News

436th SFS dog handler proves his resilience

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  When most Airmen meet the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, they get a chance to freshen themselves up, put on a fresh uniform and look like the epitome of Air Force Instruction 36-2903.

Not so for Staff Sgt. Zachary Cahall, 436th Security Forces dog handler, who met Michael Donley, SECAF, and former CMSAF James Roy, in austere circumstances.

Cahall, who was deployed to Afghanistan and working with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation and Special Forces, was in the hospital at Bagram Airfield, recovering from wounds he suffered in an incident near Shindand Air Base in Western Afghanistan the day before.

With the missions he was on with Special Forces, Cahall had a full mustache and beard. So it was quite a shock when he awoke in the hospital to find the secretary and the CMSAF standing at the foot of his bed.

"They were great, asking me how I was doing and everything," Cahall said. "It shocked me because the nurse came over and woke me up and said I had visitors, I wake up and the Secretary and CMSAF are standing there. I was feeling self-conscious because not only was I wounded but I had a full-on beard. "

Cahall still isn't 100 percent sure what led to his wounds.

Cahall, who was at Shindand AB in Western Afghanistan from Aug. 2012 through Jan. 2013, was outside the wire on Dec. 28, 2012, with some other personnel clearing their weapons. He then remembers hearing what seemed like an explosion and from there things became tenuous, when he received a wound to his right forearm. The wound caused nerve damage to his hand.

"I turned around and started scanning the mountains to see where it had come from," Cahall said. "I didn't realize I had gotten hit. Someone said Zach you're bleeding. I looked and blood shot up everywhere, that's when I knew it was bad. They took off my helmet and that's when shock set in."

Cahall said at that point he is thankful for the quick work of his OSI teammates.

"The OSI guys worked quick, cutting up my jacket and taking off my gear and trying to get a tourniquet on me," Cahall said. "They rushed me to medical. They had their fingers in the wound, plugging it with a bandage. From there I was medevaced to Bagram to see a hand specialist. I still don't know what hit me."

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Salter, 436th SFS dog handler and one of Cahall's supervisors, said that since he has returned stateside from his deployment, Cahall has persevered and pressed on, doing his job well.

"He's a hard worker and enthusiastic, especially for a brand-new dog handler," Salter said. "He is very detail oriented and dedicated to being one of the best handlers. He took his deployment and ran with it 110 percent. And even with everything that happened, he has worked through it like nothing happened."

Salter said that dog handlers are small and tight-knit community and that all of them are there for Cahall in case he needs support.

"I keep an open eye out for him and told him if he ever needs to talk, he can come and talk to me," Salter said. "He's a tough guy, he doesn't complain a lot. He knows if he ever needs anything, he has a great support system."

Senior Master Sgt. Russell Michaud, 436th SFS superintendent of operations and training, said Cahall's recovery is not only a credit to Cahall himself, but the unit.

"He's bounced back very well from his injuries," Michaud said. "He hasn't shown any after effects of his injuries or allowed them to interfere with duties. We are proud to have him as a member of the 436th SFS team."

Cahall, who has lost feeling in half of his hand due to his injuries, said his wounds, though painful are truly a blessing.

"The doctors said the wound was an inch away from hitting my main nerve and me not being able to use my hand ever again," Cahall said. "Where I got hit the nerves aren't reconnected. There are certain workouts I can't do because it causes pain. It's always in the back of your mind. I used to be able to do this. But, it could have been such a whole lot worse."

Cahall said that although his hand will never fully recover, he is thankful for all the people who have supported him, not only during his deployment, but since his return to Dover Air Force Base.

"I'm lifting weights to trying to get my hand stronger," Cahall said. "It's kind of a weird feeling, feeling like your hand's asleep. It doesn't bother me that much anymore. This has truly been an eye-opening experience for me."