Rare News Desk
Dogs are amazing animals that show dedication to their owners, even after they pass. Here are some stories that might bring a tear to your eye as we remember our fallen this weekend.
Videos by Rare
- Dog watches over the casket of a fallen SEAL
Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson was laid to rest Friday in Rockford, Iowa, where an estimated 1,500 mourners came to pay respects for the fallen Navy SEAL, including his dog Hawkeye. In fact, Hakeye’s loyalty to his owner at the funeral was visible, creating a heart-wrenching image as he laid down by the casket of his owner during the entire service
- Slain soldier’s puppy sticks with the family after his death, helps them cope.
It’s been four years since Army Spc. Justin A. Rollins died, but his mother looks into his eyes every day.
Rollins, an abiding animal lover, was 22 years old when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The day before he died, he joined fellow soldiers in the 82nd Airborne and rescued a litter of puppies. That night, he told girlfriend Brittney Murray, to whom he had planned to propose, about the dogs he had met.
After Rollins’s family received word of his death, they were shown photos of the dog rescue. They saw that their fallen son had smiled as he cradled puppies in his hands and had known a moment of joy just before the end. Murray, along with Rollins’s parents, Rhonda and Skip, felt an imperative: They had to bring one of those dogs home.
Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker was a dog handler with the Royal Army Vet. Corps and Theo was his bomb-sniffing springer spaniel mix. The two soldiers shared an enormous bond, one that was carried to their graves. On March 1st. Lance Cpl Liam Tasker was killed in a firefight with insurgents in Helmand Province.Theo suffered a fatal seizure hours later at a British Army base, most, as I, believe it was brought on by the stress of his handler being killed.
Military officials won’t go so far as to say Theo died of a broken heart-but that may not be far from the truth.
- Soldiers ask to be buried with their 4-legged partners if they’re both killed in combat
Staff Sgt. Iron quakes with fear at the sound of explosions. He brawls with other soldiers. He whines when he doesn’t get his way and slows others down when he stops to relieve himself during patrols through hostile territory.
But nobody complains, because when it’s time to enter a building that might be rigged to explode, or cross a pasture that could conceal a minefield, Iron is at the front of the line, making sure it’s safe for those who follow.
If it’s not, Iron will bear the brunt of the blast, along with his best friend, Sgt. Joshua T. Rose, who ranks one level below him. It’s an honor Iron enjoys for the dangerous job he does. It also ensures that charges could be filed against Rose in the unlikely event he ever mistreated Iron — an 80-pound German shepherd.
