Craig Grossi, a U.S. Marine on mission serving in Afghanistan, one day came across a stray dog on the battlefield of Sangin. The dog seemed tolerant and resilient to the harsh and dangerous circumstances he was living in. Not a place one would expect to see a dog. He clearly never had been cared for, in rough shape. Strange as it sounds, ended up making a lasting impact, inspiring the whole group of fellow Marines and especially Craig’s life.
A Wagging Tail
Craig walked towards him and the dog greeted him with a happy tail. This just opened up Craig’s heart, they spent a few moments together and since that moment a deep bond between them was created. They called him Fred. Fred now follewed Craig and his group everywhere.
They all felt touched by this very special dog that was just in touch with himself, in the present moment, engaging with them despite what was happening all around. It gave the whole group a sense of relief from the stress of duty and war. Fred represented something good they could protect. He was the positive, loving and funny creature in an extremely difficult and dangerous environment, there to inspire them. And they became engaged in the intent to save him, get him to the States and give him a new, beautiful life.
Stealt Rescue Mission
The rescue mission had to happen stealtly and in numerous steps. First they had to get him out of the war zone, then onto a helicopter, after that hide Fred on a U.S camp, before he could be safely transported by plane to Kennedy Airport, N.Y. There Craig’s dad and sister waited for him to bring him home to Virginia. Fortunately many different kinds of people in different locations were able and willing to step up and contribute to the task. As if it was ment to be. Craig did not know when and if he would be able to make it out of Afghanistan.
This eventually happened a few months later. Needless to say Fred had quickly adapted to his new country and developed a good relationship with everyone. And typically it was Fred who gave Craig a sens of belonging and grounding when he first returned from war, out of sync with normalcy, befor he could slowly find hiself again and reconnect with the normal life he had had before his deployment abroad. Fred gave him a new purpose in life and Fredbeing rescued represents a major ersonal accomplishment in his life. Especially as the efforts of the troops abroad eventually resulted in little impact.
Same Stubborn Positivity
Together they are on a new mission paying it forward through social media engagements, books, speaking events to tell the story of the battle field and the people whos served there. And to live life with the same stubborn positivity Fred brought into forefront for his Marine troops within the war zone.
See them in action and hear their story here, the story of a Marine and a miracle dog that inspires us. It will warm your heart.
Source The Dodo
