Semper fidelis
Via The Daily Mail:
A US military dog who lost her leg while on duty in Afghanistan has become the first to be awarded the animal equivalent of a British Victoria Cross.
German Shepherd Lucca, aged 12, completed over 400 separate missions during six years of active service with the U.S. military, where she would sniff out explosives.
It is believed she protected the lives of thousands of allied troops during her career, with there being no human casualties during any of her patrols.
However, her final patrol came in March 2012, when she alongside her then handler Corporal Juan Rodriguez, discovered a 30lb improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
As Lucca searched for the device, a second bomb exploded and she instantly lost her front leg and suffered severe burns to her chest – but miraculously no soldiers were injured in the blast.
Corporal Rodriguez administered first aid to his dog before she was airlifted to Germany to recover, and within ten days she was up and walking again.
Today, Lucca travelled to London from southern California with her former handler and owner Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Willingham to be awarded the PDSA Dickin medal.
She was presented with the award during a ceremony at the Wellington Barracks, with the medal the highest award any animal in the world can achieve while serving in military conflict.
Lucca is now the first Marine Corps dog to receive the esteemed honor.
Gunnery Sergeant Willingham, said: ‘Lucca is very intelligent, loyal and had an amazing drive for work as a search dog.
‘In addition to her incredible detection capabilities, Lucca was instrumental in increasing moral for the troops we supported. In between missions, I took the searching harness off and let her play and interact with the troops.
HT: Huck Funn