Peter Breslow/NPR
Former Air Force K9 handler Jamie Mangan adopted Rex, her bomb-sniffing dog, after they returned home from Iraq.
Posted on 12/14/2008 1:59:24 PM PST by llevrok
Jamie plops down on the couch with the two most significant members of her menagerie: Rex and Mike. Rex is an 8-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd. He was blown out of Jamie's Humvee after they searched a village outside Kirkuk. Rex suffered a singed nose, but Jamie thought he was dead.
Mike is the Army medic who helped save her life that day in Iraq. And he later became her husband.
{snip}
Jamie spent four months at Walter Reed. She met Wayne Newton, was awarded the Purple Heart and discovered that her beloved Rex was alive.
"They told me he was coming to visit," she says. "And they told me he was coming down the hall. Rex knows me by whistle, so I whistle, and he came in and jumped up on my bed with his front feet, and then he jumped up the whole way. And I had IV lines everywhere and all kinds of tubes and stuff connected to me, and he was getting all tangled up in them and people were spazzing out. I didn't care. He was there. I was happy."
During her recovery, she began the difficult process of trying to adopt Rex. He was a healthy trained dog, and the regulations stated that he couldn't be spared from duty. But Jamie's plight generated heavy publicity. Eventually, Congress passed a bill to allow for exceptions to the adoption rules. President Bush signed the bill into law, and the White House sent Jamie and Rex an invitation to a State of the Union address.
"Rex was the first dog ever to actually get an invitation to the State of the Union," she says.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
This one will get the Dogs whimpering and simpering.
thank you for this post....a remarkable story......
We can thank the surgeons at the front lines for a lot of procedures done today.....they are the best !!!!!
BTW...that is a beautiful dog !!!!
Thank you for a beautiful story.
It’s a shame the media does not print more like these.
These types of stories are what we should all hear on a daily basis!
Peter Breslow/NPR
Former Air Force K9 handler Jamie Mangan adopted Rex, her bomb-sniffing dog, after they returned home from Iraq.
Otherwise, she qualifies for Hazardous Duty Pay while meeting him.
PING
An amazing story and proof once again God does not call us home until HE is ready for us. Jamie and Mike have work yet to do on this earth and by the sounds of the story...they both are doing just that and...taking care of the wounded animals as well. God bless them and give them long life and happiness. We’re proud of both of them for their service to country and for coming home stronger than before. They have something very precious...an inner strength, determination, love for animals and a zest for life no matter what it brings. GOD BLESS THEM AND ALL OUR MILITARY!!!
My youngest brother is reporting to Lackland AFB today to start his training as a K-9 handler tomorrow.
Thanks for the thread.
ROFLMAO!!!
I CAQN’T STOP LAUGHING...YOU NAILED IT!
WOW. WHAT A STORY...!
i loved the part where the doggie ( this huge shepherd) jumps on her bed!
ping.
I am so divided about the adoption of service dogs by their handlers. Of course they are trained for their jobs. But the devotion that would develop between the handlers and the dog has to be exceptional. I think of the bond between my pack and myself..and we aren't in any danger.
I'm glad she was allowed to adopt the dog. It is the right thing to do. Maybe in all cases. Keep a steady stream of dogs trained that can go home when their handlers do.
That is a very beautiful dog.
My best wishes to him and his future dog. There are no two better buddies in the military!
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Extraordinary couple with their four-legged babies. Many thanks for their past and present service.
LOL!
PAINFULLY CUTE!
Looks like a cotton explosion with eyes.
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