Lucca, a dog and Marine, receives Medal

[997440]

Thank you, Lucca.

(CNN)A dog, who lost her leg when an IED detonated underneath her, received a medal for courage on Tuesday.

Lucca, a 12-year-old German shepherd, served two tours with the U.S. Marine Corps. She successfully completed 400 missions and protected the lives of thousands of troops during her six years of service, according to a statement from The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, a British organization known as PDSA.
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"The explosion was huge and I immediately feared the worst for Lucca," Rodriguez said."I ran to her and saw her struggling to get up. I picked her up and ran to the shelter of a nearby tree line; applied a tourniquet to her injured leg and called the medics to collect us.
"She had saved my life on so many occasions -- I had to make sure that I was there for her when she needed me."
Lucca survived the bombing, but she lost her front leg. Now four years later, she has been given the PDSA Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the United Kingdom's Victoria Cross. This is the highest honor animals can receive for their military service, and Lucca is the first U.S. Marine Corps dog to receive the medal.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/05/us/lucca-marine-dog-medal-honor-irpt/index.html

 

[rhett7660]

Right on!!! I know some will feel differently but to me this is awesome and from the sound of it, well deserved!

 

[bradl]

Definitely well deserved!

And I know that some will definitely feel differently to me, but I believe.. hell, I know for a fact (having personal experience with it) that people in this country, let alone the world, really underestimate the value that service animals provide.. They truly forget that it isn't just an animal (in this case, as well as mine, a dog), but is in fact an animal in the service of someone who needs them. This dog helped to save lives, and there are many others out there which while their job isn't in the military, their service is invaluable.

The more people would know about what service animals do, the more respect people would give them.

BL.

 

[JamesMike]

Definitely well deserved!

And I know that some will definitely feel differently to me, but I believe.. hell, I know for a fact (having personal experience with it) that people in this country, let alone the world, really underestimate the value that service animals provide.. They truly forget that it isn't just an animal (in this case, as well as mine, a dog), but is in fact an animal in the service of someone who needs them. This dog helped to save lives, and there are many others out there which while their job isn't in the military, their service is invaluable.

The more people would know about what service animals do, the more respect people would give them.

BL.

Agree with you 100%.

 

[S.B.G]

I saw this first on Twitter and thought it was great. Though I did reply to NBC Nightly News on Twitter because they mistakenly referred to the Gunny as a soldier! Us Marines don't like being called soldiers. Lester Holt told the story correctly on the news cast that night.

 

[997440]

I saw this first on Twitter and thought it was great. Though I did reply to NBC Nightly News on Twitter because they mistakenly referred to the Gunny as a soldier! Us Marines don't like being called soldiers. Lester Holt told the story correctly on the news cast that night.

So Twitter does have some redeeming qualities.

More on this (including 3 photos) in a story at marines.mil that predates the one in the OP :

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Before her retirement in 2012, Lucca completed two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan where she led approximately 400 patrols until she was injured by an improvised explosive device. No Marines were injured on any patrol she led, including her final patrol where the explosion cost Lucca her front left leg. Lucca has been selected to receive the Dickin Medal, a European award that acknowledges outstanding acts of bravery or devotion to duty by animals serving with the armed forces or civil defense.
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http://www.imef.marines.mil/News/Ne...ng-dog-receives-dickin-medal-for-heroism.aspx

 

[S.B.G]

So Twitter does have some redeeming qualities

I like Twitter and mostly use it to follow a few friends and news or educational things that I'm interested in. I don't do Facebook, that's far too annoying for me.