LOUISVILLE, Ky. – She deployed six times in support of rescue missions across the United States, searching for victims trapped in the wake of floods, tornadoes, an avalanche, a collapsed coal mine tipple and multiple demolished buildings.
Throughout her six-year career with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, she completed 15 military free-fall jumps and numerous rappelling or fast-rope missions while logging 750 flight hours in military aircraft. She also suffered multiple puncture wounds, a corneal abrasion, at least two knee injuries and a rattlesnake bite that nearly killed her.
Now, Canine Callie — the only certified search-and-rescue dog in the Department of Defense — has stowed her gear for the last time. She was officially retired from military service during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here Jan. 24.
Her handler, Master Sgt. Rudy Parsons, also is making a transition. He’s leaving his post as a pararescueman with the 123rd, where he has worked for the past 11 years, to assume a new role as career field functional manager at the Air National Guard Readiness Center in Maryland.
Parsons said the experience of working with Callie changed his life.
“I had always been the sarcastic guy in the room,” Parsons told an audience of more than 100 Airmen gathered for the ceremony. “I always had a really negative quip. But when Callie came into my life, there was a massive shift. I wanted to be more uplifting as opposed to tearing things down.”
Parsons attributed that shift to the influence of Callie’s work ethic. He recalled how the Dutch shepherd refused to give up while searching through the rubble of a collapsed candle factory following a devastating tornado strike in Mayfield, Kentucky, in 2021.
“Her entire underbelly and paws were just ripped to shreds, and she was still working,” Parsons said. “I was really impressed with her character. It didn’t matter what was going on with her — she was always doing the job.”
That job involved search-and-rescue missions in Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. She has located six deceased individuals and cleared more than 2,000 acres of rubble-strewn debris fields and collapsed structures, bringing closure to grieving families while substantially decreasing search time and mitigating operational risk to pararescuemen, according to Maj. Bryan Hunt, commander of the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron.
For these dogged efforts, Hunt presented both Callie and Parsons with Meritorious Service Medals during the ceremony.
“This is a two-fold farewell,” Hunt said. “I know Rudy is going to argue that today’s ceremony is more for Callie than it is for him. I would argue that this is more for Rudy than it is for Callie. Without the handler, there is no dog. And without the dog, there is no handler.
“The truth is, Callie is an amazing canine. She proved a lot of different concepts to the entire rescue community as a whole. But Rudy really took Callie and the program by the leash and ran it from start to finish. As we stand here today for Callie’s retirement, she was able to obtain over a dozen state, federal and independent certifications in rescue. She also deployed six times in support of state and national-level calls for assistance. Rudy was at her side for all of that. It didn’t matter if the call for help came at 2 o’clock in the morning, they were going out the door.
“We are extremely proud of what Rudy was able to accomplish with Callie. We were fortunate to have had him for as long as we did, and I cannot think of a more-deserving senior NCO to serve as functional manager at the Air National Guard Readiness Center.”
Parsons said the genesis of the canine program grew out of his experience deploying worldwide for search-and-rescue missions. At one point in his career as a Kentucky Air Guardsman, he traveled to 37 countries in just 12 months. One particular mission stands out — the effort to recover 11 lost souls from a pile of smoking rubble after their C-130 Hercules crashed in Afghanistan.
The mission took 36 hours, at great risk to human Airmen sifting through crash debris. With a SAR dog’s help, Parsons said, it would have taken only four — with potentially life-saving benefits for crash victims.
“I never really thought I was a dog guy,” he said. “I’ve never been formally trained as a dog guy. But we decided to start a dog program here. I had no idea what I was getting into, or how much work it was going to be. And everyone across the base jumped on board: ‘How do we make this happen?’ It was just an incredible thing to see.”
That spirit of teamwork is one of the reasons Parsons said his years with the Kentucky Air National Guard have been a career highlight.
“This wing has amazing capabilities in both wartime environments and humanitarian response,” he said. “We may be closing a chapter today, but the plot and key players will continue on to the next chapter. Our reputation for excellence will continue as along as we keep our priorities in the right place. I’m looking forward to seeing that.”
Callie, meanwhile, is simply looking forward to more play time with Parsons.
“I think she’s earned it,” he said.