Dedication Honors Local Fallen Hero

Kory Wiens was from Independence, Oregon, and was named after his grandfather, who was a canine handler in the Korean War.

(FORT LEONARD WOOD, Missouri) - At a dedication ceremony here Tuesday, the newest, most state-of-the-art military working dog kennel and veterinary hospital was named after an Army dog handler who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

The 5th Engineer Battalion dedicated the Corporal Kory D. Wiens Dog Kennel in memory of their fallen comrade, Corporal Kory Wiens, a member of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood.

Corporal Wiens and his specialty search dog Cooper were killed July 6th by an improvised explosive device while on patrol 20 miles southeast of Baghdad. They had been in Iraq since January.

Wiens and Cooper’s abilities together to detect weapons, ammunition and explosives saved numerous lives by taking explosives and other IED manufacturing materials off the streets of Iraq.

Wiens’ father, Kevin Wiens, Sr., attended the ceremony and said Wiens’ enjoyed being a Soldier.

“He was really dedicated to the program,” he said. “He was looking forward to a career in dog handling.”

Corporal Kory D. Wiens and his specialty
search dog Cooper were killed July 6th by an
improvised explosive device while on patrol 20
miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.

Kevin said he thinks about his son everyday.

“It really knocked me down, losing one of (my) sons,” he said. “He was such a great kid. I just want him back here with me. I miss him every single day.”

Brig. Gen. Gregg Martin, commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School here, told Kevin and his family, Wiens will never be forgotten. “We will never forget your son. We will always remember him, the great Soldier, the great person he was and what he did and the life he led,” he said.

“What a great young man who absolutely epitomized the Army values (and) the Soldier Creed,” Martin said.

Many thanks also went out to the Wiens family for raising such a wonderful person.

”I want to just thank you and your community of Dallas, Oregon for raising such a fantastic person who we got to know through the extended Army family,” Martin said.

“When I think about Kory, he enlisted in the Army in an army in global war. He knew what he was doing, what a great American. (He’s) really the best that our country has to offer.”

Corporal Kory D. Wiens was buried alongside his trusty companion, Cooper, at Salt Creek Cemetery in Dallas, Oregon, at the request of his family.

Corporal Wiens was from Independence, Oregon, and was named after his grandfather, who was a canine handler in the Korean War.