Hero Dog

A dog named "Hero", who used to live in Iraq, now has a new home in New Hampshire with the parents of one of our fallen heroes. In Iraq, Spc. Justin Rollins was amongst the soldiers who discovered Hero in a litter of newborn puppies. The very next day (two months ago), Justin was killed by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. Skip and Rhonda Rollins, knowing that Hero was one of the last things to bring joy to their son, were eager to adopt him. His fiancee, Brittany Murray, felt the same way. So the three of them are going to jointly take care of Hero:

He was one of the soldiers of Charlie Company who discovered the mixed-breed dog, among a litter of newborn puppies, outside an Iraqi police station on the streets of Samarra in March.

Pictures were taken of the soldiers and the puppies, and Justin told Murray when they talked that night "I have some great pictures, you're going to flip out when you see them." But he never told her what they were, she said.

When Justin's mother saw the pictures, she said "The first thing I said when I saw the pictures is 'I want that puppy.' I named him Hero because Justin is a hero," Rhonda said yesterday with her voice cracking as she stood with her husband and Murray in Hodes' office before the dog arrived.

The three intend to share the puppy. "I wanted Brittney to have something positive for her. Justin loved her and was going to propose to her when he got home ... Justin was a great kid. He loved what he was doing," Rhonda said.

It took a lot of work to get Hero out of Iraq and into the United States -- thickets of bureaucracy to navigate, rules and regulation to appease, and plenty of hassle. But with perseverance and a lot of work from good people, they pulled it off. Several companies contributed gifts that will help Hero's new "parents" with the costs, too:

Word came earlier this month that U.S. Central Command had authorized the transfer. One of Rollins' best friends in the unit, Sgt. Jason Wheeler, had been taking care of Hero in Iraq.

Yesterday, representatives of DHL, the company that flew Hero from Iraq to New York and then to Manchester, drove the dog from Manchester to Concord and watched as the dog got to know its new owners.

Petting the puppy, Skip Rollins thanked every one who helped to bring the dog to the United States. "Our family can never thank you enough for what you've done for us," he said.

The gifts kept on coming as Sandy's Pet Food Center in Concord donated a year's supply of dog food as well as a basket of doggie gifts.

The Associated Grocers of New England arrived with a side of beef that Hero liked the smell of.

Before Hero arrived, Hodes told the media "Today is a very moving day in more ways than one. This has been a long Odyssey for a little puppy and a family that has had a tremendous loss."

What a nice story for a memorial day weekend!