Dog Discharged; Adopted By Marine's Family

Since he was a little boy, Dustin Jerome Lee loved dogs. So no one was surprised when Lee became a combat dog handler after joining the Marines following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Lee was assigned to Lex, an 8-year-old German shepherd. While he was deployed in Iraq, they were constant companions, even sharing a sleeping bag at times, reports CBS' The Early Show resident veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner.

Their dangerous job of finding roadside bombs forged a bond between them.

"He would always call and talk about how they played and, you know, Lex slept with him, right next to him, and he really felt confident that Lex was by his side," Lee's mother, Rachel, told The Early Show. "He - Dustin would lay his life down for Lex if it come to it, and I know Lex would do the same for him."

But that bond was shattered when Lee was killed by a mortar attack.

Lex, himself injured, would not leave the side of Lee's lifeless body and had to be pulled away.

When Lee's body came home to Quitman, Miss., the town turned out to honor the fallen soldier. The family found Lex to be an endearing reminder of the son they lost.

"He's had two tours in Iraq and he's been through a lot," said Jerome Lee, Dustin's father. "We want to take care of him and let him have a happy life."

So the Lees petitioned the Marines to allow them to adopt Lex.

"There's always going to be that missing link with Dustin gone, but part of Dusty is here with Lex," said Jerome Lee.

At first, the Marines denied their request. It took an Internet petition, the help of a congressman and nine long months but finally, the Marines gave in. They are allowing Lex to be adopted by Dustin Lee's family.

"We're extremely happy to have had Lex here as part of our team, but even happier to see him go to such an amazing family," Lt. Caleb Eames told The Early Show.