Walter B. Jones: “too often during wartime, tragedy takes center stage and heart-warming stories never get told. Tonight I would like to…”

“too often during wartime, tragedy takes center stage and heart-warming stories never get told. Tonight I would like to share a truly touching story with my colleagues in the House and with the American people. Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee was a United States Marine Corps working-dog handler who was killed in action on March 21, 2007, in Fallujah, Iraq. Corporal Lee and his canine partner, Lex, a 7-year-old German shepherd from Camp Lejeune were a highly trained explosives detection team. Lex, who was due for retirement after his combat tour in Iraq, suffered shrapnel wounds from the same enemy-fired rocket-propelled grenade that took Corporal Lee's life. Following Corporal Lee's death, the Lee family began seeking to adopt their son's canine companion who was with their son during the last moments on Earth. However, after filing the necessary paperwork, contacts at Marine Corps Logistic Base Albany indicated that Lex had been medically evaluated and, although injured, was fit for duty and not yet eligible for adoption.”