NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – It’s the paw-fect ending to a career of military service that included a deployment and thousands of hours detecting explosives.
Military Working Dog Bronco, a chocolate Labrador, will receive a full retirement ceremony Friday at Naval Station Mayport.
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Bronco has proudly served his country for 47 “dog years” from September 2017 to August 2024.
His service included a deployment to Qatar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and over 5,000 hours of explosive detection operations.
Bronco’s work ensured “all service members he served with could sleep peacefully at night,” Mayport Public Affairs Officer David Holmes said.
Bronco, who is leaving military service for genetic medical reasons, will be spending his retirement with his last handler, Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Petty Officer Lancen McDonald.
The pair have been together since February 2022.
Holmes explained that MWD tradition is that the dog is considered one rank higher than their assigned handler, so that makes Bronco’s official rank at retirement (E-6) Master-at-Arms 1st Class Petty Officer.