Ronie Kendig has written military
stories for as long as she can
remember.
“It’s what I love,” she says. “I
grew up around it as a child and
teen, then married a soldier whose
father was an officer. I have a tremendous
respect for our military
heroes.” And the author isn’t just
talking about the two-legged variety
either: Her new series A Breed
Apart stars military war dogs and
their handlers. “My goal is to open
dialogue, to create awareness of
these four-legged heroes.”
The first book in the series, Trinity:
Military War Dog (Barbour
Books), focuses on a former Green
Beret and his dog, Trinity. They’re
called back into action for one
more dangerous mission—to rescue
a captured military intelligence
officer who’s been tracking the Taliban.
“My favorite aspect of writing
this series was learning the amazing
facts, history and trivia about
military working dogs,” Ronie says.
“Things like the different
classifications and
specialties of the dogs,
the new and emerging
laws regarding these
unsung heroes, and
the fact that the dogs
are actually placed one
rank higher than their
handler to encourage
focus on treating these
canines as heroes, not
just as ‘military property.’
The average MWD,
once paired with a handler,
will undergo five
months of training with
that handler to ensure
a bond, responsiveness,
etc. I once heard it
costs upwards of $40,000 dollars for training alone.”
Ronie Kendig’s heart for the armed forces truly
comes through in everything she writes. The single
most important thing she hopes to convey through
her fiction is respect for all our military heroes. “We,
who sit on our couches or office chairs, do not see or
experience what they go through on a daily basis,” she
emphasizes. “I think it’s super important to hold them
in respect and prayer. And always—if you see a soldier,
thank them for their sacrifice.”
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2012 issue of FamilyFiction Edge digital magazine. Subscribe for free today!