R3’s Trevor Maroshek speaks at a ceremony in Imperial Beach, CA at the unveiling of a bronze statue in Veterans Park that recognizes the service of military dogs and their handlers. The statue depicts Chopper, a jet-black German Shepard, that was Trevor’s military working dog when he was an active duty Navy SEAL.  Trevor helped launch the SEALs’ first canine unit and later started a nonprofit that helps connect veterans with service dogs. Among many of Chopper’s contributions was detecting hidden Taliban forces in Afghanistan in 2010 which prevented a large ambush attack.

After Trevor retired in 2012, he was able to reconnect with Chopper as his service dog, paving the way for other veteran handlers to adopt their canine partners. Chopper died of natural causes last summer but will live on in remembrance with the statue.  Trevor continues his service to the nation as an instructor at R3, training EOD forces in mounted and dismounted patrolling, squad tactics and advanced weapons usage.

Click here to read the November 7, 2019 article in The San Diego Tribune