While American soldier, Chris Duke, was stationed in Afghanistan, he met three stray dogs that he nicknamed Sasha, Rufus, and Target. After feeding them a few times, he began to quickly form a bond with the dogs. They were friendly, gentle, and loved to play.
Little did he know, these three dogs would end up saving his life, and in turn – he wanted to do the same.
Chris and a few other soldiers agreed that they would bring the dogs back to the base, where they would be safe since they were in such a dangerous and volatile area. Chris says that the soldiers used the dogs as a source of comfort when they were feeling homesick.
One night, while the soldiers were sleeping, Sasha, Rufus, and Target began to bark – alerting them that something very bad was happening. As it turns out, a suicide bomber was attempting to make their way onto the base.
The dogs attacked the suicide bomber before he could approach, forcing him to detonate the bomb. The attacker blew himself up before he could harm the 50 soldiers inside.
Sadly, Sasha was gravely injured and they were forced to put her down. However, Rufus and Target’s injuries weren’t nearly as critical and they were able to slowly be nursed back to health. When it was time for Chris to go home a month later, he found it heartbreaking to leave them behind.
When Chris returned home, he wrote a letter, making a plea to Hope for the Warriors. He asked them if there was any possible way he could get the dogs back home to him in the United States. “We believe those touched by military service can succeed at home by restoring their sense of self, family, and hope,” it says on the Hope for the Warriors site.
“This was going to mean a lot to him,”Robin Kelleher, President of Hope for the Warriors told CBS News. “So whatever we needed to do to get this wish done we were going to do that.”
Organizations began to catch wind of Chris’ plea to reunite with Rufus and Target, and soon, over $21,000 was raised to bring them overseas from Afghanistan.
Both Rufus and Target made the long journey over the Atlantic and arrived in Atlanta, Georgia for an emotional reunion. Thanks to Chris’ impressionable letter, both Target and Rufus will have loving and caring homes. Target will live in Arizona with another soldier, and Rufus will stay with Chris and his wife.
“I was pretty much in disbelief up until the moment I saw them,” he told CBS News.
“To think that I’m going to have him for the rest of my life – it’s exciting,” Chris said. “…I firmly believe I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him.”
War can have a traumatic and long-lasting effect on our soldier’s that risk their lives. It’s special animals like Rufus, Target, and Sasha, that help them cope.
Watch their beautiful and emotional reunion below. Keep reading for another incredible reunion video.
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Can’t get enough soldier and dog reunions? Yeah, us either. Check out this beautiful compilation of emotional dogs seeing their owners after being deployed. So amazing!
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