American Soldiers With Pets

Imagine finding a puppy trapped in a burning trash can. A German Shepherd dog being held down by one man, while two others beat him. Finding a starving dog that had been stabbed by a screwdriver. Would you rescue them? American soldiers would. In the chaos of the war zone, many soldiers have saved animals from harms way, simply because they do not want another living being to suffer. The stories I will post today, are a testament to our kind hearted men and women in uniform. This list is far from complete, as many acts of kindness will never make headline news.

Army Sgt. Peter Neesley, stationed in Iraq, used to feed a black labrador and her puppy in front of the base. He would write home about them often, even sending pictures of them and expressing that he would like them to be sent back to the US where they would be safe. Unfortunately, Army Sgt. Peter Neesley passed away in Iraq on December 25, 2007. With the help of Richard Crook from the Best Friends Animal Society and the media, Neesley's family was able to adopt the two dogs that we're such a part of his life in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman is a Marine with a heart of gold. A book I would highly recommend is "FROM BAGHDAD, WITH LOVE: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava" by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman. It describes how he met this five week old stray dog while serving in Iraq, how he fell in love with him, and his five month ordeal to get him out of Iraq and send him back to the US. A few qoutes from his book,

The puppy looked back at me, ears high, pink tongue hanging out sideways from his mouth. I realized he wanted me to chase him. He was giving me the "I was never afraid of you" routine. So I scooped up the little guy. He squirmed and lapped at my face, which was blackened from explosive residue, soot from bombed-out buildings, and dust from hitting the ground. "Where'd you come from?" I said...

I just knew the little guy was going to die. This one won't make it because he's too damned cute. As a lieutenant colonel, I also knew military rules as well as anyone, and every time I picked Lava up, they darted across my brain like flares: Prohibited activities for service members under General Order 1-A included adopting as pets or mascots, caring for or feeding, any type of domestic or wild animals. The order was taken pretty seriously. The military didn't want anything like compassion messing things up. Our job was to shoot the enemy, period.

Fortunately, this story does have a happy ending, and Reader's Digest has more details on how Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman was able to get Lava out of Iraq.

Special Forces Sgt. Major William Gillette came upon three Iraqi men beating a German Shepherd. One was holding the dog, while the other two we're beating him. Gillette "persuaded" the men to let him go, decided to personally care for the dog, and named him Yo-ge. Yo-ge would sleep with Gillette at night, accompany him on guard duty, and when he would have to check buildings. Sgt. Major William Gillette rescued him and had him sent back to the states, with the help of the SPCA.

Major Brian Dennis discovered a dog that had been severely abused on his rounds in Iraq. Someone had cut off his ears, and stabbed him with a screwdriver. The dog, he named "Nubbs" seemed to be on deaths doorstep. That night Major Brian Dennis gave him his rations of food, and slept with him in a sleeping bag to try to keep him warm. The next few days Nubbs began to recover under the care of Major Dennis. But before Nubbs could completely recover from his wounds, Dennis was informed he must relocate 70 miles away. The military would not allow Dennis to take Nubbs, and he relocated as instructed with a heavy heart, leaving Nubbs behind. Amazingly, Nubbs tracked him down by walking 70 miles in the harsh desert. When the Major's so called superiors found out, they advised Dennis he needs to get rid of the dog within four days, or they would shoot Nubbs. After all Nubbs had gone through, Major Dennis could not allow that to happen, and was able to successfully arrange to have Nubb's sent back to the US.

There are hundreds of stories like this, of selfless acts of kindness and respect for life. You can also find more success stories on Baghdad Pups, an organization started through the SPCA to help soldiers bring their best friends back to the US. Their slogan is "No buddy gets left behind!"

Please sign the petition asking the US military to revise General Order 1A which prohibits "adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal." No soldier should be punished for kindness. Change Military Policy About Animals.