There are around 2,500 military working dogs currently in service, and their efforts help save the lives of countless soldiers and civilians every day. One of these brave military dogs is Sgt. Fieldy, an 11-year-old black lab who was trained to locate the No. 1 threat in Afghanistan: IEDs. Sgt. Fieldy was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler, Cpl. Nicolas Caceres, in 2011. SGT. FIELDY COMES HOME REUNITING BROTHERS IN ARMS
Award, and in 2018, he won the American Humane Hero Dog Award for his service.
Early in their deployment, their vehicle struck a pressure plate while they were on patrol. Fieldy and Caceres were all right, but one of the other Marines in their company was badly injured in the explosion. The injured Marine could not be evacuated by helicopter until the landing zone was secured. Fieldy found another IED in the area and alerted Caceres. The bomb was quickly disarmed, and the injured soldier was taken to safety.
thousands of lives. After his deployment, Caceres returned home, but Sgt. Fieldy served several more tours without him. While Fieldy continued to protect soldiers and civilians by tracking down IEDs, Caceres worked tirelessly to make sure he could bring Fieldy home when his service was over. Military working dogs can be adopted by former handlers, law enforcement, or qualified civilians when they retire. After three years apart and a total of four tours served, Sgt. Fieldy was reunited with Caceres. In 2016, Fieldy received the K9 Medal of Courage
“These dogs are out there with us,” said Caceres when he and Fieldy accepted the Hero Dog Award. “The dangers we face, they face them too. They deserve to be recognized. We ask so much of them, and all they want is to get petted or play with a toy. They’re amazing animals, and Fieldy is just an amazing dog. I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for him.” If you are interested in supporting our nation’s working dogs or would like to adopt a retired working dog yourself, you can learn more at MissionK9rescue.org.
This wasn’t the only IED Fieldy found. His sharp nose and dedication helped save
OUR SCHOOL’S STAR STUDENT TAKES HOME GOLD! MEET ELLA
Having attended Minnesota School of Music for five years now, Ella Kuipers has become quite the guitar player. Last year, as our longest-serving student, she achieved the highest rank on the Musical Ladder System™ that our school has ever awarded and took home a giant trophy! We sat down with Ella to find out just what makes her such a driven student and why she’s stuck with our school for so long. From the start, Ella’s musical journey came from a willingness to forge her own path. “None of my friends really knew how to play guitar,” she reflects. “So I thought it would be interesting to learn.” Thinking back on her first steps into the music world, Ella remembers it wasn’t an easy start. “I was plucking at the guitar, trying to figure stuff out on my own. It wasn’t going super well,” she adds with a laugh. But with time and practice, those early struggles seem a world away. Just recently, Ella mastered two challenging classics, “Carol of the Bells” and “Malaguena.” And yet, this
high school freshman remains remarkably humble about her achievements. When asked what she enjoyed most about her guitar lessons, Ella responded thoughtfully, “My teachers have always been really great. I’ve grown a lot and gotten to learn a lot about the guitar.” For her part, Ella is doing what she can to help other students grow, too. “I talk to other kids at our concerts,” she explains. “I always try to encourage students after they play.” It’s great to see our most experienced pupil taking it upon herself to help her peers. While some musicians may set their sights on stardom, Ella has her eyes on another set of stars entirely. “I want to be an engineer,” she explains resolutely. “I want to work on equipment and vehicles that will go into space.” Between her pragmatic mind and deep well of personal motivation, we have no doubt Ella will make this dream come true. If we’ve learned anything from the five years she’s been studying at MnSOM, it’s that Ella can do just about anything she sets her mind to.
2 • www.mnschoolofmusic.com
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