Wounded vet wants Air Force dog

San Francisco Chronicle / Wash. Post ^ | 11/20/05 | Donna St. George

[Valin]

Washington -- They had trained together for three years in the military and were deployed overseas side by side. In June, they arrived in Iraq, where they worked as a team scouring houses and villages for hidden explosives. Then, one afternoon, riding back from a mission, a roadside bomb went off under their humvee.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jamie Dana was critically injured -- bleeding internally, her lungs collapsed, her spine fractured, her pelvis broken. In her last moment of consciousness, she asked in desperation about her comrade. "Where's Rex?" she pleaded. When no one answered, she grabbed a medic's arm. "Where's my dog?! Is he dead?"

The medic told her that he was. "I felt like my heart broke," she recalled in an interview. "It's the last thing I remember."

Weeks passed before Dana absorbed the news that the medic was mistaken and that Rex was alive. The German shepherd was burned slightly on his nose but was not seriously injured. Dana teetered at life's edge, with doctors unable to assure her husband and parents that she would survive.

Not long after she started to rally from her injuries, Dana asked Air Force leaders if she could adopt Rex. The answer was no; it was against the rules, and Rex was still valuable to the military.

Now, the Air Force has changed its view -- but federal law stands in the way.

Under Title 10 U.S. Code 2583, the Air Force says, it cannot allow the wounded airman to take her combat dog home until the animal is too old to be useful. Rex, 80 pounds and brown and black with gold markings, is just 5 years old, not nearly the retirement age of 10 to 14.

[1rudeboy]

Somebody buy this woman a puppy.

[martin_fierro]

By law, the Air Force can't allow Tech. Sgt. Jamie Dana to adopt Rex, her combat dog. (By Ricky Carioti -- The Washington Post)

[SIDENET]

Under Title 10 U.S. Code 2583, the Air Force says, it cannot allow the wounded airman to take her combat dog home until the animal is too old to be useful.

Almost anything is waiverable in the Air Force. Let her have her dog.

[solitas]

They should just reclassify the Dog - they ought to be able to find SOMETHING wrong with it if they "look" hard enough...

[JBR34]

She doesn't need to adopt the dog. The Air Force can "lend" her the dog for a few years. Zoos do it all the time. A large number of animals in the city zoos do not belong to that particular zoo. The are "on loan" from other zoos.

[Tammy8]

There was a similar story about a Special Forces soldier who wanted his dog "Fluffy" brought back from Iraq, and somehow he ended up getting it done. Not sure how he managed it, but anyone interested in helping this soldier get her dog should check into that story. I know there was an outcry from the public on the behalf of "Fluffy" so the military found an answer to the problems there in getting that dog to the handler. I do remember the handler ended up with his dog, because I saw a follow-up story about how good of a family pet he was making.

[jwh_Denver]

Damn rules. And then where is the wise man who knows when to break them?

[silverleaf]

The Air Force waives a lot of regulations for far less important things. This dog is a "piece of equipment" that has served its purpose. Im sure she would be glad to reimburse the military for Rex's final 2-3 years of possible service. I doubt if many military working dogs of the large Shepherd breed make it much to 10 years old or beyond.

[MaryFromMichigan]

They should just reclassify the Dog - they ought to be able to find SOMETHING wrong with it if they "look" hard enough...

Here ya go...

"The German shepherd was burned slightly on his nose but was not seriously injured."

I bet he's no longer as as good at sniffing out hidden explosives as he once was.
Better send him home. :)

[mountainlyons]

Reassign the dog as a care giver and reassign it to her.

[True Republican Patriot]

Lets all of us write to Secretary Rumsfield and ask his understanding and help. She has given all for Our Country and Deserves Our Gratitude and most specially REX!

[Valin]

Thanks for the photo.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

After being associated with the Federal Government for decades, I bet there is at least 10 ways that the Air Force could transfer the dog. The first thing that comes to mind is a permanent loan. If the dog is title B equipment, it may be loaned. How about TDY for a year, transfer to AF again, and immediately be sent TDY. How about transfer for additional training for dog, etc. How about a permanent transfer to her address? etc. etc. Let a good Warrant F& S look at the problem and it will be solved within the hour.IMHO

[HairOfTheDog]

Ping!

Other articles with keyword "DOGGIEPING" since 12/29/04

Working Dog Tribute Pages

[Fred Hayek]

Find a flight surgeon to write up a treatment stating that letting her adopt the dog would be good for therapeutic reasons.

[jim macomber]

http://www.uswardogs.org/

[ninergold3]

"The German shepherd was burned slightly on his nose but was not seriously injured."

I would be willing to bet that the poor dog's nerves are shot too (no pun intended). What good will a dog on Prozac do the military.

Let her have her dog.

[lastchance]

Maybe the dog is gay? Or has combat fatigue, or has lost some of its scent cones? Or maybe it could fake a heart attack and coma? Maybe it could be reassigned to Homeland Security or DEA or AFT task forces. There has got to be someway to get the woman and her puppy together.