The bond between a soldier and his dog

Lex was a soldier, albeit a German Shepherd.  He was trained to sniff out hidden explosives.  He was working in Iraq with his partner corporal Dustin Jerome Lee when  a 73-millimeter rocket exploded inside their base  in the Al Anbar province.  Corporal Lee was badly wounded by the blast.  Lex was also injured, getting shrapnel lodged into his back.

As Lee’s marine buddies watched, the bleeding Lex climbed on top of Corporal Lee and tried to protect him from further harm.  The medics had a difficult time getting him off to try to save his partner.  They were unable to save Dustin, but Lex survived.

Lee’s parents heard about the bond between their son and Lex, and asked to allow Lex to be at their son’s funeral.  They later fought a long but successful battle with the Marine Corp to get to adopt Lex.

Lex received a purple heart and retirement from the Marine Corp.  He continues to help by visiting VA hospitals and retirement homes to bring solace to veterans.

Lex received the AKC award for excellence in 2008.