November 11, 2008

On Veterans' Day, II

Left: President-elect Barack Obama hugged Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth after a wreath laying ceremony at the Bronze Soldiers Memorial in Chicago in honor of Veteran's Day. Ms. Duckworth is the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. [Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais.]

Two more links: from the NY Times, an article [with photos], Veterans Helped by Healing Paws: service dogs give hope, and help, to wounded veterans. The article profiles three severely disabled veterans and their service dogs.
In the Army, we have this thing called a battle buddy. You never go anywhere by yourself, and you always take your battle buddy because they are there to protect you and you are there to protect them. It’s the same concept with a service dog.
And over at the most excellent SmartDogs' Weblog, Janeen writes about the US War Dogs Association - Helping our Four-Legged Veterans.
Today, war dogs are being used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan and although the military has made concessions about allowing them to return home, most of their futures are uncertain. To honor their dedication and sacrifice, the men who served as handlers for these four-legged soldiers established the U.S. War Dog Association.
Read the entire post here.

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