MDD ‘Yankee’ of SL Army Honoured in Gala Ceremony in Washington

The Mine Detection Dog (MDD), ‘Yankee’ of the Sri Lanka Army MDD team was honoured in the US Marshall Legacy Institute’s (MLI) 20th Anniversary gala of the ‘Clearing the Path’ in Washington D.C on Tuesday (24).

This was the second consecutive year, a MDD dog of the Sri Lanka Army was felicitated in this manner.

The MLI’s annual gala honours individuals whose extraordinary efforts have improved lives in war-torn countries and highlights accomplishments in the past year that have contributed to make the world a safer place.

MDD ‘Yankee’ was sponsored by schoolchildren in Greenwich, Connecticut through the MLI’s ‘Children Against Mines Programme’. MDD ‘Yankee’ which served with the Sri Lanka Army Engineers Humanitarian Demining Unit for six years sniffing out mines and saving lives in mine-contaminated areas of Sri Lanka until its retirement, earlier this year.

Together with her handler, she has cleared 62,680 square metres of mine-contaminated land. Today, MDD ‘Yankee’ has been declared as the K9 Ambassador for the Marshall Legacy Institute and often travels the U.S. with MLI officials to give demonstrations in schools and other public locations to raise awareness on MLI programmes in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

For their years of excellent service and the strong bond between them, MDD ‘Yankee’ and her handler, Lance Corporal T.K.D. Rajapaksha of the Sri Lanka Army Engineers’ Humanitarian Demining Unit, were presented the ‘Dog Team of the Year - 2017’ Award by Mr Perry F. Baltimore, MLI’s President and Executive Director.

A team, led by Brigadier Amith Seneviratne, Engineer Brigade Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Engineers, together with MDD ‘Yankee’ and Lance Corporal Rajapaksha were recognized and appreciated for their contribution and dedication to demining efforts in Sri Lanka.

Receiving the award, Lance Corporal Rajapaksha thanked the MLI and its partners for their continued support to Sri Lanka and sustained efforts to combat the scourge of landmines.

The Marshall Legacy Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping mine-affected countries, has been assisting the Sri Lanka Army Humanitarian Demining Unit in its humanitarian effort to clear landmines and explosive devices from affected regions of the country.

To date, MLI has donated 30 highly trained Mine Detection Dogs to the Sri Lanka Army’s Humanitarian Demining Unit. Most of those dogs have been sponsored by generous Americans as well as global citizens, including private foundations, families and schoolchildren. Similarly, several MDD dogs have been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, which has also provided crucial funding support to enable MLI to train the dogs and their handlers.

The keynote speaker at the ‘Clearing the Path’ gala evening on Tuesday (24) was former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Madeleine Albright. Other dignitaries who graced the event included, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi and General (Ret.) Gordon R. Sullivan, Founder and Chairman of The Marshall Legacy Institute.

Earlier in 2016, Mine Detection Dog ‘Alvin’ and his handler, Lance Corporal Nawarathne of the Sri Lanka Army Engineers’ Humanitarian Demining Unit, were selected and honoured as the year’s best Mine Detection Dog team.

The government of Sri Lanka aims to make Sri Lanka a mine-free country by 2020.