It was a photo that was shared over 206,000 times times when it appeared on Facebook back in 2015, and for good reason. When schrapnel from an improvised explosive device (IED) injured both “Rocky,” a United States Army military dog, and his handler, SPC Andrew Brown, during operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, they were flown to Kandahar where they both received the Purple Heart. They stayed in the same room as they recovered.
Specialist Andrew Brown and Rocky during their recovery from injuries from an IED blast in Afghanistan.
MWDs (military ward dogs) are considered to be American soldiers and NCOs (non-commissioned officers). Their rank is one above their handler’s, a custom put in place to remind handlers not to mistreat their dogs. Brown said of Rocky, “He does everything. I’m just really a guy with a leash. I bring him to the area and let him do his thing. If he responds, I translate that … let them know my dog got a response right here. I know the way he works, I know his change of behavior.”
Brown stayed in DC where he underwent more surgeries and treatment, while “Rocky,” a Belgian Malinois, remained in Germany until he fully recovered from injuries to his pelvis, and a total of seven surgeries, a pin in his leg, and an infection in his tail. Rocky received 4,000 hours of surgery, medical care and physiotherapy that sometimes involved walking on a treadmill submerged in water, his tail wrapped in waterproofed bandages.
Three months later, Sergeant Rocky flew out of Ramstein Air Base to head home. The video below is eighteen minutes long, but it has some wonderful close-ups of Rocky’s face early on, and at the fourteen minute mark, we hear about what may lie ahead for him:
The video that follows shows the sweet reunion between Specialist Brown and Rocky in Bethesda, Maryland:
As was mentioned in an earlier video, if it was decided that Rocky would be better off being sent into medical retirement, the Brown family wanted to adopt him – but we’ve been unable to find an update on where Rocky is now.
For anyone who’s wondering about the muzzle that Rocky was wearing in the “purple heart” photo, it’s protocol when treating an injured dog.
Image via 89th Military Police Brigade / Via Facebook: 356125125415