Fallen Marine's Parents Adopt Son's Bomb Dog

[RamboLiberal]

SAN ANTONIO - The parents of a U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan are adopting the bomb-sniffing dog who the military says loyally rushed to their son's side when he was fatally shot.

Darrell and Kathy Rusk were expected to take home Eli on Thursday. The black Labrador is being retired from military service following the death of Pfc. Colton Rusk. The military says the 20-year-old Texan died in December during a gun battle with Taliban fighters.

Rusk was the handler for Eli, who is trained to sniff out explosives. After their son was killed in combat, the Rusks asked the military if they could adopt the dog.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/fallen-marines-parents-adopt-sons-bomb-dog-020311


Pfc. Colton Rusk with bomb sniffing dog Eli (cpwda.com)



Awwwwwww. :cry: :patriot:

[old mark]

1. K&R- I'm glad they could get him. Most service dogs are euthanized

and not "retired" after they are judged to be no longer of use.

mark

[RamboLiberal]

5. I don't think that is the case anymore

Was up to & beyond the time of Vietnam war, but policies have changed.

Military dogs are now returned to the U.S. and are no longer euthanized, but instead are given to their handlers when they are retired. They can then live out their remaining years in the peace and comfort of a loving home.


http://www.eagleid.com/veterans/dogs.htm

On edit 11/20/00:

U.S. Military dogs too old to continue their duty can now be adopted rather than put to death according to a law signed by President Clinton on Nov 6.

Under the new law -- H.R. 5314 -- sponsored in Congress by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland), the commander of the dog's last duty unit will, in consultation with the unit veterinarian, decide whether the dog is suitable for adoption.

Dogs found suitable will available for adoption by law enforcement agencies, former handlers and trainers, or other persons determined, "capable of humanely caring for these dogs."

The law also requires anyone receiving a retired military dog to agree not to hold the government responsible for injury, damage or other damages resulting from ownership of the dog.

Dogs not adopted or euthanized for medical reasons will be sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX for use in training dog handlers.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa112000a.htm

[burrowowl]

19. Glad they can be adopted now

Heartfelt condolences for the parents,

[dionysus]

8. they didn't always. i saw a great WW2 show about the dogs who served in the pacific

regular families volunteered their dogs, there were all kinds and breeds, large and small. the dogs that survived were often returned to the families after the war, their handlers kept some. i think it was in the vietnam era when they put them down after serving.

[RamboLiberal]

10. I read a book by a veterinarian who took care of the WWII Marine dogs

The Marine authorities wanted to euthanize the dogs when they came back and some were but he was the one who fought to let them live & return them if wanted to their former families or I think even to the Marines who were their handlers. If it wasn't for Captain Putney those dogs would've been put down since the brass thought them too dangerous to return to civilian life.

After the war was over he was horrified to learn that the war dogs were being euthanized. No attempt was being made to retrain them for safe return to the civilian owners who donated them. He spearheaded the effort to establish a detraining program of the courageous dogs serving our country with courage and distinction. His efforts paid off when the Marine Corps established the war dog detraining program. The program was a huge success and out of 559 Marine Corps dogs, only 19 had to be euthanized (15 due to health reasons and only four were considered too incorrigible for civilian life).

http://www.grunt.com/corps/scuttlebutt/marine-corps-stories/always-faithful/

Captain Putney died in March 2003. LA Times had an extensive obituary. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/23/local/me-putney23

On edit the book:

Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII

A retired Marine Corps captain and veterinarian, Putney writes a moving and heartrending account of his days as commander of the 3rd Marine War Dog Platoon, in which some 72 dogs and their handlers were his responsibility. The dogs and handlers trained in scouting, mine detection, and other patrol duties and went into combat together. Here we read about Peppy, Big Boy, and Lady and a host of other courageous dogs who lived and died during some of the worst fighting of the war. Putney takes the reader through basic training and the battles of Guadalcanal and the retaking of the island of Guam in 1944. He continues the story of how those dogs that survived the war were retrained and returned to civilian life. For veterans and dog owners, the stories of heroism and death may be dreadful, but they are a reminder of the sacrifices needed to obtain victory in World War II. A unique animal and war story, this memoir is a tribute to all who cherish the loyalty and bonds that dogs give their owners. Recommended for all public libraries. David Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY

Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Retired veterinarian Putney is also a decorated World War II veteran whose primary service was helping organize the Marine War Dog Corps, which trained nearly a thousand dogs, mostly Doberman pinschers, as scouts, messengers, and alarm givers. Many of the dogs saw combat, especially on Guam, where then captain Putney won a Purple Heart and Silver Star fighting the Japanese, with and without dogs. More than 500 canine survivors were successfully demilitarized and returned to civilian life, and more than half of those became companions of the marines they had accompanied in battle--results that Putney counts as one of his finest achievements. An exceptionally clear writer, Putney is compassionate for his fellow marines of both species, except when some of them proved more dangerous to the dog platoons than the Japanese were. A valuable addition to the historiography of military animals, World War II, and the marines. Roland Green

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

[dionysus]

11. here's the commercial for the special i saw;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tqksgs2WzY

[old mark]

15. AFAIK, they are still euthanized routinely, but here is a link to a great org

that helps with civillian adoptions of "retired" Military Working Dogs...but you have to ask before they are killed.

http://www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com/

The dogs in WWII were DONATED by their civilian owners-they were pets-and then trained, served in WWII and then those who survived were re-socialized and were returned to their families after the war.

Current military dogs are raised by breeders and sold to the military.

I did not mean to take the focus off the young man who was killed.
mark

[sarge43]

2. Brothers-in-arms.

:cry::patriot:

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Sad and happy story...all in one...

I have read a couple of other stories of parents who adopted their child's dog..after their son was killed in battle. It is a wonderful way to keep a part of their child alive, and close by.

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2009/feb/11/family_gets_dog_that_worked_with_son_killed_in_ira-ar-214648/
- Cpl. Dustin Lee and his bomb-sniffing German shepherd Lex were patrolling Iraq's Anbar province when an insurgent's rocket-propelled grenade cut them down.

As Lee lay dying, his gravely injured dog lifted his shrapnel-filled, fuzzy brown and black frame onto his partner's mortally wounded body and stayed there until medics arrived.

"He was still protecting him until the end," said Cpl. Lee's mother, Rachel Lee. "Lex was bleeding. Dustin was bleeding. Their blood combined. They were already brothers and partners. They just became one."

Lee's parents, and his teenage brother and sister, knew that nothing could replace Cpl. Lee after he was killed in the March 2007 attack. But, they thought that adopting the dog that survived the attack would help fill the emotional chasm.

"When I look into his eyes, I can see the spirit of my son," Rachel Lee said.

<snip>

[sasha031]

4. that is so beautiful

:cry: and at the same time.

[Codeine]

6. Dogs.

Amazing fucking creatures.

[ceile]

7. Glad some good came out of it.

Love to Rusks' family and thier new member.

[RamboLiberal]

9. Adding a bit more to the story

Eli wagged his tail furiously when he was brought into a small room inside the 37th Training Wing to meet his new owners. A Marine staff sergeant tried to get the dog to sit obediently while he read a letter of thanks to the family, but he relented after Eli kept lunging forward to sniff Rusk's mother, Kathy.

When the leash was finally handed to Darrell Rusk, his wife and two sons each crouched down to hug and pet Eli, who lifted his front right paw to invite their hands toward his belly. All were crying.

"Every time he called home, it was always about Eli," Kathy Rusk said of her son. "It gave me some comfort knowing that Colton wasn't alone over there."

-----

Eli was assigned to Rusk in May, before Rusk was deployed on his 20th birthday. Kathy Rusk said her son was thrilled by the assignment, especially after growing up surrounded by dogs on the family's 100-acre ranch in Orange Grove, just outside Corpus Christi on the Texas coast.

The two quickly grew inseparable. Military dogs are supposed to sleep in kennels when deployed, but Rusk broke the rules and let Eli curl up with him on his cot. Other times, the dog took up the entire sleeping bag. Rusk ate ready-to-eat meals, so that's what Eli ate instead of dog food, Darrell Rusk said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/03/fallen-marine-colton-rusk_n_818040.html

[xchrom]

12. Welcome home, Eli. Nt

[JanBrady]

13. The son died for NOTHING. At least the dog gets to go home.

[Cid_B]

14. Says you...

I imagine others would disagree...

[JanBrady]

16. What DID the son die for?

[Bigmack]

20. Animal Mother said it was ...

"poon tang".

Blessed be the words of Animal Mother.

(I was the same MOS as Animal Mother)

[Raine]

17. Aw that's such a sweet picture

it brought tears to my eyes. :cry: I'm so glad the family will be giving this sweetheart a loving home. :-)

[Brickbat]

18. Ah, what a waste. That picture breaks my heart.