Free Republic

It's against the rules for U.S. soldiers in Iraq to have pets, but the skinny black puppy that wandered up to the Florida National Guard soldiers at a base in northern Iraq wouldn't go away. So the soldiers from Alpha Co. of the 2nd Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment adopted the mutt and named her Apache after their radio call sign. But Army regulations finally caught up with Alpha Co. and Apache. Family members said Wednesday that the soldiers were eventually forced to obey orders and have the dog killed."My husband was devastated," said Maggie Ford of Melbourne, whose...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - They met in northern Iraq under the most trying of circumstances. Army Sgt. 1st Class Russell Joyce and his unit needed a guard dog. A scruffy, rail-thin German shepherd needed a home. Though most of the soldiers in the Special Forces unit thought the dog looked too frail, Joyce felt it deserved a chance. He fed it, trained it and, almost as a joke, named it Fluffy. Through it all, man and dog forged a commitment that lasted through war and government red tape, and all the way back to a reunion and a new home...

NASIRIYAH, Iraq -- After one firefight on the Euphrates River, the acrid smoke cleared and a U.S. Marine handed Staff Sgt. Nelson Hidalgo two casualties of the war and poverty in Iraq.The mother was dying of hunger, unable to nurse her young, who were on the verge of starving, too. The "barbarians," as Marines with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance unit are called, were about to become proud parents."We scooped the babies right up," said Hidalgo, nodding at the white puppy chowing down on a military MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) of pasta and vegetables beneath the gun turret of...

Pigeons, Chickens, Dolphins, Dogs Get Marching Orders in Iraq War By Siobhan McDonough Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. troops are getting an assist from a military menagerie in the Iraq war. Chickens, sea lions and a few good dolphins - Makai and Tacoma - have been in the fight. Dogs, good at alerting troops and relaying messages, are also sniffing out bombs in Iraq. Warfare has long depended on the fowl and the four-legged, whether they were elephants bearing javelin throwers on the battlefields of the ancient world, camels spooking Byzantine cavalry horses with their pungent smell, or...

A real Dog of War has been hailed the hero of a British Army raid on an Iraqi stronghold.Explosives sniffer dog Buster unearthed a hidden cache of arms from an enemy camp in the southern Iraqi village of Safwan writes Nick Parker of The Sun, in this shared report from the front line. The Springer Spaniel's find was followed by the arrest of 16 Saddam Hussein supporters.Brown-eyed Buster, who is five, took part in a raid launched by 200 troops.His handler, Sergeant Danny Morgan, 37, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps said: "The soldiers had found nothing so I...

Dogs, Dolphins Help Protect U.S. Troops By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - This materiel not only has bite, it's got plenty of bark. And beaks and bottle noses, and feathers and flippers. Chickens, dogs and dolphins have been given their marching orders to help protect U.S. troops in Iraq. Chickens defy death in cages atop U.S. military Humvees to detect a possible Iraqi chemical attack. Well, some don't exactly defy death. Most expired after a short stint in the Iraqi desert - flu is suspected - and pigeons have taken their place. Dogs, long used in...

A real Dog of War has been hailed the hero of a British Army raid on an Iraqi stronghold.Explosives sniffer dog Buster unearthed a hidden cache of arms from an enemy camp in the southern Iraqi village of Safwan. The Springer Spaniel's find was followed by the arrest of 16 Saddam Hussein supporters.Brown-eyed Buster, who is five, took part in a raid launched by 200 troops.His handler, Sergeant Danny Morgan, 37, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps said: "The soldiers had found nothing so I unleashed Buster and sent him in."The rule is that the dog always goes first in...