Cairo’s heart-pounding tale is one of a fearless warrior who bonded with Navy SEAL Will Chesney and played a pivotal role in the capture of Osama bin Laden.
Chesney served for 13 years during post-9/11 operations and formed a bond with Cairo while working as a dog handler in 2008. They didn’t click immediately though. Cairo was a standoffish 70-pound Belgian Malinois and Chesney wanted to team up with another dog named Bronco. Fate had other plans.
Cairo had graduated from a class of military dogs as a ‘one percenter’, a dog with an exceptional athletic ability and a tireless work ethic. He fearlessly jumped out of planes, fast-roped out of helicopters, sniffed roadside improvised explosive devices, and - literally in some cases - disarmed insurgents. “I would have taken a bullet for him, and he did in fact take one for me,” Chesney writes in No Ordinary Dog.
After seven weeks of training in California - scent detection, bite work, command response, and desensitization to sound - they were a tight team. Remarkably, Cairo could also switch off when the dangerous and sometimes bloody work was done. During their downtime, he and Chesney liked to chill out, eat steak, and watch movies.
Will Chesney and Cairo became inseparable partners
Afghanistan: Cairo’s challenging tour of duty
Their deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 brought unique challenges. Chesney was anxious about how Cairo would distinguish friend from foe, especially when insurgents used human shields.
“His job was to protect us, to alert us to the possibility of danger in the form of explosives or insurgents hiding within closets or behind walls or outside in the tall grass or tree lines,” Chesney writes. “He looked out for us and we, in turn, looked out for him.”
Cairo's true test came one night during a raid when he faced a baby hidden amid threats. Astonishingly, Cairo spared the infant and attacked the hostile target, showcasing his extraordinary intuition and compassion.
Small, lean, and agile, Malinois are ideal combat assault dogs
Operation Neptune Spear: the hunt for Osama bin Laden
In 2011, Chesney’s SEAL team received an unexpected mission: Operation Neptune Spear, the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Cairo jumped into action during training at a full-scale US replica of the compound he would later help invade. During the daring Pakistan operation on May 2, 2011, Cairo’s job was to sniff out any bombs or insurgents and guard the team while they gathered valuable intel.
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Cairo’s heart-pounding tale is one of a fearless warrior who bonded with Navy SEAL Will Chesney and played a pivotal role in the capture of Osama bin Laden.
Chesney served for 13 years during post-9/11 operations and formed a bond with Cairo while working as a dog handler in 2008. They didn’t click immediately though. Cairo was a standoffish 70-pound Belgian Malinois and Chesney wanted to team up with another dog named Bronco. Fate had other plans.
Cairo had graduated from a class of military dogs as a ‘one percenter’, a dog with an exceptional athletic ability and a tireless work ethic. He fearlessly jumped out of planes, fast-roped out of helicopters, sniffed roadside improvised explosive devices, and - literally in some cases - disarmed insurgents. “I would have taken a bullet for him, and he did in fact take one for me,” Chesney writes in No Ordinary Dog.
After seven weeks of training in California - scent detection, bite work, command response, and desensitization to sound - they were a tight team. Remarkably, Cairo could also switch off when the dangerous and sometimes bloody work was done. During their downtime, he and Chesney liked to chill out, eat steak, and watch movies.
Will Chesney and Cairo became inseparable partners
Afghanistan: Cairo’s challenging tour of duty
Their deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 brought unique challenges. Chesney was anxious about how Cairo would distinguish friend from foe, especially when insurgents used human shields.
“His job was to protect us, to alert us to the possibility of danger in the form of explosives or insurgents hiding within closets or behind walls or outside in the tall grass or tree lines,” Chesney writes. “He looked out for us and we, in turn, looked out for him.”
Cairo's true test came one night during a raid when he faced a baby hidden amid threats. Astonishingly, Cairo spared the infant and attacked the hostile target, showcasing his extraordinary intuition and compassion.
Small, lean, and agile, Malinois are ideal combat assault dogs
Operation Neptune Spear: the hunt for Osama bin Laden
In 2011, Chesney’s SEAL team received an unexpected mission: Operation Neptune Spear, the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Cairo jumped into action during training at a full-scale US replica of the compound he would later help invade. During the daring Pakistan operation on May 2, 2011, Cairo’s job was to sniff out any bombs or insurgents and guard the team while they gathered valuable intel.
Chesney and Cairo were part of the perimeter team. They were dropped in by helicopter along with a couple of snipers, a gunner, and an interpreter. Chesney’s main job was to help hold security outside of the compound while the assault team fast-roped onto the roof. If bin Laden didn’t appear to be inside the compound, Chesney and Cairo were to then go inside to do a more intensive search for anyone who might be hiding in bin Laden’s Abbottabad residence.
There was no need. The mission was a success. Bin Laden was killed and intelligence was gathered, but Cairo's heroic role initially went unrecognized. He didn’t receive a Silver Star for gallantry, leaving Chesney disappointed. President Barack Obama announced that he wanted to meet Cairo, however, and both the president and then-Vice President Joe Biden got their wish at Fort Campbell, Kentucky where the 160th Airborne is based.
Obama referred to the attack dog as the ‘famous Cairo’ and gave him a pat. Cairo didn’t flinch - he even seemed to be having a good time. The military canine was muzzled, of course. “Can you imagine if Cairo took a nip at the president,” Chesney said. “That would have been a lousy footnote to the biggest mission in SEAL history: me standing next to the president of the United States asking, ‘Am I fired?’”
Chesney and Cairo, best friends forever
Glory and despair
That evening, Chesney and Cairo celebrated with filet mignon - a slab for each of them - before lights out. Cairo hogged most of the bed, sleeping like a baby. The next day, it was business as usual. They headed back to the kennel where working dogs live.
The aftermath of the bin Laden raid brought both glory and despair. Cairo was a symbol of heroism, but Chesney's life started to crumble. The rigor of combat led to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and nothing seemed to help Chesney's mental distress until he reunited with Cairo. The unconditional love of his canine friend gave Chesney hope and solace.
In 2013, Chesney heard Cairo would be retired, sparking a desperate desire to adopt him. Their reunion brought joy, but it was short-lived. Cairo's health rapidly declined, and on April 2, 2015, he was put down.
Chesney co-authored No Ordinary Dog to preserve Cairo's legacy. “We fought together, lived together, bled together,” Chesney writes. “It's the journey that counts, what you give the dog and what you get in return; Cairo gave me more than I ever imagined, probably more than I deserved."
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