U.S. Military Veterinarians

Army vets in Iraq tend to animals in the midst of violence.

ByABC News
November 2, 2007, 8:21 PM

Nov. 2, 2007— -- Since their division's inception in the 1940s, the soldiers of the Army's 10th Mountain Division have been known for their bravery, heroism, expert skills and intense training.

All qualities the Army hopes will help in completing the task before them, whether that is handing out much-needed rations to Iraqi civilians, fighting insurgents or wrangling livestock.

Yes, once every so often these hardened, battle-ready soldiers are called upon to perform a special mission alongside the Army's Veterinary Corps. The corps provides veterinary medical and surgical care, food safety and defense, and biomedical research and development.

"I'm flexible," said specialist Adam Tackett of the 10th Mountain Division. "I can do different things. Kill people at night, wrangle sheep by day."

While Tackett's brief explanation of his daily life may seem blunt, it is an accurate depiction of exactly what these soldiers do.

Over the past four years of U.S. military involvement in Iraq, the task of fighting the war has become increasingly complex. With the armed forces spending more and more time in the country, the roles that soldiers must assume are expanding into uncharted territory -- sheep and cattle collection among them.

Over time, basic questions, such as what happens to millions of sheep and cows when there are no Iraqi veterinarians to care for them have surfaced, making the job of occupying a war-torn Iraq more multifaceted.

At least for now, the Army's solution to this problem is pairing up units, such as the 10th Mountain Division, with the Veterinary Corps and sending them out on missions to de-worm, vaccinate and round up these herds.

While these duties sound simple enough, they are made infinitely more difficult by the ongoing war. Violence is such an issue that apache attack helicopters with extraordinary fire power accompany these soldiers while they are in the fields.

But insurgent attacks aren't the only dangers that await the troops in these fields, said veterinary officer Lt. Cmdr. Neil Ahle.