Story:

There is a Joint Security Stations (JSS) in Iraq that is austere at best. A small building at this location is where eight U.S. soldiers live. There is no PX, post office or chow hall. Meals are trucked in from the nearest Combat Outpost twice a day. The JSS is surrounded on all four sides by tall blast walls topped with concertina wire. This 250 foot by 500 foot patch of American occupied land lies right in the middle of the Iraqi 54th Brigade Army. The U.S. soldiers are in the midst by some 3,000 Iraqi soldiers 24 hours a day. Surrounding the JSS is a large trash dump and a fetid swamp of sewage waste water. It was here that Phoenix was born.

Too young to be separated from his mother, the puppy was found in 2008 by a soldier amongst the trash and sewage near a well traveled road where dogs are run over daily. Not being able to bear the thought of the puppy being another victim, this caring soldier took the poor puppy in. The orphan was promptly christened Phoenix in homage to the name of the soldier’s team.

Feeding a young puppy was a challenge for the guys, considering food for humans was not real plentiful either. Eventually a very expensive bag of dog food was secured and replaced the scraps of human food that Phoenix had been living on. In the weeks that followed more healthy food, treats and toys began to arrive from the states as word of the puppy spread among the soldier’s family and friends. Phoenix began to thrive with all the attention being showered on him and he received a clean bill of health after being seen by a veterinarian.

As Phoenix settled in at the JSS he took on two jobs – comfort provider and protector. Missing their families at home and the day-to-day activities they no longer took for granted, the soldiers turned to Phoenix for the comfort a canine companion can give so generously. Spending time with Phoenix provided a sense of what life was like back at home. This canine war buddy got the team through some tough times and the bond between the soldiers and the dog grew. Phoenix took his other job of protecting his guys seriously, barking loudly to warn them when someone was approaching that he deemed to be a stranger. He often would become aware of a potential danger well before the soldiers were aware of it. Having Phoenix nearby made everyone feel safer.

When the team went out on patrols, Phoenix often accompanied them. He’d take his position inside the vehicle, remaining on full alert until they returned to the JSS. The guys joked that Phoenix was a well trained soldier who performed his duties well and took his job seriously.

When the team learned that once they left the JSS no U.S. team would replace them, the question of what to do about Phoenix became a major concern. Leaving him in the care of the Iraqi soldiers would have meant a certain death, probably not long after the team pulled out. There had already been several occasions when they caught Iraqi’s kicking and taunting Phoenix. The option of returning their buddy to the trash dump to fend for himself was a fate that a domesticated dog would not survive for long and for that reason the team quickly abandoned that idea.

After a little research, one of the team members found Operation Baghdad Pups and the process to get Phoenix out of Iraq began. Agreeing to give Phoenix a permanent home, the much loved canine now lives with one of the soldiers and his family, along with 5 other dogs, 2 cats, 3 horses, a ferret and an African Grey Congo Parrot.