Here is an interesting story from the CSMonitor.com -  Do you think pets in a war zone are a good idea and should they be allowed back to the states?

Southbury, Conn.

US Army Staff Sgt. Dan Barker remembers when he first met Jack. The Special Forces medic and his team were securing an abandoned village in southern Afghanistan last June when they entered a compound. The desert sun was beating down upon them, and pomegranates crunched underfoot. With two men behind him, Sergeant Barker warily inched through the doorway to a small, dark room,

rifle cocked, and quickly surveyed the scene for anything hostile.

What he found would change his life.

There, in the corner, lay a filthy, emaciated puppy atop a pile of grain. The malnourished dog lifted its head and glanced over as Barker searched the room hurriedly. Forty minutes later, after securing the rest of the village with his team, Barker circled around to the room, placed his gun on the ground and knelt to engage the dog.

“He was awake and curious and came over to me easily,” says the soldier, who scooped up the dog for a three-hour ride back to his base.

In the ensuing weeks, the Hackensack, N.J., native put his medical skills to work on behalf of the 6-week-old pup, whose floppy ears and auburn “eye patch” made him irresistible even to a second-tour veteran. Little did the rugged soldier know how important Jack would become for him. “The only two things I looked forward to coming back from missions were getting on the computer to talk to [his wife] Lisa and getting back with Jack,” says Barker. “It was great to come back from missions and have him there waiting for me.”

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