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December 2, 2008 11:53:57 AM CST

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Fallen Marine's Dog Heading Home to His Family

Posted Dec 21, 07 2:36 PM CST in US 

(Newser) – Paramedics had to drag Lex the German shepherd away from the body of Cpl. Dustin Lee when the 20-year-old Marine from Mississippi was killed in a March mortar attack in Fallujah. Now Lex is back in the States and heading for retirement with Lee's family. “Lex was my son’s partner; he was his best friend,” said his dad, Jerome. “He was next to him. He was the last one to see him alive.”

The reassignment wasn't easy: The 8-year-old bomb-sniffing dog, who was also wounded in the mortar attack, was 2 years from retirement age. But Lee's family persisted, and the dog is en route to Mississippi today. "He's been through a lot," said Jerome Lee. "We just want to get Lex home to our family, and let him have a happy life."

Sources CNN, Sun Journal

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A US Marine Corps honor guard and a loyal dog await the start of the funeral for Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee in Quitman, Miss. Lee died March 21, 2007, from wounds received during a mortar attack in...   (Associated Press)
Marine dog handler Sgt. Larry Mayberry watches military dog, Lex, jump a training obstacle at Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga. The 8-year-old German shepherd, that was wounded in Iraq by an...   (Associated Press)
A member of a U.S. Marine Corps honor guard gives a farewell tap to the casket bearing the body of Cpl. Dustin J. Lee during his burial, Saturday, March 31, 2007, in Stonewall, Miss. Lee died March 21,...   (Associated Press)
Rachel Lee, center, blows a kiss to her son, Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee, during his burial service in Stonewall, Miss., Saturday, March 31, 2007. Lee, 20, died March 21, from wounds received during...   (Associated Press)
A U.S. Marine Corps honor guard carries the casket bearing the body of Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee to its plot in Stonewall, Miss., Saturday, March 31, 2007. Lee, 20, died March 21, from wounds received during...   (Associated Press)
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dog • military • Mississippi • Fallujah • German shepherd • K 9


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