Fort Leonard Wood dedicates veterinary facilities

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (AP) -- Fort Leonard Wood officials have dedicated the largest veterinary and kennel facility in the Army.

The veterinary facility is the second biggest in the military, behind the main Department of Defense working dog facility at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Members of the 5th Engineer Battalion dedicated the 36-dog kennel and veterinary facility in central Missouri on Tuesday, naming it after Cpl. Kory D. Wiens.

Wiens and his specialized search dog Cooper were killed on July 6 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Iraq.

Brig. Gen. Gregg Martin, commandant of the Army Engineer School, said naming the kennel and veterinary hospital after Wiens will help future dog handlers remember his sacrifice.

Fort Leonard Wood officials presented Wiens' family with a watercolor portrait of Wiens and Cooper, produced by an Indiana high school art teacher who is also a member of the Indiana National Guard.

A formal painting of Wiens and Cooper will also hang in the veterinary hospital.

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Information from: Daily Guide, http://waynesvilledailyguide.com