Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. -- The life of a U.S. Marine Corps military working dog handler is just like that of any Marine. It’s full of training, learning how to better serve those around them and working to ensure the mission is accomplished. With a few added exceptions. Their days are spent side by side with their four legged partner, ensuring their needs – mental, physical and emotional – are met before their own. U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nickolas Neafus, with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, is one such Marine who spends his days in and out of the kennels at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
“My favorite part of the job is working with the dogs,” said Neafus, 21, from Columbus, Ind. “Playing with them and being with them every day. I wanted this job but I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it, not until I got to Cherry Point. I was ecstatic. It’s the best job in the Marine Corps. It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s a nice feeling knowing that I have the tools and capability to find something that could cause a lot of harm to the community. If someone calls and is in need I have my dog to help me go out and find that threat and keep others safe.”
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