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Fallen Marine’s family adopts his best friend
By Randy Roughton, Defense Media Activity-San Antonio
Brady Rusk, 12, gets a somber kiss from Eli, a bomb-sniffing military working dog, during a retirement and adoption ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Feb. 3. The Labrador retriever was assigned to Brady’s older brother, Marine Corps Pfc. Colton Rusk, who was killed in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Bennie J. Davis, III)
“Whatever is mine is his,” Marine Corps Pfc. Colton W. Rusk wrote about Eli, his military working dog, in the final days of their deployment in Afghanistan.
Yesterday, Rusk’s family helped to prove his words true when they adopted the black Labrador retriever in a retirement and adoption ceremony at the military working dog school at Lackland AFB, Texas.
After Rusk, 20, was killed Dec. 5, 2010, in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province by Taliban sniper fire, Marine Corps officials told Darrell and Kathy Rusk, his parents, that Eli, the young Marine’s infantry explosives-detector dog, crawled on top of their son to protect him after he was shot.
The Rusks drove here from their home in Orange Grove, Texas, along with their sons – Cody, 22, and Brady, 12 – as well as Rusk’s aunt, Yvonne Rusk, and his grandparents, Jan Rusk and Katy and Wayne O’Neal.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jessy Eslick, of the Defense Department’s military working dog research and development section, handed the leash to the family, praising Eli as “a dog that brought Marines home to their families.” Eli immediately began licking Kathy Rusk’s palms and fell into the arms of his former handler’s father.
“In his last letter we got the day before we buried him, at the very top was a little smudge that said ‘Eli’s kisses,’” said the fallen Marine’s mother, who wore a two-sided pendant with a photo of her son on one side and another snapshot of him with Eli on the other. “Colton thought whatever was his was Eli’s. “We’re Colton’s family, so it’s just right that we’re Eli’s family now.”
Eli, who was trained in the military working dog program here, reportedly is the second working dog the Marines discharged to permit adoption by a fallen handler’s family. Cpl. Dustin J. Lee’s family adopted his German shepherd, Lex, after the Quitman, Miss., Marine died from wounds he received in a mortar attack in Iraq’s Anbar Province March 21, 2007. The corporal’s family worked for nine months with an online petition and congressional help to secure the adoption.
Kathy Rusk said her family didn’t have as many obstacles in their quest to adopt Eli. Texas Gov. Rick Perry started the process of working with the Marines on the dog’s discharge, and Scooter Kelo, who trained Eli and also taught Rusk on working with the dog, also helped to make the adoption possible.
“It gets our mind off the sadness of losing Colton,” she said, “just knowing we’re going to have a little piece of Colton in Eli. I just wish he could talk and tell us some stories. Just to know we’re going to be able to share the love we have for our son with something that he loved dearly.”
Rusk joined the Marines after he graduated from Orange Grove High School and committed himself to the Marines the same week that his best friend, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Justin Rokohl, lost both legs in southern Afghanistan. Rusk deployed to Afghanistan on his 20th birthday, with Eli, as part of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“He wanted to be a Marine since he was 10 years old,” his mother said of her fallen son. “We talked to him about maybe going to college first, but he said he had to fight for his country first.”
Rusk often told his parents how dogs like Eli were well-trained here and in South Carolina, where he was trained as a bomb detector dog handler.
“We’ve had dogs all of our lives,” Darrell Rusk said. “Since all of the boys were babies, they had one. Colton was probably the better handler of the bunch. When he went to train in South Carolina, he said, ‘Dad, we don’t know how to train dogs. These dogs here will bring you a beer, they’ll open the can for you, but sometimes they’ll drink it for you, too.’ He said that was how well-trained the dogs were, and he was really amazed how much you can do with a dog once you’ve worked with them.”
The dog Rusk liked to call “My boy, Eli” earned a reputation for wanting to be wherever his handler was. Eli didn’t want to sleep on the ground; he slept in Rusk’s sleeping bag. They even ate together outside after Rusk found out that Eli wasn’t allowed to eat in the chow hall.
“He told a story of when they were in the chow line one time,” the fallen Marine’s father said. “One of the Marines kicked at the dog one time and told him to get the dog out. Colton and the Marine got into a little scuffle. They told Colton he could stay inside and leave the dog outside, but from then on, Colton and Eli ate outside. That’s how tight he and the dog were.”
The family met Eli once when they visited Rusk at Camp Pendleton the week he deployed. After the retirement and adoption ceremony, the Rusks took Eli to their home on more than 20 acres of land, which he will share with the family, their horses and three German shepherds.
Jan Rusk said this was another way to honor her grandson’s memory, but it also will help the family as they continue to cope with their loss. “Eli was a part of Colton, and now they have a little part of Colton back,” she said.
Here’s a great story!
Shell-Shocked Dog of War Finds a Home With the Family of a Fallen Hero
Mose is lost, please help!
Missing from: Home, near Hiway 55, between towns of Manzano and Punta de Aqua. This is about ten miles from Mountainair. When: Sunday evening, June 27. Mose’s Description: Large yellow lab, neutered, about 2 1/2 years old. Muscular, but quite tall. Mose is friendly and energetic. Wearing, or was wearing: a red cord collar with a rabies tag from Bryan Bowker, DVM, in Edgewood. Contact information: If you have seen Mose at anytime or anywhere, please call Nancy Stone at 1-505-979-1787. The owner is offering a substantial reward for Mose’s return.
Stay
Down the car windows to make sure my
Labrador Retriever Pup had fresh air.
She was stretched full-out on the back seat
and I wanted to impress upon her that she must
remain there.
I walked to the curb backward,
pointing my finger at the car and saying emphatically,
“Now you stay. Do you hear me?”
If I didn’t have a dog or cat …
I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.
My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.
All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn’t sound like a kennel.
When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.
I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, with out taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.
I would have money, and no guilt to go on a real vacation.
I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.
The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave it ALONE.
My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.
I would not talk ‘baby talk’. ’Eat your din din’. ’Yummy yummy for the
tummy’…
My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.
My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.
I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L,, W-A-L-K,, T-R-E-A-T,, O-U-T,, G-O,, R-I-D-E,, C-O-O-K-
I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.
I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.
I’d look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading ‘mud’ season.
I would not have to answer the question ‘Why do you have so many animals?’ from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.
How EMPTY my life would be!!!
Breakfast with Ginger
Are You A Labrador Person?
- Do you need a dog that steps on your feet all the time?
- Do you need a dog that covets every bite that goes in your mouth?
- Do you wish to go everywhere with dog hair on your clothes?
- Do you need a dog that goes with you every time you go to the bathroom?
- Do you need a sloppy wet lick every morning the minute the alarm clock goes off?
- Do your guest need to be smelled from end to end the minute they come in your house?
- Do you need a dog that is smart enough to step on the mechanism on the trash can and help themselves to all the garbage they want?
- Do you need dog nose prints on the inside of the windows of your car and house all the time?
- Do you need a dog that knows if you have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee in your hand that a quick flip of the elbow with their nose will cause you to share whatever it is that you are drinking?
- Do you need a dog whose gas can send you and the family running from the room at a moments notice?
- Do you need a dog that gets so excited when you are running and playing in the yard that they tackle you below the knees and lay you out flat on your back?
I guess I must be a Labrador person. These are just a few of the behaviors
“These kids really clean up well!” Alexa’s shiny bright puppies!
Until you have held a tiny puppy in your arms as it kissed your face with it’s slobbery puppy breath and felt the love.
Until you have held an injured or severely ill dog in your
arms and felt their pain
Until you have looked into the eyes of a tired aging senior dog and felt their wisdom
And until you have seen and understood the look in your dogs eyes that tell you their time on Earth with you is over…….and you humanely let them go
You will never understand the life of a rescuer
We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and the otherwise homely faces.
It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness and defeat and find the true soul that lies within.
We are rescue.
- Kathie Sullivan
made me cry …
I Found Your Dog Today I found your dog today. No, he has not been adopted by anyone. Most of us who live out here own as many dogs as we want, those who do not own dogs do so because they choose not to. I know you hoped he would find a good home when you left him out here, but he did not. When I first saw him he was miles from the nearest house and he was alone, thirsty, thin and limping from a burr in his paw. How I wish I could have been you as I stood before him. To see his tail wag and his eyes brighten as he bounded into your arms, knowing you would find him, knowing you had not forgotten him. To see the forgiveness in his eyes for the suffering and pain he had known in his never-ending quest to find you… but I was not you. And despite all my persuasion, his eyes see a stranger. He did not trust. He would not come. He turned and continued his journey; one he was sure would bring him to you. He does not understand you are not looking for him. He only knows you are not there, he only knows he must find you. This is more important than food or water or the stranger who can give him these things. Persuasion and pursuit seemed futile; I did not even know his name. I drove home, filled a bucket with water and a bowl with food and returned to where we had met. I could see no sign of him, but I left my offering under the tree where he had sought shelter from the sun and a chance to rest. You see, he is not of the desert. When you domesticated him, you took away any instinct of survival out here. His purpose demands that he travel during the day. He doesn’t know that the sun and heat will claim his life. He only knows that he has to find you. I waited hoping he would return to the tree; hoping my gift would build an element of trust so I might bring him home, remove the burr from his paw, give him a cool place to lie and help him understand that the part of his life with you is now over. He did not return that morning and at dusk the water and food were still there untouched. And I worried. You must understand that many people would not attempt to help your dog. Some would run him off, others would call the county and the fate you thought you saved him from would be preempted by his suffering for days without food or water. I returned again before dark. I did not see him. I went again early the next morning only to find the food and water still untouched. If only you were here to call his name. Your voice is so familiar to him. I began pursuit in the direction he had taken yesterday, doubt overshadowing my hope of finding him. His search for you was desperate, it could take him many miles in 24 hours. It is hours later and a good distance from where we first met, but I have found your dog. His thirst has stopped, it is no longer a torment to him. His hunger has disappeared, he no longer aches. The burrs in his paws bother him no more. Your dog has been set free from his burdens, you see, your dog has died. I kneel next to him and I curse you for not being here yesterday so I could see the glow, if just for a moment, in those now vacant eyes. I pray that his journey has taken him to that place I think you hoped he would find. If only you knew what he went through to reach it… and I agonize, for I know, that were he to awaken at this moment, and (if) I were to be you, his eyes would sparkle with recognition and his tail would wag with forgiveness. -unknown
By: Animal Rescue Volunteers, Inc.
Poisoness to Dogs!
The best Lab video I have ever seen!!
(Click the link below)
Another problem caused by deforestation!
Zeb was on our site and adopted under the name Scout!
from his dad … “a lab is such a good friend, and can do almost anything with you!”
This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed.
It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.
“SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I’m a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I’ll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me… Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Annie, I’ll be waiting…..”
Excerpt from the book Kindred Spirits by Allen M. Shoen, D.V.M., M.S., a wonderful, enlightened book about the bond that we all can share and how we truly are kindred spirits …”Whether I’m out on the lecture circuit or treating patients at a barn or in the office, I often hear the question ‘Dr Shoen, what is the best way I can personally help a kindred spirit?’ Here’s my answer: Find an abandoned or a homeless or an abused animal friend and bring him or her into your life. Share your home with your new companion and provide as much love and nurturance as you can. Receive the same love and affection back and allow the two of you to grow together. Your life — and the life of your friend — will never be the same. Your joy will be great and your souls will flourish. Their cup and yours will truly runneth over with love!”
Email from Dr. Shoen … “Dear Colleen and Marita: Congratulations on having such a wonderful website to help our kindred spirits! Yes, indeed, you may use quotes from the book for your website. Just please reference the book so all the copyright issues are correct. I am so glad you enjoyed the book. I am so grateful that it continues to be of benefit to all beings throughout the world! I am working on a new book/ blog, online community to assist in awakening consciousness throughout the world through animal lovers. Stay tuned to my website and hopefully that will be showing up within the next 6
months.
Blessings from a kindred spirit,
Allen Schoen, DVM”
