In Memory of Richard William ‘Dick’ King 1948 – 2017 Date of Birth: Saturday, May 15th, 1948 Date of Death: Friday, January 13th, 2017 01/15/2017 On behalf of all VDHA members, I am sad to announce the passing of our brother Dick King. He was the Navy Unit Director since the VDHA started and was NCOIC of the Naval Sentry Dogs in DaNang, Vietnam. More details will appear as we get it. He lost his final battle with cancer on Friday, January 13, 2017. He did attend our 2016 VDHA Reunion in Branson in October of 2016. I first met Dick in 2001 at March Air Base on the first anniversary of our War Dog Memorial. Thank you to Timothy Potter for his notification of Dick’s condition and then his passing. May Dick Rest in Peace, Ernie Ayala 02/23/2017 Funeral Information by John Sciascia On Thursday, February 23, 2017 I attended the funeral of Vietnam Dog Handler, Dick King. The procession left the funeral home at 1300 hours and was escorted by the Sheriff’s department to the gate at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As we passed through the gate the Naval Security personnel, stood at attention and saluted as we passed through. We arrived at the cemetery and went to a covered area for the service. When the service began, a navy bugler played taps. The Chaplain said a few words, briefly outlining some highlights in Dick’s life. I also said a few words on behalf of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association. Two naval personnel performed the flag folding ceremony and presented the flag to Dorothy Beyer, the mother of Richard (Dick) William King. At the time of the presentation, a Navy jet flew over. Dick’s nephew advised me that his Facebook page is still active for the near future. Note: The GSD in the picture was Dick’s Service Dog, Orion. _________________________________________________ 01/17/2017 From: Harry Peterson [mailto:usnk9brandy@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 4:43 PM To: Dave Broeker ; Subject: Richard William King – USN K9 – Deceased All, Just got back home after an extended vacation taken right after the Branson K9 reunion in October and had limited computer availability during that time. The only information I could find is that the funeral arrangements are under the Oak Lawn Funeral Home, Pensacola, FL. No information in the obituary except DOB May 15, 1948 and DOD January 13, 2017. Dick served in Nam from Feb 68 thru Sep 69. He handled Erich 81X2 and Rebel 78X4. Dick also served as our Navy Unit Director for many years. Could always spot him in the crowd with that 10 gallon cowboy hat. He will be greatly missed at future reunions. God Bless you Dick. Erich and Rebel are standing by to protect you again. Harry Peterson a.k.a. “Bambi” Brandy-99X1 USN K9 Unit Director 02/12/2017 This is a message that Dan Christensen posted on USWDA about Dick King’s funeral: Dear Dan: I heard from Dick’s x-wife, Sally Cox, yesterday. Dick’s funeral is scheduled for 02/23/17 @ 1:30 pm at the Navel base in Pensacola, Florida. I tried to put up a message last night but FB would not comply. If you would let people know I would appreciate it. Sally Cox 02/12/2017 From : PERRY C MRS MONEY [ mailto:usmc8672@yadtel.net ] Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2017 10:01 AM To: Dave Broeker Cc: John Harvey Subject: Funeral Dave, Just got this information from John Sciascia. Anyone planning on attending Dick’s funeral at Pensacola needs to be aware of the entry restriction/rules since the cemetery is located on an active duty military installation. Click here to view them: Barrancas National Cemetery Semper Fi Perry C. Money 02/20/2017 From: Harry Peterson [mailto:usnk9brandy@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, February 20, 2017 To: Dave Broeker ; Subject: Richard William King – USN K9 – Deceased All, Bill Mahoney was contacted by Dick’s niece with the following message: We are meeting at the Oak Lawn Funeral Home at 12:30 on Thursday, February 23, so they will escort us to the Barrancas Navy Base and that is scheduled for 1:30 pm. The address for the funeral home is: 619 N. New Warrington Road Pensacola, FL 32506. If any VDHA members are in the area please try to attend. Thanks Harry Peterson USN K9 Unit Director