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Jodi the Iraqi Pup

A few months ago, my platoon was sent on a resupply mission for the 2010 Iraqi elections.  My platoon was assigned to resupply one specific Iraqi army compound every other day.  In this particular compound, there were lots of dogs running wild.  They were eaten up by flies and gnats and extremely underfed.  Though they were all mostly grown, it was obvious that they wouldn’t survive much longer without someone’s help.

Every time we went to the compound, one dusty black and white pup stood out to me.  Unlike the others, it didn’t try to bark and bite when you got near it.  I mentioned that we should take this puppy back with us to a few of the guys.  They always disagreed.

After a week of my insistence on taking this puppy, a close friend of mine, John, decided to swipe the dog and sneak it on base by hiding it in his gun truck.  We kept the dog in my room for two weeks.  We fed the dog, bathed her, and took her on regular walks when no one was around.  We decided to name her Jodi.

Eventually Jodi got tired of being in my room and began to bark.  There was no hiding her anymore with her loud barking—we were caught.  During chow time, one of my sergeants got on to me for having a pet in my room.  It is strictly against the rules to have a pet while in a combat zone.

My battalion commander made me let her go.  Jodi didn’t want to leave.  She still stays around and sleeps in our rooms.  We let her in and feed and play with her in our free time.  Having her around lightens up the mood.  Just seeing her prancing around playing with the soldiers is heart warming.  To see Jodi running up to greet everyone when we get back from a mission is kind of like coming home to a little brother or sister.

As time has gone on, everyone has grown to love Jodi.  Even our stonewall company commander and first sergeant have grown fond of her.  To the 1^st platoon, Bravo Company, our favorite lady will always be Jodi the Iraqi pup.

Jodi's boys (Quentin is in the middle)

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