Brian Jones: “I called him and I said: Mike, this family has lost everything, their son. They want Lex to retire and live out the rest…”

“I called him and I said: Mike, this family has lost everything, their son. They want Lex to retire and live out the rest of his life. He had shrapnel in his back. So, the Air Force agreed with General Regner and retired the dog. That dog spent 8 years with the family of the marine who was killed. I went over to Walter Reed on a regular basis during the Iraq war, and I never will forget a young Army guy who had lost his leg. He told me the story. He was a dog handler of a platoon and waiting for the dog to go out and sniff an IED. The dog goes out, finds the IED, and turns around and looks at the platoon. Then the IED exploded. There are so many of these stories that it is hard to even get a record of them. {time} 1945 In closing, I wanted to thank former President George W. Bush. He signed the bill to erect a War Dog Memorial at Lackland Air Force Base. John Burnam deserves so much credit. He got the private sector to pay for the memorial at Lackland Air Force Base. So the dogs that Mr. Yoho and others have spoken about tonight will never be forgotten. There is a memorial for them and the work they have done for this country. I want to say that, to me, of all the things--I have been in Congress 20 years--but when you touch a dog, you touch a child. These dogs have done so much to save the children who are now soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors, to save those people from being killed by IEDs and the enemy. So, again, I thank Mr.…”