Sgt. Fieldy Act would allow military working dogs to receive burial in national veteran cemeteries
Should the honor be reserved solely for humans?
Context
A black lab dog nicknamed Sgt. Fieldy served three tours in Afghanistan and is credited with saving lives. But with a labrador retriever’s life expectancy at 11 to 13 years, 15-year-old Sgt. Fieldy likely doesn’t have much longer to live.
His handler, Cpl. Nicolas Caceres of Texas, served in Afghanistan and will be eligible for burial in a military cemetery himself. He has petitioned for Sgt. Fieldy to be buried in a military cemetery, specifically the Rio Grande State Veteran Cemetery in Mission, Texas. However, this is not allowed under federal law.
So now, a Texas Congress member wants to change the law.
What the bill does
The Sgt. Fieldy Act would explicitly allow military working dogs to be buried at any of the 155 veterans’ cemeteries managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
It’s unclear whether the bill would also apply to the nation’s most famous cemetery, Arlington National Cemetery, which is managed by the Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC) instead.
The bill was introduced in the House on October 7 as H.R. 9152, by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX15).
What supporters say
Supporters argue that canines do much the same things as people serving in combat zones do: risk their lives in support of the mission, sometimes dodging bullets or landmines to save members of their own unit.
“Since the inception of our nation, dogs have played a pivotal role in the protection of our nation. Yet they are not honored alongside our brave men and women in uniform,” Rep. Gonzalez said in a press release. “Military working dogs go through many hours of training and have saved countless lives by detecting explosives and leading search and rescue missions abroad. I am proud to file this legislation and name it after South Texas’ very own hero, Sgt. Fieldy.”
GovTrack Insider was unable to locate any explicit statements of opposition.
Odds of passage
The bill has not yet attracted any cosponsors. It awaits a potential vote in the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
If the bill is not enacted into law, Cpl. Caceres says he has a Plan B. He told local ABC affiliate KRGV (channel 5) that if Sgt. Fieldy predeceases him, as seems highly likely, he will get the dog cremated and have the ashes included with his own coffin in a veterans cemetery someday.
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This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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