Cpl. Dustin Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Fallujah, Iraq, in March of last year. While he lay on the ground, his partner Lex, a German Shepherd, refused to leave him, even though Lex was also badly injured. Other Marines had to pull Lex away so that the medics could reach his human friend and partner.
Lex even attended Cpl. Lee's funeral, spending some time with Dustin's brother. Later, Lex, still with shrapnel inside him from that awful day, returned to duty with the Marines. But on December 21, 2007, the Marine Corps officially retired Lex, who was sent to live with Cpl. Lee's family.
This is what they said at the ceremony where he was formally turned over to the Lee family:
"This is to certify that military working dog Lex, having served faithfully and honorably, was discharged from the United States Marine Corps on this 21st day of December 2007."
It was the first time that a military working dog was ever discharged early from the U.S. Marine Corps.
You can read more about Lex and Cpl. Lee here and here, and see an interview with his family here.
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