A Belgian Malinois that saved lives from terrorist bombs was honored recently with a special medal.
Bass, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, is now the 75th animal to receive the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) Dickin Medal, the Malay Mail reported Monday.
It is the “highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict. It is recognised worldwide as the animals’ Victoria Cross,” the PDSA website says, noting it was instituted in 1943 by the organization’s founder, Maria Dickin CBE.
Bass spent six years working in the U.S. Marine Special Operation Command where he conducted over 350 explosive sweeps during nearly 50 missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia.
Video footage shows Bass performing his duties:
In May 2019, he helped capture a Taliban bomb maker in Afghanistan. At the time, enemy soldiers opened fire and then set off a bomb, causing Bass’s team to look for a better vantage point.
Despite the chaos around him, the dog found an explosive at a building they planned to occupy. Once he found another entry point, Bass located four additional bombs.
His skills include detecting explosive materials, performing team protection through controlled aggression, and tracking a person or group of people, according to the PDSA:
Now, Bass is enjoying retirement at home in Texas with his former handler, Staff Sergeant Alex Schnell.
“Bass is an incredible animal, and during his time in service he has made an impact on so many different people and service members, and truly changed the outcome of my life as well as the service members he served with,” Schnell explained.
“I’m just truly grateful that he has brought me to this point, and now I can shed some light on the service that he did for us,” he added.