A FORMER pupil from The Hurst Community College is helping to guard the Falkland Islands – with the help of a canine friend.
Corporal Laura Willetts, an RAF Police dog handler, is patrolling RAF Mount Pleasant with her five-year-old German Shepherd Ordy, and they are pictured right.
The 32-year-old, originally from Tadley, joined the RAF in 2008 after working as a travel agent and part-time gym instructor.
She said she decided to become a dog handler because she had always wanted to work with animals.
She said: “You get very attached to the dogs and it is hard to leave them. Even if you are having a bad day, they will do something to make you laugh.”
The dogs at RAF Mount Pleasant live in a newly-built kennel complex that has underfloor heating, 22 kennels, a grooming area and a food preparation room.
Cpl Willetts, who still has family and friends in the Basingstoke area, is normally based in Cyprus.
The sixth-month tour of the Falklands is her second in her career, and she has also served in Afghanistan.
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