Marine Protects An Underdog, Literally

(CBS)  Almost any Marine who fought in a place like Fallujah will admit it is a life-changing experience. But chances are no one's life there changed the way Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman's did about two years ago, CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.

Kopelman is retired now and every day he sees a reminder of his time in combat. But it's a pleasant memory.

Lava was a 5 month-old puppy - part German Shepherd, part who knows what - when Kopelman met him in Fallujah. And before long, he fell in love.

"Lava wouldn't take no for an answer, and still doesn't. Lava just wormed his way in," Kopelman says.

Rescuing Lava became Kopelman's secret mission. It was a secret because regulations say clearly, no pets are allowed. But Kopelman was just months from going home and could not leave Lava behind.

"The plan was to put him in a crate, put him on a plane and he would come home to the United States. But it wasn't as simple as that, in practice," Kopelamn says.

Kopelman had to organize a secret cadre of Marines, reporters, and Iraqi civilians who tried repeatedly to smuggle Lava to safety. Once they considered driving him to Kuwait, but that didn't work. Neither did a plan to sneak him across the border into Jordan.

Meanwhile, he had to hide the dog. At one point, Lava was stashed with the Marines guarding the Commanding General himself. Kopelman says he doesn't think the General even knew about this.

"To the best of my knowledge he didn't," Kopelman says.

Kopelman was running out of time, searching for anyone who could help, anyone who understood the bond between a soldier and a puppy.

"Lava adopted Jay just as much as Jay adopted Lava," Ken Licklider says.

Licklider trains dogs for the military and, more importantly, transports them into and out of Iraq.

"We understood what that dog meant to that GI. It was not even a question," Licklider says.

So after five months of work, Lava, the stray mutt, was hidden among some of the most elite dogs in Iraq, flown out of Baghdad and re-united with Kopelman.

"I may not have saved a child. I may not have saved an adult, but at least I saved something," Kopelman says.

Kopelman has just written a book about the mission that changed his life, a mission he says is not that different from what Marines always do. He says it's about protecting the underdog, and he doesn't mean that as a pun.

[Blibrarose]

what a beautiful story!!!!!..I cryed at the end. the loves of a dog is unconditional of course the war is always sad. I have a huge loves for animals and I would have taken Lave anytime.....I;m very proud of Coloney of Jay Kopeman for never giving up.....

[janet4784]

Wonderful, uplifting story. Thank you, CBS! And the neocons say the media never reports on the good stuff happening in Iraq. :)

[smls37]

I want to commend this marine for the compassion he has for these unfortunate animals. I worked weeks with Katrina animal rescue and it was a very rewarding experience. In a few days I am headed to Utah to help with the cats from Beruit that need care. These animals donn't have a voice to tell the misery they have endured. The least we can do is to help them now. smls37

[hshirley-2009]

Thank you for the wonderful story!

Since hurricane Katrina, it appears more and more people, including our Federal government, are willing to socially CHANGE to slowly, but surely, further include animals into our circle of compassion. Change = changing rules, regs, and fed laws, which we are thankfully doing with the help of people like Mr. Kopelman.

Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman deserves a medal for setting a great example towards positive social change. Jay Kopelman, if you are reading this....please know that there are billions of beautiful and intelligent hard working civilians who (if they hear about your story) consider your actions to be most honorable and admirable, and contributory towards positive social change.

Thank you kindly for the uplifting story.

[desoto4jsb]

I remember when my stepfather was serving his 5th tour of naval duty in Vietnam about 1970, he found a small puppy that was being raised to be eaten by a Vietnamese family. He, much like this Marine, fell in love and finally managed to send that dog home to wait with us for his return. That dog meant the world to us for many years. I hope that Marine has many years of peaceful enjoyment with Lava. For the first responder who wants this young man Court-Martialed and everyone else fired or worse for helping, can grow up and become a contributing member of society, instead of an insolent jerk. May Lava live a long and healthy life.

[rrrina]

Thank you for your awesome and uplifting piece about Jay and his rescued puppy! In his Moral Basis for Vegetarianism, Gandhi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Reading about people like Jay make me feel there is hope for us as a species.

Rina Deych
http://www.rrrina.com/

[mobaugh]

After days and weeks and months of school massacres, political scandals, an ever-increasing death toll in Iraq, etc, etc, etc, this story was a much welcome, indeed NEEDED change. It allows for hope that the human spirit-our very humanity- is yet still intact. Considering the laundry list of autrocities committed under the guise of "spreading democracy", it is humorous to the point of ludicrously to suggest this gentleman be virtually drawn and quartered for doing nothing more than saving a helpless, defenseless animal. Perhaps we should start prosecuting those that actually commit war crimes, instead of those looking to protect those that need us most.

[rbird8728]

This is a good story! When you get to be my age and with my mileage, you realize that life is about personal survival tactics without regard to someone's trumped up "rules". This guy had an opportunity (or created one) to keep his new found pet and it worked! Good for him.

[lanaedawn]

Geez, guys, lighten up. What a cute story! I've heard a lot of stories like this. While looking through my grandfathers photo album from his time in Japan there is a big white shaggy dog featured in many of the photos. My grandfather said it was a stray they found and snuck onto the base. His face brightened when he told stories about the misadventures with the dog. He said that dog and his fellow soldiers were the only good memories he had of the war he had to fight in. Decades later, when my boss was in the Marines he smuggled home a cat named Rebel. He would hide him in the most unusual of places Rebel is 13 now but those two share such a strong bond.
Its hard for our men and women in the military to be so far away from home, putting there lives on the line everyday. I think of how much joy my own dogs bring me at the end of a long stressful day, and my days are not even a quarter as stressful as that of a soldier. I'm glad that these guys banded together and were able to get this dog home with Lt. Col Kopleman.

[zykracosmos]

Reading TALQASAS comments, I am reminded of why I never wanted to enlist. I have never had a problem with authority, but the idea of placing all sense of compassion and humanity behind the robotic and blind allegiance to following orders and the chain of command is to strip away most of one's identity. How does a soldier ever learn to think for himself and take social responsibility after four years of blind acceptance of commands. On the flip side, I have great respect for anyone who is capable of separating their personal feelings for their commitment to follow orders, and I know the military could not run as a collection of independent thinkers. It makes it all the more distressing that soldiers who make such personal sacrifices are called upon to fight in a war for oil by leaders such as Bush and Cheney, who know these soldiers will put their allegiance to the service above all else, even the common sense that something is terribly wrong with this commitment. A marine was NEVER trained to be a peacekeeper on patrol in a hostile land, playing Russian roulette in a Humvee, waiting to see who gets blown up today. If you believe your commander-in-chief to be deceitful, you'd best not join an organization that requires you not to think. Otherwise, you may hide emotional scars for the rest of your life from the actions they required you to do.