Army Ranger Dog Maiko Killed Engaging Militants in Afghanistan, Saves Lives of Ranger Regiment

(Illustration - Getty Images)

Despite operations against terrorism having gone on for 17 years, U.S. Armed Forces along with coalition partners in Afghanistan continue to face deadly opposition. It’s not only the men and women of the American military and its allies who are giving their lives.

When an Al-Qaeda ambush took the life of Army Ranger Sgt. Leandro Jasso in November 2018, an anonymous Army source released the biography of another casualty in the operation: Army Ranger dog Maiko. The dog saved the lives of his handler and other Rangers in the unit and was hailed by soldiers as a hero.

According to Bloomberg, Maiko was one of about 1,600 military war dogs (MWD) that U.S. Armed Forces rely upon to sniff out enemy fighters and explosives and be a form of weapon themselves in combat.

Though born in Holland in 2011, Maiko was brought to the United States at 15 months old and was selected for training and posting to the 2nd Ranger Battalion. According to a biography of the dog posted on Twitter, Maiko was “deployed a total of six times to Afghanistan, conducting over 50 Ranger-led direct-action raids.”

Stars and Stripes explained that as a multi-purpose canine (MPC), Maiko was an expert in several areas: “Maiko had been trained in patrolling, tracking, bomb detection and apprehension functions and had used these skills on several occasions, including clearing buildings.”

Maiko was handled by five different Rangers over the course of his service and was esteemed by everyone in the regiment. According to his bio, “Maiko was best known for his easy-going temperament, his rock solid consistency in training, deployments, and his forgiving nature when his revolving door of new handlers made mistakes.”

Most of all, the Rangers remembered that “Maiko never backed down from a fight with the enemy, training or combat,” the tweet read.

On Nov. 24, 2018, Maiko and members of the 75th Ranger Regiment were involved in clearing a house where an Al-Qaeda shooter had barricaded himself in. It was the dog that charged into the compound and drew enemy fire, allowing the Rangers to identify the shooter’s location and eliminate him.

The bio continued, “The actions of Maiko directly saved the life of his handler, SSG Jobe, and other Rangers involved during the clearance.” The members of the regiment were devastated by Maiko’s loss, as well as their fellow soldier Sgt. Leandro Jasso, who died due to injuries sustained during the raid.

The “empty kennel” that the Rangers would see adds to the tragedy of the Jasso family, whose family would never again get to see their son and brother.

While the Rangers grieved the loss of their own, they also remembered Maiko for what he had brought to the regiment. “We can appreciate his amazing life and career in the 2nd Ranger battalion through his duty and sacrifice. MPC Maiko will forever be remembered by his character and the teammate he truly was,” Maiko’s bio concludes.