From Baghdad To America by Lt. Col. USMC (ret.) Jay Kopelman Page B

him reminded us all that we were still human, still capable of feeling. Studies have shown that people with pets have lower levels of stress and anxiety. A biologist recently commented in Newsweek that any condition with a stress-related component can be helped by a pet: “It’s providing a focus of attention that’s outside of someone’s self. They’re actually letting you focus on them rather than focusing inward on yourself all the time.” 9 Yes, science proves that it’s true—pet your dog and you’ll be happier and healthier.
    I think the Department of Defense has finally started to accept this fact. For the first time in the history of the U.S. Army, skilled therapy dogs—provided by America’s VetDogs, a subsidiary of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind—will be deployed to Iraq to help relieve combat stress of soldiers in the field. Two specially trained dogs will join a multidisciplinary team of army professionals to address mental health issues as they arise. The dogs, Budge and Boe, will work with members of the Eighty-fifth Medical Detachment as they work with soldiers, whether in a one-to-one or a group setting, to cope with home-front issues, sleep problems, or day-to-day operational stress. I like to think that my violation of the rules regarding pets and mascots in the combat theater, or the stories of the hundreds of other mascots, helped the DoD finally acknowledge that dogs are good for morale, not detrimental.
    Maybe having Lava now—and having had him around some of the time in Iraq—is why I’m more okay than most, and when Pam walked into my life I was ready to embrace her. I no longer depend on Lava the same way, but he is still as loyal as can be. He reminds me of who I am, and where I’ve been, every day. I’m lucky to have him, and I hope one day it will be easier for Marines to bring back their best friends.
    I heard one hopeful story recently: Lex, an approved military working dog in Iraq whose handler and best friend, Marine Corporal Dustin Lee, was killed by a mortar attack in Fallujah, was allowed early retirement to live with Lee’s family. The dog wouldn’t leave Lee’s side when both were wounded; other Marines had to pull him away to let the medics reach Dustin. It was too late for Lee but, despite being injured by shrapnel, Lex survived. The family lobbied the Marine Corps for months afterward to bring Lex home from Iraq. I even signed an online petition urging officials at the Department of Defense to do the right thing . . . which they did. Lex returned to live with Lee’s family in December 2007. I would guess he reminds the family of Dustin. His father admitted as much: “There’s always going to be that missing link with Dusty gone,” he said. “But part of Dusty is here with Lex.” 10 11
    I get it. While I was still in Iraq, Lava felt like my next of kin there. So it only seemed right that he’d play as large a role in finding Pam as he did. Lava has been family since the first day I laid eyes on him. For a while there, when I first returned to the States, he was really and truly my only family.
    He loves me despite my shortcomings. So does my family—my wife and children—and believe me, the shortcomings are plentiful and sometimes difficult for all. For one thing, I don’t have a lot of patience and will not suffer fools.
    I get agitated a little more easily than I used to, and I seem to be less tolerant of people who don’t put the same importance on things as I do or who seem to take what they have for granted. On occasion I’ve been known to give someone a piece of my mind, too. The other day, someone parked in my reserved spot—again. There’s a school adjacent to the lot where I park for work every day. Since I have the spot closest to the school, people feel it’s okay—their right, even—to park in my spot while they pick their