【3月14日】看軍聞學英語

■林國賓

原文：

The beloved military working dog, known across the force for greeting users when they log in to military devices, is now retired from active service.

Affectionately called "Doggles," MWD Nick served eight years in the Army, seven of those at Fort Meade, Maryland. Nick specialized in explosives detection, helping technicians confront and defeat explosives around the world.

Some of the biggest assignments that Nick and handler Army Staff Sgt. Justin Peyton, assigned to the 2nd Military Working Dog Detachment, have worked include 58 Secret Service missions, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, a Democratic National Convention, the Army's 250th anniversary celebration, state funerals and the United Nations General Assembly.

"My favorite assignment was the United Nations meeting in New York City," Peyton said. "We got to walk around the city, see sights and meet lots of people."

The famous photo came from Nick's nine-month deployment to Al Asad Air Base, with his previous handler, Army Spc. Joseph J. Lane. During the deployment, Lane and Nick supported the 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

"The goggles are worn to protect MWDs from debris and harsh weather," Lane said in a 2023 interview. "In that photo, Nick was wearing them at the range for familiarization."

中譯：

那隻深受官兵喜愛、因在軍用裝置登入畫面中向使用者「打招呼」而聞名全美軍的軍用犬，如今已正式退役。

被暱稱為「墨鏡狗」的軍用犬尼克，在美國陸軍服役長達8年，其中有7年駐守於馬里蘭州米德堡。尼克專精於爆裂物偵測，協助技術人員在全球各地對抗並排除爆裂物威脅。

尼克與其領犬員、隸屬於第2軍用犬分遣隊的陸軍上士裴頓，曾共同執行多項重大任務，包括58次美國特勤局任務、一場北大西洋公約組織高峰會、一場民主黨全國黨代表大會、陸軍成立250週年慶、國葬，以及聯合國大會的維安任務。

裴頓表示：「我最喜歡的一次任務是在紐約市舉行的聯合國會議，我們可以在市區裡到處行走、觀光，還能遇到很多人。」

那張廣為流傳的知名照片，拍攝於尼克先前與另一名領犬員陸軍專業兵雷恩，一起在阿薩德空軍基地執行為期9個月的部署期間。當時，雷恩與尼克支援的是第25步兵師第1旅級戰鬥隊下轄的第5步兵團。

雷恩在2023年一次訪談中說明：「護目鏡是用來保護軍用犬免受碎片與惡劣天候影響。在那張照片中，尼克於射擊場進行適應訓練時佩戴著護目鏡。」

- 關鍵軍語 -

※military working dog：軍用犬

※explosives：爆裂物