No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home From the Combat Zone
Authors: Terri Crisp; C. J. Hurn
Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home from the Combat Zone
TERRI CRISP WITH CYNTHIA HURN
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Chapter 1 How It All Began . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2 Getting the Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 3 The Kindness of Strangers . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 4 Rescue Mission #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 5 A Brother's Plea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 6 K-Pot and Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Chapter 7 New Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter 8 Guard Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Chapter 9 Finding Felines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Chapter 10 Heroes in the Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 11 Reaching Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Chapter 12 Patriot Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Chapter 13 Team Effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Chapter 14 Countdown to Baghdad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chapter 15 In the Red Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Chapter 16 Full House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Chapter 17 The French Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Chapter 18 AuRevoir! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Chapter 19 Letting Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Afterword by Cynthia Hurn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Terri Crisp
If I were a dog, I would have long ago worn out my tail-wagging it to say "thank you." In the three years that I have been the manager for SPCA International's Operation Baghdad Pups program, a human "pack" of animal-loving individuals has entered my life and given me countless reasons to be grateful for these remarkable comrades.
Since this journey began in the fall of 2007, I have become well acquainted with a select group of stalwart individuals serving in the U.S. military. While bravely fighting for our country, these men and women balanced out the cruelties of war they faced daily by finding it in their heart to protect a stray dog or cat-many on the verge of certain death. Our troops may be trained to be tough and to battle for the freedoms all Americans hold dear, but I have seen their compassionate side, too, the side that won't allow them to turn their back on a suffering animal.
I have cried and laughed with these individuals while working together to give some deserving four-legged-and in a few cases three-legged-wartime buddies better lives. Not many people get the privilege to save the lives of animals and at the same time to give some kind-hearted, uniformed individuals the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their companion animal will never suffer again. What has grown out of these lifesaving efforts is a kinship with these stellar individuals-ignited by our shared love for animals.