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Military Dog Memorial in Carbon County

LEHIGHTON, Pa. — This weekend, dozens will gather in Carbon County for the unveiling of a unique memorial to honor all dogs that worked in the military. N...

LEHIGHTON, Pa. -- This weekend, dozens will gather in Carbon County for the unveiling of a unique memorial to honor all dogs that worked in the military.

Newswatch 16 spoke to the owner of the dog who inspired this memorial. The dog's name is Guero. His owner is originally from Lehighton. When Guero passed away earlier this year, his owner wanted to remember him for all of his years of service to the country.

Guero was a bomb dog who served in the United States military for more than a decade.

"He had deployments in Qatar and Iraq. He found five improvised explosive devices that saved about 2,000 personnel," said U.S. Air Force veteran Sara Yaeger.

Guero also did bomb sweeps for past presidents and foreign dignitaries.

At the age of 12, he retired from his job with the military and became a full-time pet.

Sara Yaeger became his owner. She is an Air Force veteran who worked as a canine handler.

"He served our country, and I know that my family could give him a really good home life," Yaeger said.

After Guero passed away, Yaeger wanted to find a way to remember him for his years of service. She started contacting veterans organizations in Carbon County. She says it wasn't long before the Lehighton United Veterans Organization stepped in to build a memorial honoring all military working dogs.

The memorial will be placed at the Lehighton Veterans Memorial Park.

The memorial is not complete yet. A statue of a Labrador will be placed there before the ceremony.

Yaeger says now Guero and all other military service dogs will forever be remembered in her hometown.

"These military working dogs sacrifice their life for our country just like every human being. So I really think it's important to focus on that."

The memorial is set to be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Lehighton Veterans Memorial Park.

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