By Kim McDarison
Seventeen fallen military and working dogs were honored and scholarship fundraising plans were announced during the 7th Annual K-9 Veterans Day Observance.
This year’s videotaped ceremony, sponsored by the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, Inc., was released Friday, March 12. K-9 Veterans Day is observed annually statewide on March 13.
The program was presented at the Paul Frank Florine Post 166’s American Legion Dugout earlier this month.
Taking the podium, Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson member Mabel Schumacher noted that programming changes were put in place as a COVID-19 precaution. Under normal circumstances, the ceremonial observance would have been presented before an in-person audience, including working dogs, their handlers and other guests.
Schumacher, who is recognized statewide for spearheading the effort to bring K-9 Veterans Day to Wisconsin, shared the podium with two speakers: Gary Wolfram, U.S. Army veteran and a friend of fallen Vietnam War soldier and Marine scout dog handler Terry Beck, and Richard Miles, American Legion Post 166 sergeant-at-arms and chaplain of the Edwin Frohmader Post 1879 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Auxiliary.
During the ceremony, Schumacher, aided by slides, shared the names of 17 fallen K-9 heroes during 2020 and announced the inception of fundraising efforts to establish the Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship. Once established, the scholarship will be offered to Fort Atkinson High School seniors and graduates entering the field of protective services.
Honoring K-9 service dogs lost in 2020
In her opening remarks, Schumacher noted that since 2015, when the Wisconsin Legislature proclaimed March 13 as K-9 Veterans Day, the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson has observed the event annually. Included is a recognition of service dogs that died in the previous year.
To date, she said, the recognitions have included 76 military and law enforcement dogs and one horse that was a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison mounted patrol.
This year, the names of 17 service dogs were read aloud and their pictures were presented.
Scholarship fundraising to begin
In addition, Schumacher announced the intention of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson to begin fundraising efforts to create the Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship in memory of the Fort Atkinson High School alumnus who lost his life in Vietnam.
A goal of $15,000 has been set, Schumacher said. The amount is the minimum required by the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation to initiate a recurring scholarship, she said.
With $15,000 as a base amount, a scholarship of $750 will be yielded annually. If fundraising efforts produce a larger base, a larger scholarship will be yielded, she added.
A deadline for fundraising is Sept. 1.
Contributions made toward the scholarship will be held by the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson in a segregated account and an acknowledgment note will be sent to donors, Schumacher said.
If the fundraising goal of $15,000 is not met by the Sept. 1 deadline, donations will be returned to donors, she added.
More information about the scholarship and the fundraising efforts can be found on the kennel club’s website: www.KCFAdogs.org. A brochure also is available.
Lance Corporal Terrence “Terry” Beck, a young K-9 handler and Fort Atkinson resident, lost his life in Vietnam, along with his German shepherd dog, “Seato,” in 1967.
Beck and his story served as a source of inspiration, Schumacher noted, in 2016, when the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson embarked upon a project to create a K-9 Veterans Memorial in McCoy Park. The memorial was dedicated in 2017.
During her comments, Schumacher noted that the Fort High School scholarship coordinator said that between two and five Fort Atkinson High School graduates typically enter the field of protective services annually.
“This scholarship will satisfy an unfilled niche for these students in addition to acknowledging Terry Beck’s passion to protect and serve his country and its citizens,” Schumacher later remarked in a press release shared with the media.
‘Jeff and I liked Terry right off’
Beck was born in Iowa in 1949. In 1963, he arrived in Fort Atkinson with his family. His father, Wesley, known as “Duke,” was the president of a local bank.
Upon arriving in Wisconsin, Beck was enrolled in Northwestern Military Academy in Lake Geneva. He transferred to Fort Atkinson High School where he attended during his junior and senior years.
During his presentation, Wolfram said that he and another Fort Atkinson youth, Jeff Blomsness, met Beck in high school right after he left the military academy.
“Jeff and I liked Terry right off,” Wolfram said, and the three became very close friends.
He described the then-17-year-old Beck as “very military-minded.”
As a youth, Beck played drums in a band called “The Sessions,” Wolfram recalled.
Describing the times, Wolfram said: “It was 1967, and everyone was getting drafted or signed up. Terry wanted to do his part and signed up for the Marines.”
At 17, according to Wolfram, Beck went through both basic and dog-handling training. When he turned 18, he was sent to Vietnam.
“I got letters for about three months. He told me about some of his experiences,” Wolfram said.
“Then I was notified he was killed in action in Thua Thein (Hue Provence) by a sniper. His dog stayed by him and was killed also,” he said, adding: “Terry was three months into 18.”
A legacy of respect
During his comments, Miles recounted Beck’s actions as representative of the veteran community, saying: “We, the veteran community, would choose to be supportive of a ‘serve and protect’ educational scholarship in the name of Marine Lance Corporal Terrence ‘Terry’ Beck.”
He noted that many war dog handlers, as they transition back into civilian life, find careers in law enforcement, and fire and rescue programs.
“These positions require education and special skills,” he said.
Beck is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Fort Atkinson.
“A scholarship in his name, along with the War Dog Monument with his likeness, will help to ensure that this special and long respected part of our country’s history will never be forgotten,” Miles continued.
He encouraged people to visit the monument in McCoy Park.
History of K-9 Veterans Day
The K-9 Veterans Day movement began nationally in Florida by then-retired military dog handler Joseph White. Florida was the first state to establish the date recognizing K-9 Veterans Day, doing so in 2009, which was also the year in which White died. Several states have since passed resolutions establishing the March 13 recognition.
White selected March 13 for the day of recognition because that date in 1942 is the official birthday of the U.S. Army K-9 Corps.
About the kennel club
The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, Inc., is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization providing training classes, community service and responsible dog ownership education.
Those wishing to contribute to the newly forming scholarship may do so by sending a check made payable to “KCFA — Terry Beck Scholarship. Checks can be mailed to Terry Beck Scholarship, c/o Mabel Schumacher, Treasurer, 848 Messmer St., Fort Atkinson, Wis., 53538.
A video presentation of the 7th Annual K-9 Veterans Day Observance is here.
Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson member and Master of Ceremonies Mabel Schumacher takes the podium during a videotaping of this year’s 7th Annual K-9 Veterans Day observance. The program was presented at the Paul Frank Florine Post 166’s American Legion Dugout earlier this month. A video of the event was released Friday. K-9 Veterans Day is observed statewide on March 13.
Program speaker and high school friend of fallen Marine and K-9 handler Terry Beck, Gary Wolfram, talks about Beck and the letters he sent home. Beck was killed in Vietnam, along with his dog, “Seato,” by sniper fire in 1967.
Richard Miles, American Legion Post 166 sergeant-at-arms and chaplain of the Edwin Frohmader Post 1879 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Auxiliary, talks about the tradition and importance of Military dogs and handlers throughout history. Many, after returning to civilian life, find work in protective services, he said.
Schumacher and Wolfram hold a brochure explaining the formation of the Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship. The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, working with the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, is embarking upon fundraising efforts to earn $15,000. The money will be used to create a reoccurring $750 scholarship made available annually to Fort Atkinson High School seniors and graduates entering the field of protective services.
Marine Lance Corporal Terrence “Terry” Daniel Beck. July 13, 1949 – Dec. 20, 1967.
Above, Kim McDarison photos.
Terry Beck.
Photo supplied.
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March 13, 2015, began an annual date to recognize all military and working dogs . This feature article is continuing the acknowledgment for these heroic animals and their handlers by establishing a K-9 Veterans Day observed; Terry Beck scholarship announcement. Credit has to be given to Mabel Schumacher to create a scholarship fund for Fort high school students interested in pursuing a career in protective services. What a wonderful endeavor to continue the importance in offering a scholarship in remembrance to the men and women along with their canine partners to protect and serve.