Transportation supervisor at Arnold formerly K-9 handler for U.S. Marine Corps

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- Tyler Walker started his job in fleet management and analysis at Arnold Air Force Base in August 2017, and when the position came open, he was promoted to supervisor of fleet management in May 2018.

Though a good portion of his job now involves sitting at a desk fielding phones calls and emails pertaining to the transportation requests at Arnold Air Force Base, Walker once held a high-stress job, serving overseas as an active-duty member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Walker, who is originally from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, joined the Marines at 21-years-old and served for eight years, with his commitment ending in 2014.

“I spent my first four years in the Marines as a mechanic, and then the last four as a multi-purpose K-9 handler,” he said. “It was during my re-enlistment that I was selected to help start up the K-9 operations as part of the Marines Special Ops Command (MARSOC).”

Walker explained that there were two phases to joining this special ops team, with the first involving training on how to handle the K-9.
“It was an eight-week course that covered bomb detection and tracking and attack,” he said.

The second phase for MARSOC K-9 operations focused on integrating the skills picked up during the training.

“This phase is meant to make sure the K-9 is able to function with the operators and also get the dog used to close-quarter gunfire,” Walker said. “We would practice and go in as a team to find explosives. The experience was a lot of fun."

Walker completed his tour overseas and, upon his return, he and his family were able to adopt the K-9, a Belgian Malinois known to them as Ace.

“He lives at home with us now and he’s a big part of the family,” he said.

In addition to Ace, Walker’s family includes his wife Sarah, and their two children, a son and a daughter.

While Walker loved his military experience, he hopes to instill in his children the importance of an education. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business from Bethel University.

“My goal is to keep pursuing better opportunities, and I really hope to make an impact on base in my current role,” he said.