HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Members of the 66th Security Forces Squadron gathered here to recognize Military Working Dog Kalo II during a retirement ceremony April 12.
Kalo II arrived at Hanscom AFB exactly eight years earlier in 2016.
“During his tenure, Kalo accumulated more than 1,900 hours of protection, sweeping vehicles, buildings, and various open spaces on Hanscom Air Force Base,” said Senior Airman Kendra Balay, a member of the 66 SFS Commander Support Staff and narrator for the ceremony.
The SFS working dog began his law enforcement career in 2014 at the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The unit provides training to working dogs used in “patrol, drug and explosive detection, and specialized mission functions for the Department of Defense and other government agencies.”
A partner to 15 handlers during his tenure, Kalo participated in more than 200 MWD dog demonstrations during his tenure at Hanscom AFB.
During the retirement ceremony at the Minuteman Commons, 2nd Lt. Allen Luna-Alcarez, 66 SFS Flight commander, awarded MWD Kalo II with the Air Force Achievement Medal for "outstanding service to the United States as a patrol explosive detection dog."
The citation highlighted Kalo’s significant contributions, including his support on several U.S. Secret Service missions and involvement in securing over $6 billion in assets.
Kalo will be adopted by K9 PTSD, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization for working dogs suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Attending the ceremony was Massachusetts Rep. Steven George Xiarhos, who helped pass Nero’s Law in 2022. The bill allows a police dog injured in the line of duty to be transported by ambulance if there is not a competing need for human transport.
Nero’s law is named in honor of the K-9 partner of a Yarmouth, Mass., police sergeant who was shot and killed in 2018. Nero was injured during the same incident, but because of the law at the time, had to be transported in a police vehicle instead.
Kalo II's official retirement date was April 12, 2024, marking the end of a distinguished career and the beginning of a well-deserved retirement.