble, and keeps you ready.

Because the greatest combat multipliers on the battlefield are these SOF war dogs, and the number of lives they’ve saved is a number only God truly knows.

Take a moment. Remember them.

And always trust the dog.

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Rick Hogg is the owner and primary instructor of War HOGG Tactical, Inc., a North Carolina–based training company that travels nationwide delivering firearms and tactical instruction. A 29-year U.S. Army Special Operations combat veteran, SOF K9 handler, and former Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course (SFAUC) instructor, Rick applies decades of operational and instructional experience to a building-block training methodology focused on mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship and producing repeatable shooting performance on demand under stress.