Army K9 and handler honored for discovering IED cache in Syria Fritz, a military working dog, and his handler Sgt. Michael Ramirez received Army Commendation Medals in December for discovering a cache of unexploded bombs in Syria. INHERENT RESOLVE/TWITTER By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: December 28, 2020 An Army canine earned rare military honors this month after discovering a cache of explosives in Syria while deployed as part of the U.S.-led mission to defeat the Islamic State. Fritz, a 4.5-year-old military working dog who joined the kennels at Fort Carson, Colo., in September 2018, was awarded an Army Commendation Medal with “C” device for the achievement under combat conditions, military photos showed.