DENVER—Edward Watson, a paratrooper recently promoted to sergeant, has his hands full in Baghdad—with a dog that has adopted his unit.
Watson, a 25-year-old member of the 82nd Airborne from Phoenix, e-mailed a reporter who had written about his blog to ask for help.
“He’s a great and cute guy and I, as well as everyone else, have become attached to him. I’m dreading the day we leave and have to leave him behind so I’m trying to find a way to get him to the states,” Watson said.
” I know others have done it before so I know it’s possible, but I don’t really know where to even start. If you might be able to be any help with this situation I’d greatly appreciate it. I thank you for even taking the time to read this,” he said.
In his blog, Eighty Deuce on the Loose, he tells the story of how the dog joined his unit and moved into their combat post.
“The one thing I have missed more than anything being in the military as a single soldier, is the fact that while living in the barracks I was not able to have ANY pet, even something like a fish. Shoot I don’t even think I could have a live plant,” he said.
“A few months ago my old squad was out on patrol at night and this cute little black and white puppy began following them. They didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but he kept following them and, well, he was just so damn cute. They brought him back that night. I was on guard shift and happen to be sitting on the desk inside when they brought the little guy in,” said Watson.
“He was pathetic looking. He couldn’t have been more than a couple weeks old and looked like he could have died any minute. But he was SO cute. They gave him a couple baths to clean him up and tried to get him to drink as much clean water that he could. They had him wrapped in a blanket and left him at the desk I was at. He was thoroughly exhausted and his body was so hot. He was shivering while he slept and honestly from the looks of it I didn’t think he was going to live for more than a few days. Even after the bath he still had fleas so one of they guys went and dipped him in JP8 (Diesel Fuel). We thought this was crazy, but it worked and he was flea free. As the only appropriate name for a dog for guys of Charlie Company was, Charlie,” he wrote.
As days went by the dog got cuter and cuter and harder to get rid of.
“He was the center of attention and got everyone’s affection. This is where me and Charlie truly began to bond, especially after the first time I did my best to comfort him and keep him warm. I really started getting attached to him and I began thinking about him and his life after we leave. ”
After Watson’s unit rotated out, the units that followed also took care of Charlie. The dog was afraid of civilians.
A picture of the dog is available on the Web site, .
Watson said he has tried to contact a group called Military Mascots, which handles cases like this but hasn’t heard back from them.
“So hopefully we can make this happen. I don’t quite know what it will take, or even if we can do what we need to, but its worth a try,” he writes.
Wait, there’s more. But for the rest of the story go to the Web site.
