When you think of a war hero, the idea of the brave men fighting hard inch by inch on D-Day come to mind; as do the men who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima and sacrificed their lives to save their brother's in arms; or the stories of the brave pilots fighting insurmountable odds in the skies above Britain.
When it comes to wartime actions, the word "hero" is usually always associated with a single brave human going above and beyond the call of duty in fighting the enemy, often sustaining heavy injuries, all in order to save their own or defend civilians in a time of crisis. Very rarely do we stop for a moment and give the brave animals that risk just as much a moment of special appreciation.
It was during WWII that the Dickin Medal was initiated to give these brave animals the proper respect they deserved. Since the award began in 1943, 31 dogs have received the medal, 32 messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat!
So it was quite the honor when one very special American war dog by the name of Lucca was asked to come over to Great Britain to become the newest member of this elite group of animal heroes.
Check out Lucca's amazing story of bravery below!
When Lucca first began her journey to fight on the front lines, she was partnered up with her human, Gunnery Sgt. Chris Willingham. After months and months of intense training together, this tight-knit team was ready to go over into Afghanistan to fight the terrorists and keep their fellow American soldiers safe from roadside bombs.
Lucca proved to be incredible at her job. The other soldiers felt safer whenever she was in their squad. Time and time again, she would sniff out enemy I.E.Ds and keep her humans safe. Often with her human nearby, the two would go on point (in the very front of the squad), a dangerous but honorable position. Together, Lucca and Willingham kept their men safe!
But a few years into her tenure, Willingham retired and Lucca was transferred into the loving hands of her next trainer, Cpl. Juan Rodriguez. While Lucca certainly missed her old human, the two formed an incredible bond. Lucca's good luck seemed like it would last forever.
Unfortunately, Lucca came across a hidden bomb one day. Rodriguez began to search for other hidden bombs when suddenly the first one detonated. Lucca was injured.
Rodriguez rushed to pick his injured friend up and get her out of there as quickly as possible. Within 10 minutes, a medical helicopter arrived, and doctors got to work on her just as they would any human soldier injured in combat.
It was a tough going, and Lucca's front leg had to be amputated, but thankfully she managed to make it through. Rodriguez stayed by his partner's side for days, knowing that if he were injured, she would be acting the same exact way.
The second Lucca could walk again, she instantly tried to get back to work. But the injury was bad enough that her military career was over. She received a hero's welcome when she got stateside, and through an amazingly thoughtful military program, she was reunited with her former human partner, Willingham.
He adopted the beautiful dog, and brought her home to enjoy her retirement in peace and quiet.
But word quickly spread about this hero dog. She had served on over 400 patrols, and not once while she was on duty did a human sustain an injury. Even in the blast that nearly killed her, she was the only casualty. Such an amazing dedication to duty certainly deserved some public recognition!
So when Willingham was asked to come over to Great Britain to take part in the official Dickin Medal ceremony, he was honored, too. Lucca is the first Marine Corps dog to receive the medal, and when you look into her eyes, she honestly seems to wear that medal with well-deserved pride!
To this day, countless soldiers, including Willingham and Rodriguez, are 100 percent positive that they wouldn't have gotten home if it weren't for Lucca. This dog and countless other animals have saved human lives over the centuries. So it seems the least we can do is give them the proper honor they deserve for a job well done.
A head scratch, a nice bone, a medal, and of course a forever home! Congratulations on receiving all of those, Lucca! May you live a long and happy life!
Please SHARE this beautiful story if you're thankful that Lucca made it back home!
