Sergeant Chris Duke was away for a mission in Afghanistan, where he would meet three dogs – Rufus, Target and Sasha – that would change his life forever. In fact, without the assistance of these three loyal pups, the sergeant may have been not around anymore.
The soldier was stationed in a volatile area of the country, and even the army barracks wasn’t safe from potential invaders and attackers. Tragically, a suicide bomber of attempted to take the lives of our brave men and woman in the military by entering the premises.
However, the suicide bomber didn’t count on the three loyal dogs that would alert their human friends instantly.
The dogs saw the suspicious activity by the terrorist and made enough noise to make sure that nearby troops were alerted and the danger could be dealt with.
Even though the suicide bomber was successful in detonating the bomb, it’s mainly thanks to the actions of these three dogs that there were no casualties among the US soldiers. The damage was severe and the barracks definitely wasn’t in optimal condition, but thankfully no soldiers were killed.
Tragically, the blast did have an effect on the dogs. It was so powerful that the three pups were hurt badly. The injuries of the duo Rufus and Target were luckily not life threatening, but the same couldn’t be said for the extremely brave and loyal Sasha. Her injuries were so severe that she had to be put to sleep.
Touched and full of emotion after Sasha’s death, the military sergeant was more determined than ever to make sure Rufus and Target would be living their lives to the fullest. He reached out to Hope for the Warriors, an assistance group for veterans.
Sergeant Duke wanted to bring his four-legged friends home.
“I owe my life to those dogs and my wish is to bring them home and give them the best life that I can.”
The president of the veteran assistance group, Robin Kelleher, was more than happy to oblige and help the sergeant out. The story quickly spread like a fire and other organizations wanted to help out as well, so a Facebook page was set up to collect money. In total, the group collected $21,000 to bring Rufus and Target home safely.
After a long trip to the United States, Target and Rufus met once again with Sgt. Duke and his family in Atlanta. The sergeant will be taking care of Rufus himself, and another soldier’s family in the same state will welcome Target so that the sergeant can still visit him occasionally.
Be sure to check out footage of the heartfelt reunion below.
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